<p>OP, do you by any chance remember what house you stayed over in? Or at least which dorm?</p>
<p>I forget the house, but it was in Pierce. We had to take an elevator but I forget the floor number and everything.</p>
<p>I’m just curious what were your high school stats and ECs were for applying? Sounds like you had an amazing list of schools that you applied to, and of course you had fantastic options.</p>
<p>Eh, I don’t want this to really be about stats or getting into schools or anything, but I will say that my SAT was a 2310, and I was very involved in my school community. Junior and Senior year, I had on average two hours a day when I wasn’t busy with some school- or EC-related project. There was a three week period in Senior year when I pulled an average of three all-nighters a week to get everything done, and not because I had procrastinated earlier. But what really got me in, I think, was simply personal traits. I made my UChicago essay very humorous and personal, and my Harvard interview went extremely well (my interviewer said he had never rooted so hard for an interviewee to get in).</p>
<p>And even though I was fortunate enough to choose between three amazing schools, I was still denied by Columbia, Princeton, and Yale. At the level of these colleges, it truly is a crapshoot.</p>
<p>Bump for all the EA acceptances to see. Congrats guys!</p>
<p>What did you do in your gap year? Congrats to you!</p>
<p>I’ve been mostly traveling in Southeast Asia so far, staying with families and learning about the language, culture, politics, etc. It’s been an amazing experience and I recommend it for anyone willing to take the plunge!</p>
<p>I’m glad you’re enjoying your gap year. I could say that you made a wise choice, but of course, I’m biased.</p>
<p>@SmallGarbageBag: You got accepted to Harvard after being waitlisted?</p>
<p>Hey!</p>
<p>Just wondering - but I have a couple questions!</p>
<p>What was your intended major on the applications you submitted to all these schools?</p>
<p>Did you apply ED anywhere?</p>
<p>And which countries have you gone to during your gap year?</p>
<p>I love the descriptions you’ve posted of UChicago by the way - that’s exactly how I feel about the university and they’re really just so amazing and I think anyone who’s read this thread has probably either decided to apply or decided to enroll. Haha thanks again! :)</p>
<p>@masterclass Yep, although by then my mind had been made up. It was tough saying no, but I’m glad I did.</p>
<p>@aangel42 My intended major was English I think. I don’t really remember. I didn’t apply ED anywhere, I was so unsure where I wanted to go at that point. As for this gap year, I’ve been to Nepal, China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. It’s been amazing to be honest.</p>
@SmallGarbageBag If you are still active, I have a quick question about the whole decision.
So like you, I was accepted EA to Chicago in December, and recently (two days ago), I was notified by Harvard saying that I had been admitted to the university (pretty much a likely letter over the phone). I am completely torn. I plan on attending one of the April Overnights at UC to get an idea of life there, but one of the main reasons I am not running straight to Harvard is a group chat that I am in. The individuals in there are tremendous, each with unique abilities and perspectives and qualities. All of us share an ability to be out there and extroverted while retaining our introspective sides. In the few weeks I have been speaking to them, they have become so close. But then there is Harvard. I know that I will gain a tremendous pre-medical education with their amazing biology/biochem department. I know that I will be able to interact and create networks with other individuals that will help with my ultimate goal in medicine. But the people from UChicago are so interesting and inspiring…Any insight, it would mean so much to me?
@AceSquad23 My personal advice, and I’m not biased in any way: go to UChicago. Your prospects will be great for either school (congrats by the way). The people in the group chat will be really sad if you don’t come. Besides, the group chat needs its daddy.
~ A friend
The short answer is that whichever you choose, the other’s an option for grad school. Personally, I think that your friends for life are more likely to come from college and your network from grad school, which argues for Chicago now and Harvard later, judging from what you’ve posted.
Said the Harvard undergrad who married her college sweetheart and whose daughter is headed to U of C for undergrad.
Mistake.
Maybe excanuck’s right. Med school admissions are very GPA-oriented and it’s probably easier to graduate with a high GPA from Harvard than from U of C. It would also be worth thinking about comparative costs and whether one option will leave you with more debt or less money for med school than the other. Both schools will provide you with great research opportunities and good friends. Right now you’re comparing cohort (UofC) with reputation (Harvard), so your data is both asymmetrical and too limited. Can you do an accepted students overnight at Harvard as well?
Speaking as a pre-med to med at UChicago, one issue that I rarely see addressed regarding research is the advantage of the proximity of the Medical center. At UChicago, the bio/biochem/medical school is all on a contiguous campus which makes it much easier to carry out research. It is not uncommon that experiments run on a schedule that requires multiple interactions throughout the day. The cells need X added at time Y and Z, for example. If the lab is off campus, it is difficult/impossible to do all that. When I was doing active biochem work, I’d basically park myself in the lab and come and go to my classes between the steps in the experiment. Not possible if you have to ride a bus to your lab.
Did you apply for FA? If so, who gave you the best offer? This would be a bigger deal if you turned down a ton of money from Harvard.