Advice on weak ECs for UChicago? "homeschooled" & unusual applicant

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey everyone!

I’m a rising senior and UChicago is, hands down, my dream school. While I think I could be happy and fulfilled at other less selective schools, Chicago does intellectual openness in a robust environment so well – I’d really thrive and come into myself there.

Problem is, my ECs suck (don’t portray who I think I am). I’ve been “homeschooled” (no home instruction whatsoever) & dual-enrolled at community college (CC), and I live with a busy single mom (divorced parents), in an area without reliable public transportation. As such, I lacked the club infrastructure of a traditional high school environment, and also missed the opportunity to participate in community-based activities, which is what most homeschoolers do for ECs.

I want to study philosophy & creative writing.

Here’s my EC list. Toward the end, I’ve included some things that more show who I am, but are either undeveloped, hopes for the future, or iffy as to whether they count as an EC.

  • forever, 7-10 hrs/wk: housework (cooking, cleaning, yard work) [should I mention on college apps?]
  • 10th: CC leadership program & student senator [sounds good, but not important to me -- again, should I include this?]
  • 10th: member of local hiking club. mostly retirees, lovely people with rich lives. stopped attending because started working at grocery store.
  • summer after 10th: 3 weeks in conservation corps, paid to work in forest
  • 10th/11th, 5 hrs/wk: CC math tutor
  • 11th, 15-20 hrs/wk: work at grocery store. not to support family, but to save up, for a car (necessity in my area) or for college (mom won't pay). rewarding: eclectic coworkers.
  • 11th: started a blog, connecting ideas from my life with books, movies, music. really proud of the quality of writing, BUT I haven't been consistent, like 3 posts in 6 months. haven't shared it out, so zero readership
  • forever: I read a bunch. longform journalism, New Yorker criticism (my dream is to write for them!), ... anything blurring the line between fiction and nonfiction. [can I / how do I list this on college apps?]
  • (Just graduated with associate degree, so I'm done school.) Senior year, I may go abroad working as an ESL teaching assistant. I was accepted, just hope COVID doesn't ruin it. If it doesn't pan out, I'll work more at the grocery store, try to write more consistently. Hope to buy a used car and road-trip a physical and literary journey, a project of reading/writing grounded in place.
  • I'm close with a philosophy prof at a public university several states away. Randomly met several years ago, kept in touch. I consider her a mentor in more a "living life" than an academic way, but this summer I'm sitting in on her online lectures. Does my involvement in her class count as an EC?

When I actually think about what I feel like I’ve done, I’ve primarily consumed media/books/movies/music, sought out whatever life experience I can get (working in grocery store, forest, as tutor), talked with people (grocery store), written a little bit. I’m at peace with how I’ve used my time, but will AOs see it the same way?

Honors associate degree. 3.3 UW 8th grade GPA (but will have to include bc they were college courses), 4.0 UW subsequently. 3 honors classes, 2 honors independent studies (one film/philosophy, the other diffeq). Can reasonably predict 1500+ SAT. No awards. Recs likely good but not amazing; haven’t had the most contact with profs. Essays will be very strong, and I’ll have a damn good Why UChicago? supplement.

Any constructive advice is welcome, though I’d most appreciate input on:

  • how to best communicate who I am thru an EC list (ie. which to include, leave out & how to describe them)
  • my chances for UChicago ED1
  • chances at other selective schools (am I aiming too high?): Brown, Dartmouth, Pomona, Emory, Reed

Thank you to anyone who’s read to the end! Sorry for the dense wall of text; hope it was interesting, at least!

2

Are you applying as a transfer? Or a new freshman?
Am I correct in understanding that you took community college coursework starting in 8th grade? Did you take any standard high school courses? Any APs?
What is your cumulative college GPA (unweighted)?
What is your cumulative HS GPA (unweighted)?
Are you a minority (over or under represented)?
Which part of the country do you live in? Is it an over represented part of the state?
Do you need financial aid?
Are you going to submit the video supplement?

3

@sgopal2

  • applying as freshman
  • no traditional high school or AP courses, went to a college away from home in 8th and subsequently transferred to CC at home
  • don't know cumulative GPA because "8th grade" classes transferred over to CC without grades
  • overrepresented minority
  • suburban Maryland
  • will need significant financial aid; my mom will not contribute at all
  • probably won't submit the video supplement, but might, if it's advised
4

The main issue I see is that some colleges will consider you to be a transfer applicant, and others will consider you as a first year applicant. You mentioned that you already have your associates degree – this complicates things. If you hadn’t gotten the degree, then you might have been able to claim that the CC courses were done as part of home schooling for HS credit. Many top tier colleges don’t count dual enrollment CC credit as for college, so they allow these students to apply as first years. But the issue is that you weren’t dual enrollment since you had no HS classes.

This is a problem because the financial aid pool for transfers is considerably smaller. And that the competition is quite stiff – more competitive than for freshman applicants. I would suggest to contact the UChicago admissions office and explain your situation. Ask if they consider you to be a freshman applicant or transfer. If they consider you as a transfer then brace yourself – apply widely as the chances for admission are much smaller.

If they allow you to apply as a first year then highly recommend you do the video. Regarding the ECs, I would suggest to highlight everything listed above, and focus on showing that you want to be a journalist/writer. Good luck

5

First, you sound like a Kenyon kid to me, so I hope you have looked at that school. Second, I hope you have thought through the financial issues. Even if your mother will not pay, you will generally need to submit financial info for both her and your father and the schools will expect them to contribute. If their income is such that you would qualify for financial assistance, you may be OK, but otherwise, you may need to focus more on schools where you might receive substantial merit scholarship money. What you would be able to borrow on your own is very limited and, particularly if you want to be a writer, you shouldn’t tie yourself up with debt in college. (I’m ignoring any further financial aid issues that might arise if you are treated as a transfer.)

6

Homeschoolers don’t take high school classes. That’s what makes them homeschoolers.

OP, read the IL homeschool laws to make sure you’ve met state requirements (age, subjects, etc). Check each college to see what they require from homeschooled applicants.

Talk with your parents about money. Ask each to run the net price calculator on their own. Even if they won’t contribute you’ll need to know how much they might be expected to pay. They’ll have to fill out financial aid forms whether they contribute a lot or not. Colleges that generate a high EFC won’t charge less than that, so if parents won’t pay take them off your list.

Yes, I’d include the summer class as an EC. Your ECs are one of the ways you let colleges know who you are, so think about how you want your college adcom to describe you to an admissions committee and build your EC list around that.

7

[The main issue I see is that some colleges will consider you to be a transfer applicant, and others will consider you as a first year applicant. You mentioned that you already have your associates degree – this complicates things. If you hadn’t gotten the degree, then you might have been able to claim that the CC courses were done as part of home schooling for HS credit. Many top tier colleges don’t count dual enrollment CC credit as for college, so they allow these students to apply as first years. But the issue is that you weren’t dual enrollment since you had no HS classes.]

This is incorrect. Whether or not the student is a transfer depends entirely on high school graduation date. As a homeschooler your graduation date is set by the student and parent/ guardian/counselor. The fact that the student took the classes at a CC or has an Associates degree is irrelevant as long as their high school graduation date doesn’t precede CC course dates… a lot of homeschool students take classes at CCs and have been accepted as first year applicants to top tier colleges.

What is accurate is that U of C likely won’t give you any credit for your CC classes- they give very little credit for all AP and DE classes, regardless of traditional or non-traditional high school experience. U of C is a test optional school, but submitting a solid ACT or SAT score would help you and is likely required as a homeschool student regardless of CC coursework.

Emphasize your non- traditional high school experience; schools like different. Your ability to take college level coursework in place of traditional high school is impressive. Play off what is different about you, don’t reach for traditional ECs because you’re not a traditional student.

One last comment, don’t get too fixated on one school - there’s a lot of really great schools out there. Good luck!

8

Agree with the above. Homeschoolers often take courses at community college. They aren’t considered transfer students unless they take courses after their high school completion date.