UChicago 2018 RD Decision Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>If you have pledged, please follow the guidelines quoted.

[quote]
[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted*[/color][/size]
[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted[/color][/size]
[ size=+2][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected*[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown):
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[ *] ACT (breakdown):
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[ *] SAT II:
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[ *] Weighted GPA:
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses):
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load:
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school:
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:[ list]
[ ] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main:
[ *] EC Short Answer:
[ *] Extended essay(which topic):
[ *] Optional Essay:
[ *] Why Chicago:
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1:
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2:
[ *] Counselor Rec:
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ *] Interview:
[ *] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App:
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type:
[ *] Ethnicity:
[ *] Gender:
[ *] Income Bracket:
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] [ b]Reflection[ list]
[ *] Strengths:
[ *] Weaknesses:
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[ *] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:*
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:**

[/quote]
</p>

2

<p>[ color=orange]Decision: Waitlisted[/color]</p>

<p>Objective:[ list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): 34
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[<em>] SAT II: Didn’t send
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 4.35
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top decile
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: Rigorous
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school:
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:[ list]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Leader of a nationally ranked robotics team 3 years in a row
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ list]
[<em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[li] Common App Main: 8/10, wrote about my experience running a robotics team[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: 8/10
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): 10/10, explain your favorite joke
[</em>] Optional Essay: 7/10
[<em>] Why Chicago: 9/10
[</em>] Other:[/list][ <em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: 9/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: 10/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: 9/10
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: 7/10
[</em>] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other**[ list]
[<em>] Date Submitted App:
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): MD
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: Homeschooled
[<em>] Ethnicity: Super white
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: >200k
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] heheheh [ b]Reflection**[ list]
[<em>] Strengths:
[</em>] Weaknesses: GPA, ECs
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because I applied RD
[</em>] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:**
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:</p>

<p>I’m really pretty disappointed, Chicago was my top choice. </p>

3

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<p>[li] SAT I (breakdown): 2120 (CR: 660 Math: 710 Writing: 750) </p>[/li]
<p>[li] ACT: Didn’t take</p>[/li]
<p>[li] SAT II: 750 US History 740 World History</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94/4, 4.41/5 (Two B’s from middle school in </p>[/li]
<p>high school classes (Alg 1 + Geometry), none in hs)</p>

<p>[li] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/475</p>[/li]
<p>[li] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World (5), AP Human Geography (4), </p>[/li]
<p>APUSH (5), AP Euro (5), AP Comp Gov (5), AP Lang (4), AP Calc (3), AP US, AP </p>

<p>Lit, AP Psych, AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Stat, AP Environmental Science, AP Comp </p>

<p>Sci</p>

<p>[li] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Senior Year Course Load: All the ungraded AP exams (8 AP classes)</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None major, but: Outstanding Delegate </p>[/li]
<p>Award (MUN/Regional); AP Scholar w/ Distinction; Varsity Letters; Swimming </p>

<p>State Meet Qualifier/Competitor</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>

<p>[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Society </p>[/li]
<p>(VP), Quiz Bowl (Team Captain), Student 2 Student (Executive Committee), </p>

<p>Online Entertainment Organizations (Leader/Founder/Co-leader/Manager/–</p>

<p>worked with advertisers; pulled together contracts; sought legal counsel; </p>

<p>organized and recuirted content producers, editors, and graphics designers; </p>

<p>served as primary liaison to other organizations; all content centered around </p>

<p>video games/Call of Duty), Mock Trial Lawyer (Lead for Defense), Model UN </p>

<p>Delegate, Tutor, Interact/KenyaVenture volunteer, Varsity swimmer (2 years) </p>

<p>[li] Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard Summer (10th, 11th, 12th): 40 hrs/week, </p>[/li]
<p>Lifeguard Fall/Winter (12th): 18 hrs/week, Online Organizations (it was like a </p>

<p>job. I wrote about it in every essay asking for an EC)</p>

<p>[li] Volunteer/Community service: Through NHS/Interact, couldn’t list all of it on </p>[/li]
<p>my Common App, but mainly tutoring 5 hrs/week all year, IS and OOS(chool)</p>

<p>[li] Summer Activities: Work; study</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Essays: Common App 9/10 (Wrote about being a liberal in a strictly </p>[/li]
<p>conservative family)</p>

<p>[li] Teacher Recommendation: #1 AP Comp Gov: 10/10 (Excellent), I went in his </p>[/li]
<p>room during lunch to read from his collection on political theory; my Model UN </p>

<p>coach and Interact advisor</p>

<h1>2 AP Government: 7/10 (Neutral), My Mock Trial coach, nothing else to say</h1>

<p>besides his recommendation neither hurt nor helped my app</p>

<p>[li] Counselor Rec: #3 GC: 10/10 (Excellent), First day freshman year I went in </p>[/li]
<p>and expressed interest in going to a top tier school, explaining my career path to </p>

<p>him. Been in contact since. </p>

<p>[li] Additional Rec: N/A </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Interview: Went really well! Lasted an hour and a half; had a good discussion on my research aspirations (the Nordic model). </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]</p>

<p>[li] State (if domestic applicant): MD</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Country (if international applicant): USA</p>[/li]
<p>[li] School Type: Public, large, surprisingly competitive for the top 20 (#4’s GPA </p>[/li]
<p>is 4.42, mine’s a 4.41 and I’m #8)</p>

<p>[li] Ethnicity: White</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Gender: Male</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Income Bracket: >180,000</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing huge, maybe some small </p>[/li]
<p>stuff like my father’s job (high in gov’t)</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]</p>

<p>[li] Strengths: EC’s, Leadership, Online organizations and contract experience, </p>[/li]
<p>GPA, course rigor, essays</p>

<p>[li] Weaknesses: SAT scores, SAT scores, SAT scores; unhooked applicant</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]General Comments:
Not even mad. I had the financial talk with my parents a month ago, and they said that I’d have to work 20-30 hours/week during school if I went to a school that costed >50k (no finaid; income bracket too high). Not accepting a spot on the waitlist; it should go to someone who wants nothing more than to be at UChicago. Best of luck future applicants and current waitlistees! Congrats to those accepted! </p>

4

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:[list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Not submitted
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): 34
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): 35
[<em>] SAT II: Not submitted
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[<em>] Weighted GPA:
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 16/500
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 544443333
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): –
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP Courses, 1 regular
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 3-4 others applying RD
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2014 Intel STS Finalist, 2013 Davidson Fellow, Nominated Texan of the Year, 2013 Intel ISEF 2nd Place, 2012 Intel ISEF 3rd Place </p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[list]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Senior Class President, President of Science Club, Varsity Debate Team Member, and some minor activities
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Various science-related summer camps, Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth leadership Awards)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Many hours in work pertaining to clean water efforts
[</em>] Essays (Include Subjects): –
[<em>] Common App Main: Hopefully good, my friends and teachers liked it :slight_smile:
[</em>] EC Short Answer: Alright
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): Alright , picked the superhero one I think
[</em>] Optional Essay: –
[<em>] Why Chicago: Nothing too great, didn’t spend as much time as I should have.
[</em>] Other:[list][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Didn’t see, but it should be decent.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Didn’t see, hopefully good.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I didn’t see, but counselor told me it was a great rec!
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: Went great! We talked for over 2 hours.
[</em>] Date Submitted App: Day of deadline :stuck_out_tongue:
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): TX
[</em>] Country : USA
[<em>] School Type: Large Public School
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: Upper middle
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None </p>[/li]
<p>Reflection
[<em>] Strengths: –
[</em>] Weaknesses: My grades weren’t too stellar, and my essays could have been more polished. Doing my app at the last moment didn’t help either.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: There are lots of other wonderful applicants who definitely deserved it over myself :slight_smile: Congrats to everyone!
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: Spend a bit more time on application from an earlier time!
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Once again, congratulations to those who got accepted! Admissions to any of the top 10 schools are tough, so if you didn’t get in, rest assured you will get in somewhere else great and you yourself will go on to do great things!</p>

<p>I am not accepting a spot on the waitlist as I’ve been fortunate to get likely admission from Yale and Stanford! :slight_smile: I wish everyone the best of luck with their futures! </p>

5

<p>[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color]</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390; 800M 800CR 790W
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800x3, 790x1</p>

6

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:
ACT: 34
SAT II: 790 Math II, 770 LIt
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/26
AP (place score in parenthesis): School just got AP this year
Senior Year Course Load: Nothing special, my school is super tiny and doesn’t have much. I am driving to a nearby high school to take physics, which I feel like shows my interest in learning and/or pushing myself a little! But yeah my schedule is a joke to be honest
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout? Also questbridge finalist
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Scouting is my big thing, just lots of miscellaneous positions and fun times! Scouting is legit, you should do it!
Job/Work Experience: some summer camps through scouts
Volunteer/Community service: nothing formal but stuff through scouts, yeah sure
Summer Activities: scout camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): uhm, i thought they were bad… but then i got a note in the mail from another college saying that my essays were like particularly swell or something, so… I guess they were good? i wrote about how small my hometown is and how much i like to learn and how weirdly dichotomous that is sometimes… and also the Pythagorean theorem. haha Also in my other one I wrote about playing like mega tic-tac-toe in the sand with atlatls… which sounds hilarious but I didn’t pull it off imo.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: from my english teacher, talked about my personality and how i’ve had it “hard” (I don’t really agree but that’s what she said) living in a small town.
Teacher Rec #2: from my history teacher, fairly meh
Counselor Rec: completely meh
Additional Rec: From a scout adviser, I’m sure it was great! :)</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): MO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small rural public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): QB finalist? is that a thing?</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: scouting and apparently essays
Weaknesses: I felt like my app was sloppy and didn’t convey who I was well! and also, being from a small high school just has lots of negatives (ie if I decide on swat I’m sure the workload will be completely different in like every way imaginable–I’ve just floated through high school. So yeah, that.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: i dunno. i guess just tiny things added up
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected Accepted at WUSTL, Swat. </p>

<p>I’m disappointed but not a lot! UChi is pretty sweet but I’m gonna still have some great options… Not gonna bother with the waitlist thing. Congrats to those who got in, have a stinkin’ awesome four years! :)</p>

7

<p>Rejected :confused: </p>

<p>b]Objective:**[ list]
[ *] SAT I (CR670, M670, W600):
[ *] SAT I superscore (1940):
[ *] SAT II: Literature 670, Math1 670 – i think my scores have a trend
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 3.5):
[ *] Weighted GPA:6.2 – our county has no gpa cap
[ *] Rank 96th
[ *] AP 4,4,5 and 5 more projected tests
[ *] IB diploma candidate projected 5,6,7,4,4,6
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: All IB credit coursed
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3 first place at States for Speech and Debate, homecoming court, most spirited senior superlative
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Founder and President of speech and debate, Thespian society president, Relay for Life president, red cross president – also on the dance team
[ *] Job/Work Experience: n/a
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: 400+ hours, relay for life president and captain
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list] 9/10 common app, 9/10 supplement
[ *] Why Chicago: 7/10
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: most likely pretty good. great relationship with the teacher.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: fantastic! i they said i was the best student they’ve ever had
[ *] Counselor Rec: probably decent
[ *] Additional Rec:n/a
[ *] Interview:n/a
[ *] Ethnicity: white
[ *] Gender: female
[ *] Income Bracket: very low
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen
[ *] Strengths: EC, recs
[ *] Weaknesses: test scores
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: after looking at everyone else’s responses i definitely have to say test scores.
[ *] What would you have done differently? what can i say, i don’t like testing under time limits. The ap exam i got a 5 on I answered the last page of questions all B because of timing.</p>

8

<p>[ size=+2][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2120
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2160
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): 32 (36 english)
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): 32
[<em>] SAT II: 760 wh, 740 mii, 720 mi, 730 ush
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 4.9
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 4,4,4,5
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: 5 aps, 1 h, 1 reg
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: IDK but I got deferred :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): international, national, etc.
[/list] [ b]Subjective:[ list]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): a few i really excelled in
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: ha nope.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: ~480 hours
[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
[ list]
[<em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[li] Common App Main: 10000000/10. Publishable.[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: 9/10
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): picked one, I thought 8.5/10
[</em>] Optional Essay: ?
[<em>] Why Chicago: 10/10
[</em>] Other:[/list] <em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: former uchicago student for college and phd 9.5/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: apush teacher, 10/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: 10/10
[</em>] Additional Rec: well known hyde park minister, 10/10
[<em>] Interview: oops
[</em>] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other[ list]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: deferred so really early
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): IL
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): dual citizenship US and CZ
[</em>] School Type: top magnet
[<em>] Ethnicity: czech, slovak, hungarian
[</em>] Gender: F
[<em>] Income Bracket: Low enough to get a full ride
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): great story, my whole family is first gen immigrants, dad got phd at u of c
[/list] [ b]Reflection**[ list]
[<em>] Strengths: essays
[</em>] Weaknesses: fit (not cerebral enough)
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: Nothing. I gave this one my all.
[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:** nope
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:** I got into wellesley and umich so I have awesome choices. I did my best, and I derive my happiness from that, not some decision. Good luck to everyone!</p>

9

<p>Waitlisted. Happy not to receive an outright rejection though. Congrats to everyone; those who were accepted, rejected and waitlisted. You have accomplished so many things your lifetimes. You should all be proud!!
Remember: A college doesn’t define you. YOU define yourself.</p>

10

<p>**Decision: Accepted </p>

<p>Applied for International Studies and Visual Arts </p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2230, (770 reading, 770 writing, 690 math)
[</em>] ACT: 32 (36E, 35R, 29M, 27S).
[<em>] SAT II: 740 Math II, 740 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
[<em>] Rank: 1-2/114
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (5), World (4), Lang (4), USH (5), Chem (3)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP: Lit, Gov, Psych, Calc, Physics
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing much</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Swim Team (captain), Best Buddies (VP), Photography Club (Founder and President), NHS (president), engineering fair, theater, many things
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 600+ community service hours
[<em>] Essays:
[</em>] Why UChicago: Told a story about how I had a photo exhibited at the W Hotel in Chicago and how it led to finding UChicago, and filler “best school ever” bit.
[<em>] Optional: Copy and pasted a essay about why I liked The Onion from my Columbia app.
[</em>] Extended: Made my own essay topic using a quote from Fox News (very much in mockery). Wrote about how homophobia at my high school makes me uncomfortable. Kind of a nice foil to my Common App essay about how I was comfortable behind the lens of a camera.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: I loved both the teachers I picked, surely great.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: I was friends with my GC before she worked at my school.
[<em>] Additional Rec: what
[</em>] Interview: Was at a coffee shop with a c/o 2013 grad. Went really well!
[li] Supplementary Material: Literally made a website for my photography portfolio. </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): FL
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: small private christian, never sends to schools like this
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): too high for FA
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not really anything. </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: variety of interests, SAT writing and reading, recs, interest.
[</em>] Weaknesses: My uchicago essays were random and not so great imo. SAT math score.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I visited campus in February (was in the area anyway). I also think the fact that I literally made a website to submit as a photography portfolio showed fun interest. PM me if you want to sees it.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted (so far): Notre Dame EA, UVA EA, WashU, Drexel, University of Florida. Not rejected anywhere (yet). Was not really considering UC before because I assumed I would get rejected… I was looking to go into Architecture, but Chicago doesn’t really have an Architecture program. I applied because it seems like an awesome place to be. </p>

<p>[/ul]**General Comments: ** I’ve been playing with the “congratulations” graphic for the past hour. Really can’t believe I got in. My best friend got waitlisted and it’s been awkward all afternoon. </p>

11

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2150 – CW: 740 W: 760 M: 650
ACT (breakdown): 29 – English: 32. Math: 29. Reading: 32. Science: 24 (so ashamed).
SAT II: Math II: 690. US History: 720.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Weighted GPA: 4.22
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Comp (4). US History (5). Chem (5).
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ. AP Calc AB. AP Physics B. AP Gov. AP Lit. School Newspaper (J2)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): School newspaper (creator and original editor of our online branch. Business manager). Chess club (founder and president). Republican club (Vice president). Ballet (ages 9-16. Reached a pre-professional level-- apprenticeship with professional company. Quit due to severe chronic injury / bulimia) Sailing (won 2nd in two regattas)
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer camp counselor (taught children to sail / lifegaurd at an overnight YMCA summer camp) </p>

<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
Essays (Include Subjects):
Common App Main: 9
Extended essay(which topic): Joke prompt: 8
Optional Essay: Favorite books: 9
Why Chicago: 8
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10
Teacher Recommendation #2: 6-8 maybe?
Counselor Rec: 6-8 maybe?
Interview: Nope
Date Submitted App: Mid-December
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: $200k +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Triple legacy
Other schools: Accepted: UofMinnesota - Twin Cities. Indiana U-Bloomington. SMU. URochester. Brandeis. UMich (waiting to hear about Honors). Waitlisted: UChicago. Waiting to hear back from quite a few more.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Legacy, EC’s, Essays
Weaknesses: Math score. Also, I really should have studied for the ACT.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably wait-listed because they didn’t want to reject me because I have so much legacy, but didn’t really want to admit me either. Perpetuating the family legacy? Close enough.
What would you have done differently?: Studied for the ACT. Attempted to get an interview.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I’m not too upset because UChicago was not necessarily my #1, but it does hurt to be one of the first in my immediate family to not be admitted. Always the mediocre child. </p>

12

<p>[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (CR:760, M:760, W: 800)
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[ *] ACT (breakdown):
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[ *] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
[ *] Weighted GPA:
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):25% (Don’t think it counted in my case though because I didn’t go to my high school.)
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses):
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: Proof-based Calc 1-4, Linear Algebra, Diff Eq, E&M, Waves&Optics, Mathematical Physics,
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school:
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Internationally competitive skier
[ *] Job/Work Experience: sponsored skier, worked at grocery store
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: Wrote a crazy essay about how to survive working at a grocery store: do math in your head and make friends with old people.
[ *] EC Short Answer:
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Wrote about the philosophical significance of drinking coffee.
[ *] Optional Essay: Wrote about my favorite philosophers and the outdoors.
[ *] Why Chicago: Wrote about their math program and how it would be super awesome to be around so many other intellectuals.
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: 7/10? He said he “submitted a raving recommendation.”
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: 6/10. Said good things but nothing extraordinary.
[ *] Counselor Rec: 7/10. Hopefully she explained my situation fairly well.
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ ] Interview: Went super well. Talked about math for 2 hours.
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: 1/3/14
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): WA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Online -> community college -> University
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Male
[ ] Income Bracket: 160k
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] [ b]Reflection[ list]
[ ] Strengths: I am far too biased to analyze myself.
[ ] Weaknesses: I am far too biased to analyze myself.
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No clue. I am going to go super ham to be accepted. I want to get into Honors Analysis more than anything.
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list] Nothing.
[ b]Other Factors:
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Rejected from Caltech, MIT. Waitlisted here. I just hope I can get into a good math grad school from my state U.</p>

13

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>SAT I superscore (breakdown): CR: 620, Math: 730, Writing: 660
ACT superscore (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: Math 2: 620 (eww), USH: 690, Chem: 700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): didn’t take , didn’t offer at school
IB (place score in parentheses): didn’t offer
Senior Year Course Load: International student</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top 10 highest score achiever in Matriculation exam in my country
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): debate, slam poetry
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: library volunteer
Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: pretty fine
Teacher Recommendation #2: good
Counselor Rec: excellent
Additional Rec: didn’t submit
Interview: I don’t know. I was HONEST about how I would be happy going to any college- not just UChicago.
Art Supplement: didn’t do any art</p>

<p>School Type: Public
Ethnicity: South East Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 100000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Strengths: URM
Weaknesses: MY WHOLE LIFE OF 17 YRS
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Need aid, no major award, didn’t play instruments or do sports or arts.
What would you have done differently?: NOTHING, I JUST TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT MY LIFE HAS GIVEN TO ME. THE REST IS NOT MY JOB.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: going to be a nun or enroll in the army ( because I got wait listed) jk :(( :(( :(( </p>

14

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Stats:
SAT: 2100 (680M, 690CR, 730W)
ACT: 34 (32M, 34S, 34E, 36CR, 08W)
SAT IIs: Math 2: 770, Chem: 720
GPA: 4.0 (4.7 weighted)
Rank: 1/roughly 330
AP Scores: 5 on Calc AB, 5 on US Gov.
IB Scores: 6 on Chem SL, 5 on Music SL
Senior Year Course Load: IB History of the Americas HL, IB English HL, IB Math HL, AP Physics B, IB French SL, IB Econ SL, Wind Ensemble (upper level band), IB Theory of Knowledge
Awards: Rensselaer Medalist, Boys State Delegate, VA Governor’s French Academy, All-District Band and a bunch of other music awards, some miscellaneous school-level awards.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Marching Band 4 years (section leader 2 years), Drama Club 4 years, Varsity Tennis 3 years, Math Team 4 years (co-captain 1 year), Chess Team 2 years, local youth orchestra 2 years, a few other local honor bands, NHS, French NHS, National Beta Club
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteered at local day camp for kids interested in math and science for several weeks every summer, did several music programs with handicapped adults, volunteering at elections and political campaigns
Essays: All excellent, in the 8-10 range
Teacher Recs: I never saw them, but the teachers that I asked think very highly of me so I assume they were very good
Counselor Rec: Same as above; never saw but I assume it was very good
Hook (if any): None that I can think of</p>

<p>Location/Person:
State or Country: Virginia
School Type: Public, best in my area and well-ranked nationally with a successful IB program
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Intended Major: Economics</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strenghts: Strong academics and extracurriculars
Weaknesses: SAT score lower than I would have liked, perhaps could have used more leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No reason in particular. I felt good about my application and my essays, but I know that UChicago receives an huge amount of applicants who are as qualified as or more qualified than me.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: UChicago was my first choice, but I’m not feeling too down about it. I’ve already gotten into UVA as an Echols Scholar and William & Mary as a Monroe Scholar, so I know that I’ve got at least two good options, both of which would probably be much cheaper. Still waiting on decisions from Brown, Duke, and Williams College.</p>

15

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2320
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): M 770 CR 800 W 780
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 790 USH, 770 Chinese
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 4.4
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 5: USH, Calc, Chem, Euro, Art History, Chinese, Lang
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Physics
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Science Olympiad Regionals[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Electronic Music Production, Science Olympiad, Video Game Designing, Linguistics Studying, random club that I founded
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Nature Park, Tutor[/ul] Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[</em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[<em>] Common App Main: My failure to get appointed for a position as the school productions manager, and how I learned from it, 7
[</em>] Extended essay(which topic): Talked about my experiences with my orchestra overseas, and an experience I had with composing music there, 9
[<em>] Optional Essay: Really randomly and whimsically described a few of my interests, 7
[</em>] Why Chicago: Tied in my love of linguistics and computer science to facilities at Chicago. Also talked about its intellectual environment and how I’d fit, 9
[<em>] Other:[/ul][li] Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher for 3 years, didn’t read but she liked me[/li][</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: US History teacher, I was the top student in the class, and I took on a whole project that I specifically did, didn’t read
[<em>] Counselor Rec: 100 students per counselor at my school
[</em>] Interview: None, I tried to get one the day after the deadline but nope
/list] Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: December 28th or so
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): California
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: Middle class
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Essays powerfully demonstrated my personality imo, Good academics and test scores, decently in depth ECs
[</em>] Weaknesses: No real achievements, not too many ECs, leadership
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Definitely my essays. I had very little going for me to separate me from other smart students, so I poured all my energy into making myself sound like a person with brimming potential and a witty sense of humor. I guess it worked :smiley:
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: Contacted for an interview on time[/ul][/list]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: And so, after 2 rejections, I finally have somewhere to go for 4 years. Phew. Of course I still have a ton of other school decisions coming up, but woo Chicagooooo!</p>

16

<p>[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]
Also got likely letter a few weeks a go and University Scholar merit scholarship+Presidential and Odyssey scholarships </p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2390, 800CR/790M/800W
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 800CR/790M/800W
[ *] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
[ *] SAT II: 740 US History, 720 Lit, 710 Bio E
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.31 (highest possible at school)
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): N/A (not offered)
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: Hardest possible
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:[ Nothing massively interesting, some local writing and science awards]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Executive Editor at two student newspapers, Director of Public Communications with the library shop, Lead Ambassador (long story with non traditional education stuff), Founder and President of College Prep Club, program member of a science for girls thing, Goalie/Forward on JV Soccer Team
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Research Intern at The Scripps Research Institute, Research Intern at UCSD Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Founder of Tutoring business
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list] Peer Leader/Camp Counselor for girls with autism spectrum disorder, the library thing (not sure which counts more?) a lot of volunteer tutoring
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ Really loved my essays, did the mantis shrimp prompt
]
[ *] Common App Main: About my volunteering experience, very personal and heartfelt/reflective, took a creative approach to the failure prompt
[ *] EC Short Answer: About my science internship stuff
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): One of these was the mantis shrimp one, another was on science fiction and I cant remember which is which so
[ *] Why Chicago: Very good quality, talked about a lot of school specific things and related the core to my own education
[ *] Other:[/list][ *]
Teacher Recommendation #1: Phenomenal, best student in 15 years of teaching stuff, very close personal relationship with them
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: Very good, top 5% ever taught
[ *] Counselor Rec: Phenomenal
[ *] Additional Rec: From my science mentor, very good
[ ] Interview: On campus, pretty good, rather short (30 minutes or so)
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other[ list] N/A
[ *] Date Submitted App:I don’t totally remember, before the deadline?
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[ *] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[ *] School Type: I go to two high schools in cocurrent enrollment, one a non traditional charter and one online (it’s very weird)
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Income Bracket: Depends how you count divorced parents, 90-150k
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] [ b]Reflection[ list] none REALLY that stand out, the second science internship was rather prestigious and I did some interesting things there, and my education has been very non-traditional.
[ ] Strengths: High numbers from a pure stats perspective, quality of writing, diverse ECs with a lot of leadership
[ ] Weaknesses:No APs (none offered), no major awards
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: If I’m being cynical, because I boost the numbers. But honestly, I think my personality which came through the apps matches with UChicago’s teaching philosophy quite well
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors: Go after INTEL maybe, or been a little more focused in my ECs because they’re sort of all over the map
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Honestly happy about it, this was the first “big” acceptance. Also got a likely from Columbia in NYC, still waiting on some other ivies and financial aid decisions before committing. Congrats to all admits! (and join the fb page because it’s great)</p>

17

<p>Decision: Rejected (Deferred Initially)</p>

<p>Objective:

  • ACT: 36 (35 on Math, 11 on essay)
  • SAT II: 800 US History, 760 Bio E, 740 Math II (can’t remember if I sent Math)
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/app. 320 - #1 already got into MIT EA, to give context
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on World History, US History, AP Eng Lang, AP Eng Lit, Psychology; 4s on Bio, European History, Human Geography
    IB: 7 on Geography SL, 6 on Spanish B SL
  • Senior Year Course Load: IB Spanish V, IB Biology IV HL, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB History of the Americas HL, IB English HL, IB Mathematics SL/AP AB Calculus, AP Macroeconomics/AP United States Government and Politics
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar, Scholastic Art and Writing Gold and Silver Keys, some History Fair stuff, school stuff</p>

<p>Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars/Volunteer/Community service (place leadership in parenthesis):
    300 hours of volunteering, mostly in animal rescue
    NHS, Co-President
    Spanish NHS, Co-President
    Academic Team, School and County, President
    Literary Magazine, Editor-In-Chief
    Drama Club/International Thespian Society, Publicity Team</p>

<ul>
<li>Job/Work Experience: none</li>
<li>Essays: Common App 10/10, UChicago ones were ehhhh, 5/10</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: 1st was Bio teacher and NHS sponsor who loves my animal rescue work, probably 9-10/10, second probably a 9/10, third 6/10?</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: no idea, probably a 7-8/10</li>
<li>Interview: N/A</li>
</ul>

<p>Other

  • Applied for Financial Aid?: No
  • Intended Major: Economics
  • State (if domestic applicant): FL
  • School Type: Public with high-performing IB program inset
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Gender: F
  • Income Bracket: do not need FA
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none.</p>

<p>Reflection

  • Strengths: 36 on ACT, very passionate about my ECs, essay was great - my CA essay was about an activity that probably made me stand out. Not a sport or anything that could sway my decision or bring attention to the university, but it was funny and probably made me memorable because I doubt many teenagers do it.
  • Weaknesses:
  • Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My UChicago essays sucked hard - wrote them the night before. It was probably very obvious that I wasn’t dying to get into UChicago, which, at this level of competition, is what you need to show.
    Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to UVA and UNC OOS, WashU, as well as London School of Economics and Political Science (conditionally). Applied to 17 colleges so I won’t name them all, but still waiting on Stanford, Yale, Penn, Northwestern, Georgetown, and Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>General Comments: Further proof that essays are what make an application, in my opinion. Congrats to everyone who was admitted!</p>

18

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800CR 800M 790W
SAT I superscore: 2390
ACT (breakdown): N/A
ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Physics 770 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Weighted GPA: 4.22
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 34/350
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4) US History (5) Biology (4) Psychology (5) English Lang (5) Currently enrolled in Physics B, Calculus BC, English Lit, French Lang, US Govt & Politics
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP Courses, 1 elective, band
Number of other EA applicants in your school: None
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, some kind of AP scholar probably, SAGE runner-up world champion</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Band (Vice President), dance (a lot), teaching dance (also a lot), SAGE (CEO), school paper (layout editor), Physics honor society (founder & president), NHS, Science Olympiad
Job/Work Experience: An unpleasant job at a national retail chain specializing in teen clothing
Volunteer/Community service: Work on a county legislature campaign, 400+ hours teaching dance, work at a mission downtown
Essays (Include Subjects):
Common App Main: The best thing I’ve ever written (perhaps still not great). Describes my lifelong struggles with spelling and relates them to points of view.
Extended essay(which topic): Not very extended (400ish words). I did the joke one. What were Isaac Newton’s parents like? Smart. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Optional Essay: I talked about The Office. Probably a mistake.
Why Chicago: Too weird and conceptual.
Other:
Teacher Recommendation #1: 11th grade physics teacher. Has said I am his favorite student of all time.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 11th grade English teacher. I imagine it was decent.
Counselor Rec: Explained some of the blips in my transcript - I transferred schools my junior year, leading to my lower class rank.
Additional Rec:
Interview: A little awkward at first considering my interviewer (a history professor at my state flagship) and I didn’t have much in common, but we ended up talking for a long time and laughing a lot. She told me not to worry about being admitted and that I’d find lots of kindred spirits in Chicago…ok
Date Submitted App: 10/30/2013 (I was deferred EA)
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country : USA
School Type: Large Public School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: My essays were decent, my test scores literally can’t be much better, and my grades inclined sharply my second semester of this year. Also nailed the interview.
Weaknesses: Prior to aforementioned semester my grades were questionable. My 3.7 probably stuck out like a sore thumb in a sea of 4.0s. I didn’t start applying myself in school until my senior year, and by then it was too late.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: As good as I look on the Common App and as perfect as I sound for the school in person, my work ethic just isn’t up to par.
What would you have done differently?: Gone back to my freshman year and tried from the beginning.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: All in all not surprised. Still honestly kind of excited I only got soft-rejected in the EA round. By the time this decision was released I’d already found myself a new top choice - Reed College, where I hope I’ll be accepted. I’ve gotten into four other schools - including a full ride to the state flagship and likely letters from Cornell and NYU - so no matter what, I’m going to college.</p>

<p>Congratulations to everyone who liked the news they heard - your next four years will be amazing, and I’m so happy for you.</p>

19

<p>[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color]</p>

<p>Objective:[ list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 800 M 760 CR 660 W (Did not submit)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): Taken only once
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): High 34
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): Taken only once
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 Chinese
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Weighted GPA: Around 5.1 (6 point scale)
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 or 2 in a class of 563 (Transcripts were messed up)
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): All 5’s on Macro/MicroEcon, Calculus BC, Environmental Science, Language/Comp, US History, Chinese, US Government.
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): None
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: 8 Classes- AP Biology (Yearlong), AP Psychology, AP Human Geo, AP Lit/Comp, AP Art History (Yearlong), AP Statistics
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: Low single digits.
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Too average for this
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Quizbowl President (since Junior year), Active in FBLA since Freshman year (rose to state officer level in senior year), Young Democrats Political Liaison, National Honor Society Member, Club Swim Member.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Just started a job as a sushi chef in the fall of senior year.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] Worked as a water quality monitoring intern in China (helped measure algae content in the water). At the same time, served as a summer camp counselor focused on teaching elementary-age children the importance of environmental awareness. Later, served as head for charity organization with a friend that helped raise money for local schools to purchase technology.
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ ist]
[<em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[ul]
[li] Common App Main: Development topic. Wrote about overcoming fear through a monthly haircut with my mother. Talked about how fear is something perceived that just hinders you from happiness. Kinda weak 7/10 [/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: They had this?
[ <em>] Extended essay(which topic): Open Prompt (didn’t like any of the one’s this year). Chose to write “where’s waldo?”. Talked about how Waldo was stuck in a piece of lost luggage. You had to read it to believe it. 9/10 for the right person
[ *] Optional Essay: Talked about Freakonomics, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, and Ender’s Game (the movie). Really just talked about what I found interesting about each and how they really touched me.8/10
[</em>] Why Chicago: Chicago is the place for intellectual conversation. Ideas come to life at UChicago. Plus they have so many opportunities to see theory put into practice. Really fell in love with the school’s Econ program before even starting to write. 8/10
[li] Other:[/ul][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: US history Teacher who also advised quizbowl. Really loved his class and was always one of the most active talkers in his class discussions. I think 9/10 but I waived FERPA.[/li][ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: Calculus Teacher. Really helped one of my best friends in her class and helped her understand Calculus. Always ready to put up practice problems and did homework although it wasn’t required. After her class, I came back to help translate for a Chinese exchange student in her Calc class. Still see her everyday. 9/10 (wavied FERPA)
[ *] Counselor Rec: Average? Big school—>little interaction. She knows my name, but I don’t know about my hopes and dreams.
[ *] Additional Rec: None
[ ] Interview: LOVED MY INTERVIEWER. Spent about 1.5 hours talking about the Core and the housing system. She was a huge comedy/film buff and we bonded over the culture scene at UChicago. Also, talked about Scav and we started listing off some of the most interesting items on the Scav lists (plus she won a Scav once so that was so much fun)
[ ] Art Supplement: LOL I wish[/list] [ b]Other[ul]
[ *] Date Submitted App: Literally days before RD deadline
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NC
[ *] Country (if international applicant): USA
[ *] School Type: Huge Public (think 2500+ students). Suburban/Competitive
[ *] Ethnicity: Chinese American
[ *] Gender: Male
[ ] Income Bracket: 100K-150K
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Please[/ul] [ b]Reflection I wouldn’t have it any other way. I had so much fun with this application process. [ list]
[ *] Strengths: GPA, Courseload, Leadership Positions
[ *] Weaknesses: Lack of Research, Weaker Test Scores (lack of testing)
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess they saw me at my quirkiest. I just tried to show them that I’m human and not afraid to be different.
[ *] What would you have done differently?: Nothing[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors: Not Much. **
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats to all RD applicants and admittees! Honestly, knowing how selective UChicago is, it is just such an honor to even be considered near the top of the applicant pool. Before this, I was deferred from an Ivy, so don’t lose hope if you didn’t get admitted. This is just one step in your journey (it’s only the start of decision season). Keep your head up. The fact you were even able to apply to UChicago seriously means you’re an amazing student and will find your way wherever you go. **</p>

20

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 770 (Math); 760 (Writing); 780 (CR)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2310
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 750 US History; 720 Literature
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (96.833 unweighted out of 100)
[<em>] Weighted GPA: Too tired to calculate it now… Got A/A+'s in all my classes, took 10 APs in total and all other classes were Honors/College level if you want to figure it out. Only seven credits can be taken per year.
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/395
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): AP World History (4); AP US History (5); AP Calculus AB (5); AP Psychology (5); AP Language and Composition (5).
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C: Mechanics; AP Literature and Composition; AP French; AP Government and Politics, AP Calculus BC, College Criminal Law and Justice, College Economics, Philharmonic Orchestra.
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 2 (including me)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction. Does Scholastic Art and Writing count? If so, 2 Gold Keys in drawing and painting. Also, Top 10 Overall State Finalists in Business Law and Ethics for NY DECA. Various other regional awards and tennis tournament placings.[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Tennis (1st singles for three years; Captain for two); Art; Classical Piano; DECA; Debate Club (Captain/Founder); Newspaper (Editor-in-chief); French Honor Society (Treasurer); National Honor Society; Music Honor Society/Tri-M; National Art Honor Society.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Tennis instructor.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: In total, 800+ hours. Volunteer referee at children’s tennis matches; Volunteer at hospital. I also interned at my Congressman’s campaign for a summer and part of the school year.[/ul]
**Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best): **[ul]
[<em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: 9.5/10; I sent it to a college counselor, and they said that the essay was phenomenal, albeit its content could be regarded as somewhat controversial (I wrote about my crusade against the school administration).[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: 8.5/10; It was decent.
[<em>] Extended essay (which topic): 10/10 (Mantis Shrimp); It was really good. Had my AP Lit teacher read it, and he said it could be published. I took a risk though, since I wrote a short story. I tried to demonstrate some creativity, since I looked sorta boring elsewhere.
[</em>] Optional Essay: 9/10; I did it on my favorite book.
[<em>] Why Chicago: 9/10; I tried to apply an artistic view, as if I was “painting” my essay and how I would fit in at UChicago.
[</em>] Other:[/ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Amazing. Had my French teacher of four years write it. It was superb and described every aspect of me in the best light.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: I didn’t get to see it, he was really private about it. Although, we have a great relationship. He thinks I’m a little weird, though.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t get to see it either. I assume it’s standard.
[</em>] Additional Rec: From my private art teacher and piano teacher. Art teacher’s was great for describing my portfolio and work ethic; piano teacher’s really highlighted my dedication to the arts and helping others.
[<em>] Interview: It was okay, we talked for an hour. A little awkward, as it was my first interview ever.
[</em>] Art Supplement: Submitted. [/list]
Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: Early Action; November 8th
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): New York
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Chinese
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: >$100,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope, nothing. If anything, being Chinese was a huge disadvantage.[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: I suppose the extracurriculars, especially my art portfolio and establishing the Debate Club at my school. Essays, maybe.
[<em>] Weaknesses: Not enough volunteer work or major awards, my school wasn’t really open to those sort of things. I mostly learned about competitions via my friends at other schools. Being Chinese. SAT II scores.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: You know. The weaknesses.
[li] What would you have done differently?: I would have participated in more major competitions earlier in high school and more community service.[/ul]Other Factors:[/li]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Congrats to everyone that did get accepted, and good luck to those who are waiting on the waitlist. I wish I still had that chance. I guess I can still wait for the other 11 schools I have to hear back from. Judging from this, I don’t expect much. ;__;</p>