<p>hey thanks for looking at this i really appreciate it! I've been really stressed by this whole college thing for some time. like you have no idea how much ive been stressed, but anyway im really interested in u of chicago. I know my SAT/ACT and GPA scores are bad. Anything else I can work on?</p>
<p>GPA: 3.5 unweighted 3.65 weighted
ACT: 25 (retaking)
SAT: 1830 (retaking)
Should get good recs and should write a great essay</p>
<p>ECS
-founded my own business which works with Amazon.com in book sales and distribution
-I love trading stocks and started when I was in grade school
-often talk about starting a business and the importance of academics to kids in underdeveloped communities (having been doing this on a regular basis for 2 years now) through a group that links business leaders to youth.
-berekly model UN
-summer at brown econ class
-taking two college classes at local community college
-work at local store for 10hrs/week
-Vice President (10,11) President (12) of a the teen advisory board which acts as a liaison between teens and the city council</p>
<p>Background:
- I now attend a very prestigious school in a very affluent neighborhood, however I came from a grade school that did not prepare students for this type of a challenging academic atmosphere. It was a fight to be able to go to the high school I do now, but I have always had the dream of attending a great college.
-I went through difficult transitional periods my frosh and soph years but beginning 2nd semester sophomore year have taken the hardest course load and have done extremely well.</p>
<p>Im a hispanic californian and would not need financial aid. Thanks for your help! o, and is chicago EA or ED?</p>
<p>It's nice to see that this forum has helpful and friendly people like bball87.</p>
<p>Your stats are relatively low but honestly you can improve on those. If you have taken hard classes at a good school, in addition to having a rising trend, then a 3.5 GPA is not so bad. Test scores are low, but those can be improved. Write excellent essays and show interest and I think you have a shot. EC's, volunteering, ethnicity, and other things look great for you.</p>
<p>Chicago told me that they will admit nearly ANYONE who writes an amazing essay. by amazing, i mean like best-essay-the-admissions-counsler-has-ever-seen-amazing. If u can do that ur in. good luck.</p>
<p>bball87--I believe you may have misread/misinterpreted something. Each regional counselor ranks each applicant AFTER HAVING READ HIS <em>COMPLETE</em> FILE in two general areas: 1 to 5 for academics, A to E for activities, talents and character. "Triple A's" do not exist. 1-A's, however, do. Please re-read the article before you dash someone's hopes at acceptance. </p>
<p>Thank you. :)</p>
<p>"To evaluate each applicant, Chicago counselors begin by composing
little stories about them. Each youth's folder contains her
application form, transcript and letters, along with a
statistical sheet that profiles the student's high school: how
hard do teachers grade, how many advanced-placement, or A.P.,
courses are offered. The <strong>entire file</strong> is first read by the
admissions counselor who recruits in the student's region of the
country. The counselor then writes perhaps 200 words suggesting
whether this person belongs at Chicago.
The counselor also grades each applicant 1 to 5 for academics, A
to E for activities, talents and character. The best 20 percent
(often 1-A's) become "express" files that go straight to O'Neill
for approval. Most files, though, go from the first reader to a
second counselor, then to an associate director like Chemery. If
the three of them can agree on how to classify an applicant, her
file goes with others like it into one of 21 boxes that sort
applicants into cohorts: the 2-B's in one box, the 3-minus-Bpluses
in another. Before decision letters go out, O'Neill also
gives many of the files a fourth look."</p>
<p>Look, despite your stats, your extracurriculars do sound impressive. I'd say that you should try your best to weave these through your entire application, especially the really long essay. Like any other school, a good essay won't replace awful credentials, but at Chicago I think it'll go a lot further than at most schools. Having said that, I think your weakest point is your SAT score. I'd try hard to improve on that, 'cause thats a simple number which might make someone unfairly cringe at your otherwise excellent application. Over this summer, I'd get some nice review books, study and hard, and I'm sure you'd be extremely rewarded by all this work when you got your second test scores. Other than that, I think you have a pretty good shot. And bball, such PC comments like: "I see you have urm status... you have a shot." All I have to say is wow.</p>
<p>Don't listen to these guys. Your stats make it an uphill battle, but I know tons of people here who were in the same boat as you. Chicago is looking for someone who can handle the academic challenge, sure, but they're not looking for soulless test-answering machines. The admissions people understand that you have a story to tell. That's why I always stress the importance of the essays. Tell your story as compellingly as you can, and you'll have a shot.</p>
<p>i interviewed an admissions rep (i wrote a research paper about u of c) they most heavily weight.. reccomendations and essays.. then come grades</p>
<p>Yeah, i'm sure if you improve ur SATs by 100 points, you'd have a good chance. Even if you don't improve your score, if you apply early, i'm sure you'd still have a good chance. Your amazon.com business association thing sounds impressive.</p>