So, my daughter is a rising Jr and took a first ACT this spring if her sophomore year and I figured I’d shoot those free scores off to some schools because what could it hurt.
Well, she did very well, got a 33, and just received a nice letter with a school T from UChicago thanking her for sending them her scores and other flattery. Is this pretty standard or does it mean they are interested?
Its standard for UChicago, but I like it.
A 33 is a very good score, and if your daughter raises it by 1 or 2, she will be in the range for UChiago. But I wouldn’t read too much into shirt. Uchicago sends mail to even unqualified students to try to get them to apply in order to reduce the acceptance rate and improve rankings.
If you show interest in UChicago they will show interest in you, for a rising junior with a 33 ACT she is already in the ball park for UChicago.
UChicago is big on sending out a lot of marketing stuff. I would not take it as any type of sign.
So an ACT of 20 would get a shirt too? That is actually good to know, actually. Might boost some kids spirit!
According to Niche she is in the range for U of Chicago already, so she shouldn’t need to improve on her ACT score. How cool that they sent her a shirt! My daughter sent her scores last month and did not get a shirt, her score was 32.
@3js3ks UChicago’s middle 50% is 32-35. OP’s daughter is in the range, but a 33 is still on the lower end of the spectrum at around the 42nd percentile. Improving it to a 34/35 will boost her chances greatly, and it was also her first try. Improving the score 1 or 2 points after the first time is not difficult at all.
@3js3ks 32 is a great score. It just came yesterday from the April ACT. Might still get one!
U of Chicago’s acceptance rate this year was likely 6%; take away applicants with hooks and it was probably 3%. So figure a 35+ ACT/1550+ SAT, perfect GPA and some great EC’s and then you have a 3% chance.
This is the last great mystery to me with regards to admissions. We see an overall admission rate but I rarely see it broken down into specific scores (and if we do, those are typically enrolled students rather than applicants). We don’t know how many unqualified applicants were in the overall rate.
What was the admission rate for students with an ACT 33 and a GPA 4.0?
Look at the CDS for more info about ranges for accepted students. You will probably find that the average ACT score is 34. Scores below that are probably athletes and other hooked kids.
Applicants are largely self-selecting, especially at a more esoteric school like Chicago. I think it’s typical to see a 1/2 to 1 point dip in admitted vs attending ACT scores, but definitely not more than that unless its a no fee, no supplemental essay school and then it could be slightly more. Regarding Chicago’s median ACT for non-hooked attendees, I bet it is a 35.
So if I send a score to chicago I get a free t-shirt?
I hate it when schools do stuff like that. My son got stuff from Vanderbilt multiple times per year from 9th grade on. He was offered free applications to several prestigious schools. They do this for one reason, to drive up application numbers to increase rejections. This increases the selectivity score on USNWR. This is how very good, but not nationally recognized, regional schools like WashU, Vandy and Rice, became super selective national names. It’s a game, nothing more.
For my kid, she was a sophomore so if she were to prep for the ACT and take it again she could probably raise it 1 or 2 to a 34/35. She is also an athlete. Her current swim times put her mid to top third of their roster right now.
My question really wasn’t about chancing my kid at UChicago, it was more about do they send everyone else a T-shirt or just ones with potential. It sounds like people are saying they would send any score a T-shirt. That’s a nice tactic. I still feel like my kid has a reasonable chance to be admitted when that time comes around. And the shirt has piqued her interest in a school I wanted her to be interested in. She is fixated on Rice but UChicago is a better swim fit so I’m happy about it opening her mind a bit.
She has a hook, if she’s a strong swimmer, so that’s helpful, but I’d advise her not to get fixated on any school. Have her develop a list of acceptable programs. The ideal scenario is that even the safeties are in the hunt for the top spot because they are so well chosen.
My friend has a daughter who is nationally ranked in a sport. The girl was told she would be offered a place on the team at a tippy top LAC. All she had to do was get the right score on the ACT. She did. She was then unceremoniously told there would not be a place for her on the team. Luckily, she was offered a spot on another team and is going to attend that college.
Another friend’s son was told something similar at an Ivy League. It was an unconditional offer, according to the friend. He already had the stats, he was very good at his sport. He withdrew his apps from other colleges. The Ivy school sent him a denial on Ivy day. He got no explanation from anyone. This student then scrambled and managed to get off the WL at a college he was very interested in, but he basically had to hope that they were willing to reconsider his app. Be sure your,child has enough viable options.
@Lindagaf, I thought recruited athletes at Ivies applied early.
Just telling you what the freind told me. I don’t know exactly what transpired.