Chance Me Please

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Major: Economics
GPA: 3.85, top 10th percentile
SAT: 2190/1470 on old, 1550 on new
Subject tests: 800 Math II 750 US History
ACT not taken
AP Scores: 9 exams total, 5s on Calculus, Statistics, AP English, APUSH, AP Euro

Extracurriculars:
Quiz Bowl: Co-Captain (2 years)
Varsity Orchestra: Top HS orchestra in Texas for 3 years in a row, participated in international conference in Chicago. Also individually received many regional and state distinctions (4 years)
Youth and Government: State distinction (2 years)
Key Club Member (4 years)
Math Honor Society (2 years)
Over 100 hours of community service
Attended a selective summer Economics research program before 12th grade

Awards:
AP scholar with distinction

Essays:
Personal essay: 8/10, good but could be better
Supplement 1: 10/10, talked about experience during research
Why uChicago: 7/10, pretty generic
Optional essay: 5.5/10, combination between an essay and a list (open to suggestions :))

Recs:
Teacher 1 (AP Euro): 10/10, favorite student
Teacher 2 (AP Calculus): 8/10, loved me, but sometimes I acted too grade-oriented in her class
Counselor: 7/10, good but still generic
Optional rec: 10/10, former statistics teacher, loved me

Any feed back would be greatly appreciated! Also, I’m an Asian, so I’m naturally disadvantaged :frowning:

2

Is your application already submitted, or could you spend more time on the Uncommon essays? If you can, do so. They will probably be the crucial component of your app to U of C.

3

I’m still working on my essays, and I will submit them soon.

4

Good. Focus on making sure that the Why UChicago essay moves beyond the generic. And, FWIW, the list format isn’t necessarily a problem on the optional question (assuming that it’s the favorite things prompt). But in both cases, you want to make sure that your answer captures what’s interesting about/to you.

5

Your stats are around those of the average admitted student. What makes you stand out? Is that addressed in your personal essay or somewhere else? Otherwise, you only have as good a chance as anyone else. Possibly around 20% based on my guess for the ED admit rate. But if you got phenomenal essays, your chance could easily be 50%+.

6

Thanks Bjklw2a. Do you think I should apply ED2 to give myself more time to work on my essays? Is there going to be a major difference between ED1 and ED2?