Fairly sure every student at UChicago questions this at some point. Usually at 4 AM, when they’re halfway through a nasty p-set.
Fortunately, it doesn’t matter. Admissions rejects enough capable applicants to fill each class several times over. The bar for admission is far higher than it needs to be to ensure students can handle the work - if US News didn’t care about acceptance rates and we had more facilities/faculty, the College could double its class size with few adverse effects. Nearly every admitted student (including many with less-than-perfect test scores/grades) can handle the work, though the adjustment is easier for some than for others.
You’re Theon, not Reek. Go to UChicago, do well there and validate them wanting you as a student, and eventually, an alumnus. In the meantime, keep your grades up and have a great summer.
@theongreyjoy I’m going to be honest, I’m a little worried about you; Impostor syndrome is real and can really affect one’s mental health and academic performance. Unfortunately you decided to apply( and get into) the first or second most academically difficult college in the U.S. I will say congratulations and you must be special as they saw something bright in you, and honestly through the meekness you showed in the OP it might be the charm and humility you conveyed that swayed them. So go and kick ass, however PLEASE DO NOT do PRE-MED, ENGINEERING, or any other STEM offerings when you get there and you should be fine (Pre-law, business, sociology would be great options).
Also remember that their are great resources at your disposal at UChicago if you ever need help.
I feel like the Grinch that stole Christmas on this one. One of the smartest and hardest working friends of either of my daughters goes there, and says that it is an ENORMOUS amount of work (and stress). I just googled “University of Chicago SAT” and found the range (25th/75th percentiles) to be 1460-1550.
You should only go there if YOU WANT TO DO IT. Don’t go there because everyone else thinks that you should.
@DadTwoGirls how much of that is inflated due to superscoring? If UChicago reports a composite score using “best ball” it might be notably higher than the actual total scores representing the 25 - 75th percentile. Not sure if this is how they actually report; they do superscore both SAT and ACT for admissions purposes.
@JBStillFlying Why wouldn’t they use the superscored stats everyone else does. If they used a superscored sat to admit a student then they have to report that score because that is the score that was utilized to admit the applicant.
“@DadTwoGirls how much of that is inflated due to superscoring?”
I have no idea.
However, I expect that the SAT range is inflated due to SAT preparation classes. If OP got 1330 without any SAT preparation, then IMHO that is probably equivalent to 1460 with SAT preparation. My take on this is that SAT preparation is only useful to increase SAT scores, and that anyone who has not taken it should in their mind adjust their score accordingly in attempting to decide whether they will be in the “middle half” on incoming students to any particular university.
If Chicago superscores SAT for admissions purposes, then I would expect them to superscore for reporting purposes.
@DadTwoGirls@JBStillFlying Even if OP’s SAT score was below 1300, I’d see little reason to worry. There are plenty of athletes, legacies, development admits, etc. with low scores (and more people in all these categories with normal scores, and some with high scores). Most of them are doing just fine.
Past a certain point, test scores aren’t that predictive of someone’s ability to succeed in college. I have yet to see a Scantron sheet at UChicago, and SAT-style essays are a good way to start collecting Cs. As long as OP can read (or skim) and has a HS academic background that covers the areas admissions spells out online, success in college is mostly about his/her/their work ethic from now on.
Yeah I agree with all above. Also, if you look at the range of scores admitted for class of 2020 it’s pretty wide and yet they are supposed to have something like a 100% retention rate so obviously they have the resources to assist with any struggles (academic or other). OP really wants to go so my advice is let the parents keep the swag and pack for Hyde Park. OP, definitely let us know what you have decided!
it depends OP. Are you from a “pull” area like a underrepresented minority or state? Were you recruited? If no to both, idk man, they must have loved your essays
“OP really wants to go so my advice is let the parents keep the swag…”
I didn’t intend to try to talk OP out of going to Chicago. My point was (i) it will be a LOT of work; (ii) If the OP WANTS to do it, they should do it and Chicago has implicitly said that they can handle the work; (iii) OP should only do it if they want to, and NOT because other people want them to or think that they should.
I might add, at a top university such as Chicago, do your best to keep up with the work at all times. Students who are caught up will pick up a bit more in class, which will make it easier to stay caught up.
@theongreyjoy My niece was accepted last year. American attending an international school, she was advised that her stats were way too low (3.65 UW, 28 ACT, 2 APs). She got in RD with great FA but decided to go elsewhere. In her school, too, the valedictorian and salutatorian were rejected, yet she got in and also was accepted at Pomona and Columbia. She’s now doing famously at college, so don’t fret.
Just goes to show that you cannot necessarily predict with any certainty when you are applying to a college that practices holistic admissions.
@exlibris97 weakness in one area is usually made up by strengths in others. People focus on stats because that is the only direct comparison you can have, I’m sure your niece was quite strong in other areas of her application to be accepted.