Anonymous wrote:According to the internet the average wGPA for accepted students is 4.48. And the average SAT is 1530-1540. It does seem like they really like private school rich kids. But they also really like Questbridge.

I think their weird essays are the way to figure out who they really like. The answer is they like "clever." People who can talk about something random and really analyze it.

+1
My public school kid applied ED. Liked the essay and the core. Had almost perfect SAT, 10+ APs all 5s, highest GPA, strong extra curricular. No idea if would have gotten in to HYP but was certainly competitive and chose Chicago. A lot of these kids so not just a top tier reject school.

Anonymous wrote:The weird thing about Chicago is that it easily a top 5 academic institution in the US -- just compare it to, say, Brown or Dartmouth -- yet the students they have decided go after are typically a tier below those who matriculate at ivies. The profile is well-known: private school, full pay, ED1 kids with 1500+ but weaker GPAs relative to the top performers, and often weaker ECs. The divide is very clear at my kid's top private (not in DC): none of the top decile of students, say, apply to Chicago at their ED school. It is typically the 3.6-3.7 UW kid with a 1520 -- that is, a relatively unremarkable record -- that is counseled into that strategy. But again, in purely academic terms it is a clear tier above (in most fields at least) a number of institutions we tend to think of as peers or even stronger in terms of prestige.

That's an outlier in our neck of the woods: nearly all kids applying to Chicago are in the tip top academic group of the class. Top ACTs, SATs, GPAs. Four-year varsity athletes/captains, great ECs. How do I know: it's an independent so graduating classes are small enough, parents know the kids and their parents (especially if lifers), and your DCs know their classmates' performances (especially if they are also in the most rigorous classes with them). To a tee, nearly all these kids applying to Chicago love ideas, are intellectually engaged, etc. And they are also not legacy at HYPSMs. For example, a kid of a friend really wanted Yale, but parents had not attended college in US. The kid wanted to be one and done, so they EDed Chicago (and appears to be crushing it). Another wanted to be in a city, didn't think they could pull off Harvard w/no connection, didn't like Penn, and loved Chicago when they visited. So one and done.

One of the more recent Chicago admits falls in the PP description, but they are recruited athlete.

Maybe 10-20 years ago, a number of these kids - save the legacies who want to attend Chicago - might have tried their hands at HYPSMs. But these kids are pretty good at risk assessment, so they want to optimize their outcomes and Chicago is usually their best bet.

Kids that come from public schools, majority of them are brilliant.
First or second of their high schools.
Almost perfect SAT scores with very high GPA.
Kids from all elite prep schools mostly very qualified, but may be not top of their high schools. Mostly got in ED 1 or ED 2.
My son is at U Chicago and that’s what he gathered.

Anonymous wrote:The weird thing about Chicago is that it easily a top 5 academic institution in the US -- just compare it to, say, Brown or Dartmouth -- yet the students they have decided go after are typically a tier below those who matriculate at ivies. The profile is well-known: private school, full pay, ED1 kids with 1500+ but weaker GPAs relative to the top performers, and often weaker ECs. The divide is very clear at my kid's top private (not in DC): none of the top decile of students, say, apply to Chicago at their ED school. It is typically the 3.6-3.7 UW kid with a 1520 -- that is, a relatively unremarkable record -- that is counseled into that strategy. But again, in purely academic terms it is a clear tier above (in most fields at least) a number of institutions we tend to think of as peers or even stronger in terms of prestige.

Private school parent here at a school that sends a lot of kids to Chicago. My take: kids I know attending are amazingly bright and interesting. Maybe you are correct in saying they didn’t look quite as good on paper for whatever reason. They didn’t play the game as well, is the best way I can describe it but I sort of think, the applicants are a little more refreshing (and varied) because of it. Most are just as smart as the kids who are at the Ivies. The differences between kids’ actual abilities are pretty modest in my mind.

According to the internet the average wGPA for accepted students is 4.48. And the average SAT is 1530-1540. It does seem like they really like private school rich kids. But they also really like Questbridge.

I think their weird essays are the way to figure out who they really like. The answer is they like "clever." People who can talk about something random and really analyze it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The two "top" local private schools are sending a lot of kids to Chicago these days when 20 years ago it'd have been one or two every other year.

I do agree that Chicago is deliberately going after the bright affluent kids who don't make cut at Penn or Brown or Yale.

FWIW, know a kid who attended school with my DCs and is bright, quirky, super hardworking, and affluent. Wanted his dad's Ivy, but he decided that was too much of a long shot based on the other DCs applying in their class, three who were also legacy, so bet on Chicago. REJECTED ED. I still can't figure out how that happened. This is a kid who would thrive at Caltech, Chicago, MIT, etc. Ended up in RD at his dad's Ivy. Still think Chicago made a mistake.

This isn’t surprising at all given they only have so many spots to fill with kids like these. He is male, white(?), not first gen, I am assuming these things based off of your post, but I could be incorrect. People assume that just because their child is an excellent applicant on paper that the school will have no choice but to accept them— people expect this even more if they apply ED. the reality is all of these schools have institutional priorities that will, inevitably, leave them to reject highly qualified applicants who would do more than well at their institution. Sounds like it worked out just fine for the kid you mentioned, so no big deal.

100 percent agree on Brown and Cornell

Chicago takes kids who can do the work. More schools should be like that. They have a decent graduation rate. A kid with a 3.7 from a top school and a 1530 can probably do the work anywhere.

What they don’t take is a million athletes. They’re not filling 30% or more of their seats with kids who had a lot of private athletic coaches. They use their own weird essays to weed people out.

I’d take HYP over Chicago bcs of prestige. Penn depending on kid. But Cornell? No. Dartmouth? No. Brown? No. Schools like Williams or Amherst or swat? No.

Anonymous wrote:My son picked u Chicago over Cornell.

Cornell is the doormat of the Ivy League, there’s like 10 non-ivies that are preferred to Cornell.

My son picked u Chicago over Cornell.

The weird thing about Chicago is that it easily a top 5 academic institution in the US -- just compare it to, say, Brown or Dartmouth -- yet the students they have decided go after are typically a tier below those who matriculate at ivies. The profile is well-known: private school, full pay, ED1 kids with 1500+ but weaker GPAs relative to the top performers, and often weaker ECs. The divide is very clear at my kid's top private (not in DC): none of the top decile of students, say, apply to Chicago at their ED school. It is typically the 3.6-3.7 UW kid with a 1520 -- that is, a relatively unremarkable record -- that is counseled into that strategy. But again, in purely academic terms it is a clear tier above (in most fields at least) a number of institutions we tend to think of as peers or even stronger in terms of prestige.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I partially blame college counselors. Especially in the DC area, private school counselors and admissions consultants push Chicago as THE ED2 option. I know multiple Big 3 kids who were dinged or deferred REA or ED at their top choice schools who then applied to Chicago ED2 with a little "advice." Thankfully, they seem fairly happy there but it doesn't sound as quirky or intellectually distinct. It sounds like what some on DCUM call a lower Ivy, which is fine but different than what many expect.

So let's say the kid is dinged ED/REA at their top choice school. Where should they then apply? What are their options? Remember - most kids in that situation are not in the best mind set, especially if a lot of their friends got in ED. Many want to be done, so they go the ED2 Chicago route.

Seems fairly pragmatic to me.

Applying regular decision to the schools they actually prefer RD is the clear option. I already know a couple who speculate about what might have happened RD.
There are at least 3-4 schools with ED2 that I'd call better than Chicago but that is more subjective.
Get ready for, "is University of Chicago like CUNY?" It isn't like the name alone gets you too far (they've been more than happy to sell the rights to the grad school names too).
At least make Booth give a little more money like Kansas does before they name an athletic facility for their favorite booster

Which schools offering ED2 are better than Chicago?

If I may add, better than Chicago AND more likely to admit the kid rejected in ED1?

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t it ultra conservative? Kind of like Hillsdale?

Hillsdale? No, certainly not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No idea, but my kid gets almost a DAILY mailing from them.

Same here. It was never on my DD’s radar (thank god because she doesn’t have the stats necessary to get in). But we get so much mail from them I’m starting to get mildly annoyed at all the wasted paper.

+1000
We get something from them every other day.

I think my kid is pretty smart, he graduated top of his high school and he said being student at u Chicago is a very humbling experience.
It keeps you grounded and after the initial shock he really likes it.