Chance Me (pretty please)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Hi! I am a senior this year and have finished my application for UChicago (early action). It is my dream school, but I don’t see myself having a good chance of getting in. I’ve kind of been freaking out and have found myself unable to wait for decisions to be released. I have read through all 250 pages of threads relating to UChicago on college confidential, and I finally decided to make my own post. So can anyone let me know what they think of my stats? I’m not one of these super geniuses who started building a computer from scratch at the age of 8, so I feel a bit nervous about my chances of being accepted…when chances are, that I will be deferred/rejected :frowning:

GPA: 4.4 W / 3.969 UW
SAT: 1460
Subject tests: didn’t take any
ACT: 32
Rank: 12/674
AP Scores: AP World History (5), AP Literature (5), AP Chemistry (4), AP Human Geography (4), AP US History (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus, AP Psychology, AP Latin, AP Microeconomics, AP Government, AP Language, AP Environmental Science

Extracurriculars:
Latin Club
National Honor Society
National Art Honor Society
Art Club

Volunteering:
around 150 hours, don’t really keep track
most of them are through clubs I’m in, like helping out with art camp over the summer and various community service activities through NHS and NAHS

Awards:
AP Scholar with distinction
Graduating Summa Cum Laude
national awards on Latin tests (i.e. national Latin exam)

Essays:
Personal essay: 8/10. I wrote about my experience living in a different country, connecting it to other aspects of my life (struggles with poverty, different cultural background than my classmates) and connected it to my personality as well.
Supplement 1: 7-8/10. I chose the vestigial structures prompt. I wrote about books, and I really hoped my passion shined through. Basically, I explained how books were seen as something vestigial in this day and age in the face of technology.
Why uChicago: specific, truly showed my love for this school (it is my dream school), but it wasn’t creative or fancy like some of the others I have seen. It was very straight to the point.
Optional essay: 6-7/10. It was nothing special. Just tried to show what I was passionate about.

Recs:
Teacher 1 : 8/10 from my AP lit teacher he is a great writer and really liked me and my writing
Teacher 2 : 7/10 from my honors bio teacher
Counselor: 5/10 I’m assuming it is pretty general considering that I go to a large school where the counselors rarely get to know the students

Other:
Applied for financial aid: yes
I am a female
State: Midwest, near Chicago
School type: public, large
Ethnicity: European (parents are from a small country in Europe)
I was born out of the country but immigrated to the U.S. at a young age
Income Bracket: approximately 30k
Hook: first generation college student, bilingual? I don’t really know if either is considered a hook

I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read through my post!! Good luck to everyone else applying this year!

2

Hello stockqueen. Welcome to the boards. You have an academic record which puts you right in the range. I think your personal story is interesting and it will help you. I also believe a strong interest in a school inevitably comes through in an application. You have a strong interest in UChicago which means that your application and in particular your essays will catch the admissions office attention. This last statement is a hunch. But your personal story and your essays are what will distinguish you. No one can say exactly what your chances are but I believe you have a reason to be hopeful. Best of luck to you.

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@kaukauna Thank you so much for taking time to answer and also for being so kind!!! I truly appreciate it!

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While I also think that you have a chance- you sound like an interesting student, I would like to know what other schools you are applying to. Just remember that UChicago is getting more and more competitive each year and they have ED I and ED II this year which throws a wrench into everything. Good luck and let us know how things turn out @stockqueen. BTW, my D is there and says that the students are really the best thing at the school- has found her tribe. But I also think that there are lots of great schools out there.

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@goingnutsmom Thank you for taking the time to reply! I appreciate it! Don’t worry, I am not delusional. UChicago is a reach school for me. I have applied to various in state schools (already have been accepted to one), have also applied to Loyola Chicago (accepted), and a couple of other reaches just for the heck of it. I know that there is a very small chance of me getting into UChicago, but I can’t help but love it! The community is probably what attracts me most to UChicago!

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Just to let you know that Grinnell was really high on my D’s list and she thinks would have been a great fit for her too. Grinnell also offered her a great merit scholarship but UChicago won out in the end. Grinnell has great financial aid and has one of the biggest endowments per student.