Wednesday, July 26, 2006

RSS feeds and podcasts from across the university

I just stumbled upon a website of ours, a kind of clearinghouse for RSS feeds , plus video and audio podcasts from departments all over the university. I'm always looking for means to convey the bold intellectual atmosphere that characterizes this place, and, by George, I think I've found a way!

Click here to browse our RSS feeds.


Some of my favorites, or just some things I want to brag about:

  • The Poem Present feed, with audio and video. The Poem Present program brings poets to campus weekly and supports student poetry, classes, and workshops. Poets come from around the world to read on our campus.
  • The Beckner-Posner Blog. This was a pretty obvious pick. Written by an (incredibly famous, Nobel prize-winning) economics professor and a (incredibly famous, oft-quoted) law professor, this is one of the most well-known blogs to come out of the University of Chicago.
  • The World Beyond the Headlines Series. This series brings international journalists and scholars to campus to talk about international issues and how they are portrayed in the media. Also check out the Latin American Briefing Series and the Human Rights Distinguished Lecturer Series, both sponsored by International House and both available on the link above.
  • The University of Chicago Press Blog. What University of Chicago-ite doesn't love books! This blog features all of our new books, including excerpts and short reviews.
  • Research at Chicago audio and video podcasts. Interviews with and lectures by researchers at the University of Chicago. Interested in researching as an undergraduate? Check out the FROGS website.
  • Mind Online. Gives concrete evidence of minds at work for our alumni, who sometimes feel starved for intellectual life after they leave the quads. Or maybe I just like it because that Bill T. Jones lecture was amazing.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The application fee in its many forms

On the Uncommon Application, you can only pay your application fee after you have submitted your application. This means that sometimes students are unaware before they submit their applications of the payment options available to them . So, let me tell you about them.

  1. The application fee is $60. This is true whether you are applying by paper, online, or carrier pigeon. It can be paid by check or credit card.

  2. The application fee can be waived by international and domestic applicants alike. Usually applicants will send in:
    • their SAT fee waiver form, or other documentation that says their SAT fee was waived, or
    • the NACAC fee waiver form, available from your counselor and on our online application (though only after you have submitted the application). This form must be filled out by your counselor.

  3. The application fee is automatically waived for the following populations:
    • Students with a parent who is an alum of the University of Chicago
    • Students in the Chicago Public Schools
    • Students in schools marked as part of our Small School Talent Search, or SSTS program. If your school is small and in the middle of nowhere, then you may be in the SSTS program. Your counselor will know if you are part of the SSTS program.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

College Admissions Summer Bike Tour of Iowa

Dear Iowans,

As many of you may know, next week 12,000 cyclists will converge on your state to block your roads and eat most of your corn and pork chops, while in the process slowly making their way from the west side to the east side (hopefully downhill the whole way!).

It just so happens that a member of the admissions staff is going to be participating. I thought it would be worth checking to see if there are any interested students in the parts of Iowa we are going through (check http://www.ragbrai.org) who have any questions about the application or the admissions process, or would like to meet with and talk to someone who knows a bit about the application, the school, the city, etc.

So, if you live in Sergeant Bluff, Ida Grove, Audubon, Waukee, Newton, Marengo, Coralville, Muscatine or any of the towns that the race will be passing through (all are listed on the website), please do let me (Austin Bean) know. You can get my email address off the main admissions website, or just post a comment. I would be happy to meet with or talk to anyone with any questions. Perhaps we will make this a yearly event in the future!