U Of Chicago

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>so what are my odds at chicago? i've applied EA</p>

<p>by the numbers i'm pretty weak:
3.3GPA
690 math 680 writing 530 verbal</p>

<p>two important notes:
-i attend a very competitive public school that does not rank
-i'm retaking the sat tomorrow. first time i took it i was painfully hungry to the point where i couldn't read (hence the verbal score- i stopped in the middle of it). projected scores: 690-720 math, 680-720 writing, 680-700 verbal</p>

<p>i'm in somewhat of a unique situation: i live with my grandparents, who legally adopted me many years ago. when i was 3 my parents and brother died at the hands of my father.
my current father is 80 and my mother is 74. the three of us take care of my aunt, who suffers from chronic depression, and her three children, ages 3, 8 and 10.
needless to say, i've had to make many academic sacrifices to help my family.<br>
i wrote about my family history in a supplemental rec.</p>

<p>APs/College Things
currently taking 3 APs, took 3 last year
independently studied and took AP chem exam last year.
took organic chemistry I and II this past summer.
plan on taking second year organic chem this spring (3rd year college class)</p>

<p>ECs:
-international chemistry olympiad- national finalist, 10, 11
-science olympiad- qualified for states (NY state), 10, 11. 4th place, 11. treasurer, 10. semi-vice president position, 11, 12
-odyssey of the mind- 11th in state, 9, 4th in state, 10
-junior state of america- best speaker award at 2005 spring state. treasurer, 10-12
-chemistry demonstrations- president, 11
-science bowl- top scorer on team, 11
-member of amnesty international, 11, 12
-member of model un, 10</p>

<p>volunteer work:
-attended reach work camps during summer 9, 10, 11</p>

<p>music:
-accomplished pianist, grades 2-11
-accomplished vocalist, grades 2-12
-qualified for area all state choir, 9 (could not do all-state solo because it is only open for sophomores and juniors)
-attended summer music classes, vocal master class at suny fredonia, 10-11
-school madrigal, mixed choirs both placed 2nd at 2004 north american music festival.</p>

<p>my recs are really good: one from guidance, 2 from teachers at school, 1 from orgo professor, 1 from family friend</p>

<p>i interview well, so consider that to be a feather in my cap</p>

<p>my essays are excellent, if i say so myself. reaaally original and reaally good.</p>

<p>i'm also applying EA to NEastern and reg dec to carnegie mellon, cornell, BU, mcgill (sister went there), JHU, dartmouth and suny bing</p>

2

<p>My son is a first year at UChicago (chemistry major, at least at the moment). His profile is similar to your - family issues (in his case, taking care of elderly grandparents), very good ec's and awards, not so hot GPA. If your SAT's improve, and your essays represent you well, I think there is a good chance that the happy fat envelope with the Phoenix will be coming your way. </p>

<p>Make SURE you get enought sleep for the SAT, and bring a snack or two (jerky or a granola bar) to keep you going through the miserable test. Don't do a lot of caffiene unless that is normally what you run on - you don't want gitters or having to be running to the bathroom. </p>

<p>Best wishes!</p>

3

<p>whoops, forgot awards:</p>

<p>-clarkson high school leadership award+scholarship</p>

<p>oh and i also received a scholarship for my summer music studies.</p>

<p>btw thanks for your input ohio_mom</p>

4

<p>bumpity bump</p>

5

<p>college level organic chem?! my gosh... well, if your essays are "original and good" and you raise the verbal score, i think you're in. :) i applied ea as well. i loveee the u of c!</p>

6

<p>i think your in only if you wrote a stellar essay about your family history. get that v. score up to around 600 too. good luck bro</p>

7

<p>thanks all. </p>

<p>sexyyeti, i wrote a supplemental essay on family and included my history. my personal statement was not family related, but still was tailored to my character. it's really original, witty and has extended metaphor. my other two essays bring out different characteristics and are engaging and comprehensive as well.</p>

<p>and yeah, o-chem is my child :D</p>

8

<p>nice dude nice, i cant def. see you getting in. dont worry too much about it. hopefully colleges wont see the discrepancy between your verbal score and your essays (you should consider write a quick letter to your local admissions regional director telling him why your verbal was so bad the first time)</p>

9

<p>raise your score, thats all</p>

10

<p>just the one?</p>

11

<p>Chicago normally wouldn't like that GPA, but I think this is an exception! Chicago places a good deal of weight on their essays, so a great essay should definitely swing in your favor. They tend to put less weight on SAT scores, I think, so don't stress out too much, but get that verbal score up. </p>

<p>Just wondering..."2nd year organic chem" = biochemistry?</p>

12

<p>noonononononono. it's a common misconception that orgo=biochem.
think of organic chemistry as biochemistry's dad. to actually know what you're doing with biochem (and it's hard to do so in a biochem class just because they don't go deeply into reactions or their mechanisms and you'll never see molecular orbital theory in biochem) you need organic. orgo 1 and 2 are required courses for all pre-meds, although there is almost no bio involved. biological molecules are mentioned, and their synthesis can be derived through work done in orgo classes, but that's it. it's only a required class because it's madly hard, especially for premeds, who tend to learn through strict memorization more than other means. to do orgo you need a feel for the topic, sort of like what you need for physics and math. second year orgo is for chem majors who want to go deeper into the subject, and contains little bio, except synthesis of large bio-molecules is common on tests just because they're large and difficult to derive syntheses for.</p>

<p>anyway, thanks so much for your input, all</p>

13

<p>Don't patronize me. I'm taking organic chem right now. :mad: </p>

<p>At most schools, it's:
Semester 1- Organic chem (Chem 151L at Duke)
Semester 2- Organic chem (Chem 152L at Duke)
Semester 3- Biochemestry (Chem 227 at Duke)</p>

<p>I was confused because I've just never heard of a second year of orgo- most people take biochemistry or p-chem after organic chem. :)</p>

14

<p>actually, i didn't mean to patronize you. you asked a question and i gave you an answer. a question like that seems to come from one without a great background in orgo. the class is called "intermediate organic chemistry."</p>

<p>semester 1: orgo 1
semester 2: orgo 2
semester 3: intermediate orgo</p>

15

<p>I think that you will be admitted and should be. However, they are bound to ask how you will handle or delegate your family responsibilities during the college years. Do you live near in the Chicago area?</p>

16

<p>I was just joking, budullewraagh-I wasn't insulted. :rolleyes:</p>

<p>OneMom brings up a good point. Similarly, is financial aid an issue? U Chicago doesn't always give out the best aid packages. :/</p>

17

<p>sorry for the confusion, warblersrule. financial aid shouldn't be a problem, though i wouldn't mind it. i live in upstate new york, so no, i'm not close to chicago, which could be problematic, although we're working on arrangements to make it possible for me to go to school in chicago.</p>

<p>also, i just received an email from my admissions counselor at chicago. she said that they probably won't receive my new sat scores before my app is read and she advised me to write a letter explaining my situation. should the lack of new scores have an effect on their decision?</p>

18

<p>If your application is sitting on the fence, or you are deferred, the new (and hopefully improved) scores may well come into play. Be sure to write the letter as advised, and proof it carefully.</p>

19

<p>heh, i had fun the second time around. i still didn't study so i only got a 620 cr. but the writing went up to 700 and the math went up to 740</p>

20

<p>To be so high on your own essays screams self-deception or arrogance. Weak GPA, so-so scores, and a laundry list of ECs...family issues might explain the GPA, but your SAT doesn't really make that evident. And to someone who said that "Chicago doesn't place much emphasis on SATs"--Chicago has one of the higher 25-75 ranges of any non-HYPSM school.</p>

<p>I give you a 3-to-1 shot.</p>