Graduate Education at The University of Chicago - Just got an email from them

[moccacad]

Hey guys,

I'm an international student and I just received a general mail from gradadmissions@uchicago.edu encouraging me to apply to their graduate school. It was obviously sent to a wide range of students and it is not from the specific department I'm interested in,

But it got me thinking - how do they even know me?

I haven't sent them my GRE or TOEFL scores yet, and I'm an international student and they obviously don't approach every student in the world. So what does it mean? did any of you get the mail? does it mean that my score are high enough for them or should I just not take it seriously.

 

I copies the content of the mail for you:

 

Dear Iris,

Since 1892, scholars at the University of Chicago have been transforming society with a commitment to creative inquiry. More than 80 Nobel laureates — 16 percent of all recipients since the award was first given — have been associated with the University of Chicago, including 8 currently on the faculty. For 20 consecutive years, our graduate students have won more Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowships than students at any other U.S. educational institution.

From world-renowned astronomers to Academy Award-winning directors, our graduate alumni exemplify a legacy of accomplishment across every Division and Professional School. They include major authors (Philip Roth, AM'55), leaders in international banking (World Bank chief economist Justin Yifu Lin, PhD'86), national broadcast journalists (PBS national correspondent Ray Suarez, AM'93), famous scientists (Edwin Hubble, PhD'17), and winners of MacArthur Fellowships, Guggenheims, and Fields Medals. More than 157,000 UChicago alumni form a network that touches more than 125 countries and exemplify a stellar legacy of accomplishment reflected in every University of Chicago degree.

Graduate and professional students who enter UChicago have an unparalleled opportunity to work with a community that produces ideas consistently recognized for their impact on the world.  You can learn more about our wide variety of degree programs, student life, and resources, by exploring the Graduate Admissions website:gradadmissions.uchicago.edu. As you consider your own graduate education, we hope you consider visiting us and applying to join our community of scholars.

Sincerely,
Deborah Nelson
Deputy Provost for Graduate Education

 

Thanks!

 

[geographyrocks]

I started getting these after I took the GRE. My best guess is that they somehow received my information from that. I didn't bother applying to any of the schools that sent out the mass emails so I'm not sure whether the emails mean anything or not.

[Tiggerise]

When you sign up for the GRE there is an option to share your information, once you click that box you probably filled out things like GPA, major, citizenship, etc. Schools use this to find potential candidates and encourage people to apply to their school. 

[moccacad]

Thanks guys!

Do you know if it means that my grades are high enough to apply if they sent me the mail?

Because my GRE wasn't that great in the first place (v-157 Q-158 E-4.5 for an international student) and the program i'm interested in is super competitive  (the mail was sent from the general admissions office, not the specific department). Chicago is one of my top choices, but I don'y wan't to get my hopes up...

 

[geographyrocks]

Look at their website. That should have the information you need about grades and GRE. Most cut offs are 300 combined score with either 3.0 or 3.5 gpa dependent on the program. It's hard for anyone on here to answer with any degree of certainty.