Congratulations to you for preparing yourself early for admission to college. Most likely the prospect of college is exciting, but if the process can also seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be stressful if you plan carefully. We hope you spend the coming months or years taking a strong curriculum in high school, participating in outside activities that are meaningful to you, and spending time with your friends and family.

Part of your time will also be spent conducting a thorough college search. This search can begin anywhere—on the internet, in the biography of an author you love, in your high school counselor’s office, or at a college in your area. We hope that you ask important questions of colleges and take the time to get the facts straight, but that you also ask important questions of yourself about what you want out of your college experience. Your answers may surprise you, so it’s important to keep an open mind.

Recommended high school curriculum

When we read applications, our first concern is whether a student has prepared himself or herself to do the work in the College, beginning with our Core curriculum. Though no specific secondary school courses are prescribed, a standard college preparatory program is ideal: 4 years of English; 3–4 years of math; 3–4 years of laboratory sciences; 3 or more years of social sciences; and study of a foreign language. We also like to see students taking courses at the most advanced level appropriate to them—these courses vary from high school to high school around the world. Some students seek out extra challenge by taking courses at a local college or seeking summer enrichment opportunities. When making curriculum choices, always seek out courses that will enrich and challenge you, rather than thinking about how they will look to a college application reader—every college reads applications differently, so it’s difficult to predict what will look “good” to every college.

Extracurriculars

If you are a modern high school student, you are probably already overworked and over-scheduled—you don’t need any extra pressure from us. At the University of Chicago, we don’t look for particular kinds of activities in high school because we don’t assume that you will keep doing the same kinds of things in college. We do, however, seek students who have energy and interests, and who care about the communities in which they live and study. Like curriculum choices, extracurricular choices are read differently by different admissions committees around the country.

Timeline

Every college has its own calendar for the main events of the college selection process, including visiting campus, having an interview, applying, and responding to offers of admission. Here is our version:

When you join our mailing list, you will receive more information about the university and invitations to events on campus and in your hometown.

We require either the SAT or the ACT, but we do not require or recommend any SAT II subject tests.

Students sometimes take standardized tests more than once to see if they can increase their scores. The University of Chicago will always use your highest scores when making admissions decisions—we take the highest scores from each section of the SAT and the highest composite of the ACT.

During the spring of your junior year, you might begin visiting campuses. We offer to interview juniors on campus starting in May; call 773-702-8650 to schedule an interview. All visitors are welcome to attend our weekday 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. student-led tours (10:30 only from December to February), followed by an information session led by an admissions counselor.

The Common Application is open for business on July 1 every year; our supplement will be available soon after.

As a senior you will have the opportunity to sit in on classes and spend the night in one of the dorms with a student host. Call 773-702-8650 to schedule an overnight.

The University of Chicago requires one recommendation from a math or science teacher and one from an English or social studies teacher—past applicants have found it helpful to plan ahead with this requirement in mind. When it comes to asking for recommendations, sooner is always better than right before the deadline. Be sure to give your recommenders accurate information on how to submit the recommendation (electronically or by mail, and to what address), as well as accurate information on you and your reasons for applying to the colleges you’ve chosen. The general guideline is to ask teachers who taught you during your junior year—they have taught you for a full year, and have instructed you in the most advanced coursework you’ve had to date. However, feel free to use a senior year teacher or a teacher who has had you in the past or in multiple years. Also feel free to ask a teacher from a class where you might have struggled or not gotten the best grade. Above all, be sure to ask teachers who like you and who have seen you at your best—asking for help when you need it, offering it when others need it, asking questions, and showing interest in the material.

Our early action plan is non-binding and does not restrict the number of schools to which you can apply. Early action candidates must also submit their financial aid forms by November 1 if they wish to receive a tentative financial aid offer in January. All tentative offers will be updated in April when new financial information is available.

Because Chicago’s early action program is non-binding, early action applicants who are admitted do not have to reply to their offer of admission until May 1. They are free to apply to other schools in the regular notification cycle.

Regular notification applicants must submit all of their financial aid forms by February 1. Early action applicants have already submitted all of their forms except the FAFSA, which they must submit by February 1.

Many students visit campus again after they’ve been admitted. Most colleges hold special open houses for seniors in April.

All US colleges require that admitted students enroll by May 1.