Chances: U Chicago 2014

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Hey guys, I'm a junior (well, barely in the summer between junior year and senior year), and I was hoping to get chanced. I'm thinking of applying to (not necessarily applying to all of them though, hahaha) Brown, Columbia, U Penn, Cornell, Emory, Georgetown, Stanford, Brandeis, Duke, NYU, Tufts, U Chicago, and maaaaybe Harvard and Yale. </p>

<p>My (public) school doesn't have AP courses, but I've taken the most rigorous schedule possible, and my GPA is around 3.9-4.0. My school doesn't rank, either, but I'm probably in the top ten or top five out of around 400 students. For the record, I'm in Ontario, Canada, and I'm white, in case that makes any difference, haha.</p>

<p>SATs: 2260
CR 740
M 770
W 750</p>

<p>I plan to take Chem, U.S. History and French SAT Subject Tests in October.</p>

<p>ECs:
- heavily involved in Student Council since Grade 9, elected as rep then, served as independent member this year, President next year
- played French horn in our school band since Grade 9
- founded, edit and write most of school newspaper/writing club
- professional actor out of Toronto</p>

<p>I'm not worried about the application essay, as I'm a pretty good writer, and I'll have some very good recommendations. I want to apply for political science.</p>

<p>What do you think? Let me know!</p>

2

<p>Sorry but you WILL have to worry about your essay. It probably the second most important part of your application after your gpa. Purely based on statistics you have a great shot but UChicago is looking for a specific brand of people and that brand is certainly not geared toward ivy league students.</p>

3

<p>U of C is different, they are known for their essays. I believe essays are the MOST important factor.</p>

4

<p>Also are you applying for Financial Aid, then you are not need-blind at U of C. Your Financial Aid will be considered a factor. And I have to say your EC are a little weak.</p>

5

<p>I phrased that badly, haha. What I meant was that I’m not afraid of the essays. I agree that my ECs are somewhat weak, but I’m hopefully going to buff them up over the summer and into early next year. Thanks for the info! And I’m waffling over whether to apply for Financial Aid: my family might be able to afford it without, and the fact that admissions are not need-blind is a major motivating factor, but things would definitely be easier with it backing me up. Sigh. Any advice? Suggestions?</p>

6

<p>Yea sorry about that, didn’t catch that you were International. My B.</p>

7

<p>misterg, I think you might have gotten the wrong impression that essays will be easy to tackle just because you feel comfortable writing them. As you probably know already, UChicago’s admission essay prompts have gained notoriety over the years not just for their uniqueness, but also for the creative (sometimes strange) ways that UChicago applicants deal with the given topics. It is crucial to note that it’s really not about writing a great essay, but weaving a composition that shows a clear reflection of who you are. Trust me, this is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. IMHO, if UChicago is truly your 1st choice school, be very meticulous about your UChicago essays - it should NOT be taken lightly. UChicago putting a heavy emphasis on essays is not a speculation, but a fact - I’m speaking from experience, seeing as how there was no way in heaven I could have gotten in without my essays.
So in conclusion, spend good enough time on essays.
Your SATs and GPAs look decent (and I’m assuming you’re getting around 92+ average?) yet ECs seem to lack a bit (just as the general consensus seems to suggest). Work it on a bit if you can, though I doubt it’ll significantly affect your chance of admissions at this point.
My advice on FA@UChicago is to not apply if you really want to get that fat letter; the fact that you, an international, are even applying for FA will significantly lower your chance of being accepted. So unless you want to seriously jeopardize your shot, don’t do it (and especially if you CAN afford it).
And to comment on your college list, all the ivies + Stanford (with the exception of Cornell) will be veeeeery big reaches (unless you go Penn ED), and Tufts and Duke seem like decent matches.</p>

<p>I am also a Canadian myself, so I can probably give you some input from a fellow Canadian’s counterpart if you have any questions. Good luck!</p>

8

<p>U of Chicago is definitely my top choice. I plan to work my hardest on the essays - if anything, the U Chicago essays are the most exciting part of this entire application process. I know the topics come out in early July, and I’m going to get started on them ASAP and work my hardest. The essays are my best hope at admission there, so who knows. I’ll do everything I can. Thanks for all your advice!</p>