<p>My #1 school by far is Chicago, and I just wanted to know what kind of chance I have getting in as well as a couple other schools.
Asian male from South Dakota.
ACT: 31 (33 super scored for Wash U)
GPA: 3.6 UW :( but an upward trend
You need a 4.0 to crack the top 10% in my school.
Senior Schedule (Block Scheduling):
Upper Orchestra A/A
AP Calc B+/A
AP Lit and Comp A-/A
AP Bio B+/A-
AP Gov untaken yet</p>
<p>ECs:
I live in a smaller town that doesn't provide a lot of opportunities for volunteer work, but that's not really a good excuse.</p>
<p>Varsity track for two years, qualified for state</p>
<p>Boy Scouts
Life scout, soon to be Eagle. Eight years spent here, countless service projects etc.
I did volunteer work at a Veteran's hospital in Michigan, but I moved and didn't get the records, so I guess there's no use saying this, and I don't know why I'm still typing.</p>
<p>I spent most of my time working on my father's farm for the last 10 years.</p>
<p>Essay for Chicago:
My English teacher loved it, and said it brought tears to her eyes.</p>
<p>Here's the list:
U of Chicago (obviously)
UW-Madison
WUSTL
Carleton (They're interested in me playing football there)
Nebraska-Lincoln
U Mich (Long legacy; father, mother, both sets of grandparents and back farther, almost all my aunts and uncles attended)
Penn State University Park</p>
<p>I think Chicago will be a little hard. Honestly your case seems like one where you need to get your counselor to explain the low ec's and other things that aren't in your control. Otherwise your GPA is kind of low for a school of that caliber but I think your within its range. Being asian never really helps but being from South Dakota will help you if their trying to get students from around the country. Your rigor also looks good and Eagle scout is great. I think you have a decent chance. All the others I think you are a match or I don't know about it.</p>
<p>The low GPA is essentially from slacking off/ missing class for track during a quarter sophomore year. I think my definite weak spot for me is EC's, but thanks for chancing me, I'll chance you back. As for my teacher crying, she is a little emotional I guess haha.</p>
<p>Don't worry about a low gpa. As long as you've got rigorous courses, they'll see that you're in it for more than just the grade. That's the type of student more colleges should want...the one who cares about learning rather than the nitty gritty details which help boost a grade. Plus U of C apparently puts more weight on the essay than any of the other parts, so you've got a good shot!</p>
<p>For kids to tell you not to worry about any low stat is just silly. It's a total and complete myth that schools overlook anything with a good excuse.</p>
<p>That said, being from S. Dakota will help you a great deal. Growing up and working on a farm will too. Colleges will see you as bringing diversity.</p>
<p>It might be true that you shouldn't just forget about stats but think about this. Colleges get thousands of applications by the year. To think that GPA divides them up is plain rediculous. As long as he makes the first cut, GPA shouldn't play too big a role. However (switching to Chron.) you need to make sure that you don't let your grades lower.</p>
<p>Honestly, I'm not going to worry about it. My GPA is what it is, there's not really any turning back now as I've already applied - I'll work hard to finish out the year strong and that will be that.</p>
<p>I know there is an absolute correlation between GPA, SAT scores and acceptance. I know there are a set amount of students any selective school will accept that were not in the top 10% of their class, and that those admits are highly likely to be recruited athletes, legacies and URMs.</p>
<p>There are certainly exceptions, but for kids to tell one another that a key stat will be overlooked, again, is silly and incorrect.</p>
<p>"and that those admits are highly likely to be recruited athletes, legacies and URMs"</p>
<p>Those are three possible categories. Others are due to international citizenship, musical and artistic needs, component schools or special academic programs, and in some cases, even gender (but not at U Chicago).</p>
<p>First of all, turn that frown upside down! You have a decent application, but the way you talk about it sounds like you're not confident! (I'm sure your application feels different, but just a friendly reminder that you want to send good, enthusiastic vibes.) So be proud of what you've done so far!</p>
<p>Well, your teacher crying at your essay (out of joy of course) is a pretty good sign for Chicago, since I hear they care a lot about their essays.</p>
<p>Michigan is a match (if not, you're going to have to stick that one to me). Of course, I'm from Michigan, so that gives me and my classmates a leg up on kids from the rest of the nation, but I have friends who are much less qualified than you are still get in. Again, this might just be because of our in-state residency.</p>
<p>Well, I applied to Chicago too, and I have been accepted to Michigan (my backup school). If you want to chance me back, that would be cool. ("Harvard, Yale, or Chicago")</p>
<p>My application sounds more confident than I do right now, but that's because I know how hard it is to get into UC. I just don't want to set myself up for disappointment, that's just the way I am. Thanks for the chance, I'll give yours a go.</p>