<p>White, Male, Jewish, North Jersey Public High School. Class of 2008.</p>
<p>Statistics:
SATs (Projected): 2160 or so cumulative. 740 reading, 640 math, 760 writing.
PSATs: 210 (78 writing, 74 reading, 58 math)
ACT (projected): 33.
GPA: 3.8 weighted. Honors and AP classes (five by graduation in the APs, World History, Spanish Language, English Language, US History, English Literature) in everything but math and two years of science (physics and senior year...I'm taking a difficult anatomy class next year.) I got a C- sophomore year in Chem Honors and in Art II.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
Gay-Straight Alliance Founder and President, Lit Mag EIC, Student Newspaper Editor and Staff Writer, Drama Club (active member, I've been in 5 productions so far), NSHS officer, Spanish Club. Possibly NHS and Peer Leadership, not sure yet.
I'm a very, very good writer (shameless self-promotion, huh?) and love to learn.</p>
<p>University of Chicago is my first choice. What are my chances there ED and what can I do to help secure admission?</p>
<p>First off- research the school. Find all of it's blessings and yes, curses.
they only offer EA. </p>
<p>GPA is a little low. (C- in ART?!)
ACT/SAT- projected score- i unno
How did project that youd get 640 in math from a 58 on the PSAT?!</p>
<p>Try and raise your GPA. Go into NHS. Get the best testing scores you can. Learn about the school. Show interest by signing up for the mailing list- visiting even (if possible). The essays- the rigor of your classes- and how well you did in those classes are big parts of admissions. </p>
<p>The math portion of the SAT can be prepped for pretty effectively - I think he can manage it. Obviously, the problem spot is the C- in chemistry. Excellent grades for your junior year may help trump that. If you are taking SATII's for other schools, they can also help. Just remember - don't ever take these things cold. Even one practice test will help you learn the form of the test and and identify areas of weakness. </p>
<p>I think you are going to do well on your essays. Visiting the university (and interviewing if you can visit this fall) will help you to know if this is really what you want or not - and also allow you to write your 'why chicago' essay much more effectively. I read some of your other posts regarding religion - I really don't think you have to worry about that.</p>
<p>If the NHS at your school is a good organization, by all means join and enjoy. It was pretty useless at my son's hs, and he never joined - but this can vary a lot among schools. </p>
<p>While its certainly possible to overcome the one weak point in your application, you need to have, as DannonWater says, some likelies and at least one financial safety on your list. I don't think I call Chicago a reach for you, but a match does not mean a sure admit.</p>
<p>The reason is that the practice tests I have been taking in my sat class have hit my score around there. I do think my extracurriculars are quite good. I plan to visit and go for an on campus interview. My transcript shows I do best in my hardest classes. I am always one of the people who reads the whole book if we are assigned an excerpt, for example. I visited the campus on a family vacation and fell in love with the used bookstores and Museum of Oriental Art. Any other admissions suggestions? Thanks for what help you have given so far.</p>
<p>Also...I hope to convey in my interview that I'm genuinely intellectually curious and I tend to respond best to challenging classes (as my transcript shows.) I can get glowing recommendations and I have a VERY good shot at Peer Leadership next year (a select mentoring program my school offers for 14 kids.) My Chem Honors class had an awful teacher, and the A kids dropped to a C in the last two marking periods, and I dropped from a B to a D, evening out to a C. I already signed up for the mailing list. </p>
<p>How much do AP testing scores help? I did fabulously on the midterms for my two APs this year (AP Language and Composition, AP US History) getting the highest scores, even in my AP Language and Composition class full of seniors (98%), and they're mock-AP exams.</p>
<p>Your AP scores will help offset the chemistry grade, so that is all to the good. </p>
<p>"I am always one of the people who reads the whole book if we are assigned an excerpt, for example. "</p>
<p>This information would be useful to have in your letters of rec; if you have a good working relationship with your teachers, tell them about your concern with the chemistry grade, and Chicago's emphasis on love of learning. </p>
<p>I think you already know, at some level, that your best bet is to be yourself and not to worry overmuch about 'what colleges think'. College applications are, at schools like Chicago, kind of like a quilt. You can have a frayed square or two provided that the assemblage holds together well AND demonstrates a good fit with the school.</p>
<p>You sound a LOT like me. GSA president, theater, mixed bag of grades, good writer. So don't lose confidence, since I was accepted early action and will likely be in Hyde Park next year. It also sounds to me like Chicago is a good match for you - both in terms of getting in and in terms of a school to attend.</p>
<p>Definitely try to get the 33 - this is what I had and was the only thing I reported (no SAT, SAT II's or anything, just the ACT).</p>
<p>The GPA is fine, unless a 3.8 is bad at your school. I had a 3.6 cumulative, but it was on a large upward trend - 3.3, 3.6, 3.8 F, S, J respectively, all slightly weighted. I didn't start taking hard classes until junior year; I had one C on my transcript in freshman year math. Until junior year, which was 4 A's, 2 B's, I had a fairly balanced mix of B's and A's.</p>
<p>The MOST important thing you can do is write amazing essays. I'm relatively certain that my teacher recommendations and long essay got me in. Also be sure to DISPLAY INTEREST in your "Why Chicago" essay...don't BS this! Really give solid reasons why you love the school. This school really prefers its prospective students to be enthused.</p>
<p>Good luck! Feel free to contact me if you have more questions.</p>
<p>My GPA has stayed roughly equal over the years. I only have 2 Cs on my transcript, and so far, 3 Bs (probably two more by the year's end.) Thanks for the advice, everyone! It is not a bad GPA for here, certainly not...and none of the kids who do have 4.1-4.3 range GPAs are applying there or would consider applying there, to my knowledge. Being in the Northeast, very few kids from here apply to University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I definitely have a few teachers who I have extremely good working relationships with and could get extremely good recommendations out of.</p>
<p>BTW...about my freshman year grades...they were outstanding. But, the classes were, with the exception of my difficult Honors Bio class (I got an A- for the year) a walk in the park. My World History Honors teacher was known for at least giving an impression of impending senility and my English 9 Honors class, while excellent, was taught by a teacher who had come from a school with much lower grading standards. My Spanish II teacher graded based on her personal preference for you; I got an A, but she stopped correcting my papers by the end of the year and just gave me automatic 100s. Sophomore year was much more demanding. I did extremely well in American Lit. 10 Honors, Spanish III, and US History I Honors, but my Chemistry Honors teacher was horrific. I had a B for the first two marking periods and a D for the last two, basically...everyone's grade dropped about 20 points, as in the overwhelming majority of the A kids received Cs for the last two marking periods. High school, overall, just hasn't been the place for me academically...though I have had some excellent teachers over the years, I've had almost just as many abysmal ones. Honestly, Chem Honors hurt my morale overall for all of sophomore year. The position for my Algebra II teacher has just been filled for the third time, and my Physics teacher this year has seemingly no clue about what he's teaching us. </p>
<p>I'm considering mailing in third and fourth recommendations on top of my two required ones, one from a science/math teacher and one from an English/history teacher-probably AP US History, Spanish IV Honors, and AP Language and Composition. The trouble is the science/math one. Should I go back to my freshman year or should I do my anatomy class next year?</p>
<p>I would go into the anatomy class with the attitude that you will work hard, do well, and be able to ask for a good recommendation. With anatomy, what you get out of it (knowledge, grades, etc,) is very much related to what you put into it. I took a physiology course in HS, and found that redrawing the various structures was useful. Reading ahead in the textbook (a foreign cocept to many bright HS students) can also be very useful. </p>
<p>If you are accepted into the Mentoring program, an additional rec might the program director might be more interesting as an additional rec that one from another teacher. Just an idea.</p>
<p>Also, one of your pieces from your literary magazine would be an appropriate "additional material" to send.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! I think I might send the spring 2007 issue in as a whole. Could the counselor recommendation be for the advisor for the mentoring program? She's the SAC (Student Assistance Counselor) with whom I began the initiative for a Gay-Straight Alliance. I think I'm definitely sending in at least one extra academic recommendation from my AP Language teacher this year/AP Lit teacher next year, and possibly from my Spanish Lit Honors teacher.</p>
<p>"Could the counselor recommendation be for the advisor for the mentoring program? She's the SAC (Student Assistance Counselor) with whom I began the initiative for a Gay-Straight Alliance. "</p>
<p>Good - make sure you ask her to mention these aspects in her rec. My son also got two for the price of one rec's - computer science teacher was also the robotics club supervisor, and AP english was the drama coach. </p>
<p>If you send in the whole issue of the mag, postit-note your best story or column. Admissions people are pretty busy, and will not have time to peruse it at their leisure.</p>
<p>If my SAT is closer to a 2250, how much would that improve my chances? I am taking them tomorrow morning, and this is the score that was calculated from the College Board Practice Test I took this morning.</p>
<p>It's a stronger score; I think it would make your application a bit more solid.</p>
<p>Now you get the mom advice, poor fellow. Get a good night's sleep tonight. In the morning, eat an appropriate breakfast (for you), and maybe take a short walk before the test. Don't drink both coffee AND mountain dew (big mistake). Make sure your calculator has fresh batteries or you can a spare. </p>