Really need some friendly advice right about now...

<p>I am an international student, from a very prestigious school in Brazil called "escola graudada", and my number one college option is U chicago. I need some advice though. Student from my school tend to get into top 20 universities, but, i have heard that this year, things will become harder. I was wondering if my grades/academic situation is good enough for this.</p>

<p>Full IB student
IB Biology SL
IB math Standered
IB French B HL
IB Portugues A1 HL II
IB english A2 HL II
IB History SL - (alrady scored 6)
IB Brazilian social studies</p>

<p>(predicted scores is 38) + 2 from extended essay and TOK = 40</p>

<p>Different from american schools, my school doesnt have ranking of the 4.0 GPA system. Out of 100, I have an weighted GPA of 90. (all HL classes have weights). Im captain of volleyball team, participate in various cmmunity services in shanty-towns in brazil, teaching kids to read and write. </p>

<p>But I have two problems, first, my Standedized test. 24 on ACT which is ridiculously low. and second, my freshmen and softmore grades are lower, yet, in junior year they boosted, making me a top 15 student.</p>

<p>My questions are, first, Am i good enough for this place? and second, does U of C take more then one student from the school? (11 applying)</p>

<p>thankyou!</p>

<p>hi, </p>

<p>i can't help you much because i don't know the IB system at all. regarding scores though, i would not worry so much about them. be more concerned with writing good essays than with having super high scores. </p>

<p>what i can tell you is -- to answer your last question, of course the U of C will take more than one student from the same school.</p>

<p>No idea. And of course they would take more than one student from the same school.</p>

<p>HOWEVER, international competition for places is tough and spots are limited. I think you have a fairly good app though. The ACT is a bit worrying but I don't know what they do with international scores.</p>

<p>Maximillian -
will you be requesting financial aid?</p>

<p>Things may have changed a lot since I got in two (oh no, I mean three... agh! it's almost over already!) years ago. We've gotten way, way more applications, and things are getting more competitive across the board.</p>

<p>Also, I don't know anything about IB or being an international applicant.</p>

<p>All that aside, though, I'm almost certain that my essays were the main thing that gave me an edge back then. My grades were mediocre, but I wrote an essay with real content, that I was actually a little proud of in comparison to the garbage I churned out for the other places I applied. I know other people here who feel the same way, that their essays are the reasons they're here.</p>

<p>So, don't neglect that essay.</p>

<p>I'd like to believe (though I'm probably being way too idealistic... meh) that they seriously consider sincere, passionate demonstrations of intellectual ardor as much as they consider all the numbers... At the very least, it's something to believe in, right?</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>thx for the help guys</p>

<p>A projected score of a 40 is sufficient to get you into Oxbridge for many subjects, and is about what you would see at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT and Cal Tech for IB students. Being from Brazil would also be a huge boost to your application. Frankly, if you can afford it you are about as close to automatic admission as possible. </p>

<p>Chicago will not really care about your specific course grades when you have IB exams on the books (some schools will to the point of not seriously considering you). Clearly, you might have a study pattern / learning style that is more attuned to the way colleges rather than high schools largely grade, that is, examinations and papers / projects over day-to-day quizzes and homework. I ran into the same situation myself. AP Scholar with Distinction by my junior year (5 after 5 after 5 starting as a sophomore) and 39 points on IB, yet a B+ on average and occasionally C+ student per my high school transcript since I could never keep up with the non-substantive busy work. </p>

<p>I would wager you ACT score is being fouled up by the English portion. The best way to remedy this would to tells schools that you will attend a very high level ESL program with a focus on writing the summer before college at a selective institution (for instance, Harvard has one), which will assure them you will spend 8-10 weeks correcting your present shortcomings. Given these types of programs are basically open enrollment, you do not have to wait to get admitted.</p>

<p>thx for the comment uchicagoalum, it was very helpfull indeed, and to answer ohio_mom, no, im not applying financial aid. Once again, thank you all for your imput!</p>

<p>i suppose u would suffer from your ACT.</p>

<p>From chicagoalum's post it sounds like you should go for it. The fact that you are not applying for FA makes if much less problematic. Good luck!</p>

<p>True, you never know how UC is going to react to an application. I think you have a good shot. Go for it Maxmillian!</p>