What are you doing for winter break?

In a few hours, I'm getting on a plane to go to an anonymous part of Florida, where the high is supposed to be 78 degrees today. Awesome. On the 26th, I fly to San Francisco, and then will spend New Year's weekend skiing in Lake Tahoe. My coworkers are all spreading around the country (and world, Libby) over the weekend.

The blog's been kind of slow lately; use the comments to tell us what you're doing for winter break.

I mean, obviously you guys are going to be filling out your reply paperwork and sending it in, so you'll be spending a lot of time thinking carefully about your choices for dorms and whatnot, but maybe there are some other things you'll be doing, too. Any fun family holiday traditions you want to share?

Only at The University of Chicago...

Other universities have Nobel Prize winners. None have as many as we do, as you've probably read and heard countless times.

Walking through the hallway just now I almost collided with James Heckman, a recent Nobel Laureate in economics. See: http://jenni.uchicago.edu/

This is actually the second time this has happened to Mr. Heckman and I since I started working here two years ago.

What am I trying to say? Well, if you come here, THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU, TOO. ALL THE TIME.

Les finances, en francais

Les merite scholarshipes - There was incorrect information posted on the financial aid website that said we generally send merit scholarships with decisions. Not true! We send them only with our regular notification decisions, because the scholarship committee meets in March. Scholarship recipients who are admitted regular notification will get their scholarship notification in their admit packet. Scholarship recipients who were admitted early action will just get an envelope with their scholarship notification. So wait for the mail!

Sometimes there is a rumour that accepting your offer of admission early will take you out of the scholarship running. This is not true for us—I had many students last year who accepted their offers in February or March and who still got scholarships. Well, not many, because we don't give out many, but a few. So, accept your offer, get into Snell-Hitchcock, and rest assured that you are still in the scholarship running.

Le financial aide - Your financial aid letters should come late next week. We're sorry it won't be any sooner, but you should get your estimate before you have to click submit for your regular notification applications.

Welcome to The University of Chicago Class of 2012

Some of you may have stumbled upon this site already if you recently received electronic notification of your admission to the Class of 2012.

Please let me add, on behalf of my co-bloggers, my welcome to that of Dean O'Neill's: Welcome to The University of Chicago community. We are happy that you are with us.

Now that decisions are out, this blog will start to become more active. Tell us what you'd like to hear!

AND CONGRATULATIONS!