<p>i was determined to apply EA but I'm not sure anymore.
my junior year grades dropped significantly.
i'm confident I will improve my average by jan 1; will my chances go up?
also, my current sat is 1950, maybe I should take November sats</p>
<p>OR, do i just have a greater chance of acceptance EA b/c of the level of commitment I show. UofC is my dream school. </p>
<p>please help me! your input will greatly benefit myself and others.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, with EA, you're up against people who have good enough numbers to apply early. Even if the acceptance rate is higher, it is a more competitive school. This is the case with most universities.</p>
<p>UofC will see your commitment when you answer their essays. What they can't see is the grades you'll get in the future (although with their physicists, who knows?). I'd recommend waiting, getting your SAT up above 2000 (2100 would be nice), and then applying on a level that makes you more competitive.</p>
<p>Good luck,
- Timur S.</p>
<p>I appreciate your help Timur!</p>
<p>Not a problem! Good luck! :D</p>
<p>Your grades the first quarter of senior year, and your midyear grades, will both be pretty important. I think that RD may be the way for you to go. If you can improve your SAT without compromising your grades (or health) you may want to sit the November or December administration.</p>
<p>vespa:</p>
<p>according to the USnew stats, there is little difference in the acceptance rates between EA and RD and UofC - both ~40%. As O-mom points out, if you believe that your app file will be stronger by January, then go the RD route.</p>
<p>My S felt his app would be stronger in January, and it worked out.</p>
<p>The only negative that I can see with RD is your housing preferences - EA get first dibs, then RD's by date of receipt of acceptance. However, if you send in your acceptance and deposits as soon as the fat envelope arrives you will be in pretty good shape.</p>
<p>My stats are not where they should be - but I'm hoping through my essays and upward trend in grades they will see I am dedicated to working harder. I think that if I do even have a chance at getting in that I will be deferred and possibly admitted later on, if I am admitted at all.</p>
<p>Actually, I have a suggestion for both vespa and makeyourselfxo. Sounds like your resumes will be better RD, so do that. But don't complete the Chicage application first. It is my feeling that most kids' app get better with practice - until they get sick of doing them. If you first applications are to likely admit schools the application itself will be less critical to the process - you should be admitted on stats, recs and a solid essay. Actually going though the process a couple of time helps, IMO.</p>
<p>ohio_mom, I've actually already applied to two schools, and I'm getting all of my applications over with by mid-November (I wrote the essays and have been rewriting them since they came out in July). My counselor actually made me apply to my safe schools first.</p>
<p>I have been weighing my options about EA vs RD... and I just REALLY want to show my interest in UChicago and I think EA would do that. I mean UChicago is a huge reach for me already.. I have a 3.4 GPA and a 28 ACT. So, I don't know where my GPA fits in their average, but the ACT score is in their LOW 50%. I don't plan to take the ACT again (I've taken it four times and I think I've leveled off at this point) and by second semester, which at my school is after their January admissions date, my GPA would go up to maybe a 3.5 with all A's. From a 3.44 ( to be exact). My class rank would be a bit higher, but I dunno. I'm still trying very hard to get all A's this semester (for myself, mainly), and if they want to see those grades to make a decision I'd be glad to show them, but because it's, you know, seventh semester, not much is going to change with GPA and class rank. It's pretty solidified at this point.</p>
<p>makeyourselfxo,
I'm glad to hear somebody's getting good advise from their GC!</p>
<p>The point with your midsemester grades isn't so much what it does for for your rank, as for the trend it shows - that you've woken up and smelled the coffee. If you apply EA, you might get a deferral - but that gives you another chance to work on it. I don't have a particularly strong sense of what would be good to do, so maybe going with your gut and applying EA is the best thing - especially since you've had plenty of application practice!</p>
<p>(Sorry for bringing back a somewhat old trend)</p>
<p>Ohio_mom... turns out that your advice is what I'm going to do. As early action date approaches I feel that my senior year grades would show a bit more of that upward trend and really help me. Do you know if they DEFINITELY consider first semester grades? I think their RD deadline is Jan 1.... my school's semester ends end of January. I'm kind of nervous about switching something I was so sure on, but I am not confident about EA anymore...</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure they consider 1st semester senior grades. Otherwise, why would they ask you to self-report your mid-year grades?</p>
<p>It depends on how solid of an applicant you are relatively speaking. I reccomend applying EA, though you will most likely be deffered, simply because it shows commitment to the school. If they see even a chance for your acceptance they will not reject you.</p>