[Low GPA/High ACT] Can I get in?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Hey guys, I just finished my Junior year and I was wondering if someone could tell me if I even have a shot at UChicago. It's been my dream school since my freshman year.</p>

<p>3.3 UW / 4.0 weighted
What's always dragged my grade down has been my math grades. I usually get high 80s to low 90s in all my sciences and humanities, including APs, but I've never seemed to be able to break out of the low 80s in my math classes.
Also, my grades definitely show an upward trend, the last semester of my Junior year I hit a 3.6 GPA, and I hope to continue that in the first semester of my Senior year.</p>

<p>SAT - I got about 2000 first time around, without studying, so I think I could bump that up to at least a 2100, hopefully higher, taking it the second time around after some studying. </p>

<p>SAT II
Chem - 780
Math II - 770</p>

<p>ACT - I took the ACT because my friend suggested it, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my scores were very competitive.
35 Composite
English - 36
Math - 36
Science - 33
Reading - 35</p>

<p>Honors Classes:
Geometry
English 10
Chemistry
Physics
Independent study Architecture</p>

<p>APs:
Chem - 4
Language and Comp - 5
US History - 5
Biology
Literature
Computer Science
European History</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Four years of Varsity Cross Country - Senior year as captain
Two years of Indoor Track
Four years of Spring Track
Volunteer french teacher for 5-6 year olds - an hour weekly for six months
Volunteer teacher at a computer camp for kids - 160 hours
Three years of Science Olympiad - I'm a state medalist and my team placed 3rd in the state in my first year - I'll be an officer on the team next year (huge time commitment, upwards of 400 hours per year, I'll be writing one of my essays on this)</p>

<p>I'm not sure which category to place this one under but, I attended a two week accredited summer-college business program at Northeastern University.</p>

<p>Lastly, I've been working hard at the supplement essay and a current UChicago student will be reading it over and offering advice for me after I finish a near-final draft.</p>

2

<p>Numbers are not everything. Bad numbers won’t take you out of the running automatically. However, they are a part of admissions so a low GPA will put you at a disadvantage comapred to those with higher GPAs. Nonetheless, you still have a shot. Don’t think that one part of your application automatically equals rejection. Everything is taken into account.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>U Chicago has a reputation for being among the most rigorous and intellectually serious/demanding colleges in the U.S. (Swarthmore, MIT also come to mind). A disconnect between grades and scores could be a concern as any suggestion of “under-achieving” could spell a struggle as an enrolled student. Try to get the grades up.</p>