Chance me please?

Hey everyone. The EA date is getting closer so I thought I’d throw this up here just to see where I stand for my dream school, UChicago.

Objective:

  • GPA: 3.92 UW... don't know exact weighted but definitely way above 4.0. Have only received two B's all of high school.
  • Rank: top 25% definitely, but our school doesn't rank other than by quartile.
  • ACT: 34 (35 E, 36 R, 33 S, 33 M, 12 Essay)
  • SAT II's: am taking Lit and Math 2 in October -- expect 700+ based on practice tests
  • AP Scores: Calc BC (5), Euro (5), English Lit (5)
  • Senior year schedule: IB English Language HL2, IB Stats HL2, IB Spanish SL, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Art History, APUSH (this is "most rigorous" at my school, according to my counselor)

Intended major: Probably Economics or PoliSci with a minor in History/Creative Writing

Subjective:

  • Student Body Publicity Officer (12); in charge of creating advertisements, t-shirts, social media posts, etc. in order to promote the school and its activities. Also the head of Suicide Prevention Committee and lead designer for Homecoming Committee. I'll be submitting some of my designs as a fine arts portfolio.
  • President and Founder of a club called "The Forum" that allows for open discussion between students about basically anything. It's pretty fun and we've gotten good reviews. (12)
  • Volunteer at the Natural History Museum of Utah (11, 12); worked with kids ages 5-13 in summer camp programs. Planned and executed lessons pertaining to science and the natural world. Also do after school and weekend programs. I'm having one of my bosses write an additional rec and she LOVES me so it should be great. Will have 150+ hours logged by the time I apply.
  • Published writer for a major news website, got paid $500 for a personal essay I wrote; currently a writer for Cracked.com and I'm hoping to be published by the Huffington Post soon. (12)
  • Have participated in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition 4 years in a row, winning in 2012 and 2013. I'm going to submit a creative writing sample as well. (9, 10, 11, 12)
  • Have done some peer tutoring and babysitting for extra cash. (11, 12)
  • Also have some other volunteer hours at the Utah Food Bank, Salt Lake Arts Festival, etc, but nothing huge. (11, 12)
  • Member of Spanish club, GSA, multicultural club, NHS, a few other things. (9, 10, 11, 12)

Essays/recs:

  • I'm getting three recs: one from my Euro teacher who knows me very well and one from my Spanish teacher who I think likes me. Also getting my boss to write one (as stated above). Counselor's will probably be generic.
  • My essays should be top notch. Writing has always been a talent of mine and I've already begun working on them. One of them is a little risky but I think UChicago appreciates a little risk.

Other stuff:

  • Country (if international applicant): USA
  • State: Utah
  • School Type: public
  • Ethnicity: Hispanic
  • Gender: Male (also I'm LGBT, but I don't think that matters)
  • Income Bracket: ~$100,000, will need FA
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Special circumstances: I’ve moved around a lot in my life (across states and countries), and I plan to address this in my essays. I’m currently attending my third high school and tenth school overall, which has made it difficult to participate consistently in extracurriculars. However, it’s also shaped a lot of who I am as a person so I think it adds a cool facet to my application. I moved twice during high school: once during the middle of sophomore year and once at the beginning of junior year.

WOW that was a long post, thank you if you read that all. I know nobody can give me a 100% certain yes or no, but do I have a shot? Seeing this all written out is very humbling, and I’d appreciate any advice or help. Thanks!

You have a great shot. URM, great GPA, and great test scores - nail the essays and you’re golden.

URM plus very good objectives plus interesting EC’s gives you a very good shot. Please do not use the phrase “top notch” in your essays anywhere. People who use this expression in their CC posts should be suspended for a day.