I am EDing UChicago. I got 3 B’s during my second semester of junior year, after straight A’s, resulting in a 3.91 UW GPA. My other 2 B’s were in AP Classes. How much will these grades impact my chances for UChicago ED I. This was a result of COVID, and admittedly burnout. Does UChicago and other T10s disregard my b in art?
Plus, how hard is it to get into UChicago ED I? I feel like it is my only chance at a T10.
I have strong ECs like publishing research in a top conference + journal, patent, etc. They are all in a niche field that intersects humanities and STEM (cog sci + enviro sci)
I have a 1550 SAT and am an Asian male in the bay area.
UChicago will look more at your academic record, including any trends, than your specific GPA. As even ED1 is a reach, you should definitely apply to backups. Your EC’s sound impressive. Your best shot would be to demonstrate to the College that you are a great fit with their academic mission and philosophy. Use those essays to drive home that point. Good luck!
Why are you worried about your B in art, more than your B’s in AP Calc BC, APUSH, and AP Bio? (also, how do you have a 3.91 UW, with 2 years of 4.0 and 1 year of 3.5? my math says that is a 3.83 it’s not a big deal- neither is a deal breaker)
Three Bs in spring of junior year, from a previously straight-A student is not as rare as you might think: junior year classes often represent a jump up in expectations, along with a jump in EC obligations. Your three APs were all content-heavy, and with the two online APs you mention in your other post, may have been too much of a workload.
That is a truly terrible reason to apply to UChic ED. UChicago is a very specific academic experience, which tends to either really suit a student- or really not.
There is nothing magic about the difference between the #10 and the #11 ranking, except for the ego boost of saying “T10”. Back in April, before you knew you were getting B’s in your three APs and Art you were aiming for T15s. Now- with the Bs- you are anxious about finding a T10 to get into.
Apply to UChicago ED if you are excited about the academics and the campus culture. Your odds are long- as they are for every applicant, given an acceptance rate under 7%.
I absolutely love the culture. I think it is quite literally the best school for me and my personal development. I want to be a UChicago type of person in the future.
Also my school is semester based; 5 semesters of 4.0, 1 semester of 3.5, which equates to a 3.91 UW GPA. I had straight A’s my first semester of junior year, but extenuating stuff started taking hold and I kinda dropped the ball during my second semester.
Unfortunately, 2nd semester of Junior year is not the best time to drop the ball if you are applying anywhere ED/EA because those are the last grades the adcom sees prior to making a decision on your application. Make sure you have very strong marks for first semester of your senior year just in case you are deferred or end up applying ED2, as more likely than not you’ll be asked or will want to send along that mid-year transcript.
Amy_C, no one here can tell you how UChicago would view your overall academic performance. But you should probably not rely on a single metric (GPA) or advice that even remotely suggests UChicago is “lax” about a downward trend in grades. Grades are typically a primary indicator of overall preparation for college, and UChicago’s curriculum is considered to be very rigorous so they are going to be looking very carefully at your grades and the level of your course rigor.
Gotcha. Would they care about a B in a noncore class like art. If so, it would really be 2 B’s during my second semester, which really doesnt matter? I assume UChicago does not practice this though, unlike Duke or UC schools.
Art may not be as big a deal - as another poster mentioned, the more concerning grades would be the AP’s (depending on what they are). However, they look at everything about your application, not merely your grades. A tanking GPA can be a huge red flag; a perfect GPA is no guarantee of admission.
Yup, pretty much everything else in my app, ECs, recs (one from a harvard professor), scores (perfect 1600 SS) is good. Just the very slight downward trend.
There are lots of colleges which turn out U of C type people. Some just as competitive for admissions (Swarthmore, Rice, Haverford,) and some less so (Reed, Bard, Rochester). You can either fritter away the next few months worrying about something you have no control over, or you can get going falling in love with a bunch of other colleges.
You can’t go back in time to fix your grades…so just move forward! Find a few more places to love to help you manage the anxiety you are feeling about being “almost perfect”!
UChicago doesn’t even publish class rank or GPA of their most recent admitted class on their admissions website. “Perfect” isn’t necessarily what they’re looking for. I’d focus more on what you have to contribute to their community of scholars. What makes you unique? Can you write compelling and interesting essays? My son is a student there and while he had lots of awesome stuff on his application, his GPA was far from perfect. In fact, the 2 other students in his high school class who applied to UChicago were ranked much higher than he was and neither was accepted.
As mentioned above, focus on what you can control and don’t fixate too much on one university. There are many to love!
Go with your gut. Apply. Explain your unique circumstance, especially if it makes for an engaging essay.
Apply but also apply to others that you think may be a comparatively easier admit. And make sure you truly have a safety.
These days, with Covid, more people are sticking to their state of residence (anecdotal, for all top unis) maybe your clear intent to enroll when accepted will be a plus.
The admission rate is low, but you already know that.