Chances of Getting In?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Hey guys, I’ve decided on applying ED1 to Uchicago and was wondering how I’d measure up.

Female
Hispanic
From Ecuador, but currently live in FL
UW gpa: 3.79
W gpa: 4.83
SAT: 1420 (M:740, R:680)
PSAT: 1350/1520
ACT: 32 one sitting, 33 superscored

Freshman:
Honors English 1
Honors Algebra 2
Honors Bio
Honors World History
French 1
Studio Art 1/2
Swimming 1/ Personal Fitness

Sophomore:
Honors Pre-Cal
Honors Chemistry
Honors Solar and Alternative Energy
French 2
AP Lang
AP Human Geo
Swimming 2/ Water Safety

Junior:
AP Chemistry
AP Euro
APUSH
AP Lit
Honors Calc
Honors Physics
Honors French 3
-taking an additional course online: AP Psych

Senior:
AP Stats
AP Physics
AP Calc AB
AP French
Honors Gov/Econ
DE World Literature
AS International Business*
Executive Internship
-additionally took an anatomy class over the summer at my local community college
*my school just opened a Cambridge program and this is their equivalent to an AP in rigor. Not sure how it will be weighted or anything but idk I think the class sounds interesting.

ECs:
-Varsity soccer starter since freshman year
-Competitive club soccer since I was 9 (top 20 in state, takes up a lot of time)
-Mu Alpha Theta member since freshman year (treasurer)
-National Science Honor Society (president)
-Science Bowl participant (team captain): top 5 in region
-French Honor Society (treasurer)
-National Honor Society Member
-300+ volunteer hours in a sailing camp for kids with disabilities
-100+ volunteer hours at local hospital
-50+ volunteer hours at homeless shelter
-Cancer Research internship with an University of Miami Professor (internship class)
-Fluent in 4 languages ( Spanish, Portuguese, French and English)

Rec letters should be really good since I’ll be getting them from my fav math teacher (luckily had her for all 4 years) and my physics teacher. Would be applying for financial aid, but as far as money goes, I’m blessed enough that my parents told me not to worry about that.

Additionally, my school is a small, competitive magnet school that specializes in Maritime and other STEM related courses.

My intended major would either be Biological Sciences with a concentration in cancer biology or global studies.

Any input is appreciated!

2

I think you have an absolutely fantastic shot, especially in applying ED! I’ll be applying too, so hope to see you there in the near future! :smiley: Good luck!

3

My D was accepted EA last year. It was her top choice. Here is my advise- work on your essays. UChicago perhaps more than any other school relies on those essays. Have them critiqued but do not lose your voice. Who you are, needs to come across clearly. Not your accomplishments- something that cannot be gleaned already from your application. It’s more about you as a person- the way you think and experience the world around you.

Also, you say that your parents can pay full cost. Make absolutely sure that this is the case. Go to their website and look at the costs. Go to the NPC and plug your info in. Parents want to support their kids but the the reality of the bill comes and you are looking at $60,000+. How will they manage this if you get no financial aid?

UChicago does give out merit aid but no one knows how their new admissions tier system will impact this so do not factor this in. There is some pause amongst some people in terms of how ED will impact merit scholarships. You are the first round of applicants to find out. Basically, ED is utilized to signal that this is your top choice and barring some major reason (not enough aid), you will attend. Schools usually use merit to entice top candidates to attend over other schools. So why would a school give merit to someone who has applied ED and can very possibly afford to go (need blind admissions, but they may get a sense of that)?

Some self disclosure- my S applied to his top choice ED (CMU) and got in. But we had decided that we could afford it. We were full pay 4 years. It was an incredibly difficult decision. He had no opportunity to compare merit because once you ED and accept, you withdraw all your college apps. Next rodeo, I set limits and told my D no ED. I wanted her to compare all opportunities that might come in. It was difficult for her but she understood . Later she was in fact able to compare all merit options.

Good luck, and let us know.

4

BTW, she’s there now, working really hard. But she’s also making friends and enjoying a break from the heat in her hometown. I don’t know how she will adapt to the cold weather though. Guess I’ll know soon.