申请大学：从《UChicago录取通知书》中悟出的
一年一度，大学EA/ED陆续发榜，牵动了几多莘莘孩子懵懂心，搅扰了无数惴惴你我不眠夜。 秉承父母的优秀基因，沿袭家长的教育理念，我们的孩子们多在Hard sciences/Engineering上显露才华。在充分尊重孩子意愿的前提下，如何合理地安排Eearly Application，最大效果地发挥孩子们的优势，“各种选校组合/方案”成了家长们重中之重的责任和义务。 由于ED (Early Decision) 和SCEA (Single Choice Early Action) 对申请学校数量的限制，除非孩子crazy about Ivy League 学校和Stanford，EA (Early Action) 中MIT+Caltech+Safety School 是个策略性的选择。MIT和Caltech各有侧重不同，是个很好的互补，但Safety School 的选择就大有学问了。具体操盘细节不做赘述，在此只提供一些有关University of Chicago的事例供大家思考。 第一，《录取通知书》对比 UChicago Congratulations! It is my great pleasure to inform you that you have been admitted to the University of Chicago, Class of 2017. With your exceptional academic record, strong voice, and impressive accomplishments, you have distinguished yourself in the University’s largest and most competitive Early Action pool to date. For over a century, the College’s academic tradition has thrived because of students like you who crave ideas that captivate, provoke and transform. We imagine you in our laboratories and on our performance stages, in our libraries and on our athletic fields, immersed in your passions and engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. As part of our residential house system, you will cultivate friendships that endure; in our classrooms, you will create and inhabit a vibrant intellectual space with your peers and professors. In the coming months, I invite you to explore all that UChicago has to offer. Join us in April for one of our Admitted Student Open Houses, at which you’ll experience firsthand a rich community of scholars, friends, and neighbors. The enclosed information provides details about how to arrange your visit and confirm your enrollment at UChicago. We look forward to receiving your reply as soon as you are ready but no later than May 1, 2013. We invite you to be part of a school with a glorious history and an exciting present. We look to you to help us grow, to grow with us, and to be part of a tradition that elevates us all. Sincerely, James G. Nondorf Vice President Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Caltech It is an honor to offer you admission to the California Institute of Technology and the Class of 2017. The staff and faculty on the Admissions Committee see in you not only an accomplished student, but also a person with the passion and creativity to pursue mathematics, science and engineering at the highest level. You have an opportunity to take your place amongst a diverse community of scholars with an extraordinary record of achievement and a shared commitment to push the boundaries of discovery. We are confident that you will have many great opportunities. It is our sincerest hope that you will select Caltech as the place to continue your intellectual journey. We expect that you will maintain the standard of excellence you demonstrated in your application, and trust you will use the remaining academic year to prepare for the challenges and successes that await you. Please note that you have until May 1st to submit your Admitted Student Reply Form. On behalf of the Caltech community, I extend our warmest congratulations. We hope to welcome you to compus in September 2013. Sincerely Jarrid J. Whitney Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid 第二，申请UChicago考生实例 Decision: Deferred
Objective:• SAT I (breakdown): 2400 single-sitting
• SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2400
• SAT II: 800 (Math II), 800 (Physics)
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Senior Year Course Load: Freshman course-load at WPI
• Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, wins at regional and state science fairs
Subjective:• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Leadership in Robotics, Speech, Student Government, GSA, and volunteering at an underprivileged urban middle school
• Job/Work Experience: Full time programmer over the summer, part time programmer during the year
• Essays (Include Subjects):◦ Common App Main: Excellent
◦ EC Short Answer: Excellent
◦ Extended essay (which topic): Very Intellectual
• Teacher Recommendation #1: Excellent
• Teacher Recommendation #2: Excellent
• Counselor Rec: Excellent
• Interview: Gentleman and I really clicked
• State (if domestic applicant): MA
• School Type: Small Sci/Math Magnet
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: Male
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
• Strengths: Numbers, Recommendations
• Weaknesses: no idea
• Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, no clue. Yield protection perhaps?
【Yield protection is an alleged admissions practice where a university or academic institution rejects or wait-lists highly qualified students on the grounds that such students are bound to be accepted by more prestigious universities or programs.[citation needed] However, alternate theories regard the yield protection as a myth propagated by college students who failed to gain admission to elite universities. Yield rate refers to the proportion of students who matriculate (i.e. accept an admissions offer and attend the college) after acceptance to a college.】用中文来解释一下就是：你一定会被其他牛校录取，而且很有可能去其他牛校，这个录取给你的话，也很可能被你拒掉了，这样我还不如给其他更有可能来的学生。
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Accepted to MIT and Caltech, so I'm fine with waiting a few months for a decision.
见仁见智，好坏由人。但当自己的孩子受到有片面追求“Yield protection ”嫌疑并在《录取通知书》中反复强调学校自身价值而忽略学生才智的UChicago不公平待遇时，你会怎样想？
（注：UChicago在“US News & World Report”排名中，从去年多达5个大学并列第五的位置一跃为今年只有2个学校并列第四的水平。个中运作技巧自有乾坤）
转载自海外网站
如果有任何问题，可以直接在“无老师留学百科”微博（http://weibo.com/u/2510572152）里面给我留言哦~最后，希望大家申请顺利。
无老师人人网公共主页：http://page.renren.com/601000309?id=601000309
2012 西安大略大学 统计/精算/金融数学 笔试经验分享：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4320
【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——北美留学申请总则：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/5204【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——学习许可领取步骤：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/5199
【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——如何合理的划分GPA：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4650
【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——择校中需要考虑的因素:http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4880
【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——如何搞定第一手正确资讯：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4555
【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——如何计划你的留学时间：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4595
【手把手帮你打造DIY申请达人】2013系列——介绍Common Application的利与弊：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4867
北美学校定位与GRE成绩：http://www.ibtsat.com/archives/4529