Official UChicago Class of 2017 RD Decisions Thread

collegebound8899 · March 15, 2013, 6:43pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (740 CR 710 M 800W)
[] ACT:
[] SAT II: USH 760 World 720 Math1 690
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3% (22ish/600)
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): World 5, Psych 5, USH 5, Eng Lang 4
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: All AP: English, Spanish, Stat, Government, Env Science
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/Distinction, PSAT “Outstanding Applicant,” Dartmouth Book Award
[/ul][ b]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Socities, Model UN, school newspaper, volunteered with health department and coordinated outreach and stuff, president of ethnic/religious club, etc. (I have more but don’t wanna list)
[] Job/Work Experience: nope
[] Volunteer/Community service:
[] Summer Activities: reading, going to beach XD
[] Essays: Common App was great, Chicago ones so-so
[] Teacher Recommendation: pretty darn good
[] Counselor Rec: good
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: didn’t do one
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
[] Intended Major: Psych
[] State (if domestic applicant): VA
[] Country (if international applicant): I’m an “international” student b/c I’m undocumented
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: African/Middle Eastern
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: 19K
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sort of an URM but I don’t technically count cuz I’m not 'Murican, first generation college
[/ul][ b]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: SAT for my race, rank, common app essay
[] Weaknesses: Non-US Citizen needing a lot of aid (Chicago is “need aware”), not especially great ECs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: $$$, ECs, I wrote my Chicago essays the day of the deadline (don’t judge me)
[/ul]General Comments: Blah. I got basically a full ride to Amherst so I’m not super upset, but I really liked Chicago. Oh well. But Congrats to those who got accepted!! :)

JRswish · March 15, 2013, 6:48pm

howd u get deferred in RD?

collegebound8899 · March 15, 2013, 6:56pm

oops; I just copied the format from the OP’s post and forgot to change it to “Waitlisted”

stupiddorkyidiot · March 15, 2013, 7:30pm

Wow, this thread is a sea of orange so far.

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (800CR, 760M, 790W)
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 770 USH, 760 Chem
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.24W)
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/311 on application, 11/294 currently
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), English Lang (5), USH (5)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Physics, English, American Gov/Econ, two choir classes
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): choir (in and out of school, various parts, section leader, school choir council treasurer), photography (sell stock photos online), dance, lifting
[] Job/Work Experience: some math tutoring, farmer’s market
[] Volunteer/Community service: ER volunteer
[] Summer Activities: #yoloing
[] Essays: my Common App one was good; I don’t think my Chicago supplement is worth mentioning
[] Teacher Recommendation: I read one, which was excellent. Assuming the other one was as well
[] Counselor Rec: probably generic, but good - I’d only known him for a few months
[] Interview: over the phone and short. yikes.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[] Intended Major: biology
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: medium public, not too competitive
[] Ethnicity: white
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: 100k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothin’
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: test scores, GPA, recs
[] Weaknesses: my Chicago essays really weren’t very Chicago-y. Ah, well. Such is life.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: Apparently today was waitlist day.
[/ul]General Comments: Congratulations to those who got in! I’m so excited for you - and for all of us to figure out where we’re going to be next year. I would have loved Chicago - I absolutely would have applied even without the marketing and the switch to the Common App - so I’m not going to pretend I’m not disappointed. But it wasn’t meant to be, and that’s alright. I’ll probably take a shot at the waitlist, depending on where else I do (or don’t) get in.

pianiseemo · March 15, 2013, 7:33pm

How do I get my decision lol. I got the email but forgot my Temporary PIN and can’t find it? Freaking out

politedancesong · March 15, 2013, 7:36pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (800 reading, 790 math, 720 writing)
[] ACT:
[] SAT II: 650 Biology M, 730 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/683
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Psych (5), US History (5), Euro History (5), English Lang (5), Biology (5), Calc AB (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: Full day, all AP classes, two are math
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing except Presidential Scholar nominee
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (Secretary and later VP), Calc club (VP), Spanish Honor Society (VP), Key Club, Gay Straight Alliance, Society of Woman Scholars, NHS, Tennis team, Thai dance
[] Job/Work Experience: Restaurant Hostess last summer-present
[] Volunteer/Community service: Mayo Clinic Volunteer, tutor at a middle school
[] Summer Activities: the Mayo position, Thai-American Youth Heritage program, my job
[] Essays: Did the enemy one, I wrote about coming from an artsy family and always struggling with it as a more math-y girl. I honestly thought it was one of the best essays I wrote.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Pretty good
[] Counselor Rec: Generic, I hardly know him
[] Additional Rec: None
[] Interview: None, wish I had though
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Biological Sciences
[] State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: ~2600, ranked pretty well although we don’t really have a lot of Ivy/top college kids
[] Ethnicity: Asian/White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket:
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Classes, SAT score, extracurriculars
[] Weaknesses: No awards, no interview, weak SAT IIs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Not sure. I guess the weaknesses I said? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty bummed out by this
[/ul]General Comments:
I thought I was a pretty strong applicant, but eh, there you go. My essay was written pretty last minute, but I was proud of it. Still have a chance although I doubt it, haha. UChicago’s not my top school because I don’t really have a number one right now, but I definitely would have loved to attend. Got waitlisted for Wash U in St. Louis too. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see for the rest!

politedancesong · March 15, 2013, 7:37pm

@pianiseemo You should be able to type in your email and have them send a new PIN/password reset, I did the same thing.

discombobulate · March 15, 2013, 7:41pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (CR: 720, M: 790, W: 720)
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 790 Math I, 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry.
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 100): 95.4
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Most demanding.
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Accolade of excellence from Ministry of Education.
[/ul][ b]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Many community involvement activities, leadership roles in most.
[] Job/Work Experience:
[] Volunteer/Community service:
[] Summer Activities:
[] Essays: CommonApp one was very personal. UChicago ones weren’t as good.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Great.
[] Counselor Rec: Great.
[] Additional Rec: Great.
[/ul][ b]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes.
[] Intended Major:
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant): Middle East.
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity:
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket:
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
[/ul][ b]Reflection**[ul]
[] Strengths: ECs, CommonApp essay, GPA.
[] Weaknesses: Supplementary essays.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: International asking for aid, essays for UChicago weren’t to their liking.[/li][/ul][ b]General Comments:**

CSIHSIS · March 15, 2013, 7:42pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT: 32 Composite; 34/34/31/29/9
[] SAT II: 770 USH, 640 Lit, 610 Japanese
[] GPA: 100.87
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rank, but #1.
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): USH 4
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Calc, AP Comp Gov, Japanese 4, College Foreign Policy, College International Politics
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Japanese Club 4 years, Model UN VP 3 years, Journalism EIC 2 years, Yearbook 1 year
[] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[] Volunteer/Community service: ~100 hours.
[] Summer Activities: I took pre calc one summer. Usually go on vacay.
[] Essays: Why us - pretty good. Creative - I copied and pasted my Georgetown international issue essay, awk.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Japanese, US History, both awesome.
[] Counselor Rec: Great.
[] Additional Rec: No
[] Interview: He picked the dumbest cafe and we couldn’t hear each other. He was questioning my take on North Korea even though he was wrong.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Duh
[] Intended Major: IS
[] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Mediocre public.
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: MYOB
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: IDK
[] Weaknesses: Essays
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: My creative essay was clearly copy and pasted.
[/ul]General Comments: Going to my number one school anyway! HOYA SAXA!

Ragdolls · March 15, 2013, 8:00pm

[+2][orange]**Decision: Waitlisted! wew! **[/orange][/+2]

[ b]Objective:[list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2090 (haha) 680 CR, 740 M, 670 W
[ *] ACT: /
[ *] SAT II: 800 French w/listening
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): not sure (weird system), probably 3.9
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): /
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Lit (4) - no class
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): /
[ *] Senior Year Course Load (hardest probably ever taken at my school) : Math, Physics and Chemistry, Earth and Life Sciences, English, History, Geography, Philosophy, Spanish, Mandarin, Gym (mandatory)
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Won a two-week scholarship to go to Beijing based on my Mandarin proficiency, won a local art contest and got published once, Fermat Waterloo Math Competition (school champion)
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (Class President), Visual Arts (Photography, Painting, Drawing), Vocal and Guitar performance (participated in a Toronto music festival), Skiing, Badminton, Longboarding
→ School does not have clubs (well, except student government)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Part-Time job at Subway Sandwiches (helping my mom at the store after my dad lost his job - mostly weekends)
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Habitat for Humanity ReStore - flexible hours
[ *] Summer Activities: Working and seeing my family in Lebanon
[ *] Essays: Common App (favourite thing that I’ve ever written - about my cultural identity and how it changed during the Lebanese conflicts in 2006)
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: Two of my favourite people (English and Phys-Chem), they each told me that theirs was glowing
[ *] Counselor Rec: No idea, probably alright. My school is small so I know him personally
[ ] Additional Rec: /
[ ] Interview: One of my favorites! He was a 27 year old Phd candidate at McGill and studied Chinese in Beijing for a year, so we bonded on that
[ /list][ b]Other[list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[ *] Intended Major: Chemistry or Biology
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] Country (if international applicant): Canada
[ *] School Type: Private
[ *] Ethnicity: White (Middle-Eastern)
[ *] Gender: F
[ ] Income Bracket: ~45 000
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): no
[ /list][ b]Reflection[list]
[ *] Strengths: Essays! Proof that you really are looked at holistically because my scores were altogether horrendous
[ *] Weaknesses: Scores, not enough leadership positions, competitive applicant pool filled with tons of people who are way better than me
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Stroke of luck, I really love the school and am so happy that they didn’t want to let go of me.
[ ] Where you were accepted: University of Toronto, Queen’s University.
Waiting on McGill, Waterloo, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and UPenn
[ /list][ b]General Comments:
I read the decision as soon as I got back home for March break. I had seen the first part telling me that lots of quaified applicants were not offered admission and thought I was rejected, but read on and saw that I was waitlisted
Really happy that I have a shot at the waitlist, especially because tons of you have way better stats than me. Really hope that I get in, but I’ll always have UofT to fall back on
Remember, you’re all fantastic and the school that you end up in will be lucky to have you. These past few months have been so much better with you guys on this forum!
Good Luck!

pianiseemo · March 15, 2013, 8:04pm

I tried to type in my email it doesn’t let me because it says your password/DoB is wrong.

HONORLIONS · March 15, 2013, 8:25pm

Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 740CR, 740M, 790W (superscore)
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 800 US History, 800 Math II, 760 World History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83 (a couple Bs in my senior midyear =/ )
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), English Lang. (5), US Gov’t (5), Macroeconomics (5), World History* (4), European History* (5), Psychology* (4), Comparative Gov’t* (5) (self-studied APs)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B, AP Environmental, AP Calculus AB, AP English Lit., AP Latin, AP Human Geography, Photography Skills, Gym/Health
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, Commended PSAT Scholar, silver medal for National Latin Exam, cum laude certificate for National Latin Exam, and honorable mention for an essay contest hosted by an organization with whom I volunteer
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Small Service Club (Vice President), Latin Honor Society (Vice President), Academic Team (Captain), 3 years of JV Bowling, FBLA (Treasurer; cancelled this year), NHS, school committee to improve school performance
[] Job/Work Experience: Tutor at Kumon (3 years)
[] Volunteer/Community service: Hindu rights group volunteer (50ish hours?), Hindu Youth Group (200ish hours?), head teacher for afterschool program chess class (50ish hours?)
[] Summer Activities: Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar NJ (10th), Boy’s State (11th), Ivy Scholars at Yale (11th), internship at a prestigious publication (11th)
[] Essays: CommonApp was memorable, albeit somewhat facetious at times. Why Chicago was good, not great… somewhat unoriginal. Chose the Waldo one and honestly failed to make it say much about me (other than the fact that I know a lot about some economists)
[] Teacher Recommendation: TBH – no idea
[] Counselor Rec: She read it over a couple weeks back… tons of mistakes -.-
[] Additional Rec: my boss from my internship (likely very strong)
[] Interview: Good not great. Conversation was mainly about life at UofC, but definitely didn’t make a great impression or anything.
[/ul]
Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Economics (probably part of my downfall too, especially with a B in math for a school that prides itself on such a math based econ program)
[] School Type: Run-of-the-mill public
[] Ethnicity: Asian - Indian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: $120k+
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Beautiful hair?
[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: My internship (had my own article published), self-studying APs (never done in my school)
[] Weaknesses: GPA, mid-term senior grades (ended up with a B- and B+ for calc/physics), somewhat unrobust ECs
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My grades are bleh… Slew of A-s all over, along with that the two Bs for senior midyear.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred from Princeton SCEA, accepted to Rutgers Honor’s College (safety), waitlisted at WUSTL. (Until the 28th for everything else)[/li][/ul]
General Comments:
Congratulations to those that got in or even got a spot on the waitlist.

As one of the few teenagers/youngsters around here that has a strong affinity for freshwater economics, it’s saddening to get denied from Mecca itself (thought UChicago would pick up one of its own after (saltwater Krugman’s) Princeton deferred me). UChicago was definitely among my topmost choices… not even getting a damn waitlist spot is seriously depressing. With all the talk of yield and having a waitlist to prevent mishaps from the last couple years, it feels even worse to not even get a polite rejection via the waitlist.

It is what it is.

thesmiter · March 15, 2013, 8:56pm

Decision: REJECTED

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2280 single sitting, 790 cr 690 m 800 w
[] ACT:
[] SAT II: 800 chem 790 ush 750 lit
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83, 4.77 weighted
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5-10% at school
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): all 5s, euro, human geo, chem, psych, lang, apush
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: all aps, us/comp gov, physics cem, lit, macro/microecon, world history, calc bc, self-studying latin
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ap scholar with distinction
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): latin club (president), school honor society, CSF peer tutoring, peer mentor, exchange program (president), varsity parli debate
[] Job/Work Experience: self-employed private tutor
[] Volunteer/Community service: easily 2500+ hours at the same community center for going on 5 years, head intern
[] Summer Activities: travelling, exchange program, summer camp at said center
[] Essays: this is where the poop hit the fan. i think back now and i want to slap myself for writing such lame essays. my why chicago one was lame and contrived about ~~friendship~~, but i liked my essay #2, which i wrote about zombies and the walking dead. But essay #2 was rushed, since I assembled my app thirty minutes before the deadline
[] Teacher Recommendation: both should be good, i’ve known both teachers since my underclassman days, but now i wish i’d asked a different teacher for one of them.
[] Counselor Rec: should have been better than most. we’re friendly, he knows my ambition and about some of the stuff i’ve done - he helped me advertise the exchange program i’m a part of.
[] Additional Rec: didn’t have one, but i wish i did.
[] Interview: went well, but it was clear that the interviewer had interviewed several people before her and had a lot on her hands. not sure how detailed her report for my interview is.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[] Intended Major: History or PoliSci, can’t remember which one specifically
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: large public, magnet
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: 120k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): i wish captain hook could loan me his.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: standardized testing scores, weighted gpa, course rigor
[] Weaknesses: unweighted gpa, EC focus, essays
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: essays, demonstrated interest, ECs, low UW GPA. As for “fit”, my friend toured uchicago last year when he was looking into colleges and said that i would have fit in well there. I’m not all that bummed since i’ve steeled over after being rejected from wustl as well, but this is an alarmingly negative trend…
[/ul]General Comments:
grats if you got in. only one person from my school who applied was accepted, and i believe it was because she spend loving amounts of time crafting her essays, even though her stats were objectively lower than all of ours. the interest really, really counts, and i feel as though the fact that i never even applied to my dream school made me somewhat apathetic about all the other schools i applied to. and that reflected bitterly in my essays. tl;dr: build passion for a school.

Juhuatai · March 15, 2013, 9:03pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2320-single sitting 800 R 800 M 720 W
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 800 MII 800 Chem 800 Bio E 780 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 8 AP’s all 5’s
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable, Physics 2, Statistics, Chinese, English
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Siemens Semis, AIME, Bunch of state math awards, Chemistry Olympiad National Qualifier
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Club, Chem Club, China Club
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[] Volunteer/Community service: 60 hours at the local library
[] Summer Activities: Research/Volunteering
[] Essays: Good I guess, picked the present history one and wrote a story lol.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Very Good
[] Counselor Rec: Very good
[] Additional Rec: None
[] Interview: Good, guy who interviewed me graduated last year so idk if his report counted for anything.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes, only got a tiny bit though.
[] Intended Major:
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Private
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender:M
[] Income Bracket:200k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Research?
[] Weaknesses: GPA
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:Our school sends a ton of kids to UChicago, in fact 2 of my friends got in EA so I’m not too surprised I got in.
[/ul]General Comments: Rejected from Caltech and MIT, likely from Columbia, waiting for Ivys

joel23 · March 15, 2013, 9:04pm

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1450 (740 Math, 710 Reading)
SAT II: 770 U.S. History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.60
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/421
AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History (5); European History (5); World History (4); English Language (4); Calculus AB (4); Environmental Science (4); Human Geography (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology; AP Government; AP Literature; AP Art History; AP Physics C; AP Statistics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction; DECA International Finalist
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quiz Bowl (Team Captain); History Bowl (Team Captain); National Honor Society’s Brain Brawl (Team Captain); Mu Alpha Theta (Treasurer); Entrepreneurship Club (Co-Founder and Vice President)
Job/Work Experience: Started a tutoring business ($500/week); Assistant Manager at Quiznos over the summer
Volunteer/Community service: 270 hours
Summer Activities: Work?
Essays: Common app: 8.5/10 UChicago Supplements: Probably 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: Both 8.5/10
Counselor Rec: Probably 8/10
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None
Other State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White (Jewish)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 40k-50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Course rigor, class rank, starting my own business
Weaknesses: Mediocre SAT and horrible UW GPA, also being a white male
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UF (honors invitee), NYU Shanghai; Waitlisted: Washu, UChicago; Denied: Cornell AEM, Vanderbilt

preludeinEminor · March 15, 2013, 9:09pm

I got in and was happy. And then I showed my parents the financial aid package. It’s not enough… by about 20 000 dollars…

Bleah.

SkeezeyJ · March 15, 2013, 9:11pm

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): Never taken
[] ACT: 36 superscore (35, 36, 35, 36, 9 W); 35 single-sitting (35, 36, 35, 32, 9)
[] SAT II: 780 Math II, 730 Chemistry
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
[] Weighted GPA: 4.45 (after midyear reports it’s 4.53)
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/~70
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Chemistry, 5 English Lang, 5 APUSH, 4 Psychology, 3 European History
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): 6 Chemistry SL
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB/AP English Literature HL, IB History of the Americas HL, IB/AP Biology HL, IB Spanish B SL, IB Math Methods SL, ToK, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): State science fair semifinalist, a few creative writing things, and top-15 finish at a national math tournament in a science category
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mu Alpha Theta (Vice President), Chess Club (founder/vice president), Math Team (shared Captain), and Physics Team (Captain) for the school. I’ve done Karate in the past, but I quit after I got a black belt as a freshman.
[] Volunteer/Community service: 400 hours; half in tutoring programs for my school and half in forms of work-study required for IB CAS. I had a really cool business-management thing this year, but other than that most are standard.
[] Summer Activities: Homework and being a lazy piece of garbage ಠ_ಠ
[] Essays: My main essay was average, but those supplements…I talked about Gangland in my “Why Chicago?” essay and slapped on some random tendencies I have that relate to the school’s community to round it out. I picked the “Past for the Present” prompt on the other school supplement and had probably 50 obscure references in a completely chaotic journey through time of an ancient starship (action figure) I got in middle school for a Star Wars collection >_> Honestly they were so much more random and jumpy than my normal writing that I have no clue how they were.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Both recommendations from teachers I’ve had classes/ECs with for 3 years
[] Counselor Rec: My counselor knows everyone at our school really well, so I’m assuming it was good
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[] Interview: N/A

[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): Alabama
[] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[] School Type: Public–Magnet
[] Ethnicity: Native American/American Indian/whatever they call it
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: $50,000 - $60,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM[/li]
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Obviously test scores and my hook, and (maybe) my essays
[] Weaknesses: Average ECs, not really a standout guy
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I completely thought I was going to get rejected because I waited until the RD round. I can’t really judge myself for the question
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UNC (Carolina Scholarship), Vanderbilt, Case Western (University Scholarship), Cornell Waiting on: Harvard
[li] What would you have done differently?: Pushed for an interview. I know a few people who’ve gone to Chicago, but I’d like to talk to someone from their Chem department in person.[/li]
[/ul]General Comments (Rant): Somehow the financial aid I got had a $10,000/year higher EFC than my FAFSA listed. There’s absolutely no way my family can afford $23,000/year, so I’ve unfortunately already cut Chicago unless I can get an appeal through. The $5,000/year merit aid I got may have factored into that, but I’m fairly disappointed with how that worked out.

decizionsrhard · March 15, 2013, 9:13pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (750 math, 750 cr, 800 writing, single sitting)
ACT:
SAT II: World History (760), US History (760), Lit (710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 7 total- mostly 5’s
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP macro, AP stats, AP Cogo, Multivariable calc, AP lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
National recognition in academic competitions
Girl Scout
SGA
Job/Work Experience:
tutor
Volunteer/Community service:
Girl Scout, Independent volunteer
Summer Activities: camp, travel
Essays: common app- 7/10; UChicago supplement 9/10
Teacher Recommendation: great
Counselor Rec: generic
Additional Rec:
Interview: went well, she seemed to like me
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Political science
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: extra curriculars,
Weaknesses: SAT II’s
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:
no idea- so excited!!
Still waiting on everywhere else!

Azayaka · March 15, 2013, 10:25pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (800 CR, 700 M, 720 W)
[] ACT: Didn’t take
[] SAT II: 760 World History, 740 Chemistry, 750 Math II
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%, most likely
[] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB diploma, so 3 IBH and 3 IBS along with TOK
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHS, International Award Bronze through Gold
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Wind Ensemble – 1st Saxophone (8 years), Jazz Band (4 years), Orchestra (2 years), Varsity Swim Team (8 years), History Club (2 years), International Award (4 years), Lifeguarding (1 year)
[] Job/Work Experience: Math tutoring (2 years), Babysitting
[] Volunteer/Community service: Delaware River Canoe Safety Patrol (130 hours, 5 years), local Zoo volunteer (150 hours, 2 years), Great Japan East Earthquake and Tsunami Relief worker (200 hours, 1 year)
[] Summer Activities: Pursuing a pilot’s license (3 years), and a couple college courses here and there
[] Essays: Put a good few nights into them, felt they were strong
[] Teacher Recommendation: Supposedly glowing
[] Counselor Rec: Kept telling me how good it was
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: I enjoyed it, and I think my interviewer did too. Awkward moments were few and far between.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, but was rejected.
[] Intended Major: Physics
[] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: International
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Middle-class
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: I tried to put some serious personality into the essays, and I think it paid off. Extracurrics and summer activities were fairly unique, and might have helped as well.
[] Weaknesses: Lower than desired SAT and SAT II scores, no real hooks.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I’d assume it’s what I think my strengths are.
[/ul]General Comments: The lack of financial aid is daunting, because I’d have to pay some 65 big ones to go. (Never seen any other school that charges this much, though maybe it’s a lump sum including room and board.) I love UChicago, though, so I’ll give it considerable thought.

For everyone who applied, just know that you are all amazing students, and more often than not admissions proves to be a crapshoot in the dark. It’s up to how much you’re willing to put in that will really determine your future, not a certain school. Keep on rocking.

LuckyForMe · March 15, 2013, 10:39pm

Pick one:
[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:[list]
[ ] SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (800 M 710 R 800W)
[ *] ACT: n/a
[ *] SAT II: 800 math II 750 physics
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):4/115
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): calc ab (5), us history (4), stats (4) <–embarrassing
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: linear algebra, complex analysis, ap calc bc, ap lit, latin iv, physics, theo (Jesuit high school), art
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): math team (cocaptain), debate, chess, football, church council member, shotokan karate
[ *] Job/Work Experience: lawn mowing
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: none
[ *] Summer Activities: Harvard ssp, philosophy course, genomics course
[ *] Essays: generic?
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: great
[ *] Counselor Rec: good
[ ] Additional Rec: good
[ ] Interview: awkward (was my first interview)
[ /list][ b]Other[list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[ *] Intended Major: math
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): me
[ *] Country (if international applicant): usa
[ *] School Type: private Jesuit
[ *] Ethnicity: very white
[ *] Gender: male
[ ] Income Bracket: 80,000
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
[ /list][ b]Reflection[list]
[ *] Strengths: sat, passion for math, variety of extracurriculars
[ *] Weaknesses: essays, critical reading score (?), interview
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: *shrug
[ /list][ b]General Comments: congrats to all those accepted! And good luck to all others!**

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