this year's much-rumored ed0 round of the university of chicago has begun to release its rankings.

according to online statistical information,currently, two students have received offers, they are from shanghai pinghe and guangzhou basis.

as the saying goes, brave people enjoy the world first.

during the 25fall application season, other people’s applications haven’t even started yet, and some people are already able to get laid!

this year, there have been a series of changes in u.s. undergraduate applications, the biggest of which is that the university of chicago has added a new application round.

this is different from rice university’s new ed2 and the university of florida’s new ea.the university of chicago is an original move this time, adding an ed0 round, which is officially known as ssen.

this is a special application channel specially established for students attending the university of chicago summer school.applications are submitted from september 1st to october 15th, a full month earlier than the regular ed1.

and the admission results will be available within three weeks, and the main focus is efficiency.

if you apply early, even if you are rejected, it will not delay early applications from other schools, and the applicant will not be locked in.university of chicago。

the biggest advantage of ed0 at the university of chicago is that applicants can know the admission results before other early applications begin, which greatly improves application flexibility.

it is especially attractive to students who are already committed to applying to the university of chicago.

moreover, the university of chicago ed0 may have a certain admission advantage. although the university of chicago has never clearly disclosed admission data, it is generally believed that ssen has a higher admission probability than ed1.

some time ago, w. kent barnds, a vice president at augusta college, a liberal arts college in illinois, usa, believed that ed0 would "likely (and likely will evolve into) direct admission of program participants."

he even boldly predicted that the ed0 admission rate may reach 75%!

of course, this data may be a bit exaggerated, but at least it can be seen that everyone is very optimistic about this new application round.

it is estimated that there were about 500 students who attended the university of chicago summer school in the past and met the ed0 application qualifications.

the university of chicago admitted about 2,000 people in previous years, 80% of which came from early applications. assuming that 100 people were admitted in ed0 this year, the admission rate could reach 20%, which is quite high among all stages of admission.

however, ed0 also brings some challenges.

due to the early application time, the grades in the fall of grade 12 cannot be included in the transcript.this may be detrimental to students who hope to increase their competitiveness through the final sprint to improve their gpa.

and the cost of participating in the summer is relatively high,although financial aid is available, the cost remains a significant burden for many families.

behind the ed0 admissions program, the university of chicago is facing a huge financial crisis.

clifford andor, professor of classics at the university of chicago, and jonathan levy, professor of history at the university of chicago, published a paper"what's happening to you in chicago, west virginia: the struggle for the modern college"。

the paper mentioned that the university's debt increased from us$2.236 billion in 2006 to us$5.809 billion in 2022, an increase of 260%.

he even calculated that if each undergraduate contributed $60,000 in income per year, debt repayment would require the tuition of more than 3,300 undergraduates, accounting for almost half of the undergraduate population on campus.

although the university of chicago’s endowment has always been lower than that of harvard, yale and other ivy league schools, the university of chicago has been narrowing the gap with these schools through rapid expansion and aggressive investment in the past two decades.

however, as the federal reserve raises interest rates, the cost of new debt increases, complicating financial matters.

the university of chicago's enrollment has grown 25% since 2013, among the largest increases among the nation's top universities, but its endowment has failed to keep pace.

the university of chicago's endowment will total $10.3 billion in 2022, well below the level of top institutions of its kind.

according to the university of chicago’s public financial report data, the university of chicago’s operating expenses have continued to exceed revenue in the past few years, forming a huge structural deficit.

in 2022, this deficit has reached us$355.8 million, and by 2023, it has climbed to a staggering us$486.7 million.

in 2023, the university of chicago's budget deficit reached a staggering $239 million.

with $900 million in loans coming due over the next five years, the university of chicago is unlikely to get favorable terms when it seeks to borrow money to repay maturing loans.

the financial crisis has not only affected research funding, but has also forced schools to reduce staff recruitment and even campus cleaning services.

to address this dilemma, the university of chicago had to adopt a more aggressive admissions strategy.

the university of chicago has launched a series of new measures, including opening multiple application rounds (such as ea, ed1, ed2 and rd) to expand enrollment coverage and attract high-quality students as much as possible.

the launch of ed0 is to provide students participating in the summer school with earlier admission opportunities and to lock in a group of outstanding students in advance.

in addition, the school also plans to expand admissions to international students and transfer students, especially those applicants who can pay full tuition.

the university of chicago plans to recruit an additional 200 international students and transfer students each year who have the ability to pay full tuition.

however, this strategy is not without risks.

how to balance quantity and quality in the enrollment expansion process to avoid lowering admission standards and damaging the school's reputation has become a major challenge currently faced by the university of chicago.

professor anduo emphasized that ensuring that academic standards are not lowered when expanding enrollment is the key to maintaining the school's brand value.

i have to say that this new policy of the university of chicago is extremely smart.

first of all, the launch of ed0 not only brings more flexibility to schools, but also cleverly targets high-quality students who have participated in summer schools to ensure that they will not be "snatched" by other schools during the application process.

it not only solves the current financial crisis while maintaining the school's reputation and competitiveness, but also relieves the pressure of material review during the application season.

moreover, ed0 admission can attract students who have a soft spot for the university of chicago, allowing them to gain certainty early in their application, which will undoubtedly enhance their sense of belonging and loyalty.

for those students whose goal is the university of chicago, it can greatly reduce the anxiety during the application process and receive offers in advance.

while the university of chicago is the first school to adopt a unique application round, the trend could set off a series of ripple effects.

with the successful implementation of the ed0 policy, many schools may face the risk of losing students, because a large number of students may choose such a flexible application method to avoid the fierce application season.

this phenomenon will cause other schools to re-examine their recruitment strategies to avoid losing outstanding students.

to put it simply, if the university of chicago is rolled up, other schools may not be able to sit still.

many people used to think that entering a top summer school was equivalent to having one foot in a prestigious american school. some people thought that being admitted to a summer school of a certain school might have a greater chance of being admitted to a university.

judging from today's situation, summer school admissions may gradually evolve into a trend of early approval.

students who participate in the summer school have already gained a certain understanding of and adapted to the school, and this prior experience can improve their chances of admission.

it also makes it easier for schools to identify applicants who are a good fit for their cultural and academic climate.

this early approval mechanism is undoubtedly a win-win situation. this change is not only beneficial to students, but also helps schools optimize their admissions process.

but for applicants, challenges remain.

first of all, the test of the application season may start from the summer school application stage.the students' sprint application time is forced to advance, and they need to start preparing various application materials during the summer school.

this change may bring additional psychological pressure to many students,because they need to ensure a sufficiently good gpa in grades 9-11, and while attending summer school, they must also go all out to prepare for applications.

secondly, facing the new time node, the application rhythm will be disrupted.students need to determine their dream school earlier and make a comprehensive study abroad application plan earlier.

all in all, opportunities and challenges coexist in the future application season, which requires us to respond to u.s. study abroad applications from a new perspective.