<p>Hi, I'd love to go to U of Chicago (I was born there and all my family lives there...i live in NC) but my GPA is lacking because I've been struggling in my AP Chem class this year. Could you tell me whether I have a shot or where I should focus, please?</p>
<p>GPA: 3.57 (uw) 4.57 (w)
SAT: right now--1950 (just took it, aiming at over 2000)
SAT II: Taking both in June: Math II and French
AP's: Will have 5 AP's by end of junior year and am taking 5 AP's senior year
EC's: Volleyball (school & club) 9th/10th
National Honors Society
French Honors Society
Secretary of Model UN
Volunteer at hospital for 11th grade (will do so again in 12th)
President of HOPE club (spoke in front of mayor at public forum on homelessness)
Will have a paid internship in research laboratory over summer
Volunteer hours at local library
Play piano (8 years)
Teach piano
Have had part-time job as cashier</p>
<p>I have an interest in pre-med (so lots of classes/volunteer w/ science)</p>
<p>I think that you have a shot at it. My child got a 2050 on the SATs and had about a 3.5 average with a few AP and honors courses thrown in. She was passionate about attending the U of C and let them know it. She also had a few impressive artistic extra curriculars. She got in and loves it there. So try to raise the SAT scores a little because the grades are borderline and wow them with the essays, your passion to attend and your uniqueness and extraordinary talents. Its worth a try.</p>
<p>thanks! the more i read on these forums, the more i see how GPA/SAT's play a smaller role in the overall admissions process at U of C. (very relieving)</p>
<p>Just keep doing what you're doing and have fun with it-- that way, whether or not you get in will be besides the point, you will have had a fun and worthwhile high school experience.</p>
<p>Your SATs are <em>whips out calculator</em> exactly where mine were, and I got that score with a considerable amount of practice. Because the tests are crazy, though, I was able to get a much better score the next time I took them, with no additional test prep. Do practice tests and problems to familiarize yourself with the insidious nature of the test, and then give it a break.</p>
<p>I just read on somewhere that the U of Chicago was not even paying any attention to the Writing portion of the SATs in 2006, so I would check that out with Admissions to see if it is true, and if so, try to do very well on the Math and Critical Reading.</p>
<p>thanks, yah what's tough is that the writing section is always my best, haha. (although i hear that from quite a few people). the last time i took the SAT i didn't study and wasn't nervous, so it actually felt considerably easier, so hopefully that will reflect in my score. </p>
<p>Is the GPA gonna kill me, or do a significant number of AP's and honors classes make up for the unweighted GPA? i heard that UofC focuses a lot on curriculum.</p>
<p>My S was admitted 2 years ago with an UW 3.46 GPA. He had several AP's and completed Calc BC as a sophomore, so he had evidence of taking on a tough curriculum. His ACT was quite high. He also wrote killer essays (was asked if his main essay could be used in an upcoming book featuring outstanding Chicago essays), and made sure his recommendations matched the "we admit for the faculty" philosophy of U of C. He also demonstrated he was interested in many areas, including science, philosophy, photography, and athletics (international competitor). I believe Chicago looked at the entire package, not just the GPA.</p>
<p>The uncommon prompts went up my year on July 15. And yes, I spent the summer writing and re-writing and re-re-rewriting my essay, and it wasn't until its fifth or sixth incarnation that I was happy with it.</p>
<p>The three questions (the books and movies, the Why Chicago, and the uncommon prompt) are all opportunities for you to provide a narrative to who you are-- otherwise, you're just an excel spreadsheet. I recommend you think seriously about what you want to show the admissions officers about yourself, and that you use the three questions to cover the bases.</p>
<p>Also, don't underestimate the create-your-own-option. If you have an essay in mind that you want to write, you can write it. Or, rather, if you have a question you want to pose, and then answer it, you can do that too.</p>
<p>This may seem like a silly question (perhaps "unanswerable") but does the university look more highly upon original (creative) essays, rather than one of the specified prompts? Do you think it makes a candidate more memorable? (If done successfully I guess)</p>
<p>"Do you think it makes a candidate more memorable? (If done successfully I guess)" </p>
<p>I'm going to say yes, if you make up your own question and it's really creative and you write an excellent response to that I think it's going to stick out in the admissions counselor's minds. There's nothing wrong with answering the prompts, and a solid essay is a solid essay regardless of whether you use your own or the pre-selected prompts - I would say write your own if you can write a stronger essay using it, period.</p>
<p>The admissions folks do like their prompts, but I doubt whether it will be a plus or a minus if one makes up their own. What they are looking at is how one handles ideas. Whatever is the best way to accomplish that goal is what one should do.</p>