Anxious for early action decisions to come out? 

Pop some virtual bubblewrap to pass the time. 

Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy we are extending our Early Action deadline past November 1st. We will extend our Early Application deadline for those of you affected by Hurricane Sandy (aka “Frankenstorm”). As we are still unsure how long and how severely this storm may impact different areas of the country, we will allow affected students to submit their Early Action applications, including your Common Application and Supplement, when it is feasible to do so after November 1. Please rest assured that if you are adversely affected by the storm we will happily receive your materials after November 1 with no penalty to you.

Note: this is updated from our earlier statement as the storm appears to be more severe than expected in many areas. For those affected: stay safe, and submit your application when it is possible to do so, even if after November 1. 

First of all, thank you for the time and effort you put forth in your UChicago application. Who knew how much Plato has had to do with Play-Doh! Once again we found that UChicago attracts highly impressive candidates from across the globe with a compelling interest in learning and the power of ideas. Rest assured—no matter your admission decision, these traits will serve you well.

You can now view your decision in your UChicago Account.  Paper mailings will only be sent to Admitted students.

What Decisions Mean

Admit: Congratulations! You have until May 1 to reply to the University of Chicago. Just a friendly reminder: students are placed into the housing assignment queue based on the date of payment of their enrollment deposit. You can connect with your fellow students via the UChicago Admitted Student portal.

Defer: A defer means that we are not granting you acceptance at this time, but we will review your application again in the winter.

Our deferral list is not ranked, and historically about 10% of deferred students are admitted in the Regular Decision pool. If UChicago remains your top choice, here is some advice on what to do next:

Do:

+ Have your school send us a “mid-year report.” Occasionally, students are deferred because we want to see these senior year grades. If you have new testing, be sure to send those scores as well.

+ Send an email to your regional counselor. This should be a thoughtful paragraph or two specifying why UChicago remains your first choice. There are no hard deadlines, but keep in mind we will release decisions in March.

+ Continue your college search. UChicago represents just one school in a sea of incredible institutions of higher learning. At the end of this process you’re going to end up with an incredible place to call home.

+ Optional: You can continue to upload supplemental materials directly to your Portfolio in your UChicago Account. 

Don’t:

+ Book an overnight flight to Chicago. While we always enjoy welcoming students to campus, we do not make decisions based on whether or not a student has visited. Besides, there’s nothing we can tell you in person that we couldn’t do over phone or email.

+ Panic. An admissions decision is not an evaluation of you as a person. Decisions are made over a long period of time, by several people, with some conversation, taking into account the entire applicant pool. Perhaps a star cellist applies and is fully qualified for UChicago, but this year our orchestra is already busting as the seams with cellists (note to all Regular Decision cellists: this is purely hypothetical). Therefore, please keep in mind that we cannot give reasons for decisions over the phone or via email, as it really is impossible to condense the conversations behind our decisions in a way that would be adequate or helpful to the applicant.

Deny: This is your final decision. There is no appeal process, and it’s not possible to reapply during Regular Decision.

Looking Forward

Also, a new calendar year is upon us! So break out that resolution book. This year marks a great change. High school (and its derivatives) will soon be a distant, Gossip-Girl induced memory. Resolve to make the most of what you have left, and enjoy time spent with friends and family. Finally, always remember to nurture your love of learning. Unlike UChicago’s Meat Institute, a well-tuned mind is sure to stand the test of time.

Click the link for a blog post describing how you will be able to access your admissions decision on the 19th.

ViewChicago

What are you doing at 4pm CST? Watching your questions being answered by our admissions officers, that’s what. It’s here, it’s live, and it’s funny. 

Email viewchicago@uchicago.edu with your questions, and tweet us with the hashtag #ViewChicago. 

Edit: We will soon be alerting those students who are not showing up as “complete” in our system. Students will be able access a checklist in their UChicago Accounts. Students will have until 5:00 pm on November 18th to submit these materials with no penalty. Be patient as we process this high volume of materials, remember the theme here is RELAX, and if you have questions, please email collegeadmissions@uchicago.edu

Attention Early Application Applicants! We have some amazing news that we think you’re going to love: please relax. Applying to college can be stressful, but with a little planning and patience, we’ll all get through this together. Here’s some advice:

++ If we’re missing something from you, we will tell you. You do NOT need to call, email, fax, Tweet, or tumble our office to inquire about your application materials. In fact, we don’t download most of this information from our servers until a few days after the deadline.

++ You’ll be able to view all application materials in your UChicago Account. However, please be patient—we anticipate this service will be available mid-November. If your application remains incomplete, we will send you an email.

++ Thousands of students try to submit their application 10 minutes before the deadline. While we don’t anticipate any problems, that kind of traffic can be problematic. While we’ll still accept late submissions, save yourself the stress and hit “submit” earlier in the day.

++ Don’t worry about the “time stamp” on your application. UChicago students are applying all over the world, and often students ask in what “time zone” the deadline falls. Answer: just hit submit as soon as your application is ready.

++ It can take up to 48 hours to retrieve your UChicago Account information. You can access your account anytime by signing in with the box in the upper-right hand corner of the Admissions Website. Remember to save your email and password.

This is all to say: RELAX. We’re looking to read applications from all qualified students, and we will not penalize you for technical glitches or improper mail delivery. Just please be patient, plan ahead, and enjoy the fact that the happiness of college is right around the corner.

Many Early Action applicants in the Eastern United States have expressed concern about missing our deadline due to the extreme weather conditions and power outages that have affected that area. We would like to reassure those applicants: we understand, and we encourage you to send in your UChicago Early Action application by Monday, November 7, 2011.

This is NOT meant as an application extension for all students. Please take advantage of this extension only if your area has recently been adversely affected by power outages or extreme weather.

Further, a notice on faxing: we are currently experiencing problems with our main fax machine. Please send all faxes to 773-834-5297.

Some loving tips for EA applicants regarding frequently asked questions that have been coming in to our office. Lots of great info here; the gist: don’t freak out. Go eat a cookie. Finish your application before Nov. 1. Continue not freaking out.