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Admissions Academy

Welcome to the Admissions Academy... Online!

The Office of College Admissions welcomes you to Summer Session and invites you to join us for a series of online workshops and presentations to help you navigate and prepare for the college admissions process. These are available to every registered student of Summer Session, and parents or family members living in the same household are welcome to join! Many presentations are offered multiple times during each 3-week session so that you may participate as your schedule permits. Registration for each session is required; you will need to register using your UChicago login credentials. You may participate in as many of the sessions as you would like throughout the summer. We look forward to seeing you soon!

And the Admissions Academy was a very valuable tool to make me more confident to approach the college application process"
—Juanita S., Colombia

Summary of Sessions

Career Advancement

Paired with a rigorous liberal arts education, UChicago’s world-class suite of career services programs enables students to develop the pre-professional skills and access real-world experiences to prepare for their future career paths. Learn about the kinds of programs, internships, and services that empower our undergraduates of all interests and backgrounds to apply their world-class education to a fulfilling career.

Holistic Review & Highly Selective Admissions

Join us for a discussion about holistic review and the college search in 2021! Learn directly from our esteemed panel of deans of admissions as to how different parts of the application are viewed!

Our panelists for Saturday, June 26 are: 
Joseph Duck, Dean of Admissions, Tufts University
Jessica Marinaccio, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid, Columbia University
Jim Nondorf, Vice President and Dean of College Admissions and Financial Aid, University of Chicago
David Phillips, Vice Provost for Admissions and Financial Aid, Johns Hopkins University
Logan Powell, Dean of Admissions, Brown University                          

Liberal Arts Education and a Future in STEM

Can you major in STEM and study the humanities and the arts? Should an engineer study art? Why would you want to? Why do US colleges and universities have general education requirements, and do they actually help you in fields like business, engineering, and medicine? Join us for a presentation and discussion about what are the aims of a liberal arts education (where does this term come from?) and why it continues to thrive as the model for higher education.

Look Inside the Admissions Committee: A Case Studies Exercise

This is your chance to see what an application looks like and how applications are reviewed! Together we will serve as the admissions committee for a university, review applications, and decide who is admitted, waitlisted, or denied admission. If possible, please review the case file materials in advance, especially the profile of Cascadia College. We will refer to them during the presentation. All case studies sessions will use the same materials. See you in the committee room!

Meet Your Admissions Counselor!

At UChicago, and many universities, counselors are often assigned to a particular territory, so no matter where you attend high school in the world, we have an admissions counselor here to help you! If you have questions regarding the application, holistic review, or financial aid, we are here to help, and we look forward to meeting you via Zoom! We have divided up the U.S. by region. Click on the region that matches where you attend high school to meet one of our counselors who reads applications in your region.

Presenting…YOU!

The personal statement is a common application requirement for US colleges and universities. We will review some basic do’s and don’ts, share some insight into how essays can add an important perspective to the application, and explain how they are considered in a holistic review process.

Why Do You Want to Be at [Insert College Name]?

A guide to college supplement essay writing! This session will discuss how to engage college specific supplement questions students are likely to encounter, with real examples to help students understand what works – and what doesn’t. Attendance at the Personal Statement session or familiarity with personal statement writing is encouraged before attending this session.

Session I: June 22 - July 10. All times listed are US-Central DT

Session 1 Friday Saturday  Sunday
Week 1  

 

Holistic Review & Highly Selective Admissions
June 26, 9:00 a.m.

 

Financial Aid
June 27, 4:00 p.m.
Week 2  

 

Liberal Arts
July 3, 8:00 a.m.

 

 
Week 3

 

The Personal Statement
July 9, 5:00 p.m.

 

 

  Case Studies
  July 10, 8:30 a.m.
 

 

 

Session II: July 14 - July 31. All times listed are US-Central DT

Session 1 Saturday  Sunday
Week 1

 

Holistic Review & Highly Selective Admissions
July 17, 9:00 a.m.
Presenter: James G. Nondorf, Dean of Admissions & College Aid

 

Financial Aid
July 18, 4:00 p.m.
Week 2

 

 

Liberal Arts
July 24, 8:00 a.m.

 

 

The Personal Statement
July 25, 9:00 a.m.

Week 3

 

Case Studies
  July 31, 8:30 a.m.

 

 

 

 

Meet Your Admissions Counselor Map and Registration

United States counselor map by area