Objective:
SAT I (Comp, Essay, CR, M, CW): 2290, 10, 790, 700, 800
SAT II (Type, Score): Spanish, 800; US History, 800.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Have taken 9 AP courses, but no exams due to financial constraints.
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government, AP World History, AP Biology, AP Statistics.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHRP scholar, National merit commended student, Questbridge Finalist, Questbridge College Prep Scholar.
Subjective:
Job/Work Experience: A job a few summers ago, and worked online for a data privacy company for a while.
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering at a foundation to help students at poor schools.
Essays: I thought my two QuestBridge essays were very good, but my school-specific ones were somewhat weaker.
Teacher Recommendations: Probably weak, as I study in an online school and barely know my teachers.
Counselor Rec: Probably weak, even though I am probably the school’s best student in its history.
Other
School Type: Online
Ethnicity: Hispanic.
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 2014: <$20,000, 2015: $45,000. 2016: $65,000. Family of 11, soon to be 12.
Extenuating Circumstances: Have lived out of the US for the last 11 years, have had to struggle to attain an education, and have had to help with younger siblings.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM.
Strong chance. URM. Questbridge. Excellent test scores. It sounds like your schooling situation was unsettled, yet you have been able to complete 9 AP level classes. One small negative is the job/work experience. Could be mitigated due to having to take care of siblings in which case it could help you. Good luck to you.
My chief concern, looking at your profile, is that your recommendations may not be stellar, and your supplement essays aren’t that great, by your own admission. UChicago really looks for ‘fit’ - and that’s often demonstrated through recommendations, but it’s essays that’ll make the difference for most applicants.
You’re academically qualified, with a good hook and story, but the above isn’t to be taken lightly either.
I still think you have a chance, and we’ll both know our decisions in two weeks’ time (hopefully), but I’m inclined to be a little more conservative in my estimate of your chances than most posters here.
Thanks to everyone for commenting. Just wanted to clarify that even though my supplementary essays weren’t spectacular, they were pretty good and unique. The Why UChicago one was pretty unique and spoke about my desire for intellectual discourse. I wrote the second one about a mash-up between a historical figure and a different area, and chose to write about Bobby Kennedy running for President nowadays. Also, I had an interview and did great. The interviewer really liked me and told me that I am exactly the kind of person that UChicago is looking for. I don’t know if this info changes your opinion of my chances.
@DominicBayer I think you didn’t include it in this thread, but if I’m not mistaken your parents are very, very educated.
I think they have degrees from Northwestern, Stanford, and some other university. Maybe college admission offices are a bit puzzled about you presenting yourself as an underprivileged kid (Questbridge?) and your parents having that level of education. That could be a little puzzling to be honest. Best luck, anyway
@kittymom1102. You’re right. I forgot to mention that my parents (especially my mom) do have a high level of education. I understand it’s puzzling, but despite this we’ve had hard times economically due to the failure of my dad’s company and my mom’s need to be a stay-at-home mom. Thanks for the good wishes.
