<p>full ib diploma candidate</p>
<p>GPA: 3.5uw , tough priv school
SAT: 2330
SATII's: IIc 800; Bio 800; USH 800; Lit 800
AP: 4 5's, 1 4. </p>
<p>President of 3 clubs.
Captain of Varisty Tennis Team
Captain of Academic Decathlon</p>
<p>assume good essays and good recs.</p>
<p>As fine a chance as any one else as long as essays and recommendations are good.</p>
<p>what's your rank?</p>
<p>school doesnt give ranks, but unofficially, probably 2nd decline. =/</p>
<p>bad 9/10 years but upward trend culminating in a straight A junior year.</p>
<p>you have a very good chance. I got in this year, and I was doing IB. Your numbers are far better than mine so dont worry about that. Just make sure your essays and recommendations are good. And I would also recommend you use the uncommon application next year-Chicago has decided to use the common app as well, but I think the doing the uncommon will allow the school to get to know you more! good luck!</p>
<p>Essays are <em>very</em> important for Chicago -- it's not a school that is just about stellar stats.</p>
<p>Haul a** on the essays and you'll be fine. Try to do an interview too, it really helped show my dedication to U Chicago and also my love for learning. I think those two are what made it for me.</p>
<p>I know they keep saying that essays are all-important for Chicago, but I don't quite think that's the case.</p>
<p>Because I wrote mine like 12 h before they were due -- they were pretty good (if I say so myself), but not anything outstanding.</p>
<p>Based on my experience, grades count a lot too. My point is that those SAT scores look very good.</p>
<p>Yes, I do feel that people on this board tend to over-emphasize the importance of essays. Maybe Chicago used to value the essays tremendously but I can't help but feel that is not the case presently.
To be honest, when I applied to Chicago I didn't know much about the college and wasn't very keen on it (although now its on top of my college list!). I simply applied because many people told me that it was a great college. Since I wasn't too bothered about the application, I simply submitted my common app. essay. Now don't get me wrong, Its not that my essay wasn't good, I was actually very impressed with it; it just didn't seem to fit the bill of the extremely imaginative essays that were suggested on the "Uncommon app". But I still got in...</p>
<p>I actually think my essays were what got me in though. My stats in terms of numbers were quite low- I actually had a couple C<code>s on my transcript and my SAT was a measely 2050 (1320 on the old SAT)
Essays are just subjective I guess- I don</code>t think everyone has to be creative or imaginative per se. It`s just what the admissions people are looking for in the applicants at that time.</p>
<p>As Libby has said, the most important considerations are in order: Did one take the most rigorous curriculum available (how one performs in that curriculum is important), essays (they are interested in how one handles ideas, very important at U of C; the quirky essays are simply one means to that end), recommendations (they admit for the faculty, making what is said quite important, it is more than he/she is smart), next are EC's, GPA, and finally test scores. All of these things count individually, but it is how they are stitched together as well. The stitching often occurs with the Why Chicago, and Favorite Things Essays. Folks often forget to mention these, but they can be quite important.</p>
<p>I didn't even write a favorite things essay - I simply made a list of my favorite things in the categories they mentioned....</p>
<p>i want go to Chicago so bad...</p>
<p>does anyone have any other tips to improve my app?</p>
<p>im planning on writing really good essays</p>
<p>you have very good chances. make sure it is really where you want to go. a good way to improve an app to Uchicago is communication with the school. it counts for a lot. don't overdo the essays, write from your heart.</p>
<p>Oh well hello! its nice to see a fellow IB student aspiring to go to UChicago :P I've already been accepted, and I can say that...make sure your IB predicted grades are above 33 out of the 42. On the thread with Libby, she mentioned that Chicago loves IB candidates. I think you have a really good chance of getting in, as long as your essays reflect this strong desire to attend (and your SAT scores are great!)</p>
<p>japstudent12, good luck on your upcoming IB boards.</p>
<p>thanks dahiliaand pearls! good luck to you too! have you decided to attend UC? </p>
<p>and yes, UC loves IB students, I`m sure its one of the factors that got me in. I talked about how I enjoyed the IB, and so I wanted a similar education in the next four years- and said that UC would probably be the best environment that would provide this. Definately do an interview as well. If you show how strongly you want to attend, your chances do definately increase.</p>