Chance me? Pretty please?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>GPA
-3.65 GPA UW at prestigious private school in the South-West (4.33 = A+, 4.0 = A, etc). My school does not give bumps for honors/AP classes. Also, there is very little grade inflation (top 10% ranges between 3.7 and 4.1)
-School does not rank (appx. 15/105) and no weighted GPA is calculated</p>

<p>ACT (taken June 2009)
32 English, 35 Math, 32 Reading, 33 Science, Composite 33, Writing 11, English/Writing 32</p>

<p>SAT IIs (taken June 2009)
-Math IIC: 800
-Biology M: 740
-World History: 670</p>

<p>Because I am submitting the ACT, I don't need to submit SAT IIs, but I figure that I might as well submit Math IIC just for the heck of it.</p>

<p>Curriculum
-Freshman: Core English 9, Core Western Civ History 9, Core Chemistry 9, Honors Geometry, Honors Latin II, Band
-Sophomore: Core English 10, Core Western Civ History 10, Core Bio 10, Honors Alg II, Honors Latin III, Band
-Junior: Tragedy (1 trimester), Poetry (1 trimester), Nature and Uses of Language (1 trimester), Cold War History (1 trimester), AP Government (2 trimesters), Honors Physics, Honors Pre-Calculus, Honors Latin IV, Band
-Senior: Senior Rhetoric (1 trimester), Sublime Darkness (1 trimester), Short Fiction (1 trimester, "I, Claudius" (1 trimester), Military Strategy (1 trimester), Beginning 3-D Animation (1 trimester), AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Latin: Vergil, Band</p>

<p>*** My school does not allow freshmen and sophomores to take APs. As well, juniors and seniors are restricted to taking 3 AP courses per year. All classes that say "core" are required of everyone in the class (i.e. there are no honors classes).</p>

<p>Work Experience
-2 Summers of life guarding (privately and at a community center)
-1 Summer of teaching swim lessons to young children</p>

<p>ECs/Activities (including Senior year)
-Political Action Club (4 year member)
-Science Olympiad (4 year member)-Captain 9th grade and 12th grade
-Junior Classical League (4 year member)- most likely Vice-President for senior year,
-Snack Bar (4 year member)-unofficial president for senior year, sell food to students at rock-bottom prices with proceeds going to student clubs
-Boy Scouts of America-Eagle Scout, former Senior Patrol Leader, former Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, other various leadership positions
-Swim Team (4 year member)
-Band (4 year member)- concert band (trumpet), pep band (trumpet), jazz band (guitar), jazz combo (guitar), brass ensemble (trumpet)</p>

<p>I have other ECs, but those are the only ones I'm putting on the Common App because those are the most important to me.</p>

<p>Awards/Honors
-Science Olympiad: Multiple medals won at Regional and State competitions
-Math: 3rd place in pre-calculus division at TAMS Tournament
-Latin: 1 perfect score, 1 gold medal, 3 silver medals on National Latin Exam, multiple ribbons at Area and State level at JCL conventions
-Boy Scouts: Eagle Scout
-Swimming: 3 year letter winner
-Academic: 3 year Academic Pin Winner (3.5 GPA for all three trimesters, aka 3 trimesters of what we call "high honor roll")
-Band: 2 time all region band member (trumpet), multiple 1st Division rankings at regional and state solo/ensembles, 3 time band letter winner</p>

<p>Misc
-National Young Leaders Conference Alumnus ('09)</p>

<p>I visited campus a few weeks ago and fell in love. My interview was stellar because we really connected over Latin and Classics (we discussed authors including Ovid, Cicero, and Vergil). I really feel like UofC is the place for me (rhyme!). I like the focus on a learning community that enjoys learning for the sake of learning, not just to get an A at the end of the quarter or to get an internship at the company down the street. Everyone I met was incredibly nice and welcoming, and I couldn't help but feel that I was at a university which values undergraduate education in the highest regard and truly strives for excellence. And of course, I fell in love with Chicago (the city). :D </p>

<p>I plan to major in Economics and Poly Sci (if there is time, if not Poly Sci will be a minor). If I minor in Poly Sci, then I will also try to minor in Math or Classics (but not both!). I also have good ideas for my essays, but I'm having a hard choice determining which one to write (because I like all my topics so much).</p>

2

<p>I have to ask you this (and I ask this to many people) but</p>

<p>Why Economics? You totally don’t seem to be the type of person who is interested in Economics given that you seem to be more interested in english and latin.</p>

3

<p>good question. ive thought about what i want to major in quite a bit… and it was hard to find an answer because im interested in so many different things.</p>

<p>i’m not sure where you came up with english, because i’m not really interested in that at all; i enjoy discussing books and writing, but not for a living and certainly not as a full on major. </p>

<p>latin is more of a hobby and an interest than anything. i dont really see myself focusing the rest of my time on earth as an academic writing about people who lived 2000+ years ago. </p>

<p>i really like science, but im not interested in it for a career, im not sure why, but it just doesnt appeal to me. </p>

<p>and math has always come easily to me. and i love history and social studies. so i guess i really like that econ is a nice balance of a lot of things (math, english, history/social studies). ive always been interested in money and that sort of thing, so that plays a huge factor. and i especially like the integral part the economics plays in law (which is eventually where i want to end up).</p>

4

<p>come on. please? just one chance?</p>

5

<p>Your EC’s are good and your ACT is fine. I think you should send both Math II and Biology, the second one can’t hurt you. You have a shot but your GPA is a little low.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

6

<p>Chicago doesn’t look at SAT-IIs. In recent years (and this may still be the case), the SAT-II and SAT Writing scores are never even sent to the Admissions Committee.</p>

7

<p>ah thank you both.
I know my GPA is a little low (according to Naviance, its about .18 grade points below the average student from my school who got accepted to UofC) but do you think that the AdComm will make a super big deal out of it if my essays are good?</p>

8

<p>My UW GPA was almost the same as yours, and I got in.</p>

9

<p>thats great! i was really worried about that. would anyone (probably a '12er or '13er) be willing to read my essays when they are written? that would help A TON and i would be forever grateful.</p>

10

<p>Sorry, but what’s sublime darkness? lolz</p>

11

<p>It’s a Senior English Elective about dark literature (e.g. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dracula by Bram Stoker, etc). As seniors, we can only take AP Lit (which didn’t fit my schedule) or electives. So I chose it.</p>

<p>I thought it sounded like a really interesting class… plus it’s taught by this teacher whom I really wanted to have before I graduate.</p>

12

<p>Ah, taking a class because it’s interesting and the teacher is not to be missed vs. yet <em>another</em> AP…a welcome breath of fresh air on CC! There are lots of classes like that at UChicago. S1 took Philosophy of Mind and Science Fiction this spring as an elective. Loved it. It’s only offered once every three years (the prof is an emeritus), and there was a long waitlist to get in until they got funding for another TA.</p>

13

<p>Fortunately, that’s how it is a lot of the time at my school because we have so few APs (1 AP History, 1 AP English, 3 AP Maths, 4 AP Languages and 4 AP Sciences). However, a lot of kids do take the Honors classes just because it looks better (thank God they only offer Honors in Math and Language). Well, as I said, AP Lit didn’t fit into my schedule, but if it had, I wouldn’t have taken it because it’s not conducive to my style of learning English. I would rather take the time to read, enjoy, and discuss a book with the aim of writing a tight, cohesive, and thought provoking essay, instead of racing through a book to write a cookie cutter essay that the College Board wants me to write (which in all reality is not going to be a very good essay).</p>

14

<p>To the OP, try to ask for a recommendation from that teacher, and ask him/her to emphasize the nature of that course as well as your performance (i.e. involvement). It will significantly improve your application as a whole. :D</p>

15

<p>sorry to ask this, but if i send my act, can i choose which sat 2s to send as well?</p>

16

<p>Read above. Unless Chicago changes its policy, sending SAT-II scores is silly, because they don’t even make it into the file.</p>

<p>College Board HAS changed its policy. It used to be that you either sent ALL of your SAT-test scores (SAT I and SAT II) or none of them, no picking and choosing. Now I think you can pick and choose; you should read the policy to figure out what you can do and how to do it. But don’t bother if the only reason you are doing it is to send SAT-II scores to Chicago.</p>