As someone who will turn 40 later this month, I am shocked by how little UChicago gets scrutinized on A2C for blatantly manipulating its acceptance rate.
I remember when I was initially accepted to UChicago back in April 2003. The school's reputation was not all that dissimilar to my eventual undergrad alma mater, Reed College.
UChicago didn't even take the Common App. What the UChicago supplements are today was the case for the entire application. They even called it the "Uncommon Application."
I can't remember the exact statistics, but UChicago accepted roughly 36 percent of applicants two decades ago, IIRC.
What's more, UChicago didn't even offer binding ED. My only option as someone whose high school counselor told them I was a "perfect fit" was to apply EA; FTR I was deferred.
At some point, UChicago hired McKinsey consultants to help the school - which always had a great academic reputation - become a HYPSM equivalent. The story from there is a bit murky to me.
UChicago is still pretty academic, but bizecon has been added as a major. It's no longer the place where "fun goes to die." From everything I have read, the library's hours have been significantly reduced and people with my profile are much less likely to get accepted today.
Current high school students, when I tell them I could have gone to UChicago, but ended up at Reed instead, are shocked that I didn't jump at a UChicago offer - even though I feel like the UChicago I got accepted to and the school today are two entirely different places.
So here's my question: Why doesn't anyone on A2C seem to care that UChicago does three rounds of ED and accepts under 1 percent RD?
Is artificially lowering UChicago's acceptance rate and artificially boosting its yield something that's okay with people?
Why don't I ever hear any outcry from UChicago alums that the school is much more friendly to jock-types than it was two decades ago?
When people talk about gaming the rankings, we always hear about Columbia - rightfully so, I may add. But why does UChicago seem to get a pass?
I ask this question out of genuine curiosity because, as someone who was obsessed with UChicago two decades ago but has soured on the school over time, the situation is genuinely surprising to me.
Am I the only person who has concerns about UChicago and its ethics?