Chicago admission thread

<p>Since I know this will start up on the fifteenth, I decided to post it sooner. I am one of like 20 or so people in at Chicago so far, since I got in through Questbridge.
My stats:
730 750 770
800 chem 800 US (though they don't consider)
Probably good letters of rec
4.4 GPA (3.87 UW)
38 outta 774 (competitive school that requires 145+ IQ)
some ECs, too many to name
Some awards and several prizes
Russian immigrant. Low income and all that stuff.
I think a pretty good supplement and common app essay.
First in my family to attend college.</p>

<p>what school requires 145+ IQ?</p>

<p>Highly Gifted Magnet at North Hollywood High School in LA. I know it's pretty elitist and probably not a good criterion for selection, but I don't regret going there. Don't they have a similar school in NY?</p>

<p>Any school requiring a 145+ IQ is in need of some serious self-evaluation (similarly with schools requiring a certain high level of SAT scores). Even Feynman only had a 120 IQ.</p>

<p>I don't know of any school like that in NY. There are the magnets and some privates and such, but most you apply to and aren't based solely on IQ. Even Exeter and Andover don't have IQ baselines.</p>

<p>So you're saying a 120+ range is acceptable and a 145+ isn't? I think IQ selection is not a very good idea in general. But saying that it's not okay past a certain point is stupid.</p>

<p>I think his point was that by setting an arbitrary IQ floor, some highly talented individuals might slip through the cracks, such as Feynman (although I doubt his IQ was only 120).</p>

<p>I agree... IQ testing is pretty arbitrary anyway. But I guess it's how they select kids, so I'm not one to judge them.</p>

<p>My point was as Begoner said. It's not a direct attack on you or your school; I just think putting limits on SATs/IQs is silly, which is why top schools don't participate in such behavior any longer. Without holistic evaluation, many students with outstanding potential would be overlooked (and I think many top students still slip through the cracks due to overemphasis of numerical statistics in admission).</p>

<p>
[quote]
But saying that it's not okay past a certain point is stupid.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I wonder if that's necessarily the case. I read a fair amount of articles on this subject for my Mind class, and it seems like a handful of scholars believe that IQ and SAT testing serve as excuses for the higher class to continue to give privileges to similarly endowed individuals.</p>

<p>There's a thread for this:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/612043-official-university-chicago-ea-decisions-class-2013-a.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-chicago/612043-official-university-chicago-ea-decisions-class-2013-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Please use this thread, because it conforms with the format that is used by other schools on CC.</p>

<p>Good job to those who got in!</p>

<p>Give the OP a break. I'm familiar with his school, and it's the only school of it's kind in the huge Los Angeles School District. Kids from all over the city attend, and in such a large pool as we have in L.A., it's a way to provide unique opportunities to those who qualify. I think he only put that in to clarify why his ranking wasn't top 5.</p>

<p>Oh, we're just going off topic. Not trying to give the OP a hard time or anything. His statistics and circumstances are rather impressive, and he should be congratulated.</p>

<p>No, I understand. I probably shouldn't have put that fact in there anyway because it has a certain arrogance to it. I guess we should all revert to the other forum like the ab2013 said.</p>

<p>Congrats, ogreg1. :)</p>

<p>Also, I think I know someone who goes to Highly Gifted Magnet...</p>

<p>Using the IQ's of others to justify why you don't have a certain rank is stupid. Like I said, the program I'm in has a certain IQ requirement, and I'm top one percent (as of now :X Senioritis gaah).</p>

<p>Excuse my midwestern public school ignorance, but what is questbridge?</p>

<p>QuestBridge</a> Home Page</p>

<p>Really interesting program.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
Using the IQ's of others to justify why you don't have a certain rank is stupid. Like I said, the program I'm in has a certain IQ requirement, and I'm top one percent (as of now :X Senioritis gaah).

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>Well, good for you. But describing the relevant population is necessary before you can draw any reasonable inferences; someone in the bottom 5% of his school would probably be a better candidate than someone in the top 5% of a school in Podunk, Kansas. Class rank is meaningless unless you know who the class is comprised of; in this case, it's highly intelligent people (as determined by the imprecise technique of IQ testing, granted).</p>

<p>That's the thing. I think that IQ is useless in determining intelligence. Yes, I suppose there are students that will rise to the expectations set for them based on IQ, but IQ tests only one type of intelligence. And it is possible to score higher on IQ tests over time with the appropriate exercises. At the end, it proves that the IQ test is worth about as much as the SAT-- it's all dependent on how easily you can learn logic tricks and spit them back out.</p>

<p>Maybe it's easy for me to say this when I'm one of the "academic elite." But the thought that a child may not have the same opportunities as I based on something like an IQ test is slightly unnerving. How many children sink back down to the crowd, never achieving more, because they're not expected to achieve based on a number on a piece of paper? I understand that IQ tests are extensive and take several days, etc. etc. I've taken one. I just don't think it's an accurate factor in determining intelligence, and using the IQ's of others around you as an excuse is ridiculous. I spent my entire high school career ignoring what others were doing and focusing on myself. I don't care what he/she does. I care about what I do. And that's that.</p>

<p>With that matter finished, I would like to congratulate the threadmaker on his Chicago acceptance. :]</p>