Anonymous
12/24/2025 13:04
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
Yes, it's game theory, don't hate the players, hate the game (admissions process). For the home of Economics, this is what they do, I admire it, super smart to match university/student. This is an intellectual approach of matching, from one of the most intellectual places. For those that don't know, game theory is the mathematical study of strategic interactions between rational decision-makers. This is what every college should be doing. They are just outsmarting you lol
You don't know what game theory is, do you?
Anonymous
12/24/2025 12:28
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
Yes, it's game theory, don't hate the players, hate the game (admissions process). For the home of Economics, this is what they do, I admire it, super smart to match university/student. This is an intellectual approach of matching, from one of the most intellectual places. For those that don't know, game theory is the mathematical study of strategic interactions between rational decision-makers. This is what every college should be doing. They are just outsmarting you lol
Anonymous
12/24/2025 09:48
Subject: Re:Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:There is a poster (or posters) on there who now call anyone who posts about Chicago admissions practices as a "Chicago hater."
None of us hate Chicago. The simply do a lot of things with admissions that are not done by other top20 schools:
-ED0
-practice of regularly taking middle-of-the-pack kids who apply ED from some private high schools
-new guaranteed transfer program (which has been done for years by Cornell)
Oh please. There is absolutely at least one poster on this board with an unadulterated hate towards Chicago. S/he posts the same things over and over on every thread where Chicago is mentioned. I have to wonder if it's a disgruntled employee or administrator (that creepy Classic professor who writes 3,000 word screeds against the school?), or something.
Anonymous
12/24/2025 09:21
Subject: Re:Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
A commenter said summer start offers also don't count towards stats. Is that true?
Anonymous
12/24/2025 08:50
Subject: Re:Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
There is a poster (or posters) on there who now call anyone who posts about Chicago admissions practices as a "Chicago hater."
None of us hate Chicago. The simply do a lot of things with admissions that are not done by other top20 schools:
-ED0
-practice of regularly taking middle-of-the-pack kids who apply ED from some private high schools
-new guaranteed transfer program (which has been done for years by Cornell)
None of us hate Chicago. The simply do a lot of things with admissions that are not done by other top20 schools:
-ED0
-practice of regularly taking middle-of-the-pack kids who apply ED from some private high schools
-new guaranteed transfer program (which has been done for years by Cornell)
Anonymous
12/24/2025 08:46
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Chicago’s priority is maximizing yield of full pay students.
Is this true? Yes.
Is this bad? Matter of opinion.
Is this true? Yes.
Is this bad? Matter of opinion.
Anonymous
12/24/2025 08:46
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
Don't forget their waitlist practice, that's ED3.
Chicago is a great school, a true research university. It holds its position in global rankings steadily. All these, due to their graduate schools and professional schools. Chicago will continue to be a great school. But its undergraduate admissions is problematic to say the least.
But, but, but US News says it’s a top 10 undergrad, even though it’s an easier admit ED than any school in the top 20. So parents can say their kid goes to a top 10!
Anonymous
12/24/2025 08:28
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
BU does this, too, and there are probably others.
Cornell has been doing this for decades. I was offered a spot in the following year’s class back in 1990 and now they have a transfer option.
This is not a new concept and many schools do something similar. But Chicago haters are always going to hate....
I am not a hater, dc was just admitted ED! My point is that Cornell has been offering transfer admissions forever - now Chicago is, and both are still highly selective schools. They have room for sophomore transfers and are offering it to first yr applicants who just missed out. What’s wrong with that?
I’m the PP you are responding to. I was using your post to show that other schools do this/have done for awhile. The Chicago haters are all over the thread. Didn’t mean to imply you were one and I don’t have any issue with the policy in theory although I’m not sure I’d want my kid to do it.
Anonymous
12/24/2025 00:21
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
Don't forget their waitlist practice, that's ED3.
Chicago is a great school, a true research university. It holds its position in global rankings steadily. All these, due to their graduate schools and professional schools. Chicago will continue to be a great school. But its undergraduate admissions is problematic to say the least.
Anonymous
12/24/2025 00:20
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
It’s a perfectly rational way to optimize matching between the college and the kids who want to attend it. In fact, I am grateful that the above options exist. My senior has been having an stress-free year after working super hard through high school. If you know that UChicago is your top choice, it’s nice to have a predicable path to getting in. (For DC’s school, this means being in the top 10 percent of the graduating class and SAT/ACT at 1540/35.)
Just to add that Duke and Princeton have been unpredictable for DC’s school. Athletes and legacies get in with lower scores, while top students routinely get rejected.
Anonymous
12/24/2025 00:18
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
It’s a perfectly rational way to optimize matching between the college and the kids who want to attend it. In fact, I am grateful that the above options exist. My senior has been having an stress-free year after working super hard through high school. If you know that UChicago is your top choice, it’s nice to have a predicable path to getting in. (For DC’s school, this means being in the top 10 percent of the graduating class and SAT/ACT at 1540/35.)
Anonymous
12/24/2025 00:11
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Duke has ED and RD.
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
Princeton has single-choice early action and RD.
Chicago has SSEN or ED0, ED1, EA, ED2, RD and now provisional acceptance. Is it all just a game to them?
Anonymous
12/23/2025 23:57
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
I find the UChicago hate on this forum quite unbelievable. Duke and Princeton are also test optional, with similar proportion of kids submitting test scores AND similar SAT ranges. Yet they don’t elicit the sort of hate.
By the way, if you compare the UChicago and Duke common datasets, you will see that the profile of the applicants is fairly similar (% applying for financial aid). The share of financial resources going to financial aid is comparable too.
By the way, if you compare the UChicago and Duke common datasets, you will see that the profile of the applicants is fairly similar (% applying for financial aid). The share of financial resources going to financial aid is comparable too.
Anonymous
12/23/2025 23:18
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
BU does this, too, and there are probably others.
Cornell has been doing this for decades. I was offered a spot in the following year’s class back in 1990 and now they have a transfer option.
I know at least 5 kids who were offered (and accepted) the Cornell transfer option. But somehow it's okay because it's Cornell?
Yes, Cornell has had this program for many years. What I don't get are all of the people saying it's a win-win because you save money. I don't think kids these days - especially the ones headed to Cornell or UChicago - want to go to local community college classes for a year and save their parents money. They would much prefer to live on campus as a freshman and have the whole college experience. Not to mention, the one community college class I took was terrible - the instructor was not a good teacher and gave everyone Bs and Cs.
sorry but cornell does not have ED 0 and will require test scores
Just go on Reddit and see how many 1550+ kids were rejected by UChicago in ED1. UChicago has been test optional for a very long time (before covid). Still, the vast majority of kids submit SAT or ACT.
that’s not a good thing. just require test scores like many actual top schools instead of gaming admissions
Sorry, but what part do you not understand? Over 75 percent of kids submit SAT or ACT. The median SAT score is 1540. What more do you want?
Go 100% test required without this test no harm BS. End ED 0 and shady waitlist games. It's not hard. There's a reason why Chicago does not release any early or waitlist stats in their common data set unlike other actual top privates.
Chicago openly games admissions and yield.
+1 I have a lot of respect for Chicago and its faculty but what they’re doing on admissions with their ED0,1,2 and now this provisional admit thing is sketchy. Not everything is about yield and test scores.
Anonymous
12/23/2025 23:17
Subject: Chicago's new Provisional Acceptance program
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
BU does this, too, and there are probably others.
Cornell has been doing this for decades. I was offered a spot in the following year’s class back in 1990 and now they have a transfer option.
I know at least 5 kids who were offered (and accepted) the Cornell transfer option. But somehow it's okay because it's Cornell?
Yes, Cornell has had this program for many years. What I don't get are all of the people saying it's a win-win because you save money. I don't think kids these days - especially the ones headed to Cornell or UChicago - want to go to local community college classes for a year and save their parents money. They would much prefer to live on campus as a freshman and have the whole college experience. Not to mention, the one community college class I took was terrible - the instructor was not a good teacher and gave everyone Bs and Cs.
sorry but cornell does not have ED 0 and will require test scores
Just go on Reddit and see how many 1550+ kids were rejected by UChicago in ED1. UChicago has been test optional for a very long time (before covid). Still, the vast majority of kids submit SAT or ACT.
that’s not a good thing. just require test scores like many actual top schools instead of gaming admissions
Sorry, but what part do you not understand? Over 75 percent of kids submit SAT or ACT. The median SAT score is 1540. What more do you want?
Go 100% test required without this test no harm BS. End ED 0 and shady waitlist games. It's not hard. There's a reason why Chicago does not release any early or waitlist stats in their common data set unlike other actual top privates.
Chicago openly games admissions and yield.