UChicago 2018 RD Decision Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
41

<p>Decision: Deferred then Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 800 CR, 690 M, 730 W (dumb luck for the W score; I got a 11 on that essay, and only three MCs wrong)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2220
[<em>] SAT II: 780 Literature, 770 World History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5ish
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 20%
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Hardest available
[<em>] Number of other applicants in your school: 1
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Two international writing competitions, two local writing competitions, a couple of MUN Best Delegates and Honourable Mentions, a couple of local debate comp Best Speakers, a couple of local drama/public speaking comps champions and runner-ups, Harvard and Princeton Book Awards, got highest scores in two subjects for two consecutive years, received school’s Outstanding Talent Award and Service Awards [/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate Team (founder and captain), Model United Nations (Executive Committee of university-level local MUN organiser, captain of school team), Literature Society (chairlady), student government (campaign manager), Choir, Drama Club, cheerleading, 3 Distinctions in 3 Coursera courses
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Interned at local radio station, and publisher; been working as a tutor for 2-3 years for three kids
[<em>]Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] 300(?) hours at a non-profit aiming to integrate immigrants into society; developed curriculum for teaching them the local dialect, amongst other volunteering experiences
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[</em>] Essays (Include Subjects): Defining experience that turned you into a young adult, or something like that; can’t remember. 7-8ish? I wrote it in second person, which is kind of creative, and I alluded to my dad’s suddenly leaving
[<em>] Common App Main: [<em>]
[</em>] Extended essay(which topic): You are you and your. I’m not going to say much about what I exactly wrote, but everyone who read it said it was really, really creative and thought-provoking, and personally, I loved it. 8-10.
[</em>] Optional Essay: Wrote about a heap of stuff, from literature to music to ballet. Very lyrical. 8-10.
[li] Why Chicago: Could go both ways, lol. I wrote about my passion for anthropology and how UChicago could offer me the college experience I wanted - in a letter. Beginning sentences were: I like you. You like me. We don’t know each other though, not yet. 1-10. [/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Other:[ul]
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Loves me, but wrote an app that lacked anecdotes and stuff that would actually shed more light into who I am, I think.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Same as teacher rec #1
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Same as teacher rec #1
[</em>] Additional Rec: Sent in rec from a mentor at the radio station after getting deferred
[<em>] Interview: UChicago forced an interview on me, and it was awesome. Alum and I talked about everything, from philosophy to the local curriculum. Fought for me when I got deferred
[</em>] Art Supplement: Five pages of essays and poetry that won me awards
[<em>] Date Submitted App: 1/10/2013
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Hong Kong
[<em>] School Type: Top 25 public grammar school
[</em>] Ethnicity: Mixed. Chinese-Portuguese-Trinidadian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: Fam has been living on social welfare for three years
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Background, first gen, a little bit of minority in me [/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essays, ECs, awards, SAT IIs
[<em>] Weaknesses: Got a C and a D in freshman year. Bad GPA. Poor recs. International needing a huge amount of financial aid
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted: Deferred because I needed a lot of aid, along with said weaknesses; accepted because I sent them three notes about my passion for UChicago
[li] What would you have done differently?: Better recs. Supremely better recs. [/ul][/li]**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: ** Good luck, everyone! So looking forward to meet you guys :smiley: </p>

42

<p>[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>This is for my daughter</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:**[ list]
[ *] SAT I: 2340 (CR 740, Math 800, WR 800
[ *] SAT I: 2340
[ *] ACT 35: did not submit
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[ *] SAT II: Eng Literature 790, Bio 780
[ *] Unweighted GPA (3.98 of 4.0):
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.55
[ *] Rank 1/440:
[ *] AP: 4s on APUSH, biology, chemistry, 5s on Calc, physics, English Comp, English liter, stats
[ *] IB: several, no scores
[ *] Senior Year: 3 IBs, one AP (AP govern), one college:
[ *] </p>

<p>[ *] Extracurriculars, Varsity tennis (number one single and doubles), MockTrial (captain), City Youth Symphony (ConcertMaster), State High School Honor Orchestra (Asst Concert Master), Piano
[ *] job experience 0
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:300 hours of museum, hospices </p>

<p>[ *] Why Chicago: Strong in the area of interest
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: strong
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: strong
[ *] Counselor Rec: strong
[ *] Additional Rec: strong
[ *] Interview: did not happen
[ *] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]submitted a violin and a piano recording **[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: Late December
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): WI
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public school
[ *] Ethnicity:Chinese
[ *] Gender: Female
[ *] Income Bracket: ~200k
[ *] Hooks None
[ *] Strengths: All around
[ *] Weaknesses: Nothing stands out other than violin playing
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not sure (expected)</p>

43

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): CR: 770 M: 770 WR: 790 (4th single sitting)
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown): N/A
[ *] ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): Didn’t take
[ *] SAT II: M2: 800 US Hist: 770 Physics: 760
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Weighted GPA: Unknown
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/788
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): 5s: World Hist, US Hist, Physics B 4s: Stat
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP Macroecon, AP Am. Gov, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C: Mech, Jazz Combo, Concert Band
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1 Questbridge, 1 EA (Technically enrolled, doesn’t really attend)
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Didn’t even know about 'em.</p>

<p>Subjective:
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching band (Section leader 2 years), school jazz band (Lead alto and tenor saxophone), Beta Club (President), National Honor Society, German National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Science National Honor Society, English National Honor Society, Philosophy Club (Founder/President), Competitive saxophone (2 times All-State Concert Band, 2 times All-State Jazz Band), Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony (Principal Tenor Saxophone)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Ha…
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Mostly school and club related service projects. I doubt I had over 500 hours.[/list]
[ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):
[ *] Common App Main: Wrote about my life with divorced parents and how I overcame my academic shortcomings by discovering intrinsic motivation. I’ve been told it’s a beautiful essay, but the story itself is not that uncommon/special. However, that may have made it more relatable. (8/10)
[ *] EC Short Answer: Wrote about how my time in the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony broadened my views on culture, humanity, music, etc. In retrospect, it seemed kinda corny, but the admissions board didn’t seem to think that way. (7/10)
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Wrote my own prompt. I felt this essay was definitely the make-it/break-it part of my application. I posed the question “What is your favorite insult and why?” and compared the fine “art” of insulting people to cooking. I definitely took a risk because the insult was directed at a teacher at my school, though her involvement in my essay was minimized to the fullest extent that contextual demands would allow. It was full of sarcasm and laughs and I feel I really put my heart and soul into it. (10/10)
[ *] Optional Essay: Recycled a short response I used for Columbia. Talked about Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and the themes within it, other corny stuff. (7/10)
[ *] Why Chicago: Talked about how I started a philosophy club at my school in pursuit of the kind of small group discussion style education offered at Chicago. (8/10)
[ *] Other: Teacher Recommendation #1: Stat Teacher, claimed that was the best letter he had ever written
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: Physics B Teacher, procrastinated, got it in the night before the deadline
[ *] Counselor Rec: School is too large for that to matter
[ *] Additional Rec: World History Teacher, very close mentor figure, great rec I assume
[ *] Interview: Didn’t have one
[ *] Art Supplement: Didn’t submit</p>

<p>Other:
[ *] Date Submitted App: Day before the deadline
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Georgia
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian, Chinese
[ *] Gender: Male
[ *] Income Bracket: 100k+
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Hooks are for worms.</p>

<p>Reflection:
[ *] Strengths: Irreverent, risk-taking, Asian who plays jazz and is good at it
[ *] Weaknesses: Not as many APs/not as high numbers as some.
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Dat essay doe. Someone on the admissions board must have gotten a few laughs out of that.
[ *] What would you have done differently?: Nothing at all.</p>

<p>Other Factors: Divorced parents, though I doubt that did anything.</p>

<p>General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:I never would have seen this coming in a million years. To prospective students: Go for it. You will shoot and miss 9/10 shots in life (at least that’s me) but you will never hit any if you don’t shoot at all. Do your best. Don’t worry about your grades or accomplishments not being good enough. Make sure you kick butt on the essay, especially if it’s UChicago. If you don’t make it into some fancy-pants name-brand school, you aren’t any worse than those that do. College decisions are extremely arbitrary and you still have the potential for greatness. Wish everyone the best.</p>

44

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

<p>[ b]Objective:**[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (770 M, 790 W, 700 CR)
[ *] SAT II: Math II (750), US History (700)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.4
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/262 (ugh school doesn’t weight class rank)
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): English Lang (5), US History (5), Calculus BC (5), Physics C: Mech (3)
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP US Gov and Politics, AP Stats, AP Environmental, AP French, Sales and Marketing 3
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: None
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): DECA International (ICDC) Finalist[/list] </p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars: DECA (Chapter President, State Officer),
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] </p>

<p>[ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: Spent 7 months on it, absolutely stunning! :slight_smile: 9.5/10
[ *] EC Short Answer: 6/10
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): What is history, who are they, what aren’t they telling us. Interesting take - good historical background! 7.5/10
[ *] Optional Essay:
[ *] Why Chicago: Very specific about programs, classes, professors and life in Chicago. 8/10
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: 9/10. Calc and Stats teacher who LOVES me
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10. Freshman and Senior English teacher. Should be pretty good.
[ *] Counselor Rec: 7/10 Knew her pretty well overall, and she admires my work ethic!
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ *] Interview: Pretty lame honestly. She was a graduate of Chicago’s graduate school for child care or something
[ *] Art Supplement:[/list] </p>

<p>[ b]Other**[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: Not even sure
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Washington
[ *] Country (if international applicant): US of A
[ *] School Type: Medium public, rarely sends to prestigious schools
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
[ *] Gender: Indian
[ *] Income Bracket: 115k
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] </p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**[ list]
[ *] Strengths: ECs, Recs, Essays
[ *] Weaknesses: SATII and GPA maybe?
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I knew it was going to be an uphill battle to get into this school. It just kind of hurts considering I was so close and I end up waitlisted. I only can think of my objective stuff not being good enough frankly. I’ve felt the pang of rejection before with Penn (Wharton) but it still stings since it’s near the top of my college choices.
[ *] What would you have done differently?: Worked harder on GPA and test scores I suppose[/list][/list]</p>

<p>[ b]Other Factors:**
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:** Accepted: University of Washington, Washington University in St Louis, UMinnesota - Twin Cities
Waitlisted: Chicago
Rejected: Penn (Wharton)</p>

45

<p>Dang, I’m seeing a lot of waitlistees… Don’t you all feel like going somewhere else? :wink: Hahaha, just kidding, really. Congrats to everyone who got in, and to my fellow waitlistees who are choosing to stay on the waitlist: Let’s keep our fingers crossed!!</p>

46

<p>@SlamDunkz2496 Interesting gender you got there! </p>

47

<p>Deferred → Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (730CR/770M/800W/11 essay) single-sitting
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 33 (33E/36M/33R/30S/8 essay) also single-sitting
[<em>] SAT II: 770 Chem, 800 Math 2, 700 USH
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): all A’s and 2 A-'s …whatever that is
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 100.45
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 or 2 out of 208
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Chem (5), APUSH (5), Stats (5)
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: APs in comp sci A, physics C: e&m, english lit, calc bc; french V, health (boo)
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1 (was rejected), +2 RD (both WL’d)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): only small school/regional/state recognition awards for academics, gymnastics [/ul] Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): school math team (captain), academic team (typist), jazz & concert band (section leader), ARML math team, summer intern at non-profit math program for girls, competitive gymnast 6 years, MHS (music honor society) website head
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: cashier/food bagger for 2 summers at chinese restaurant, tutored clarinetists
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: freshman year service learning trip to NYC [/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: (9/10) slaved over this, about my coming to terms with my uniqueness and chinese/american identities[/li][</em>] Extended essay(which topic): (6/10) what is history? compared the ambiguity and richness of history to me eating a bagel and trying to figure out its past…i thought it was good when i initially wrote it, but def not up to par with my current critical eye
[<em>] Optional Essay: my original was probably a 5 or 6; i sent a revised version (7 or 8) for RD round - it was about my love for film and random actors/directors/shows/sculptors; i think the content really showed off my love for learning through non-traditional means
[</em>] Why Chicago: (8/10) reading it over again, this essay is SO CHEEZAYY…i related me staring up at the snow-covered dome of mansueto library to a “say yes to the dress” moment, when i realized i was “in love” with uchicago…lots of literary references in it
[<em>] Other:[/ul][li] Teacher Rec #1: math teacher, probs a 7 or 8 [/li][</em>] Teacher Rec #2: english teacher - love her to shreds (9 or maybe even 10); she said “I wrote you a bomb rec letter” to me
[<em>] Teacher Rec #3 (additional): apush teacher (7 or 8) he really liked me a student and is the only one of my teachers who knows anything about uchicago
[</em>] Counselor Rec: i’m horrible at assigning quantitative values to subjective material!! but maybe a 7 or 8? it was just a reiteration of my ECs plus some nice comments here or there, but i have a good relationship with my guidance counselor
[<em>] Interview: didn’t have one EA, the RD one was really great - we talked for over an hour about uchicago life, love of learning, life after college, etc. got me wayyy too excited about UC
[</em>] Art Supplement:[/list] Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: 11/8/13 at 11:59:47 pm
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
[<em>] School Type: small public, top 20
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian - Chinese
[<em>] Gender: femme fatale (XX)
[</em>] Income Bracket: <$40k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): asian female from good northeastern public high? how about anti-hook [/ul] Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: showed HUGE interest, good objective stats for people in my school, a couple above par essays, focused ECs
[<em>] Weaknesses: not as many APs, course rigor looks paltry even though classes are intensive, uncommon essay was really weird and not great, no major awards, not a super genius (just worked really hard throughout HS)
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred initially probs due to essays and they wanted to see how i would hold up with more AP classes senior year. after my deferral i made major efforts, like going for an interview, sending in a revised essay, emailing my counselor and telling him uchicago is my first choice
[*] What would you have done differently?: stressed less maybe…and i wish i recorded a better reaction video to my decision [/ul]Other Comments: absolutely shocked I got in, but I’m so excited for the next four years!!! i also got into Georgetown EA (gonna be sad to give up DC, but i can always intern there!) and some other safety schools. my biggest advice is to be as true to yourself as possible in your app, and to enjoy every moment!</p>

48

<p>Just wanted to let people know that my decision was probably very abnormal, and very very unexpected… my app is to prove that anyone can apply! Read on to find out why I personally think I was waitlisted…</p>

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 630 Reading, 740 Writing, 740 Math
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2120
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): None
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): None
[<em>] SAT II: Math 2 - 790
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6 out of 4.5!
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 3.9 out of 4.5
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Our school does not rank
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 AB Calculus, 4 Microeconomics, 4 Macroeconomics
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): None
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP French 5, AP Statistics, AP European History, English 4 Honors
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 2 (1 rescinded application after getting a ED acceptance, 1 deferred)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None. A few piano competition awards?[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FBLA (President), JSA (State Assembly Representative), NJ Consumer Bowl (Captain. Won county championship)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: 2 internships over the summer ----> One turned into job which I have had since September until present day (Both in fashion industry, specific to marketing, public relations)
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Lots of hours with the Boy Scouts, but I never got past Star Scout (not Eagle scout, I quit)[/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: Something that changed me. Wrote about getting a summer internship in NYC. Reflecting now, I actually think this was a very badly written and pretentious essay. 4/10[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: What???
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): Pose your own question. The question I posed is how to make University of Chicago’s marketing strategy better for undergraduate admissions campaigns in future years. I took lots of risks with this, basically poking fun at how UofC does it right now. Also added a funny picture of me (since we could upload .pdf files). 9/10 because I also thought this was poorly structured reading back on it
[</em>] Optional Essay: I did not follow any of the given categories but it said I could make up my own so I wrote about my favorite womenswear fashion show and explained why I love the art of fashion (I am a boy if this makes any difference). 9/10, found that I accidentally made a phrase too repetitive reading back on it (I wish I proofread all my essays!!!)
[<em>] Why Chicago: Honestly, did not know much about the school besides the general opinion on it. Thought it would be the best reach school for me to apply to… I talked to my friend who goes to UofC about the college so I knew what to write about. I think I hit almost all the best points on UofC’s special business program. I’d say 8/10 because it was definitely very good but ended quite abruptly (AGAIN, not well written! :frowning: )
[</em>] Other:[/ul]
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Very good. English teacher, my favorite teacher, learned a lot in her class and also proved myself to stand out among the rest of her students.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Also quite good. My business teacher who is the adult in charge of FBLA and Consumer Bowl, both clubs which I am the leader of. Also took 3 of his elective courses.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Decent, nothing special…
[</em>] Additional Rec: My boss from my internship which turned into a job. Well written, helped to show my ambition in my professional work.
[<em>] Interview: None!
[</em>] Art Supplement: None[/list] Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: idk, probably 2nd to last week before due date
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian American
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: High
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Essays and jobs/ECs?
[</em>] Weaknesses: ridiculously low GPA (had mostly low B’s most of my Junior year, all B+'s sophomore/freshman year. But in most rigorous courses besides english), bad SAT, only 1 SAT II (at least I did well on it), no major awards which I assume tons of other accepted kids have…
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I definitely think I got waitlisted because of my essays. For my extended essay UChicago probably loved it because I was blatantly denouncing the fact that everyone gets so much mail from them. But also I wrapped it up nicely by talking about how I’m a go-getter and am much more career oriented than schoolwork-oriented (yes, I am your stereotypical realist who thinks high school grades/standardized tests should not imply your intelligence/motivation to work hard). My optional essay was probably very unique, one out of a handful (or possibly even the only one) who wrote about a fashion show instead of anything listed. But then again 16k kids applied so I’m probably making an outlandish assumption here… My Why Uchicago essay was very very specific and I used lots of knowledge about the school which I picked up from my friend who goes there. Although tons of applicants probably have had internships/jobs that aren’t like cashier at Wal-Mart or babysitter, I tried to talk about mine as an outstanding part of my whole application since I do not know many kids personally who take initiative to find stuff like this. But obviously I’m not the only one… hopefully I at least showed them my devotion to get things done… ?
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: All I can say is if I got better grades and higher SAT score.[/ul][/list]Other Factors: None
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: All I can say is I am very grateful for this. I have been denied from my top 2 (realistic/match) schools including one which I ED’d, so now I’m left with a safety/match and 3 safety schools… and UChicago! So obviously I will be politely expressing my interest in my acceptance to UChicago!</p>

49

<p>Haha my mistake on the gender! I was in a rush to type it considering 1.) I was at work and 2.) I wasn’t excited to type it up in the first place. I didn’t even attempt to crack into my ECs due to depression. But honestly, congratulations to all those who were accepted - you’re all fantastic candidates! To those waitlisted, keep hope because we’re all going to end up at great schools in the end. To those denied admission, you’re just as talented as the rest of the bunch so keep your heads up. :)</p>

50

<p>Decision: Waitlisted
I have been scouring a few Decision Threads on CC and have not seen many internationals posting through the mix so it’s kind of hard to compare? Was wondering if we could start Int. decision threads or it would be pointless because not enough posters)</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (800 Maths, 710 W, 740 R)
[</em>] SAT II: 800 Maths, 730 English Lit)
[<em>] GPA: No idea but my grades were really good
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10/120 at Competitive High School
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Lots of EC’s mainly Debating, Chess, School Prefect, lots of school awards and fair few maths/english/public speaking comps
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Worked at small business retail for over 2 years.
[li] Volunteer/Community service:School Library Volunteer, Volunteered at Nursing Home for six months, </p>[/li]
<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ list]
[li] Essays: I liked my CommonApp one but I think all my supplementals could have been better. I really don’t know how they came across at the end of the day. My Uncommon could have been hit or miss I don’t know if it was interesting or run of the mill…it was very academic (I chose History question) </p>[/li]
<p>[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: I didn’t read any of these. Both my teachers liked me and would’ve said nice things. My counselor was not helpful this could have been hit or miss.
[</em>] Interview: It was okay but quite awkward? Definitely the worst of the three I had - I’m the worst with face to face, I come across fake and tongue-tied.
[<em>] Art Supplement: Kinda regret not submitting anything - but if I could I would have uploaded my history essay or written a short story or something? [/ul]
Other[ul]
[</em>] Date Submitted App: On the deadline day
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): Australia
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~100k
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):NONE[/ul] </p>[/li]
<p>Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: My grades? My SAT wasn’t anything exceptional but my school scores were real solid
[</em>] Weaknesses: Everything else. My essays, EC’s were all over the place, no hooks or anything that makes me stand out
[li] What would you have done differently?: Spent more time on the essays [/ul][/li]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Congrats to everyone accepted. I fully expected to be rejected. I feel sick thinking about March 28 when my other results come out. Four of em are Ivies so I know I don’t stand a chance. I’m really curious to see stats of other accepted/rejected International Students. </p>

51

<p>Decision: Accepted - Initially Deferred
Going to leave some thing vague, because certain answers are very recognizable for those who know me IRL.</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>]ACT (breakdown): 34 (31 English, 35 Math, 35 Reading, 34 Science)
[</em>]ACT superscore (breakdown): I took it twice, but scores are nearly identical, didn’t bother to super score.
[<em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[</em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), English Language (5), Calculus BC (5), US Government and Politics (5), Physics C - Mechanics (4), Biology (4)
[<em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Statistics, AP Microeconomics, Multivariable Calculus/Calculus III, and easy courses, not worth mentioning.
[</em>]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really. National Latin Exam, AP Scholar with Distinction.[/ul] </p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
I left out a lot, both here and on my CommonApp. I am part of various organizations, but I only listed the ones that I am invested in.

[ul]
[<em>]Mock Trial
[</em>]Summer 2012 Research.
[<em>]Swim Team (Varying degrees)[/ul]
Job/Work Experience:[ul]
[li]Staff at Theater (1.5+ years)[/li][</em>]Job at a Doctor’s Office (~1 year)[/ul]
Volunteer/Community service:[ul]
[<em>]Volunteer at the County Library (2+ years)
[</em>]Volunteer at the Zoo (Secretary, Award Recipient for 300+ hours, 4 Years)
[li]NHS[/li][/ul] </p>

<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
Essays (Include Subjects):[ul]
[<em>]Common App Main: 9/10. Intentionally leaving this vague. I wrote about being undecided. The essay isn’t flashy or complex, but everyone who I showed it to agreed that it was representative as who I am as an individual. I didn’t write about any accomplishments or anything terribly moving, but I had a very distinct voice, childish even.
[</em>] Extended essay(which topic): Apples and Oranges. I personified the orange as going through a struggle that I think everyone on CC can relate to: thinking that we’re not good enough, envy, and self-loathing. Long story short, it was a metaphor for there’s no such thing as perfect and that society needs a variety of people to make it enjoyable, not just apples.
[<em>]Optional Essay: 1/10. I didn’t even realized that this was the essay that they were referring to at the information sessions. Instead I thought it was the same as Columbia’s question, so I gave them a list. When I got my account, I tried to look for the optional essay on my UChicago account, and I was like… Whoops. This is what I get for turning things in too early. Ugh.
[</em>]Why Chicago: 7/10. I used math and equations to talk about Scav, Indiana Jones, and my love for NPR.[/ul]
Other:

[ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: IDK.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: IDK.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: IDK.
[</em>] Additional Rec: IDK.
[<em>] Interview: Yes. I absolutely loved it. I hope my interviewer thought the same. I didn’t talk a lot about my academics, but we talked extensively about my extracurriculars and interests, e.g. movies, food, etc.
[</em>] Art Supplement: No. [/ul]
Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: October 20th.
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
[<em>] School Type: Small/Medium Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian.
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: >200K.
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Volunteering. Work experience. Different from the typical applicant. Big personality.
[<em>] Weaknesses: Nothing really spectacular. Scores could be better. No major accolades.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea, but I’m trying to convince myself that it was because of my film experience and how it could be a great asset to DocFilms.
[<em>]Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Going to leave a bit out. Rejected at an Ivy. Accepted at WUSTL! Wesleyan! I applied to 15+ schools in total, so now that UChicago has come out, I have nothing really to wait for anymore!
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: Nothing really. I can say that in hindsight, I should have done X, Y, Z, but honestly I had some of the best years of my life because I learned how to be happy. Everything was stressful from time to time, but it was manageable and more importantly really enjoyable, because I only did things that I liked. Given the chance to redo high school, I wouldn’t. Though… Kids make sure everything is filled out and proofread before sending applications off. It saves you a lot of work, unless you want an extra contact in the admissions office.[/ul]</p>

<p>Other Factors & COUGHmishapsCOUGH Hahaha. Though seriously, don’t do some of this.[ul][<em>]Applied as an Undecided major to every school that I applied to. Refer to CommonApp essay.
[</em>]When I was deferred I sent a letter to my admissions counselor stating that I will attend if I am offered admission.
[<em>]I am trained in projection, therefore a potential asset to the DocFilm community.
[</em>]I forgot to put my AP scores on my CommonApp. facepalm. I had to e-mail them. Haha. DO NOT DO THIS.[/ul]
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I am ecstatic! UChicago has always been the apple of my eye, and after being deferred, I lost hope. I had no expectations, so when I found out, the remainder of my day has been lived in complete disbelief. </p>

<p>To all the people who did not get the response that they were hoping for, in the words of Fall Out Boy: You are what you love, not who loves you. This singular event does not determine your worth or your accomplishments! Stay strong! You find where you belong!</p>

<p>I am posting primarily to show people, perhaps a younger me, that you do not need to be the perfect student, instead just be yourself. I had so much trouble during the underclassmen years of high school because I compared myself to the people around me and thought that just because everyone smart was doing X, Y, or Z, I had to do it too just to compete. Guys, younger me, I know you can’t stop looking at these threads and calculating how to get into these schools but you’ll be happier doing what you love, not what looks the best.</p>

52

<p>I’m just using a modified version of the one I posted on the EA thread, so some items may seem pessimistic you know…
@alisonx, I’m international so you might want to have a look?</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred–>Accepted
International - China, A-level course</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): superscore 2330 (cr800, math800, wr730 essay6 - i know…) highest one-take 2290
ACT:n/a
SAT II: Math II 800, Bio M 800, Phy 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 - not sure of importance though; it’s the first year my school used the GPA system and nearly half of us have 4.0/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): (maybe top 10/120, not official - not written on Common App)
AP (place score in parenthesis):n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a
Senior Year Course Load: our courses are quite fixed so not that important. I do take Further Maths which is like an “honor course”.
Awards:
IGCSE English highest score in China that year
ISSDC (International Space Settlement Design Competition) winner team member in Asian semifinal
top 0.5% out of 4000 in a maths comp
Merit student, outstanding academic achievements in several subjects, etc</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (I put all sorts together here coz some are hard to classify):
Dance/aerobic gymnastics - school team leader/coach assistant, several municipal awards as leading role
Drama acting/directing - best leading actress in schoolwide activity
Spoke on a 1- to 2-hour live BBC radio program as 1 of 8 Chinese student representatives
Minister of Arts and Recreation Department in Student Union
Translation work - English/Chinese subtitle production group, 2 yrs till now, “admission officer” in charge of recruit and assessment (100+ members in total). I’m working on another paid book translation program now, but that isn’t included in the application.
Short intern at Bio lab</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common: Quite “sad and pathetic” story, about my mom. maybe 6?
Uncommon: Oranges and apples. Mr Orange & Ms Apple went on a date, written as Orange’s diary and had a little drawing. 7-8
Why UChi: about the e-mails UChi sent us 5 (had to rush coz didn’t notice word limit until deadline day)
Favorites: 5. some lists and some explanations. nothing special.
*I updated the longer Why Uchi essay later through my UChicago account, after being deferred. “Top 9 Reasons to Apply to UChicago” - if anyone recognizes, it’s a parody of one of the e-mails UChicago sent to hurry us to apply. 6-8.</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: never seen, should be nice 8 (One from math teacher, one from English/philosophy)
Counselor Rec:never seen, should be good 9
Additional Rec:n/a
Interview: requested very early but didn’t get one → insisted on having one after deferral → never got one anyway.
Arts supplement: uploaded 10 min of dance video clips; they should look good considering I’m not an arts major.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): China (mainland)
School Type:Public high school - CIE A-level program
Ethnicity:Chinese
Gender: female
Income Bracket: low/middle. no FA
Hooks: n/a</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: idk, quite strong in diverse areas? but then almost all UChi applicants are. SAT scores may have helped.
Weaknesses:essays not compelling enough. I know my Mr Orange essay should be a fun read, but looking back, I still think it’s not intellectual/philosophical enough. WhyUchi didn’t link to myself that well.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:^see above. And I sent an e-mail to the int’l AO to express my continued high interest and how I will update my profile, though no one ever replied. Not sure how that worked out.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted: WUSTL, UCSD, UCL in UK. Denied: Colorado College (FA). Waiting for: Pton (FA), Amherst (FA), Wellesley, Reed, UCB, UCLA. Withdrawn: Northwestern, UVA, Colby, Grinnell, Mount Holyoke (FA).</p>

<p>General Comments: I’m indeed very happy and surprised to have got in, after being left with not even a word since the deferral. I’m very likely attending :D</p>

53

<p>Decision: Deferred → Rejected
Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (760 CR / 780 M / 750 W)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): Same
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): ^
[<em>] SAT II: 800 M II / 770 Chemistry / 770 Physics / 710 or 720 Lit
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Intl. applicant, different system
[<em>] Weighted GPA: N/A
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC (5)
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): Didn’t take
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): International Linguistics Olympiad Honorable Mention; going to ISEF 2014[/ul] Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Guitar, Linguistics stuff, Research and other minor stuff
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: -
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: -[/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: Hopefully not bad[/li] [</em>] EC Short Answer: Same
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): Apples and oranges: I thought it was good. Probably not
[</em>] Optional Essay: Could have been better
[<em>] Why Chicago: Not bad
[</em>] Other:[/ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Hopefully good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Should be pretty great
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Generic, I think
[</em>] Additional Rec: From research guide, was okay I think
[<em>] Interview: Not bad, not great
[</em>] Art Supplement:[/list] Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App:
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): India
[<em>] School Type: Not a feeder
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: Incredibly low, need full aid
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Nothing?
[<em>] Weaknesses: Everything?
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly don’t know. Everyone I know has been waitlisted.
[li] What would you have done differently?: I don’t know?[/ul]Other Factors:[/li] General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats to those accepted. I just hope I get accepted at ONE of the fifteen colleges I have applied to.</p>

54

<p>I’m possibly going to come off as really oblivious here but - how did you guys find out your admissions status? </p>

55

<p>@sprawlii I got an email that had a direct link to my decision on the UChicago account. Check the email you used for the Common App!!</p>

56

<p>@sprawlii Google “UChicago account”, log in to the site and scroll to the middle where it says “Status update on March XX” or so. The words are not in bold or anything so some do skip over them I guess. Good luck with that!</p>

57

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: (single sitting 2280, 800 verbal, 720 math, 760 writing)
SAT II: (US History 800, Chemistry 780)
Weighted GPA: 98.5
Rank 3/140
AP US History (5) This is the only AP our rural school offers non-seniors</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Biology (the only other AP courses our school offers), Econ/Participation in Government, French 5, Calculus, Band, Chorus, Select Chorus (The schedule is the most rigorous offered.)</p>

<p>Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, All-Eastern NAfME Mixed Chorus </p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Cross-Country (Division All-star), Track, Odyssey of the Mind (6th at Worlds Jr. Year), Band Council (1st chair, flute section leader), NYSMMA (All-County 4 years, Area All-State 4 years, All-State 1 year, All Eastern 1 year), Newspaper (sole writer 2 years, she was only thing keeping it going!)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Maintains three large lawns in the summer, babysitting</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Youth Group (Song Planner), Worship Team, Quarterly dinner for the needy </p>

<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
Essays (Include Subjects):
Common App Main: I don’t know how to rate these! As a mom I thought they were great, but I’m a little biased :stuck_out_tongue: It was on Odyssey of the Mind and risk taking.
EC Short Answer:
Extended essay(which topic):
Optional Essay:
Why Chicago:</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: French teacher; she went through contortions to have both French and Spanish on her schedule…self studying French in the summers and challenging the Regents exams early. He really likes her so I think it was good.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #2: Chemistry. She had him twice (Chemistry and College Chemistry) and he also seems to like her.</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: I hope it was good. How do we know for sure?</p>

<p>Additional Rec:</p>

<p>Interview: none</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): New York</p>

<p>School Type: Public</p>

<p>Ethnicity: White</p>

<p>Gender: Female</p>

<p>Income Bracket:<$35,000</p>

<p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): She loves linguistics and has gone to great lengths to pursue linguistics with limited resources, such as her efforts to take both language offerings at our school (see above), studying Mandarin online in the summers, and raising money to go to Guatemala one summer to shadow some Acateco translators there. </p>

<p>Strengths: Passionate about an unusual major? Standardized tests?
Weaknesses: GPA?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Lots of talented kids.
What would you have done differently?:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:</p>

58

<p>mdcmom you had to have been very close for straight acceptance. It’s a very impressive resume. Maybe too many NYers? </p>

59

<p>Decision: Waitlisted
Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (780 CR, 800 M, 800 W)
[</em>] ACT: 35 (34 E, 36 M, 33 R, 36 S, 10 W)
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math 2, 790 Lit, 710 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We don’t do unweighted, but around a 3.94?
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Around top 4% but we don’t rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Psych (5), Lit (5), USH (5, self-studied)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Human Geography, AP Spanish Language, College English, Graphics 2 (elective and favorite class)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Merit Semi-Finalist, Scholastic Silver Key, Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science award… nothing too “major” haha [/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Pretty normal- tutoring, volunteering, clubs. Nothing too special.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: none aaah I thought that was really going to hurt me
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Maybe like 100 hours?
[<em>] Summer Activities: I took a three week course at UChicago last summer!
[</em>] Essays: I actually liked my UChicago essay more than all my other ones but I guess it wasn’t enough??? I wrote about all the people in my life who have impacted me and I want to major in anthropology so I thought it fit well.
[/ul]Other

[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Indian
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>]Income Bracket: didn’t qualify for financial aid anywhere
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Scores, grades, essays (?)
[</em>] Weaknesses: EC’s are pretty minimal
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m not really “intellectual” ahaha but it was worth a shot as I had a lot of demonstrated interest in UChicago
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted- Stanford SCEA, University of Michigan EA, UCLA, Berkeley, UNC-Chapel Hill, Boston University, Rutgers. Waitlisted at UChicago. Rejected by Harvard and Yale.[/ul]
General Comments: UChicago was really important to me for quite a long time but after I got accepted to Stanford it was really just a warm vs. cold thing so I’m very happy with where I’m going! Congrats to those accepted, and to those who weren’t, I wish you nothing less than the best. We made it!</p>

60

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (730CR 770M 730 W)
ACT: 35
SAT II: Chemistry 720 Biology E 750 US History 780 Math II 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~10-15/500
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), European History (5), Human Geography (5), Statistics (5), Biology (5), Psychology (4), Environmental Science (4), Chemistry (4), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B, AP English Literature, AP US Government/ AP Macroeconomics, AP Comp Sci, Music History, AP Calculus BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nationals in Public Forum Debate, NFL All-State Top 10 (TN) - Outstanding Distinction, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate Team (JV Captain (11), Varsity Captain (12)), Model United Nations (ICJ Justice (11), President of the International Court of Justice (12)), Youth in Government (Supreme Court Justice), Ultimate Frisbee, 12 years of guitar, 4 years of self-taught piano
Job/Work Experience: 7 week internship at a law firm
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours as a public library volunteer Freshman and Sophomore year
Summer Activities: Tennessee Governor’s School for International Studies at the University of Memphis, Boys State, American Legion Boys Nation
Essays: Not great
Teacher Recommendation: Physics teach (10/10) and Gov teach (10/10)
Counselor Rec:Gifted counselor (11/10)
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): TN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large pretty competitive public
Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): Asian (indian)
Hispanic (Y/N): Nope
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Essays, Recs, ECs
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Marquette, Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Vanderbilt (CV Scholar & College Scholar), Stanford
Waitlisted: UChicago, Dartmouth, WashU, Harvard
Rejected: Northwestern, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, Yale, Princeton, Duke</p>

<p>General Comments: Just can’t believe it. Stanford was my best app, but man I never expected to get into my top school and not get into so many others.</p>