<p>Hello! Since I was little, I've always dreamed of entering in to Uchicago's school of business. I've done some research, but I have seen no definitive answers. I don't want to just leave it up to fate, I'm looking for some counsel on what my chances are and what I can do to improve them.</p>
<p>DESCRIPTIONS</p>
<p>Junior</p>
<p>Race: White Caucasian Male</p>
<p>Class Rank: 1/590</p>
<p>GPA: 4.7 or 4.0 (Unweighted)</p>
<p>SCORES</p>
<p>SAT: 2270</p>
<p>ACT: ?</p>
<p>AP CLASSES</p>
<p>World History (5)
US History (5)
Art History (5)
Psychology (5)
Biology (5)
Spanish (4) (I might retake it because I took this class junior year)
Spanish lit (?)
English (5)
English Comp (5)
Calc BC (5)
Micro Econ (?)
Macro Econ (?)
Chemistry (?)
Physics (?)
Government (5)
Comparative Government (5)</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars</p>
<p>Orchestra (4 Years)
200+ Service Hours for Church/ Youth Ministry
Silver Presidential service award (75+ hours of community service)
Captain of Quizbowl (Academic team)
Captain of Academic Challenge History/Science Teams
Varsity Swimming</p>
<p>My essay would be about one of two topics:</p>
<p>How a scandal involving one of my most beloved teachers showed me some flaws in how our school, and society as a whole, function</p>
<p>How the slow decay of my grandfathers business due to international competition opened my eyes to the new global world in which we live.</p>
<p>I would really appreciate any advice on my chances, or how to improve them. Thanks for your time, I'll take any help I can get to reach my dream.</p>
<p>Your stats are definitely in the range they’re looking for. That’s all we can say about a top school like UChicago. There is no combination of stats that will guarantee your admission. Make sure to have backups.</p>
<p>Is there some sense to this otherwise chaotic selection system? I know they weigh the different elements, but it almost seems that if there were two schools that were identical in everything but name that one might accept a student with these scores and one might not. And thank you very much for responding!</p>
<p>There are so many qualified applicants with extremely high standardized test scores and GPA, with a bunch of great extracurriculars, that there necessarily must be a bit of arbitrariness in the admissions process at elite universities.</p>
<p>Often, colleges try to minimize this arbitrariness by admitting based on fit. In Chicago’s case, essays are often the deciding factor between being admitted and being denied. In particular, Chicago searches for students who display intellectual curiosity and extreme ambition, since those are the kinds of students that most often thrive in Chicago’s academic atmosphere.</p>
<p>UChicago: Where fun goes to die.</p>
<p>So essentially it is like a lottery?</p>
<p>@GreyWold (and whoever else knows for that matter) What’s so bad about UChicago?</p>
<p>Your chances seem pretty good.</p>
<p>@GreyWolf: I’m tired of people like you. Shut up and go bother someone else, not a new member.</p>
<p>At OP; I think you have a very good chance. I foresee that you’ll be be a very happy person come spring 
(winter if EA)</p>
<p>Wow!!! My comment was seriously misconstrued. I have absolutely no problem with UChicago and am planning to apply there in the fall (pending the results of my visit next week). My quote was a testament to UChiago’s academic atmosphere mentioned in the post above mine.</p>
<p>Furthermore, “Where fun goes to die.” is a well-known and self-given name amongst many UChicago students. Although the actual name might be “Where fun comes to die”… </p>
<p>To LordoftheFlies64: I hope this cleared up the unwarranted animosity you showed towards me. If you still believe I am a negative presence on these forums, I urge you to go through my posting history and see my true nature.</p>
<p>I’m not blaming you Greywolf or anything, but most people don’t get that kind of humor.</p>
<p>Well I would hope that those interested in applying to UChicago or offering advice about applications would, but this is the internet and self-deprecating humor and hyperbole are often difficult to catch. I do accept some blame for being less than crystal-clear.</p>
<p>Well, thanks for the advice. I personally don’t mind if it is a little less socially stimulating than other universities; I love it for its academics.</p>