If I recall correctly, c/o 2021had one or two RDs that received likely letters that were not recruited athletes and commented on here.
^^ The students who receive LLs were walking on air. The other students waited with bated breath… at least until March.
I think there are other threads on likely letters on this forum somewhere as well. Maybe also google ‘likely letter practice’ to get more info.
Are you thinking premed?
@NASA2014 Yes I am premed! My intended major is biological sciences, and I assumed they might reject me because I haven’t taken Calc-BC yet. I guess not!
I also considered my ECs to be kind of weak-- yes, I followed my passion (for unfortunate reasons) of supporting mental health, and yes I was Pres and Founder, but that was my ONLY school-related EC. I worked a lot and I didn’t do any state competitions or sports or anything special so I don’t know what happened
Your brief samples of writing on this board, @carey46 , are pleasingly lucid and unpretentious. They convey an immediate impression of realism, modesty and competence. Those qualities are rarer at all stages of a life than you might think. Build on them in your future life! I have a hunch that you came across to the admissions people in exactly that way and that that was a big factor in getting their favorable attention. You certainly don’t need to go to the University of Chicago for just that reason, but I think their response to you could equally be telling you something important about the values of the school. The admissions people know the kind of kid the school wants and the kind who fits the ethos of the place. Grades, test scores and EC’s have their place, but you came up with the all-important je ne sais quoi.
@carey46, Calc. at UChicago is in three tracks - 130’s, 150’s and 160’s (honors). You take an online placement exam in early summer to determine your exact sequence. Someone who hasn’t taken BC won’t be looking at honors (nor will they want to!) but even 130’s qualifies the student for progression in the bio major. I wouldn’t worry about lack of B/C Calc.
@carey46 - congratulations on not just your acceptance but the honor of receiving an early admission even though you didn’t apply EA. Don’t second guess yourself - the AOs know what they’re doing and you must be a fantastic fit to have merited this attention. My son just started at UChicago this year and could not be happier. Literally couldn’t. I’ve never seen him so engaged, happy, social and just comfortable with himself and all the great people around him. I hope whatever you decide that you find a place that is such a good fit.
^ That’s my feeling, too. Don’t second guess. If you are missing something needed for your major or the premed hopes, plan to get academic support early. Be proactive, go to office hours, study sessions, etc.
Something struck them that you’re they type they want. Use the time now wisely.
@carey46 :
Carey46, you are a competent applicant. Don’t doubt yourself. UChicago admits you because they believe you can be successful there. But you are premed. Premed rule number 1 is you must be able to achieve high GPA. You must decide if that is feasible for you at UChicago.
This EC might be the reason you are flagged for LL.
Congratulation to your acceptance. You are a great kid and will be a great addition to any campus.
@carey46 Congratulations! As stated by many posters, do not second guess yourself.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Please stay on topic. I had to delete several posts.
Thank you so much everyone! Over the summer I’ll be taking some Calculus and Chemistry, and possibly physics to get ahead and help refresh me. Hopefully that’ll help! I’ll be meeting with my guidance counselor tomorrow when I get to school to help plan out my next few steps, monetarily and academically.
Honestly, I’m just hoping my Valedictorian friend isn’t super mad at me! 
First thing first, do not brag about it that you got in. If you keep it to yourself she won’t be mad. You can say I got accepted. But that’s it, and move on.
Congrats on this remarkable achievement !
Are you eligible for the Wash U dependent tuition benefit? If yes then it’s clear that UChicago wanted to poach you away. They knew you have a high chance of going to WashU for nearly free.
Yes, I get free tuition at Wash U and 26 or 27 thousand dollars a year for a school of my choice! It’s an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful for! My mother has been faculty since 2002. My father went to Wash U.
Congrats! They probably loved your essay. Perhaps they liked something in your ECs - maybe they can see you as an RA or participating in student mental health support? Could be lots of reasons.
@carey46 - would go a step farther from @spogal’s thoughts in comment #46, since you have significant financial assistance regardless of where you attend (and UChicago will know this, of course). They might have (and correctly, in this case) figured that you applied SCEA somewhere, and want to poach you away from ending up there. As it turns out, you were deferred at H, but things like early LL’s with the option to enroll immediately from one tippy-top school is a strong signal that it believes you have have already - or might be in Regular round - invited to join another tippy-top, in this case a HYPS. Fortunately, UChicago no longer assigns housing by enrollment deposit date so you have plenty of time to find out what your options will be and make a decision. Would highly recommend the April overnight.
@carey46 Congrats on a fantastic achievement. You are an inspiration for future applicants.
Unfortunately, the stress of the application process can test friendships.
Two of my best friends applied to UChicago this year. One ED and one EA. Both are stellar, near perfect scores, top 1% of very competitive school, passionate in their EC’s. When the results came out the ED friend got accepted. The EA friend got deferred. Initially their relationship took an awkward turn but my ED friend was super supportive and reached out and helped my other friend in any way he could encouraging him to hang in there, reviewing his extra submissions, sharing things about UChicago he had learned that were not very well known, so my other friend could use these in his LOCI. My other friend was very appreciative of that. It made his Christmas break so much better.
So please be kind to your friend and offer to help in any way you can and make sure anything you say doesn’t come off as gloating or bragging. Lots of folks are hurting right now.
Again Congrats!!
I am curious when OP submitted her application. Lots of schools don’t start reviewing the apps till after the deadline. A decision in less than 10 days is indeed lightening fast! Congratulations to OP!
I wouldn’t feel too bad for the Val friend who was deferred from Chicago EA. Personally, I do not know anybody without major major hooks getting into Chicago EA; neither do I know anyone with an EA offer from Chicago ending up going there. That’s why I don’t get the point of applying to Chicago EA, unless you want to do a trio EAs among the top ten–MIT, UChicago and CalTech.