<p>Yes, relax. It's not terrible to be told that Chicago is a reach. It's a very selective school, and rejects some very qualified people. It's not as much of a reach as Harvard, but it's a reach for almost everybody. As to what you can do, there are a couple of things. Keep your grades up. Do your best on your standardized tests. Stay involved in the extracurricular activities that are meaningful to you. Finish your Eagle.
And finally, don't get fixated on one school. Think in terms of crafting a smart list of schools that includes some that are "reaches," and others that are matches and true safeties. Don't tell others (or even yourself) that Chicago is your dream school--just say that it is one of the reach schools on your list. Approach it as a strategy, and not as a dream.</p>
<p>In that case, what other colleges should I be looking at with superb economics/public policy credentials?</p>
<p>Columbia? Fordham? Brown? Cornell?</p>
<p>As for a safety school, it's the University of Scranton.</p>
<p>Considering that you have replied 8 times to your own thread I can sense that you are impatient. The fact that you are guessing what your SAT scores will be is also disconcerting. The University of Chicago is at the academic pinnacle of higher education. The school is as renowned as the Ivies, but has a higher acceptance rate because the school is self-selective. People who attend the University of Chicago know why they want to attend and they know what to expect. They are precise, articulate, and intellectually curious people who aren't exactly "cool" with kids who just look at them as a dream school. Take the U of C seriously and get some substantive info before you open your self up to a public forum for prospective evaluations.</p>
<p>Also, I disagree with sak's comment on it being a reach. It's hard to chance for UChicago, and many things UChicago weighs heavily are subjective.</p>
<p>Objectively, a UW GPA of 3.75+ is great. If you SAT is over a 1450, it's great. BTW, UChicago does not weigh test scores that much, and they do not weigh the writing at all (as of yet).</p>
<p>ECs are fine, they are a little vanilla, very sub-urban, middle-class typical applicant type EC. Not that it is bad or anything, but it does not differentiate you from the pack of applicants. So, make your essays SHINE. They are very important. Repeat that 5 times in your head. I would focus on your essays, and make sure they show that you FIT in Chicago. </p>
<p>UChicago had about a 28% acceptance rate last year (and will be slightly lower this year, I expect). So it is not impossible to get in, but it has a self-selective pool.</p>
<p>Oh, and work on the essays. UChicago is the type of school that the essay can easily break or make an acceptance.</p>
<p>Whoever said that UChicago for you was a reach is def. wrong. It is a reach, but not uberimpossible. A 3.75 + and a 2100 !! is pretty good. It will get you over the hump of the applicants, and then they will just pay attention to the ESSAYS! </p>
<p>So dont listen to that other guy, he really has no clue what he is talking about. </p>
<p>After a certain point, the test scores make no difference, “Oh wow, a 2230 instead of a 2180”. Colleges (especailly Chicago) wont make or break an acceptance based on a few points on the SAT.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>don’t lose sleep over this</p></li>
<li><p>there are parts of this that are completely in your control - your essays and your recommendations, which, from what I’ve heard about UChicago, are important in their evaluation of applicants</p></li>
<li><p>yay libertarianism</p></li>
<li><p>as kind of mentioned, they’re not going to judge you based on what you can’t do. I promise. In fact, this gets stated in EVERY college session I’ve been to (like 20). If you’re doing the best you can with the opportunities available to you, that’s all you can be held accountable for.</p></li>
<li><p>Some extra things you could do now, aside from keeping your grades up and doing well on your SATs are… looking into subject tests you could take end of this year/next year. Something productive to do over the summer like gov school (i am so upset that gov school got chopped, i applied last year too :(). Don’t stress!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with the comments you have received on this page. Basically at 3.75 and a 1400 on the SATs will put you in the running for Chicago (As of yet they still don’t look at the writing section.)What they are then looking for is a fit for the school. They want motivated and intellectually curious students who know about the school and can convey why they would fit in there. A deep and serious interest in at least one ec is important as it shows dedication and commitment, rather than a peripheral involvement in many ecs. And yes the essays are important. I would also recommend an on campus interview if possible. My child had a 3.6 cum with only some AP courses and 1400 on her SATs. She had some serious involvement in musical ec’s which I think helped and a great interview. That was 3 years ago and it is somewhat harder to get in now with about a 25% acceptance rate anticipated this year. So give it a try, pick some matches and safeties and don’t sweat it. There are plenty of great schools out there where you will be happy if Chicago doesn’t work out.</p>