Official UChicago Class of 2017 RD Decisions Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
101

<p>[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
[ *] ACT: 34
[ *] SAT II: Math 2: 760 Physics: 800
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Don’t have a gpa in sweden
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): Predicted 42 (midterm: 44)
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: IB HL: Maths, History, Psychology. SL: Physics, English, Swedish. Pretty tough workload.
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None :stuck_out_tongue: This is not something common in Sweden
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Track and Field, photographer, web designer, a few others
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Sailing Instructor, tutor (paid, suck on that you volunteers ;))
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Steward at various track and field events
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays: Common app essay was a pretty good. It was about how the death of my father had made me into a better person. Supplement: I was really pleased with my Waldo essay (in it waldo was a soviet criminal who sold spent nuclear fuel rods from chernobyl to terrorists.)
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t read, but they both really like me and I trust what they wrote was good.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Pretty generic.
[ ] Additional Rec: None
[ ] Interview: None
[ /list][ b]Other[list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
[ *] Intended Major: Undecided
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] Country (if international applicant): SWEDEN!
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: White as snow
[ *] Gender: Male
[ ] Income Bracket: God I have no idea
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m swedish
[ /list][ b]Reflection[list]
[ *] Strengths: My essays, being international, pretty good grades.
[ ] Weaknesses: Maybe extracurriculars
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Not sure, probably a combination between being international and being relatively well rounded. Oh and not wanting financial aid probably helps.
[ /list][ b]General Comments: It’s pretty cool being the only one from my country who got in. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to go when I applied, but after getting accepted it does seem very attractive! The only schools that I have applied to that could be seen as ‘better’ are Harvard (got deferred in EA), Yale (who the hell wants to live in New Haven?) and maybe Stanford, so we’ll see in a few weeks!</p>

102

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800 Writing, 800 Math, 700 CR)
[</em>] ACT: 34 Composite (30 Reading, 36 Math, 36 English, 34 Science, 11 Writing)
[<em>] SAT II: 800 U.S. History, 780 Chemistry
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.72
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Roughly 13th percentile (give or take)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), U.S. History (4), Chemistry (4), AB Calculus (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP French Language, AP Art History, AP BC Calculus, Finance (H), Psychology (H), English Electives
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Scholar Finalist</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): JV and Varsity Tennis Teams (9,10) and (11,12) (was JV captain as a sophomore), Newspaper, Ethics Bowl, AIDS Awareness, Stock Market, Mock Trial
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Teach tennis at a certified facility (roughly 10 hours a week and more during the summer)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 150 hours at a facility for underprivileged children, had a room named after me.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Working (15 hours a week), Volunteer Work, etc.
[<em>] Essays: All excellent (especially the U Chicago common app supplement. I chose “So where is Waldo, really?” and honestly, it’s the best piece of writing I’ve ever written. In it, Waldo is in a mental institution because of his strange obsession with making people find him and standing in places that make the challenge purposefully difficult. It’s a satirical piece at its core, but it’s really much more than that. I’ll post it when I get a chance.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: French Language Teacher: Excellent, U.S. History Teacher: Excellent
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Excellent (not at all generic)
[</em>] Additional Rec: Boss (U Chicago Alumni): Excellent/Incredible
[li] Interview: N/A</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
[</em>] Intended Major: Undecided (Yes, I know… I need to make up my mind)
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): United States
[<em>] School Type: Private (Excellent school, about 2/5-1/2 of the students go on to top 60 colleges)
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: 100,000-200,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No major hooks, just great essays and one of the few from my school with any work experience</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: SAT’s, Subject Tests, Reccomendations, Work and Volunteer Experience
[</em>] Weaknesses: GPA, Lack of leadership roles
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I think it’s a combination of my essays and uniqueness at a school where most people feel very much the same.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]General Comments:
Was also accepted to U Mich and NYU, waitlisted at WUSTL, and waiting for responses from about 8 more colleges. I’ll be attending U Chicago.</p>

103

<p>[ b]Decision: Rejected**</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT: 29C, 26R, 30E, 33M, 27S, 10E
[<em>] SAT II: 670 ML1, 730 Chem
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7? or 93/100
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/241
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Govt, Robotics, Spanish 4, AP English Lit, AP Calc, Psychology, Sociology.
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist
[/ul][ b]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Technology Entry Program (Student Ambassador and Science Bowl Captain 12), Robotics (President 11/12), FIRST robotics (Student Rep 11/12), Science Club (President 11/12), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (President), Masterminds.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Babysitting 9-11
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Medical Explorers
[<em>] Summer Activities: E2@MIT, CURIE Academy
[</em>] Essays: Decent to very good.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview: Eh, kind of crappy, tbh
[/ul][ b]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes.
[</em>] Intended Major: Comp Sci
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NY (Upstate)
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: <30K
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, female in STEM, QuestBridge
[/ul][ b]Reflection**[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: subjective stats
[<em>] Weaknesses: objective stats
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I’m a weak applicant for them, but honestly, they’re having a screwed year.
[/ul][ b]General Comments:** Idk, UChicago… I just don’t know… I’m more sad for my friends, tbh. I got a likely to Cornell anyway, but they totally deserved it. #bitter</p>

104

<p>DECISION: REJECTED
Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 670 Math 760 CR 740 Writing
• ACT: None
• SAT II: 760 US History, 730 Lit, 730 Bio E
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
• AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lang (5), AP Bio (4), APUSH (5)
• IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (5)
• Senior Year Course Load: Everything IB (Full Diploma)
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): MUN, Regional Writing Prize, National Commended Scholar
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President of Marching Band, Under Secretary General of Fundraising, Games Leadership Team for Special Olympics, Website Founder, Author, President of Young Democrats, NHS, French NHS, CSF
• Job/Work Experience: Interned at my parent’s law practice
• Volunteer/Community service: Said above
• Summer Activities: Columbia High School Program, Phillips Academy Andover Program, Yale MUN Institute
• Essays: Best ones I wrote. Very creative, probably way too creative.
• Teacher Recommendation: great
• Counselor Rec: Great
• Additional Rec: Great
• Interview: Very well about an hour and a half.
Other
• State (if domestic applicant): CA
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: Private
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: female
• Income Bracket: 120,000 +
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None whatsoever
Reflection
• Strengths: Essays, Recommendations, Interview
• Weaknesses: SATs and GPA
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: University of Michigan, University of Virginia
Deferred: Brown
Rejected: University of Chicago
Waiting on: Georgetown, UPenn, Columbia, Duke, Cal, UCLA, UCSD, Brown, Cornell</p>

105

<p>Decision: Deferred → Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2070 (720 Writing, 660 Math, 690 CR)
ACT: Didn’t submit
SAT II: Didn’t submit
Unweighted GPA: Not entirely sure, 96.25 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 19/196
Senior Year Course Load: AP French Language, AP Macroecon, AP Microecon, AP Calculus AB, AP Lit, Health and Media Literacy (H), Media Literacy III (H), International Business
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National French Exam certificat de reussit (9-11) and many school-wide awards </p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Field Hockey, International Relations Club (President 12), drama club, Interact club (VP 11-12), poetry/creative writing club, piano lessons for 10 years and have taught for 3, speech and debate (officer 11-12)
Job/Work Experience: Helped prepare food at a yacht club for the past 2 summers
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at local soup kitchen every summer since freshman year
Summer Activities: Working, Volunteer Work, etc.
Essays: Excellent. (I’m not one to brag, but I thought my Common App essay was one of the best pieces I’ve ever written and everyone I showed it to loved it. I worked really hard on my supplements and I thought they were all creative.)
Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t read them, but I assume they were good.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read it, but my counselor told me it was really good, whatever that means
Additional Rec: none
Interview: I think it went well, but it’s imppssible to tell for sure.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: I don’t know.
Hooks: none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: essays and demonstrated interest (I visited twice)
Weaknesses: GPA, scores, ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I honestly thought I would get denied EA. I’m presently surprised to be waitlisted. I guess my essays helped. I also think my application really showed who I was as a whole, but it couldn’t make up for my grades, scores, and the fact that I didn’t cure cancer.
General Comments: Congratulations to all those accepted! I’ve already accepted my place on the waitlist. I know I only have a slim chance of clearing it, but I really hope to be on campus this fall.</p>

106

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (800W 800C 760M)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Biology E, 800 Math II, 800 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 / 280
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), APUSH (5), Enviro Sci (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Statistics, H Anatomy & Physiology, AP Computer Science, AP English, OC Multivariable Calc, H Spanish V
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, Book Awards/Various Departmental Awards from School, etc.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Dance, Debate (Pres), Harvard Model Congress (Pres), School Newspaper (EIC), Nordic Ski Team (Capt), Math Team
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Community reading program 6 years, Natural History Museum Gallery Guide 3 years
[<em>] Summer Activities: CTY, Volunteering
[</em>] Essays: Felt very confident about them.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Confident.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Probably good.
[<em>] Additional Rec: None.
[</em>] Interview: Decent.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
[</em>] Intended Major: Psychology
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: Middle Class
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essay, Recs, Extracurriculars
[<em>] Weaknesses: Felt too generic, nothing super eccentric or outstanding.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Well-rounded, maybe?
[/ul]General Comments: Very exciting, congrats to everyone else too! :)</p>

107

<p>**Decision: Waitlisted **</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (670 CR 670 M 800 W 10 E)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math 2, 720 Math 1, 780 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 94
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang 4, US 4
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Calc II, AP Micro, AP Bio, AP Gov, Lit
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (Pres), Student Gov (Rep), Varsity Soccer (Captain), Travel Soccer (Captain), Amnesty Int’l (Officer), Film, Debate
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Soccer Ref
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: About 100 hours (NYT article written about me)
[<em>] Summer Activities: Abroad homestay, soccer obligations
[</em>] Essays: God Awful, started and finished on Jan 2. Haha.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Both were superb
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Superb
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview:
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Hell yeah
[</em>] Intended Major: Econ
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NY(C)
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Small Public (First one to get into many top schools)
[</em>] Ethnicity: African-American
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: $100,000ish
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Good looking
[<em>] Weaknesses: Bad essays, applied last minute.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I totally half-assed these essays, which are crucial for UChicago. I expected rejection.
[li] Where have you been accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Vanderbilt (early-write), Macalester (early-write), Duke (Likely), Wash U, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Stony Brook.[/li][/ul]General Comments: Not even mad.</p>

108

<p>Can’t believe I’m writing this…</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2110 - 800 Math, 660 Writing, 650 Reading (one sitting)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 780 Math II, 710 Math I, 650 Literature (one sitting)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: A<em>AAA achieved at A Level in Maths, Politics, Economics and History
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rotary International Youth Leadership Award, 3rd Place Nationally in GCSE Music
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Head Boy, Chairperson of School Council, Chair of Economics Society, 1st XI Field Hockey Team, Soloist in Chapel Choir, National Youth Orchestra of Ireland and Ulster Youth Orchestra. Global Young Leaders Conference and Presidential Inaugural Conference. Sec-Gen of MUN.
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: A weeks work experience with British Ambassador to the Vatican, 8 month paid internship with consultancy firm, Accenture.
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Ties in with below. Spent the last two summers as a full time teacher in the slums of New Delhi and north west India.
[</em>] Summer Activities:
[<em>] Essays: Common App essays were good I think but didnt think Chicago ones were anything special.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Good I think.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Same as above.
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: Thought it went really well, shared a lot of the same views as the interviewer!
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[<em>] Intended Major: Economics
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): Northern Ireland (so Ireland/UK)
[</em>] School Type: Public with small fees
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: $100000 but with considerable financial issues.
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Seriously ill brother but apart from that not much.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: ECs, Work experience and volunteer work. Interview.
[</em>] Weaknesses: SAT scores, essays maybe?
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Literally have no idea! Can’t believe it!
[</em>] Where you were accepted: University of Edinburgh, Kings College London. Still waiting on UPenn and Yale.
[/ul]General Comments:</p>

<p>Congrats to everyone who got in! For those who didn’t I know how you feel after last year, persevere! The past two years have taught me things happen for a reason!</p>

109

<p>Decision: Rejected :smiley:</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2030 [CR 680 Maths 680 W 670]
[li] SAT II: 630 Maths 1, 630 Biology E [HAHAHAHA! I suck at maths and I haven’t studied Bio since 10th grade][/li][li] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0[/li][</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/568
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): NOPE
[</em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): NOPE
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: 6 AS Level Subjects and 4 A-II Subjects
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NOPE</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Drama Club (President), Sports Club (Vice-President), (Head) of Student Council, (Captain) Track and Field team, (Editor-in-chief) of School Magazine [main things among others]
[li] Job/Work Experience: NOPE[/li][</em>] Volunteer/Community service: ~20 hours (few but I had just moved from another country in my junior year and I was more than just baffled)
[<em>] Essays: CA essay was good. UChicago essay was HORRIBLE.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: One good, other okay-ish
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Quite good
[</em>] Interview: NOPE</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep.
[</em>] Intended Major: Economics/Psychology
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): Pakistan
[</em>] School Type: Private and well reputed but unconventionally and inconveniently huge.
[<em>] Ethnicity: South Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[li] Income Bracket: ~100,000</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] Strengths: GPA, Rank, EC’s to some extent, a cosmopolitan lifestyle and a socially/ethnically/economically/politically diverse background
[</em>] Weaknesses: Low SAT scores, Low SAT scores, little community service, no work experience, no national level awards (like I said, I had to switch countries) BUT most importantly terrible essay.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: My UChicago essay was poorly written and not at all well thought of. Actually, I wrote it just a few days before the deadline. I kept putting it off :confused: Other than that, Low SAT scores and other weaknesses.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]General Comments: I was expecting it. I probably came off as a lazy, thoughtless and arrogant prick through my essays. I think UChicago actually got this one right :smiley: Somewhere after January, I realized UChicago was probably not a good fit for me. Oh well, time to move one. CONGRATS to those accepted and fingers crossed for those waitlisted and as for us rejects, let’s hope for better prospects.</p>

110

<p>has anyone received an admissions packet in the mail yet?</p>

111

<p>Decision: Accepted by UCHICAGO</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2400 (single sitting) 3rd time
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: lit 780 chem 800 math2 790
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):41/42, 43/45 (predicted)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): local debate awards
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (debate), choir, (social service)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: barrister internship, lab visit in the states
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: overseas and local
[<em>] Summer Activities: some of the above
[</em>] Essays: pretty good i guess. put a lotta effort into it. i think uchicago saw that.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: ok
[</em>] Counselor Rec: ok
[<em>] Additional Rec: lab visit mentor
[</em>] Interview: worst interview, interviewers were challenging me why uchicago was my first choice, 2 of them cross examined me for over an hour
[/ul]Other[ul]</p>

<ul>
<li><p>[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): hk
[<em>] School Type: private
[</em>] Ethnicity: asian
[<em>] Gender: m
[</em>]Income Bracket:
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): international?[/li][/ul]Reflection[ul]</p></li>
<li><p>[<em>] Strengths: test scores, essays
[</em>] Weaknesses: Asian, no major awards, meh ECAs
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: test scores, essays
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: umich vanderbilt accepted
[/ul]General Comments: cant wait to meet you guys!</p></li>
</ul>

112

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 790 Critical Reading, 800 Math, 800 Writing, 2390 Total
[</em>] ACT: Did not take
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math I, 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry, 780 Physics, 780 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/660
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): All 5 (Calc BC, Physics B, Statistics, APUSH, Chemistry, English Lang/Comp)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP French, AP Econ, AP Physics C, AP Psych, AP English Lit/Comp, AP Bio, Honors Orgo
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USNCO, ARML third place nationally, Science Bowl National Qualifier</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cross-country (4 yrs), Prestigious out-of-school youth symphony orchestra (2 yrs), ARML (2 yrs), Math Team (3 yrs), Science Bowl (3 yrs)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Molecular biology lab assistant
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Academic tutor (4 yrs), A TON of misc stuff (over 500 hrs total)
[</em>] Summer Activities: Research, Independent studying
[<em>] Essays: Common app - about my passion for chemistry (8.5/10), Why UChicago - I really liked this one (9.5/10), Misc Prompt - I picked the Heisenberg one and wrote about a thirst for knowledge (9.5/10), Favorites - Oops … I accidentally just gave a list instead of an essay … fail … 1/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: AP English Lang/Comp Teacher - did not read, probably 9, AP Chem Teacher (did not read, probably 8 or 9)
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Did not read, probably 7 or 8
[</em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[li] Interview: N/A</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Chemistry
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[<em>] School Type: Large public (mostly white/Asian)
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: <$70K
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Grades, Essays, Extracurriculars, Test scores
[</em>] Weaknesses: Didn’t do anything REALLY awesome like win the IMO or something … also, probably too science-oriented for UChicago, literally EVERY SINGLE ONE of my essays was about science
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Too polarized towards science, which is def not really a UChicago thing … they’re more humanities</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]General Comments: Congrats everyone who got in!</p>

113

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (M: 780 R: 740 W: 780)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: Bio 800 Chem 780 Math II 800
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Comp sci, Chinese, Drawing, World History, US History, Lang, Biology. All 5s
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Some required classes and 4 APs
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/li][/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Art, National Art Honor Society (VP), Science Olympiad (Assistant coach), junior volunteer council for a hospital (historian), cultural club (founder, co-president)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Art teacher
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 450+ hours at local hospital
[</em>] Summer Activities: Volunteering
[<em>] Essays: Quirky. They were very unlike traditional college app essays but managed to reflect aspects of my personality.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: wasn’t allowed to read
[<em>] Counselor Rec: wasn’t allowed to read
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview:
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[<em>] Intended Major: Art
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: public
[<em>] Ethnicity: asian
[</em>] Gender: female
[<em>] Income Bracket:
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Scores/grades, essay
[</em>] Weaknesses: Race, no awards beyond the state level,
[*] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:I’m pretty sure my essays got me in because they were so geared towards UChicago. (I held a conversation with a zombie in my common app essay >.>)[/ul]</p>

114

<p>Decision: Waitlisted </p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): CR 680 M 720 WR 750 (2150 superscore)
[</em>] ACT: nope
[<em>] SAT II: BIO 780 CHEM 760 MATH 1 730
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): my school doesn’t do it
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): fluctuated a lot
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): pfft!
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): UNESCO club, Community service during summer at local orphanage, basketball, and lots more…
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Internship at oil company
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: already mentioned that…
[<em>] Summer Activities: some leadership training course
[</em>] Essays: my ‘why chicago’ essay was splendid, my ‘uncommon’ essay wasn’t quirky/ about plato but it was the best essay i’ve ever written.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: okay i guess
[</em>] Counselor Rec: who knows?
[<em>] Additional Rec:none
[</em>] Interview: didn’t
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[</em>] Intended Major: I don’t know
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Nigeria
[<em>] School Type: hard to get in, catholic
[</em>] Ethnicity:
[<em>] Gender: female
[</em>] Income Bracket:
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none really
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: my essays
[<em>] Weaknesses: my test scores
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I was too cool for them clearly…
[/ul]General Comments: my dream school. at least I wasn’t rejected. Accepted at Northwestern so… it can’t be too bad.</p>

115

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (760CR, 800M, 770WR)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 770 (Bio) 780 (mathII) 740 (US History)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/A
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang, Bio, Chem, US, World, Psych (5s)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Phys C, AP US/Comp gov, AP Env, AP Spanish, Anatomy, Lit
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math, Science, Music, National Honor Society. Soccer. Track
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Intership at Federation for Env. Movement
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at local soup kitchen, tutor science
[<em>] Summer Activities: Governor’s School
[</em>] Essays: Great
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Great
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Great
[<em>] Additional Rec: none
[</em>] Interview: Went Great
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Biochem
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): VA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Public School
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: $30,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
[/ul]Reflection[list]
[</em>] Strengths: Solid test scores, great essays + recs
[<em>] Weaknesses: Nothing truly unique
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted: After the deferral, I let the university know that UChicago was still my top choice.</p>

116

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (800 CR, 790 Math, 770 Writing)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Chem, 800 Physics.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/42
AP: n/a
IB: 41
Senior Year Course Load: HL Math, Chem, Phys; SL Econ, English, French ab initio.
Subjective: Most rigorous courseload available in my school.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Latin dance, guitar, yoyo competitions, Math/Japanese/Physics tutor, Model UN(President, some 10+ awards from conferences, two of which were international), Debate PR officer, Editorial board Head writer, Scientific Malaysian editor([Scientific</a> Malaysian](<a href=“http://www.scientificmalaysian.com%5DScientific”>http://www.scientificmalaysian.com)), columnist for alternative media website ([The</a> Malaysian Insider - Main](<a href=“http://www.malaysianinsider.com%5DThe”>http://www.malaysianinsider.com)), ReMag, ([ReMag</a> v2 | The Voice of Malaysian Students~](<a href=“http://www.recom.org/remagv2]ReMag”>http://www.recom.org/remagv2)), CEKU(United Kingdom Eire Council).</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Alternative media journalist(Malaysiakini.com) for 2 months, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, 2 months, Business FM radio station, 2 months.
Volunteer/Community service: A few IB volunteer projects with orang asli communities, fundraising with the MUN club, a few charity run(s).</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Self-studying Japanese/French/Spanish/Mandarin - Gap year related internships.</p>

<p>Essays: One essay in which I raved about Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, another in which I fanboyed about Milton Friedman - Extended essay, I did the Where’s Waldo prompt - It ended up being a story somewhat akin to how I envision Toy Story 4, in which Andy rediscovers his old toys after years in college.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Extremely confident, all of them love me lol
Counselor Rec: Asked counselor to focus on weaknesses - It was written after an extremely heartfelt conversation, I don’t know if it was good.
Additional Rec: Supervisor from Malaysiakini - Sent in during February, probably good, not sure.
Interview: Didn’t request for one.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
Intended Major: Mathematics/Economics.
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Malaysia :slight_smile:
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Dude I’m Chinese and international lool
Reflection
Strengths: Recs, Extracurriculars, Test scores, acknowledgement of weaknesses.
Weaknesses: Essays written very, very hastily(like 3 days), no proofreading.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: As with all other human endeavors… I was lucky :)</p>

<p>[/ul]
General Comments: Very happy. I may see some of you this fall! Applied for FA in my first year - Waitlisted. Took a gap year, reapplied, got what I wanted. Congrats to everyone who was accepted, and best of luck to everyone who’s still sitting on the waitlist!</p>

117

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
-> SAT I (breakdown): 1920
-> ACT: 33 (I thank God for this score, I took the ACT once, and I didn’t study to prepare for it!)
-> SAT II: 800 on Spanish with Listening, the rest I didn’t submit
-> Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
-> Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 6%
-> AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 on AP Spanish Language, 5 on AP Psychology, 4’s on AP US History, AP Environmental Science, AP Art History, AP English Language
-> IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
-> Senior Year Course Load: Principles of Entrepreneurship, AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC (I’m struggling in both!), AP Spanish Literature, AP English Literature, AP Macroeconomics (Took AP Government 1st semester)
-> Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Art History Award (1st place for best recreation of a masterpiece), and that’s it lol</p>

<p>Subjective:
-> Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Treasurer -> Vice President of my Youth Group at Pentecostal Church of God in Perrine (IDDPMI de Perrine), Director of Worship Group “Jireh”, I sing and write in my spare time</p>

<p>-> Job/Work Experience: Cashier - now Shift Leader, at Pasha’s, a Mediterranean restaurant based in Miami (started summer of last year, I work on occasion now), newspaper job (filing newspapers in envelopes to send them internationally) from 9th - 11th grade</p>

<p>-> Volunteer/Community service: Miami Metro Zoo back in 9th grade, tutored from 9th to 11th grade (teaching children to read English), worked at the Kids Camp at my church two years in a row and would help with the Child Care on Sundays, and I’ve put in a lot of my time going to meetings, helping plan and decorate! </p>

<p>-> Summer Activities: Bible Camp for kids over the summer, I almost started a business back in the summer before 11th grade lol, other than that, I’ve always found stuff to do, but never any internships, camps, etc. I started working last summer - that was probably the best summer so far!</p>

<p>-> Essays: Honestly, I wrote them last-minute because I couldn’t find inspiration to write them! The “Why U of Chicago” essay I honestly put why I wanted to go, the Common App essay was about a significant experience and I wrote how my parents almost got deported because they came here illegally (they’re now residents if you’re worried), and for the Supplemental essay I chose question 3 “Write about a situation where you remained silent, and explain how silence spoke in ways you intended or did not intend it to” and wrote about my parents fighting to the point of almost getting a divorce, and how my sister and me helped stop that.</p>

<p>-> Teacher Recommendation: My physics teacher (I’ve had her for two years now, she’s been there through my good and bad times), and my APUSH teacher (I absolutely love him, we’ve been on field trips together lol)</p>

<p>-> Counselor Rec: I love her too, I’ve really opened up to her
-> Additional Rec: N/A
-> Interview: I didn’t have one</p>

<p>Other
-> Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, I just finished submitting the remaining papers
-> Intended Major: Undecided
-> State (if domestic applicant): Florida
-> Country (if international applicant):
-> School Type: Large (3000 students), in a suburban rich zone
-> Ethnicity: Hispanic (Salvadoran and Honduran)
-> Gender: Female
-> Income Bracket: $40,000
-> Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation college? </p>

<p>Reflection
-> Strengths: My devotion to everything I do. I’ve struggled throughout high school, I got a C freshman year in AP World History, but I told myself I would NEVER get a C again (that was my first C). I’m passionate about everything I do, I never give up, and I’m a hard worker, and, like I said, it hasn’t been easy, even since Kindergarten, because Spanish was my first language and growing up no teacher thought I would make it far or was smart enough to get into the Gifted Program, but I’ve been able to prove them wrong with my actions, and I know God has been with me throughout my 17 years of life!
-> Weaknesses: My GPA? My grades? I didn’t have a bunch of ECs? I didn’t do any sports either lol</p>

<p>-> Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: My essays, my ACT score, and my nationalities, honestly!</p>

<p>General Comments: Right now it’s been University of Chicago and University of Miami and belive me it’s a tough decision lol</p>

118

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (800CR, 750M, 760W)
[</em>] SAT II: 710 Lit, 720 Math II
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.90
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):8/500
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):SL Physics (5)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: IBHL English, SL Chem, HL Biology, SL Math/AP Calc AB, SL French, HL History, TOK (Full IB Diploma)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars: Mock Trial, Academic Decathlon (President, a bunch of regional awards), DNA Research Program (Secretary), Newspaper (Section Editor), Varsity Swimming, Science Olympiad
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 50 hours of volunteering for a literacy organization
[<em>] Summer Activities: Took 2 college classes last summer
[</em>] Essays: My Common App essay was good. I put a lot of passion in my UChicago supplement, and it got kind of weird in an ultimately good way.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: I read one of them and it was definitely good, have no idea about the other one.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Probably generic
[<em>] Interview: Good but awkward.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[<em>] Intended Major: Undecided
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant):CA
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: 100k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essays, rigor of curriculum, SAT
[<em>] Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, grades
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I was daring with my UChicago essays and showed a lot of passion for the school, which probably differentiated my otherwise average application.
[/ul]General Comments: I am beyond excited that I got into my first choice and will most likely be attending.</p>

119

<p>Decision:Accepted
Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):superscore of 2 sittings: 2400
[</em>] SAT II: 760 Spanish, 770 Chemistry, 780 Biology, 790 US History
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We don’t do GPAs, but I’ve got As and A pluses.
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is
unavailable): Probably #1 out of 100?
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):Chemistry (4) <-secret shame. US History (5)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:maxed out on APs
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Merit Finalist
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in
parenthesis): Literary magazine (editor), Newspaper (editor), Peer tutoring program (mentor)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service:taught citizenship classes to immigrants, tutored local kids, volunteered at hospital <-people, don’t do this.
[</em>] Summer Activities: CTY! and interned with a doctor.
[<em>] Essays:Have it on good authority that my essay was personal, touching, well-written etc…
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Counselor who read them said they were great!
[<em>] Counselor Rec:I’m assuming pretty good!
[</em>] Interview:LOL, Williams was my first interview experience. I was very awkward, so I have repressed the experience from my memory.
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):NY
[</em>] School Type:Private
[<em>] Ethnicity:Asian
[</em>] Gender:Female
[<em>] Income Bracket(specify if applied for
FA):uhhh, too high for FA
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college,
etc.):I don’t think I had any…
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Grades, ranking, recs, essay, because I am a good “fit” for UChicago
[</em>] Weaknesses: weak ECs, my race sort of?
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/
waitlisted/rejected: No clue - if I knew the secret formula to getting into great schools, I would be a college advisor raking in the thousands!
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/
waitlisted/rejected:Harvard, Columbia, Swarthmore waitlisted. Princeton, Yale rejected. Williams, U Penn, Dartmouth, Wash U, Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt accepted. Waiting on Stanford (though I’m almost certain I will be rejected cuz, hello, Asian on the east coast with no hook!).
[/ul]General Comments: I’m deciding between U Chicago and Williams at the moment, as I really love both of them. Congrats to everyone who got in! And to those who didn’t, really, the admission process is no reflection on you as a person. Colleges reject individuals who are perfectly capable of doing the work there - it’s really random! So, let the chips fall where they may, and don’t feel worse for reaching for the stars. :)</p>

120

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2120: 690 CR, 640 M, 790 W
[</em>] ACT: 31
[<em>] SAT II: 710 Literature
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.14 (weighted, our school doesn’t tell us our unweighted)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/98
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP English, Health/PE (required), AP Calculus (AB, school doesn’t offer BC), Band, AP Biology, Honors US History (Independent study through the University of Connecticut), Honors History 12, Spanish 5, Civics (required)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): School Science Fair Winner, National Honor Society, Connecticut Governor’s Scholar Semi-Finalist, National Merit Commended Student, National Spanish Exam Honorable Mention, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Connecticut Scholar Athlete Award, Several Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for writing (3 gold keys, 2 silver, 1 honorable mention)</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul][ b]Subjective:**[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 years Founder/administrator of a creative writing website, 3 years National Novel Writing Month winner, 3 years UVA Young Writers Workshop, 4 years band (section leader, Tri-M Secretary, made all-conference and all-region bands all 4 years), 4 years club ice hockey (I played for 10 years) (top scorer, ranked 2nd in state, 3rd in New England), 4 years varsity field hockey (rookie award, captain, MVP, top scorer, made conference all-star team), 3 years varsity alpine ski team (captain, conference champions), 2 years newspaper (editor)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: None
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Pan-Mass Challenge (Summer 2011), Usher at local theater (Summers 2011, 2012), Local historical society high school representative and transcriber (Summers 2011, 2012), Class Treasurer 1 year. I didn’t keep track of the hours.
[</em>] Summer Activities: UVA Young Writers Workshop, aforementioned volunteer work, aforementioned Creative Writing site
[<em>] Essays: Commonapp one definitely could have been better but I always have trouble with word limits. Wrote it about a boy I met on the Internet and how he changed my perspective on stereotypes. I wish my UChicago essays had turned out better as well. They ended up being not as good as I’d wanted them to be.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: I’ve only gotten to read one of them, and it was very good. The other one was from a teacher who I’ve been very close to so I assume it was good as well, but I can’t say for certain.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I’d only known my guidance counselor for two months when she wrote it (she was a new hire this year) so the rec was probably generic.
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: Fine. It was kind of boring and the questions were kind of generic but I think I articulated myself pretty well.
[</em>] Supplementary Material:</p>

<p>[/ul][ b]Other**[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):Connecticut
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Half Asian, half caucasian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): $250,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Extracurriculars and leadership positions.
[</em>] Weaknesses: Test scores. I am a terrible test-taker. Essays probably weren’t as strong as they could have been.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: For the reasons above. I’m pretty abstractly intellectual and I was sure that UChicago was the school for me (everyone I know who I told I was applying there assured me that I was the perfect student) but I guess I was wrong. Oh well. Going to Brown!
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Brown, Reed, Macalester, NYU, University of Rochester, Lewis and Clark, Emerson, University of King’s College
Rejected: Columbia, UPenn, Northwestern</p>

<p>[/ul]**General Comments: ** START EARLY. That would be my advice to anyone with this process in your future. If you think you’re going to have a school like Penn in mind (and you certainly don’t need to! you can have a great experience at any college!) then you’ll need to keep that goal in mind throughout all four years when choosing classes, extracurriculars, and tests to take (particularly SAT subject tests). I definitely wish I’d been thinking about college more as a freshman.</p>