I can has test scores?

The official policy of this office is that all testing must be completed by the deadline for which you are applying. This year, there is an ACT in late October and an SAT in early November. The ACT on October 27 is in time for the early action deadline,but the SAT is not. And even the ACT is cutting it a little close.

We have to turn around early action decisions very quickly -- in several weeks, as opposed to several months for regular notification. For this reason, we cannot guarantee that we will see November test scores in time for your application to be complete and read. October test scores will probably get to us in time.

Please do not rush your test scores. It actually takes longer for rushed test scores to get to us since they are on paper, not electronic.

Test scores do need to be sent to us from the testing service. The scores on your transcript will not suffice.

Regular Notification Haven: FAQs

This post is meant to be a safe space for regular notification applicants to ask their questions -- I have not been able to read all the comments on the posts, and I don't want RN voices to get drowned out.

So, here are some FAQs that have been popping up for the last few days, and an invitation for RN applicants to ask your questions. EA applicants, stay out!

Filling out the application

If you having trouble viewing your information after you've submitted it, make sure cookies and Javascript are enabled on your browser. That usually means lower your security settings.

Make sure to actually submit the application after paying the application fee. Hundreds of students during the EA cycle closed their browser after paying the fee, but before actually clicking "Submit." Don't be like them!

You pay the application fee right at the end -- after you have filled out all the required fields. You are given an option to pay by credit card, check, or fee waiver. Some students will automatically qualify for a fee waiver, such as Chicago Public Schools students, children of alumni, and students in our Small School Talent Search. If we offer you an automatic fee waiver, do not put up a fight! Just take it!

There is no word limit for essays. Here is what I said for early action:

Remember that there is no word limit on the essays. There is a suggested length. But if you ask us what the word limit is, we will not be able to tell you, because we don't know. Or we may make something up. Actually, I've just decided that the word limit is u73i words. I obviously just closed my eyes and typed something in, or u is an imaginary number I didn't hear about in the Core.

Follow directions.

If the online application confuses you, you should check out the application tour, or send an email to me at phoenix@questions.uchicago.edu, or post a question in the comments.

Recommendations and other forms

We were getting a lot of questions about who can write your two required recommendations, so here is what I said to the EA folks:

3A (English/social studies)

Okay: English, social studies, history, government, economics, art history, music theory, foreign literature, anthropology, psychology
Not okay: music performance, studio art, foreign language, speech and debate, journalism, business, marketing

3B (Math/science)

Okay: math, science with a lab, statistics, science without a lab, computer science
Not okay: psychology

In every case, these letters should be written by a teacher who taught you in that subject during high school, not in a college or university (unless you are home schooled and that is the only context in which you took that class).

And yes, both recommendations are a requirement! All other kinds of teachers should send in a recommendation with a Form 3C.

Testing

All testing must be completed by the deadline, which means that all test dates have passed. If you are planning on taking the SAT again in January, we will eventually see those scores, but we cannot guarantee that we will see them before we make a final decision.

Do not rush your scores. You must send official score reports from the testing agency, so you might as well send them now.

We require either the SAT or the ACT, and no SAT IIs. For international student, we also require the TOEFL or IELTS. We only require the SAT or ACT if they are offered in your country, so we do not require that mainland Chinese applicants take the SAT or ACT.

Further questions

Post to the comments, or email questions@phoenix.uchicago.edu

Rounding the bend

You may have noticed that the regular notification deadline falls after a long stretch of no school and no work. A lot of the admissions staff is off and does not have access to email. However, we want to make sure you get your questions answered. You can post questions to the blog for everyone's edification, or email questions@phoenix.uchicago.edu, which is the general email address that I answer.

Here are some notes:

- If you want your teacher recommendations or other documents to get here as quickly as possible, you can email them to questions@phoenix.uchicago.edu and I can forward them directly in your application. Things can be attachments or in the body of the message. Just make sure you label it correctly, i. e. "Essay Question 1" or "Supplemental Recommendation."

You can fax the documents to 773-702-8599 (domestic fax) or 773-702-4704 (international fax).

The only thing you cannot email or fax is your transcript or your fee.

Also, please do not send multiple copies of things multiple ways. Do not both mail and email something. Do not both email and fax something. Once is enough.

- Remember to press the submit button at the end. Paying your fee is not the last step -- at the very end, you check a box that says you are presenting yourself honestly, and then you click "Submit application." If you log back into your application and it does not say "Application submitted on..." then you did not submit it!

Here are some questions that are getting more frequent:

What if I have to send some things after the deadline?

Don't fret too much. If your documents get here by January 8 (and with the email or fax, they can get here instantly), you should be in good shape.

Many students are asking if testing done in January or February is valid for the regular notification cycle. All testing must be done before the deadline, but if for some reason you could not take the SAT until January, that should be fine. Tests taken in February or March really are too late. Do not rush your scores.

When is the deadline exactly?

Funny you should ask.

How can I see what you've received from me?

The credentials checking feature will not be available again until late January. Until then, you should not worry, and you definitely should not resend anything. It will take us most of the month of January to open all of our mail, sort it, scan it, and link it to your application. No, I am not kidding. Until then, neither y'all nor we know if we have received what you have sent, so you should just stop worrying.

Any other questions? Post them to the comments.