<p>Meant correlation…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sorry… but that is exactly what they mean, at least for US students. I think colleges are pretty straight about that information. If they are need-blind, they mean that they keep FA and admissions info separated, and do not take it into account in deciding whether to accept a student or not. Colleges that are not need blind will tell you that (eg, Carleton is an example). That does not mean everyone who gets in will be happy with their FA package. My D got in EA to U of C, and we are okay with her aid. But she has a friend with high need who got an early write, and his U of C FA package isn’t as good as the one he got from Williams (also early write) … so he is probably headed there.</p>
<p>[Need</a> Blind Admissions ? Does it Really Exist? | The Ivy Coach](<a href=“http://theivycoach.com/newsletter/need-blind-admissions-does-it-really-exist/]Need”>Need Blind Admissions – Does it Really Exist? | Ivy Coach)</p>
<p>[‘Need-Blind</a>’ Admissions: Fact or Fiction? - The College Admissions Insider (usnews.com)](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-admissions-insider/2011/07/18/need-blind-admissions-fact-or-fiction]'Need-Blind”>http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-admissions-insider/2011/07/18/need-blind-admissions-fact-or-fiction)</p>
<p>@Helen I didn’t think you were being demeaning; I was just commenting on the trend as well. I didn’t mean to give off that impression…</p>
<p>And I thought that that’s what “need blind” is supposed to mean - that they keep financial info and admissions decisions independent? Whether or not they always follow the practice is another issue. I know that there are certain things about parental information on the common app (like occupation and colleges attended) that they can use to estimate income, which sort of goes against the “need blind” philosophy.</p>
<p>Thank you, collegebound. It’s unfortunate that what is “supposed to be” is often not the case. I would think that they could also gauge parental income when an applicant uses a fee waiver. I hope that I’m wrong, sincrrely.</p>
<p>Sincerely…</p>
<p>Sincerely…</p>
<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1880 - I know it’s low (620 M 620 R 640 W)
ACT: 30
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.29
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): both are N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis):N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Calc, Bio 3/4, Honors World Lit, Painting, Honors English 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): MUN Founder/ Assistant Sec. General (3 years), Sierra Club Founder and President (member for 4 years, president 2), piano, dance, and swim for 11 years.
Job/Work Experience: Internship at a research institute for 4 months and one with a mental health advocacy group for 6 months
Volunteer/Community service: 1000+ hours all with my city through summer camps, clean ups, and city events.
Summer Activities: Volunteering and Internships
Essays: Strongest part of my application. I was very vulnerable and think I exposed the driven, genuine side of me. Very prose-like.
Teacher Recommendation: Good I presume.
Counselor Rec: Great. He is on the common app board of directors and he has been a personal mentor for me throughout high school.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview:Started out a little awkward but went well.</p>
<p>Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public Charter
Ethnicity: Multiracial
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays and Letters of recs
Weaknesses: Test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: No clue. I actually feel honored I was even waitlisted, but really wish I was admitted. I would definitely have enrolled.
General Comments: Congrats to everyone who got in, I hope you are all proud of yourselves and those of you who attend in the fall love it!</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2350, 800 CR 780 M 770 W
[</em>] SAT II: 790 Bio 780 Lit 780 Math II
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.65 (no kidding, really! 3.84 weighted)
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesn’t rank but barely made the top 20%
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): didn’t take, but full IB diploma
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: full IB diploma
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none…but some smaller ones
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): school newspaper (EIC), founded entrepreneurship group, various other activities
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: interned at 2 places
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: taught english at local Chinese elementary school every weekend
[<em>] Summer Activities: worked on the group I started, research with a professor, academic tournament and okay I’ll admit it - preparing for the SATs
[</em>] Essays: VERY VERY GOOD. They definitely made the difference.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: very good, in fact my English teacher offered to give me a copy of her rec letter at the end of the year. She said she went into detail about one of my literature commentaries.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: who knows? Never was super close to my counselor but she thought I was heavily involved in the school (always told me I handle way too much) and academically strong.
[<em>] Additional Rec: from a professor in the states that I did research with over summer
[</em>] Interview: went really well
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: nope
[</em>] Intended Major: Anthropology, but didn’t really expand on this anywhere so don’t think it had much of an effect
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): China
[</em>] School Type: International school, competitive
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: high
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Chinese student, no alumni connection. go figure.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: essays, SAT scores, subjective stuff
[</em>] Weaknesses: GPA!!!
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I swear my Waldo essay moved the reader. It’s one of the best pieces of writing I’ve ever produced. And I explained my low GPA; I had a tough transition into high school going between different education systems, but I climbed back up and my grades improved drastically. I pointed out that my GPA followed an upward trend (though it’s pretty self-evident).[/li][/ul]General Comments:
Last year I posted on collegeconfidential about low GPA + high SAT dilemma, and some kind CC parents said I MIGHT get accepted by some “big name schools like USC”, though “honey with that GPA you won’t need to worry about those kind of choices”. Well, admissions officers saw that I’m not that same kid in 9th grade who struggled to stay awake in class. They should be evaluating who I am now, not who I was 3 years ago. So I took a shot. To future applicants: have some faith :)</p>
<p>Decision: Rejected</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]</p>
<p>•SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (2380 single sitting)
•ACT: I didn’t take it.
•SAT II: US History 800, World History 800
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.957
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 24 of 743
•AP (place score in parenthesis): US History 5, Spanish 4, Physics B 4, World History 5, Human Geography 4, Chinese 5
•IB (place score in parenthesis): Not available at school
•Senior Year Course Load: Philharmonic Orchestra, Theatre Dance, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science A, AP English Language & Composition, Gifted Directed Study: Spanish Literature & Composition
•Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Presidential Scholar candidate, Gwinnett County STAR Student, Gold Key in Regional Scholastic Writing, National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, essay won second place in contest and was published in VOX Newspaper, poem published in Chautauqua Literary Journal</p>
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>
<p>•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Junior and Senior Class Co-President of SGA, 3 years of SGA, cross country, and National Spanish Honor Society
•Job/Work Experience: Informal local SAT Tutor since senior year
•Volunteer/Community service: 4 years of church participation
•Summer Activities: Writing, going on dates, cross country
•Essays: Common App essay was about how my ex-girlfriend changed my views on the legality of homosexual marriage from judgmental to understanding, conservative to liberal. Why UChicago essay was about the uniqueness of the school and city.
•Teacher Recommendation: AP Spanish teacher’s was probably good. Junior year English teacher’s was probably better.
•Counselor Rec: She likes me a lot, so it was probably good.
•Additional Rec: None
•Interview: It was a half-hour long Skype interview. The Professor of Philosophy seemed a bit bored at times.</p>
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]</p>
<p>•Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes.
•Intended Major: History
•State (if domestic applicant): GA
•Country (if international applicant): USA
•School Type: Suburban public high school with over 3500 students
•Ethnicity: Asian-American (Chinese)
•Gender: Male
•Income Bracket: ~$50,000
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>
<p>[/ul]Reflection[list]</p>
<p>•Strengths: SAT I and II, essays, letters of recommendation, writing
•Weaknesses: No major awards, strength of applicant pool
•Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: My application wasn’t “UChicago-ish” enough. 2017 is also a hard year for college admissions.
General Comments: My first rejection was sobering, but life continues. I’ll either go to Swarthmore, Emory, or UGA (Honors Program) unless I get lucky on Ivy Day.</p>
<p>Decision: Rejected</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (800 W, 700 CR, 630 M)
[</em>] ACT: n/a
[<em>] SAT II: 730 Literature, 720 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3rd out of 620 students
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), US History (5), European History (3), Environmental Science (3), Calculus AB (1)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP Government, AP Psychology
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Theater (school plays; had lead roles in 4), California Scholarship Federation (Commissioner 10th grade, Vice-President 11th grade, President 12th grade), Debate Club (Founder and President), Theater Club (President 12th grade), Chess Club, Junior Statesmen of America
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: n/a
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Judge for Middle School Debate Program, community service opportunities for CSF, helped at friend’s church
[<em>] Summer Activities: Global Young Leaders Conference
[</em>] Essays: Pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: One great, one good.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t see it, but probably pretty good.
[<em>] Additional Rec: n/a
[</em>] Interview: n/a
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: English
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): n/a
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: Low
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: GPA, rigorous courses, essays
[<em>] Weaknesses: Lack of major awards, could have had more community service, SAT score isn’t excellent
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Not strong-enough SAT, combined with the fact that their acceptance rate was super low this year
[/ul]General Comments: I didn’t really think I had the best shot at getting accepted, but I still hoped, and was kind of bummed when I got the rejection. I have been accepted to UC Irvine, UC Riverside, and 4 CSUs, and am still waiting on UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, and USC, but my hopes aren’t too high for Stanford, Yale, Columbia, or Cornell, so I’m really hoping for either UC Berkeley or UCLA- getting one of those two would make me happy. Congrats to all who got in, good luck with the rest of college admissions, everyone!</p>
<p>I sent some of my best writing to UChicago. The Waldo essay I wrote, I believe was the strongest, deepest, and most creative piece I have ever written. My other essays showed similar strengths. However, when I look back, none of them gave any additional insight into who I am as a person. The Waldo essay, while insightful and philosophical, never ties back into my character. I also never interviewed, or sent them any additional writing, or showed any additional interest; I didn’t think it would be worth it, with such a low acceptance rate. I look at these threads, and admitted applicants who surprise other people (ie. low GPA and/or test scores, or barely any ECs) I think are the ones whose personal qualities, excitement, and thoughtfulness about UChicago comes across the best. If I were to apply again, these are the things I would focus on in my writing.</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (770CR, 760W, 730M)
[</em>] ACT: 35
[<em>] SAT II: 780WH, 760USH, 740 Chem, 730 Math I
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):about top 5%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Art History (5), Chemistry (5), English Language (5), US History (5), World History (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP classes, 1 Honors, 1 Semester Honors Course, 1 Semester Off Period
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, Girl Scout Gold Award in progress
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (treasurer), German Club/German National Honor Society (vice president), National Honor Society, Model UN, Girl Scouts, Red Cross, Spanish Club, Piano
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: none
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts and Red Cross mostly
[<em>] Summer Activities: Phillips Academy Andover Summer Session
[</em>] Essays: I really like my Why UChicago? essay… the others were fine I think.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: should have been good; I never read them though…
[</em>] Counselor Rec: I go to a large public school and my counselor is pretty new… he does know my name now though haha
[<em>] Additional Rec: Girl Scout troop leader
[</em>] Interview: did not know I needed to request one until after the deadline… so no
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: indicated yes but did not end up filing
[</em>] Intended Major: Political Science
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): TX
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Large Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian (South Asian)
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: upper middle class
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not really… unless Asian is a URM
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: test scores, academics, certain essays
[<em>] Weaknesses: lack of awards, not as much leadership as others
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: your guess is as good as mine.
[/ul]General Comments:
I definitely was not expecting to get in! Thought I would get waitlisted, but am so thankful for the way everything turned out. This means I do NOT have to go to the University of Texas woohoo! 
Good luck to everyone on the waitlist though!</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 31 (eng: 32 mat: 32 read: 32 sci: 26) superscore 33 (eng: 34 mat: 32 read: 32 sci: 33)
SAT II: 710 chem 700 math I (didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3%
AP (place score in parenthesis):10 all together scores for 5 (5,5,4,3,3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: ap Spanish, ap micro, ap physics, honors band, ap calc bc honors english government ap music theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): not many. Illinois state scholar, ap scholar with distinction, some other smaller stuff
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): marching band (drum major, section leader, 1st chair), Improv Club, Improv Troupe (audition required), Scholastic Bowl (VP), Spring Musical (both pit orchestra and lead), NHS (Secretary), other smaller things
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: ~400 hours
Summer Activities:music camps, friends, reading
Essays: I thought they were okay but my English teacher liked them a lot. My “Why UChicago” essay was a love note addressed to the university, the optional essay connected things that I liked through their similarities and I chose option #5 (create your own prompt) for the extended essay and my prompt was “How are humors and humor related?” In the extended essay I talked about how I used humor to get myself through difficult times in my life and related each event to the four humors. Here are the last few lines of the extended essay: “Even as I was sinking to the bottom of the pool with my pulse (blood) becoming non-existent, I was alive and well because I was still able to laugh. We are truly living when we have a little laughter in our lives but once we lose it, we’re dead.”
Teacher Recommendation: I didn’t read them but I’m assuming they were great!
Counselor Rec: I don’t think my counselor knows me very well but I don’t think anything bad was written in it.
Additional Rec: great recs from chem teacher, music and calc teacher
Interview: no
Other
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: about 1450 students, public school. decent school
Ethnicity: Mexican
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First Generation College Student
Reflection
Strengths: idk, nothing! Leadership maybe? Maybe essay? They were different
Weaknesses: grades, test scores, a lot haha
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: university of Iowa, UIUC Jacobs Honors, WashU
General Comments: I’m in complete shock. I was not expecting this at all. Unbelievable. Congratulations to everyone who was accepted. To those waitlisted or denied, you’ll all be at amazing schools so don’t worry too much about one school that doesn’t accept you. Good luck to everyone and be glad that the whole college process is nearly over!</p>
<p>Decision: Deferred → Waitlisted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (CR 720, M 720, W 690)
[</em>] ACT: 32 composite (English 35, Math 29, Reading 34, Science 30)
[<em>] SAT II: English Lit - 640, Spanish 0 750, US History - 750
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4 (weighted 3.7)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish Language (5), US History (4), Literature and Composition (taking now)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: Honors Physics, Honors Calculus, AP Lit & Composition, Honors Spanish Seminar (senior “refresher” course), various electives
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rochester University Book Award for Innovation in IT
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Team (co-captain), Spanish Honor Society (co-president), music appreciation club (president), National Honor Society, creative (art/writing) magazine, technology club, IT/careers-oriented regional non-profit (invited member of leadership council)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: none
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: week-long mission trips 3 years in a row; 1 year of weekly tutoring; assistant at a one-week science camp for English language learners
[</em>] Summer Activities: Mission trips; science camp; summer college program at University of Mississippi last summer
[<em>] Essays: Common App essay could have been more creative, but showed leadership; I think my supplement essay was quite original
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t get to read them, but they were probably pretty good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Probably fine
[</em>] Additional Rec: One from the president of my school - almost positive that one was glowing; a family friend and prominent UofC alumna sent an absolutely incredible note to Admissions
[<em>] Interview: N/A
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[<em>] Intended Major: Biology/Spanish
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): KY
[<em>] School Type: Private religious
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: low/medium
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Test scores, essay creativity, leadership
[<em>] Weaknesses: ECs seem pretty scattered; also, several Cs freshman and junior year
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I honestly have no idea why I wasn’t outright rejected, even with so many people being waitlisted. Frankly my stats are not quite typical of UChicago students - maybe not terrible, but still not where they should be. I showed a lot of interest though, and the three recommendations that I didn’t read are probably pretty strong.
[/ul]General Comments: After getting deferred EA I started thinking more closely about other options because I know there’s not a huge chance of being admitted after deferral. I’ve been accepted to three backups in my area but I’m really hoping for a yes from Kenyon this week since that’s become my first choice. I also applied to Case Western, WashU, Barnard, Columbia, and NYU but I was WLed at Case, rejected from WashU, and still waiting on the NY colleges. I’m really hoping I’ll end up in Gambier but good luck to everyone who will be at UChicago in the fall!</p>
<p>Waitlisted
2390
White
3.45 uw
3.65 w
Legacy
Disappointed</p>
<p>[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted**[/color][/size]</p>
<p>[ b]Objective:[list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): Reading 660 Writing 640 Math 620 (Superscore)
[ *] ACT: 27 (didn’t send)
[ *] SAT II: Math II 570, Literature 590, US History 690
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.5
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20/254
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 - AP Spanish Language, 5 - AP Spanish Literature, 5 - AP US History, 5 - AP English Language, 4 - AP World History
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calculus AB, AP US Government, Biology, Statistics, Peer Counseling; Independently studying for the AP Comparative Government Exam and the AP European History Exam
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction (first ever in my school)
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Decathlon 10th-12th grade, captain senior year and team’s highest scorer, Debate Team first in the school
[ *] Job/Work Experience: none
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer with a prominent Immigrant’s rights organization in Los Angeles for four years (did some lobbying in Sacramento, helped people apply for the California Dream Act and for deffered action, etc.)
[ *] Summer Activities: none
[ *] Essays: Really good if I do say so myself, never written anything that demanded such creativity so I was pretty happy with the end result, particularly the one about my arch nemesis.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: My AP Spanish Lit teacher said I was the highlight of her 13 year teaching career AND I was the only student in her class to get a 5 in the AP Exam, the other was from my AP US History teacher which I didn’t see but even though I never turned in anything for his class, we always talked after school and he lent me books and I think he really liked me plus I’m the first student he’s had that has gotten a 5 on the APUSH Exam.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Didn’t see it but we get along very well, always lets me chill in her office when I don’t feel like being in class
[ ] Additional Rec: none
[ ] Interview: I got there like 20 minutes late and I felt sooooo bad but she was very sweet and we related on the issue of immigration
[ /list][ b]Other[list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[ *] Intended Major: Economics
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): California
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Urban Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Mexican
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Income Bracket: mom’s a widow who makes under $14,000
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation,
[ /list][ b]Reflection[list]
[ *] Strengths: Hooks, being the first to accomplish things such as AP Scholar with Distinction in my school, took all but 2 AP courses offered AND independently studied for AP World History
[ *] Weaknesses: EVERYTHING ELSE
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: very surprised I wasn’t rejected outright</p>
<p>After EA Deferral and then Likely Letter
Posting for my daughter, so I don’t have lots of the details/numbers</p>
<p>[ b]Objective:[list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): around 2100+ (roughly 750M,750W,600CR)
[ *] ACT: 31
[ *] SAT II: approx 750 Math II, 720 Chem, 700 USH
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7ish at highly competitive prep school - not weighted, many advanced courses
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ?top 30% maybe?
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem 4, English Lang 4, USHist 3
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Phys, Calc BC, English, Robotics
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 3 sport varsity athlete - will get 10 varsity letters by graduation. Captain senior year of main sport (recruited for). Yearbook staff/editor senior year. Misc community service (not major).
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard - summers
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: minimal
[ *] Summer Activities: Job - lifeguard, and involved in her sport.
[ *] Essays: Good, straightforward, not off the wall… that’s not her. Showed her interest in Chicago, her personality, her sense of humor. She didn’t try hard at all to write something over the top intellectual… that would not have reflected her personality. Her feeling was, if they don’t like me as expressed in the essay, then I probably don’t belong there.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t see, but would have been strong. One was a math teacher (her “thing” and he was also a coach of one of her sports, so could comment holistically) and the other a language teacher (definitely not her thing, but would have emphasized how hard she worked).
[ *] Counselor Rec: Probably good. No idea.
[ ] Additional Rec: n/a She asked for one after deferral, but got a likely letter shortly thereafter.
[ ] Interview: Yes, on campus - definitely recommended.
[ /list][ b]Other[list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[ *] Intended Major: Biological Chem or Chem
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Highly competitive prep
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: F
[ ] Income Bracket: high upper-middle
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Recruited athlete, demonstrated her strong interest in UChicago throughout the process.
[ /list][ b]Reflection[list]
[ *] Strengths: Good at her sport for D3 level, strong recommendations (she’s very well respected at her school), strong demonstrated interest, and scores/grades were in the mix. Note that, although aggregate was low for UChi, she was strong in her field of interest.
[ ] Weaknesses: We were worried about her scores.
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:
[ /list][ b]General Comments: Scores aren’t everything! Be yourself in the process! Mostly, though, there are lots of good schools out there. My daughter would have been disappointed not to get into UChi, but she had a great attitude and therefore had several great options that she would have been happy to attend. Best of luck to everyone!</p>
<p>Decision: Rejected</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]</p>
<p>[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Math: 760 Writing: 730 Reading 660 Total: 2150
[</em>] SAT II: Math II: 730 Chem: 750
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): Taking diploma predicted scores in ()
HL: Chemistry (7) Economics (7) Maths (6)
SL: Physics (7) English (7) Spanish (6)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: IB diploma
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a in the UK</p>
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>
<p>[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Rifle shooting (captain / shoot for UK, school service colors), Amnesty (Head of anti-death penalty committee), Boarding House Secretary, own technology website (CEO & Founder :p)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: PE firm for 3 weeks summer 2011
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Work at shooting range for 3 hrs / week
[</em>] Summer Activities: Writing IB extended essay
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: didn’t see, but probably very good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: probably amazing
[<em>] Additional Rec: from shooting coach. It was a eulogy
[</em>] Interview: INCREDIBLE. He gave me the highest response he could in the feedback to Chicago</p>
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]</p>
<p>[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: no
[</em>] Intended Major: Economics
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): n/a
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): UK
[<em>] School Type: Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Indian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lived on 3 continents</p>
<p>[/ul]Reflection</p>
<p>[li] Strengths: international, lived in 3 countries, HUGE family history</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Weaknesses: SAT scores</p>[/li]
<p>[*] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: bad school rep</p>
<p>[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: WAITLISTED**[/color][/size]</p>
<p>[ b]Objective:**[list]</p>
<p>[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 1970 (2000 superscore) 670 math, 670 reading, 660 writing
[ *] SAT II: 510 Literature, 620 Math II, 560 US History
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.73
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 8%
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 AP Human Geography, 4 AP United States History, 4 AP Environmental Science
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s (Literature, Calculus AB, Macroeconomics, Biology), Film class, Golf
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar</p>
<p>[ /list][ b]Subjective:**[list]</p>
<p>[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 6 Week UC Santa Barbara economics research, taken neuroscience classes at UC Santa Barbara, Art, Golf, Cabinet member for Junior State of America, member of various other clubs.
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Intern at Multimedia Arts business, Valet Parker
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Built houses on Native American Reservation (2011, 2012, 2013), Assistant Coach at Special Olympics Golf
[ *] Summer Activities: 6 week research project at UC Santa Barbara (wrote research paper and presented my research), Golf
[ *] Essays: Common App essay not very strong, University of Chicago supplemental essay I felt was very good
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: one was VERY good recommendation from my economics mentor, not sure about the other one.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Not sure
[ *] Additional Rec: No
[ *] Interview: No</p>
<p>[ /list][ b]Other**[list]</p>
<p>[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[ *] Intended Major: Art
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): California
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: “inner city” over 50% minorities, sends a few kids every year to ivies.
[ *] Ethnicity: white
[ *] Gender: Male
[ *] Income Bracket: family income about $140,000
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No hooks</p>
<p>[ /list][ b]Reflection**[list]</p>
<p>[ *] Strengths: Creativity, art supplement, Extracurriculars/community service.
[ *] Weaknesses: Very low test scores
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:</p>
<p>[ /list][ b]General Comments:**
Very surprised I was even waitlisted considering my low test scores.</p>