Chances for EA Class of 2019 at my Dream School??

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Hey guys! So I live in CA and I have always wanted to go to UChicago since I have family in Chicago and I visited the campus and loved it. Plus I'm pre-med and the university is fantastic for this pathway (Pritzker is one of the best med schools in the country). I'll probably gun for Early Action. Well here goes:</p>

<p>SAT: 2270 (2nd try) 2210 (1st try)
SAT 2: 760 Math2, 770 Bio-M
GPA: 3.97 (UW), 4.38 (W)</p>

<p>AP: Stats(5), APUSH(5), EngLang(5), Calc BC(5), Psychology(5), Biology(4). I know this is not that many but my school is pretty limited with regards to how many we can take. I have taken the most AP classes out of everyone in my graduating class. There is only one other student who took 6 so far like me.</p>

<p>Rank: 2/498</p>

<p>Senior Year load: AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Human Geo, Multivariable Calculus, Speed and Power (PE)</p>

<p>Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, 1st place Science Olympiad medal (Designer Genes), 5th place overall SciOly team placement at regionals, 2nd place Martial Arts Sparring Competition (led to knee injury which hindered my progress), Academic Block W for 3 years (just a little school award), Sahaita Charity Certificate of Contribution (Sahaita is a organization that goes to India and provides Medical Care to poor people in Northern villages)</p>

<p>Extracurricular: California Scholarship Federation (4 years), Premedical club (2 years, VP in 11th, President in 12th),
Science Olympiad (2 years), Robotics Club (1 year), Chess Club(4 years), Afterschool Math Tutoring Club (2 years), 8 years of training in Indian Classical Music, I play an Indian percussion instrument called the tabla and I have performed at temples, parties, religious ceremonies, etc. for a number of years now. From my music performances and premed club I have raise about $5000 in funds for the Sahaita charity to help people back home (Punjab) get appropriate medical care. All of the money I have earned as a musician has been donated to this organization. (It's a really good one, you guys should check it out!). Taekwondo (3 and a half years, I started in 8th grade and have loved it since, Member of Demo Team, currently brown advanced belt though I will get my black belt before leaving for college. JV Basketball (1 year, shooting guard), Recreational Guitar (2 years, self taught), English Tutoring for native Punjabi speakers (I am fluent in Punjabi and I help recent immigrants learn/improve their English)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Summer Internship working as a Medical Assistant at my dad's clinic.</p>

<p>Summer Activities: The internship mentioned above plus I self studied Chemistry (since I'll need it in college lol). Attended a medical forum at UC Berkeley the year before. Pretty much all of my non-school related activities are year round and keep me busy in the summers.</p>

<p>So I guess that's it. There's a lot of things I wish I had done differently since I feel like I could have accomplished a lot more. I didn't earn any major award that could really impress an ivy league adcom. But this is what I've got so all I can do now is put it all together in the best way possible. I am a pretty strong writer and I know many people who have volunteered to help me so I am confident that my essays will be stellar. I feel like my activities are in no way impressive but are in some ways unique, and perhaps that will help me. Let me know what u guys think! </p>

2

<p>I think good because you have the qualifications and you are clearly interested. I believe it will shine through in your application.</p>

3

<p>Hi Angi.</p>

<p>As someone who got in with merit scholarship, I think you have a chance if you do well on your essays. The only few things I would worry about your application are:

  1. your SAT general is a bit low for UChicago standards (that sounds a little pretentious, but just look at the median SAT score)
  2. UChicago and most elite colleges look for spiky applicants instead of well rounded applications; it seems that you have really focused a lot of time into science, but do you have something that truly sets you apart from the thousands of students who apply every year (especially the hoards of asians interested in medicine). This can be something like a published research paper, etc.
  3. To paraphrase Grace Chapin, a Uchicago adcom, show that you enjoy a liberal arts education. UChicago focuses on its core, which forces you to take classes outside of your academic interests. Can you show that you will be also interested in subjects like Nietzsche’s concept of nihilism?
  4. Make your essay unique. Above all, this is the most important advice I can give. A good essay sets you apart from a student and a UChicago student. UChicago cares that you are passionate and interesting, someone who will benefit the campus and contribute to its academic diversity.</p>
4

<p>Overall, you look good. Your SAT is alright. Take it again if you feel like you’ll do better.
At this point, it’s luck of the draw. </p>

5

<p>I agree with a lot of what dragonx9 said. </p>

<p>1) The SAT score bit might be true coming from California, but the only parts of your SAT you should care about are the Math and CR sections, since UChicago ignores the writing portion.
2) It’s pretty late to do anything about this now, and though having something spiky would certainly help, plenty of well-rounded people like you certainly get in.
3) and 4) go hand in hand. Show your intellectual vibe in your essays. Be able to link multiple disparate musings into a cohesive narrative. Your eight years of playing tabla seems the most interesting. How has that shaped you to be who you are today? Is there an experience with you’ve had with the tabla that especially stands out to you, or got you thinking? Similarly, the admissions committee will not be impressed by an essay where the focus is solely on how you raised $5000 for charity. They want to be assured of your critical musing skills, that you can find meaning and connections between far-flung ideas that they would normally never think to put together, because that is the hallmark of those who will enjoy Core and be true UChicago students.</p>

6

<p>angi- Regarding your SAT’s, I don’t completely agree with dragonx9. What we know about SAT’s at UChicago is the following:</p>

<p>Class of 2018 M/CR Average SAT = 1515 (Source: Forbes) <a href=“Top 100 SAT Scores Ranking: Which Colleges Have The Brightest Kids?”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/schifrin/2014/08/04/top-100-sat-scores-ranking-which-colleges-have-the-brightest-kids/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>25/75 ranges for class of 2017 M/CR are 1450/1550 (Source: UChicago Web Site)<br>
<a href=“https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/class-profile”>https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/apply/class-profile&lt;/a&gt; I’d imagine the ranges will be similar for the Class of 2018 and 2019 if for no other reason than they can’t get much higher than the Class of 2017.</p>

<p>So it depends on how that 2270 is distributed. (As a side note, let’s face it, in the normal world it’s an incredibly high score.) If it is distributed roughly equally among the 3 parts, you will be right on the average and / or median for scores. </p>

<p>Next is your grades and class rank which are just about as good as it gets. And you took the hardest courses available at your school. Top notch here.</p>

<p>You have a lot of interesting extracurriculars which gives a feel for an intellectually engaged person with a bent for public service. Perfect for UChicago.</p>

<p>I’m assuming your recommendations will be excellent. Just ask people who write well and who will take the time to tell your story.</p>

<p>Then there are the essays which I have no doubt you can kill. Just be honest. Write what you feel and not what you think others want to hear. Revise carefully and get other(s) you respect to review for you. </p>

<p>All in all I think you are an outstanding candidate for UChicago, especially if you apply EA. Good luck.</p>

7

<p>Op
I think you have a good chance for acceptance. However, I suggest you consider another major besides bio as a pre-med track. That is of course for better carrier planning. </p>

8

<p>OP, I think you have a very good change at an EA acceptance. My D, also from California, was accepted EA last year and is starting 1st year next week (!!!). Her stats were even a bit lower than yours: SAT 2200 (800R, 680M), below the average, and a class rank of 4/325. 7 AP’s, all 5’s. She did have good EC’s, mostly speech, debate, and mock trial. My D also got into Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, W&M, and Brandeis. On paper you look like a very solid candidate, especially if you hit the essays out of the park. With your stats, you should have lots of good options. Good luck.</p>