Chance Me for UChicago EDI

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Hi, here’s some stuff about me. I am nervous. Plz halp.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1480 (730 RW, 750 Math)

ACT (breakdown): 33 (36 English, 32 math, 31 reading, 34 science) (8 writing)
SAT II: Chem (790)
Grades: 94.5/100 UW, 99.7/100 W (my schools refuses to convert to 4.0 GPA)
Rank: at least top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Gov (5), World history (4), APUSH (4), Calc AB (4), Chem (5), Lang (5)

Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Physics C E&M and Mechanics, Dual Enrollment English, AP macro and micro econ, teacher assistant for band director, AP comparative gov, band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with distinction, national merit semifinalist, national Hispanic recognition scholar, Salem College book award, governors honors program nominee, Georgia certificate of merit recipient, some superior ratings at Spanish  competitions (note: my family doesn’t speak Spanish, I learned it at school as shown by my transcript), others listed with extracurriculars

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
NHS, Science NHS, Tri-M music Honor society, Model UN (president for 2 years, won delegation and position paper awards), band (1st chair oboist for 3 years, superior solo ratings, in county and district Honor bands), tech fair (1st at state two times, 1st at county four times doing non multimedia publications)
Job/Work Experience: Work at local movie theatre past year (16 hours a week during school year, 32 during summer)
Volunteer/Community service: raised $255 for Relay for Life, tutor at my old elementary school (70% of kids are low income and on free lunch), project 9/11 memorial volunteer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Why UChicago (8/10, I mean everyone applying loves it but I tried to be super specific about their chem program and my visit), Uncommon essay (9/10 I wrote about a hedgehog highway as a road lol, made the hedgehog a person…), Common app (10/10, about me getting concussions and not being able to think and how I felt, also kinda funny in parts)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 20/10, chemistry teacher for two years that I still assist in the lab (my physics teacher is her husband so she asked him for info too)
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10 hopefully, my old APUSH and AP Gov teacher and Model UN head, she always liked my debates lol
Counselor Rec: 9/10 hopefully, shes my new counselor but she and I talk a ton
Additional Rec: My boss, oboe teacher of 7 years, band director of two years
Interview: Went really well, 10/10, interviewer and I discussed economics and real world political situations and my desire to explore and experience the world

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes yes yes
Intended Major: Chemistry, music minor
State (if domestic applicant): Georgia
School Type: giant public (2000+)
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Venezuelan)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: poor as heck
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, went on fly-in program

2

I think that your chances are pretty good. You stats are similar (only very slightly lower) to a student I know who goes there (he is a friend of a daughter). Being URM should help you. Chicago says that they are need blind.

Definitely you need to have applied to some safer alternatives. I can’t predict what you will get for need based aid. If you get in you will need a good coat, warm boots, and other miscellaneous winter gear (easy to purchase in Chicago). I expect you will do well where ever you end up. Good luck!

3

@DadTwoGirls thank you! I’m planning on applying to UGA and GaTech regular decision as soon as the results for UChicago come in. Luckily, if I get in I qualify for full tuition coverage and Odyssey scholarship so I can afford plenty of sweaters and boots haha.

4

@SmolHedgehogs, all we can say is that we are certainly rooting for you. I think that it’s a good sign that you were accepted to their flyin program. My D was accepted to the fly in and applied EA and was accepted. She loves UChicago. But it’s a tough school on the GPA if you want to apply to grad programs. Nevertheless I don’t think she regrets it.

5

@goingnutsmom thank you for the support :slight_smile: I’m planning on applying to grad school, and I’ve considered the lower GPA that’s a trend at UChicago, but I feel the opportunities outweigh the lower numbers I’d get. :slight_smile:

6

“But it’s a tough school on the GPA if you want to apply to grad programs.”

It depends on the type of grad program. PhD programs look pretty closely at rec. letters so having a UChicago prof. going to bat for you is a definite advantage. Grades would matter for certain courses relevant to the preparation for higher-level academic work. They aren’t going to be too concerned with overall GPA or whether you got a B in Huma.

7

@JBStillFlying That’s good to hear. Hopefully I actually get into the undergraduate program first haha

8

@SmolHedgehogs Good Luck to you. Also, just to clarify #5, all the commentary is just for a PhD program. Other grad programs - particularly the professional schools - may well look at overall GPA, although the rigor of your undergraduate institution must play into the admission equation to at least some degree. UChicago posts some information about grad school placement on its outcomes report. Here are the links, fyi:

https://careeradvancement.uchicago.edu/about/outcomes-data
http://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/uchicago-class-of-2016-outcomes.pdf