***UChicago 2020 RD Results***

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
41

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

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): C:31 Eng: 31 M:29 R:31 Sc: 32 W: 29
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 620 (CR) 620 (M) 620 (W)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank/Percentile: 33/315
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH: (3) AP Lang: (3) AP Calc AB: (3) AP Physics 1: (2)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Stats, APES, AP Psych, Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Band (Drum Major), California Scholarship Federation (Officer), Water Polo, Swimming, NHS, Ocean Bowl (Captain)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service: 50 hours, mostly with church
Summer Activities: n/a
Essays:
Common App Essay: 7/10 Wrote about the adversity I faced to become a drum major.
Extended Essay: 8/10 Chose the figure in a new setting, wrote a parody of King Louis XIV, I thought it was pretty creative.
Why UChicago: 7/10 used a couple platitudes shame shame
Other: Wrote a list with works varying from 1984 and The King’s Speech to the Very Hungry Caterpillar and Finding Nemo
Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t read but I trust that they were solid.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read. Not sure
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
Projected Concentration: Environmental Studies
State/Country: California, USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Latino
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~150,000
Hooks: not many, except leadership

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Strong extracurriculars with leadership roles
Weaknesses: test scores and academics
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I thought I was going to get rejected but I think my leadership accomplishments and recommendations really helped.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Waiting on: Notre Dame, UCLA, UCSD, Berkely, USC. Accepted to: Colorado at Boulder, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Santa Cruz
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Really surprised! 1 thing I can say is to not give up hope. Me and my friends were joking about how I was the only one who applied from my school and that I was just counting down the hours until rejection. YOU NEVER KNOW!

42

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E, 35M, 35R, 36S) 2280 (770M, 760R, 750W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chem (780) US History (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 (one B+ sophomore year, dang)
Rank/Percentile: 1/350
AP (place score in parentheses): Bio (4) Euro (4) Lang (4) Chem (5) Phyz 1 (5) Stats (5) US History (5) Psych (5)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit if that counts

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Cross Country, Track, Scholastic Bowl (captain), math team, science team, NHS (president), Key Club (project manager), Marching Band (section leader), pit orchestra
Job/Work Experience: restaurant 10 hours/week
Volunteer/Community Service: not much, mostly just organizing school volunteer/fundraising projects
Summer Activities: clinical research internship
Essays: UC supplement order out of chaos 10/10. Wrote about how psychology leads to stereotyping and how we can combat it, Common App 10/10 wrote about my motivations for wanting to go into cancer research, Why UC 8/10

Other
Projected Concentration: Biology
State/Country: Illinois
School Type: Medium Public, we are downstate aka not a Chicago school
Ethnicity: South Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: high, parents are doctors
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not really

Reflection
Strengths: I have performed well in athletics and academics, but this is really true for most applicants. I think my passion for research and my hardcore commitment to my many interests helped me seem “UChicago-worthy”
Weaknesses: I have not done anything really significant yet, unlike a lot of awesome incoming freshmen
Why you think you were accepted: Essays!!
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was really surprised to get in. I am not any more qualified than a lot of these students that were wait listed or even rejected. This goes to show just how important essays are to UChicago. I poured my soul into those 600 words!

43

**Decision: Waitlisted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): C35 E34 R33 M36 S36 W36
SAT II (place score in parentheses):800 Math II 740 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):~3.5
Rank/Percentile:NA
AP (place score in parentheses):US History(5) Calc BC(5) Chem(4) Macro(4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: standard
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):na

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):standard
Job/Work Experience:standard
Volunteer/Community Service:standard
Summer Activities:standard
Essays:8-9/10
Teacher Recommendations:no idea, probably good
Counselor Rec:no idea, probably good
Additional Rec:na
Interview: nailed it

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? nope
Projected Concentration:Psych+Econ
State/Country:International
School Type:Top 10 boarding in the States
Ethnicity:Chinese
Gender:M
Income Bracket:probably high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):nada

Reflection
Strengths:high school prestige, testing scores
Weaknesses:citizenship, low gpa
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:lol being Chinese I guess
Where else you are applying or have already applied:a lot
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:these past two weeks just straight-up suck a$$, moving on

44

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2190 (780W, 710 M, 700 R)
[] ACT (breakdown): 34 (35W, 34M, 34R, 32S)
[] SAT II: N/A
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Macroeconomics (4), Microeconomics (4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature, AP Human Geography, AP Environmental Science, Spanish III, English: Beats Generation
[] Number of other Chicago applicants in your school: 0
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A [/li]
[/ul] Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Film production, Film club (founder)
[] Job/Work Experience: Worked on film set for 7 weeks in Massachussetts
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at school for low income students[/li]
[/ul]

Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: 10/10 about driving cross-country with my father[/li][] EC Short Answer: 9/10
[] Extended essay(which topic): 10/10
[] Why Chicago: 9/10

[] Other:[/ul]
[li] Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10[/li][] Teacher Recommendation #2: 10/10
[] Counselor Rec: 8/10
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[] Interview: Done over Skype, went well but wasn’t exceptional. We had a very interesting conversation, lasted about an hour.
[] Art Supplement: N/A

[/list] Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: December 30
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Small, Private, New England
[] Ethnicity: Asian Indian, Middle-Eastern
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Unsure
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays, Recs, ACT, GPA, Interview
[] Weaknesses: Lack of SAT IIs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not sure, but i’ll keep my fingers crossed and study for my APs.
[] What would you have done differently?: Math II Subject Test, Literature Subject test, Physics Subject Test
[li]Where else you are applying or have already applied: UPenn, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Vanderbilt, USC, Rice, UCLA, UC Berkeley, a few more UCs.[/li]
[/ul]

** General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: **
A bit disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m looking forward to hearing from the rest of my schools.

45

Decision: Accepted!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (800CR, 740M, 800W), took only once
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math, 780 Lit, 770 Spanish reading, 760 US Hist, 760 World Hist, 720 Physics, 710 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): officially N/A (school doesn’t rank), unofficially top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5), English Lit (5), APUSH (5), Spanish Lang (5), World History (5), Psych (self-studied, 5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ (combined Micro/Macro), AP American Gov, AP Physics C, AP English Lang, AP Calc BC, Leadership
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top-ranked in USA for debate, several debate tournament awards, national scholarship winner for debate, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate captain, ASB position in Leadership, CyberPatriot founder/captain, varsity volleyball, math tutor
Job/Work Experience: Internship at national laboratory as software programmer and TA for cybersecurity classes
Volunteer/Community Service: On planning committee for large American Cancer Society fundraiser for the past 2 years
Summer Activities: Study abroad after sophomore year
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Personal statement was decent, probably 7-9, but my three supplemental essays were definitely what got me in. I’d rank all of them 10/10. I chose the “Find X” essay prompt and wrote about driving back and forth between my mom’s house and dad’s house, and it was a really creative interpretation. For the optional essay, I wrote about a type of visual word art that I love, and I wrote the Why UChicago essay about my secret identity as a warrior princess. I LOVED writing these essays and thought they were my best essays that I wrote for any college application.
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: Probably 8’s or 9’s. My AP Calc AB teacher and APUSH teacher, both like me and I did well in their classes, but I know my APUSH teacher wrote hers last minute so idk how strong it was
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 8, my counselor likes me but I go to a large public school and she writes hundreds of recs, so probably not too original
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 9, internship mentor, very professional, talked about work I did for the lab
Interview: I applied for Computer Science but I interviewed with a med school alum. Decent conversation - she was really nice.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No, but I got a merit award for $4,000/yr (Dean’s Scholar)
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, public, competitive atmosphere
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Girl in STEM

Reflection
Strengths: Essays, grades, debate accomplishments
Weaknesses: Not many STEM accomplishments, no outstanding community service
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Definitely my essays, which I thought were pretty unique and creative, and very interesting to read.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Columbia (likely letter, C.P. Davis Scholar designation), UC Berkeley (accepted, Regent’s Finalist), Michigan (accepted), MIT (waitlisted), USC (Accepted, Trustee Finalist) Caltech (rejected), Stanford (rejected), UChicago (accepted), UVA (accepted, Honors), Maryland (accepted, ACES, Honors), still waiting for Duke, Penn, Yale, Harvard, Brown, Princeton, NYU, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I can’t believe I got in…I heard this year’s RD admissions rate was 4%. My advice to other applicants would be to not try to conform to what you think UChicago is looking for. Just be really genuinely yourself. I believe that my essays were successful because I wrote about what I WANTED to write about, and in doing so I let them see my adventurous and goofy side. Every effort to change who you are makes your essay weaker and more basic. Just capture a raw, original slice of yourself and be unique.

46

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47

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2100 (W 690 CR 800 M 610)
[] ACT (breakdown): Composite 32 (E 32 M 28 R 35 S 34 W 28)
[] SAT II: Lit 730 Bio E 670 French 680
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8ish
[] Weighted GPA: 4.1
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 15%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): AP US (4) AP Rhetoric (4) AP Bio (3) haven’t yet taken: AP Micro, AP Physics, AP Music Theory, AP Lit, AP Gov
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, AP Gov, Honors Trig, Digital Recordin, AP Physics, AP Music Theory, Honor Choir, AP Lit, Taking Eng 1A at the local JC to make up for year abroad

Subjective:[list]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Studied abroad in France for a year through AFS, Varsity Tennis (Captain), Choir (President), Vocal ensemble - our schools acapella group, Track and Field, Hiking Club (president/founder), Interact (VP), School news paper (article published in the tricounty paper), Rowing, Musical at school
[] Job/Work Experience: Bohemian Grove over the summer, Babysitting
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Local renaissance fair, Dickens Fair in SF, A ton of community service work for Interact and a lot of singing in the community with vocal ensemble.[/li]
**Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: My year abroad: 8[/li][] Extended essay(which topic): Arch nemesis: 9
[] Optional Essay: 9.5 Wrote about “normal” favorites and also some random ones that show my personality such as favorite melodic interval, and favorite way to eat frozen yoghurt.
[] Why Chicago: 7?
[] Other:[/ul][li] Teacher Recommendations: them but one was definitely a 10 and the other was probably very good as well.[/li][] Counselor Rec: hopefully not totally useless, my counselor is a joke.
[] Additional Rec: Choir/ Music Theory/ Digital recording teacher and Vocal Ensemble leader
[] Interview: Didn’t have one
[] Date Submitted App: Jan. 1st at 11pm… oops
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: Public 1000-2000
[] Gender: Female
[] Ethnicity: White (middle eastern background)
[] Income Bracket: ~100k

[/list] Reflection[list]
[] Strengths: Extra curricular, Studied abroad, lived in Ghana for a year with my family
[] Weaknesses:Test scores, My sophomore year transcripts are a mess because I went to two different schools while I was in France
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably because of my test scores and the sophomore year transcript debacle
[] What would you have done differently?: Nothing, not really much I could have done.

48

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2060 (CR: 640, M: 740, W: 680)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.41
Rank/Percentile: School does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): US Gov (3), Macroecon (4), Microeon (4), Calc AB (4), Chem (4), Lang (3), Calc BC (5), Physics C E&M (3), Physics C Mechanics (3), US history (4), Euro (1 LOLOL), Lit (4)
Senior Year Course Load: Capstone french, multivariable calculus, college counseling, critical theory, organic chemistry

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity basketball (captain), Boys and Girls Club, TEDx
Volunteer/Community Service: Peer tutor and peer mentor at Boys and Girls clubs
Essays: Common app essay about being the victim of domestic violence (9/10)
Why Uchi?: (8/10)
Additional: wrote a poem about police brutality, racism, and the problem with out judicial system (9.5/10)
Teacher Recommendations: One from my AP Lit teacher whom I was really close with and the other from my AP Chem teacher (also his TA). Lit teacher talked about my passion for civil and human rights. Assuming chem talked about leadership or how well i cleaned beakers lol (9/10, 8/10)
Counselor Rec: Prob decent (8/10)
Interview: Did not have

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?Yes
State/Country: AZ
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: F
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Passionate about civil rights,

Reflection
Strengths: Prob my LOR and additional essay
Weaknesses: GPA, SAT
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Waiting on: Stanford, USC, UCLA, Berkeley, Notre Dame
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Not dissappointed

49

Decision: Waitlisted[

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown):
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[] ACT (breakdown): 32 (36 R, 34 E, 26 M, 32 S, 8 Essay)
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[] SAT II: 790 Lit, 740 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
[] Weighted GPA: 4.88/6
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 104/573
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 AP Human Geography
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB History of the Americas 2 HL, IB English HL, IB Art 2 HL, IB Film 2 HL, IB Math Studies, IB Environmental Science, IB French 5, TOK
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: Unknown
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A[/ul] Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Foreign Exchange Club (Secretary), Street Art Club (Vice President), Sound Board Operator in school musical, Literary Magazine Staff Member, National Art Honor Society
[]Summer Activity: 2 week scholarship trip to UK based on essay
[] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer Usher at Children’s Theatre, assorted 100+ hours[/ul] Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[] Common App Main: About my film watching habits–8.5/10?
[] EC Short Answer: ?
[] Extended essay(which topic): What does the picture see? Written in form of short story 9/10
[] Optional Essay: 7/10, about the film Inherent Vice
[] Why Chicago: 8/10
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Enviro teacher, 8/10
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: English teacher 6.75/10, doesn’t know me too well
[] Counselor Rec:
[] Additional Rec: Film teacher–9/10?
[] Interview: N/A
[] Art Supplement: Put three pieces in—7/10 maybe?–also submitted my scholarship essay Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Right before deadline!
[] State (if domestic applicant): NC
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: Large public, used to be very well ranked
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: 120,000?
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: essays! literally nothing else!
[] Weaknesses: GPA, scores, ECs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m a good writer—plus my british scholarship is kind of unique.
[] What would you have done differently?: Better scores & GPA…also I would have done an interview.[/ul][/list]

Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I took my place on the waitlist—but doubtful to be honest. Hopefully not getting rejected is a good sign for my other colleges…

50

Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT (breakdown): 2300 superscore (800 R 800 M 700 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT Subject Tests: 800 MII 740 Lit
Unweighted GPA: 3.79
Weighted GPA: 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): HS doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Comp Sci (4) (school offers no APs, only “Honors”)
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered
Senior Year Course Load: Art, Honors Senior English, Honors Senior History, Honors Calc 1, Ecology, Honors Computer Science year 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
National Merit Scholarship Finalist (along with 12% of my class…)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Varsity soccer (top 100 team in nation)
Varsity track
Varsity snowboarding (I placed top 25 in state, captain)
Founder/leader of service project (passion of mine–I really care about this. Fed 700 people, projected to move up to around 2000 fed this year. Relationships with local/national businesses)
Youth group (elected official)
Diversity workshop (presenter)
Rock climbing (anywhere from 6-10 hours a week)
Student-led outdoor group (80 members or so. Elected official)
Art and poetry
Chess (an hour a day)

Job/Work Experience:
nada (since sophomore year)

Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours.
Service with outdoor group and my own project (35 or so members, or 13% of my school). I also speak to people at my school about the value of service learning.

Summer Activities: CTY, calculus, reading, soccer, climbing, a little bit of travel.
Essays: Unique, I think. I feel like they were strong.
Teacher Recommendation: strong.
Counselor Rec: strong.
Additional Rec: very strong.
Interview: n/a
Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): n/a

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: private (11% of my class were national merit scholarship finalists)
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: $80-100,000.00
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a

51

Decision: Rejected

[ul]

[] ACT (breakdown): 36 C (1 sitting)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9-ish
[] Weighted GPA: 4.5-ish
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Completed Calc BC, Euro History, World History, etc. etc., 8 Exams in all, all 5s; 4 more APs in senior year
[] Senior Year Course Load: Typical stuff - highlights are both AP Phys C and AP Chem. Took early release.
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):nada
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Moderate stuff in school and community. Nothing earth-shaking, but not a complete slacker, either. Some leadership.
[] Essays (Include Subjects): I thought they were good; go figure. 8/10 maybe??
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Likes me, did really well in class, also head of one of my ECs. 9/10.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Ditto, but this one isn’t on the ball as much. Probably has errors in letter lol. 7/10.
[] Counselor Rec: 3/10 at best. Huge school, met the guy twice, and once was to get out of some ridiculous class I was randomly assigned. Generic at best, possible he damned me with faint praise.
[] Additional Rec: Local mover/shaker I know through community EC. 8/10.
[] Interview: N/A
[] Date Submitted App: Few days before deadline.
[] State (if domestic applicant): TX
[] School Type: YUUGE public school, pretty well-respected, sends a handful of kids to Ivies every year.
[] Ethnicity: White bread
[] Gender: XY
[] Income Bracket: Off the charts - low-end development admit, honestly - but didn’t telegraph that in my app. Not interested in buying my way in.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No.
[] Strengths: Perfect ACT, high class rank, lots of APs.
[] Weaknesses: ECs were meh, essays must not have been as good as I thought.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Nothing “special” about me. Didn’t show interest - never contacted my rep, never did an interview. In retrospect, that was a major error. My counselor did nothing to “sell” me to UChicago or any of the other schools I applied to (although I’d guess that’s common to most applicants from public high schools).[/ul]

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:

  1. Should I be insulted that I didn’t even get waitlisted? (Not that it matters - I’m not a waitlist kind of guy. Love me or leave me.)

  2. I’m a little bummed that a 36 ACT and a Top 1% class rank isn’t getting me jack squat in the application process so far.

  3. Congrats to those who got in. Enjoy the weather! :slight_smile:

52

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

[ b]Objective:**[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 800 M 780 W 700 CR
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown): Same as above.
[ *] ACT (breakdown): N/a
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): N/a
[ *] SAT II: 760 US History, 760 Biology
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.883
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.426
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/a
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 on AP Calc BC, AP World History; 4 on Stats, US History, Calc AB
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): N/a
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Lang, AP Comp Sci
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 5-10
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): School Academic Awards, Debate Awards, Media Articles, DECA, etc. Nothing too major.

[/list] [ b]Subjective:**[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): (Photo Editor for Newspaper) (Debate Captain for Debate Team) (“CEO” of my nonprofit)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Interned at Stanford and UPenn
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best): 10/10. Started a nonprofit that has provided sleepwear to many around the country and continent.

**[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: Wrote about photography and how it has made me more cognizant of injustices around me and the world.
[ *] EC Short Answer: —
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Orange is the New Black - talked about how political correctness has taken the place of progressive discussion in today’s society.
[ *] Optional Essay: N/a
[ *] Why Chicago: Wrote about traditions, specific clubs I want to revive, specific courses, etc. and how they contribute to my dream for the type of future i want to have.
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10. My history teacher loved me.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10. My math teacher liked me, but we were’nt too close or anything.
[ *] Counselor Rec: 8/10. We had a great relationship
[ *] Additional Rec: N/a
[ ] Interview: Went well, but was short and the interviewer was a bit robotic in her questions.
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: Last week of October (applied early and got deferred)
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[ *] Country (if international applicant): USA
[ *] School Type: Private/Catholic
[ *] Ethnicity: Indian
[ *] Gender: M
[ ] Income Bracket: >$400,000
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None whatsoever.
[/list] [ b]Reflection[ list]
[ *] Strengths: Essays, Recs?, Community Service
[ *] Weaknesses: Scores were a bit lower than what most expect for top schools. Grades were very borderline. Got a lot of A-’s.
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays. I spent a lot of time on the why essay and really gave it a theme as to what i want to do with my life.
[ *] What would you have done differently?: Improved my scores and taken the Math SAT II [/list]

[/list][ b]Other Factors:[ b]
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats to those who got in! I look forward to seeing you at one of the overnight stays.

53

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (740 CW, 760 M, 730 W, 11 Essay)
[] ACT: 35 (36 E, 36 M, 33 R, 35 S)
[] ACT (superscore): 36 (36 E, 36 M, 35 R, 36 S)
[] SAT II: 790 Math II, 780 Chemistry, 800 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA (4.0 scale): N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/219
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC, Chem, Microecon, Macroecon, US History, World History, Comp Sci, Eng Lit, Psych, Physics C: Mech, US Gov, Stats (all 5s), Eng Lang (4), Bio (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Organic Chemistry, Modern (Euclidean) Geometry, Game Theory, AP French, AP European, AP Human Geo, Choir
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): HiMCM Finalist[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (Captain), Mock Trial (Captain), NHS (President), Jazz Choir, Show Choir, All-State Chorus, Tennis
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: N/A
    [] Volunteer/Community service: Summer Camps at the Science Center (it’s basically my job)
    [    ] Summer Activities: Above
    [] Essays: I put quite a bit of time into these. I picked the prompt about art being either plagiarism or revolution. I wrote about the art of proving theorems in math, but I wrote the essay as a math proof. I was really worried that this odd structure would turn off my admissions person, but I guess not! I wrote my other essays about how awesome the UChicago Aca Pella program is! :slight_smile:
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation: My math teacher likes me and has had me since 8th grade but I don’t know if he would have gushed over me (8, maybe?), my English teacher ADORES me and wrote an amazing letter (9-10), my Debate coach thinks I am awesome too because I have pretty much coached the Debate team by myself for the last three years (9-10)
    [] Counselor Rec: I go to a medium-sized school but I am on fairly good terms with my counselor because I take a lot of classes at the local college. (8-9)
    [    ] Interview: I did an on campus interview with a student which went really well! I started of with a stupid joke and she was really interested in a lot of what I had to say. By the I think she liked me enough that she just started talking to me about her future plans. I’m pretty good at interviews thanks to Debate but this one went especially well.

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Molecular Engineering, Math
[] State (if domestic applicant): IA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: High
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none.[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Looking back, I think my interview went really well and I had solid test scores to back me up. My essays were also pretty unique (though I’m sure everyone’s are at UChicago)
[] Weaknesses: I always felt that I could have done more volunteering but I really only had the time during the summer, when I got to work at the Science Center.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred: I think that I had really good test scores and grades and that I was able to show my personality really well through my essays and interview.[/li][/ul]

General Comments: I am really excited about getting in at UChicago but it’s SO expensive. I actually got a full ride to WashU so I don’t know if I can really turn that down to go here, even though I love the school. Good luck to everyone else and all future applicants!

54

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 33 M, 34 R, 35 W, 36 S, 35 C
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 Math II, 720 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: 1/317 (Note: my school ranks by unweighted; my weighted rank is somewhere closer to 8 or 9)
AP (place score in parentheses): World History 3, US History 5, Calc AB 5, Lang 4
IB (place score in parentheses): School did not offer
Senior Year Course Load: Peer tutor, Symphonic Band, Calc BC, AP Gov, AP Stats (Not gonna lie, not taking a science had me sweating big time)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): One minor DECA award, a few small band awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching band (Student Leadership Team 10-12, Section Leader 11-12, Drumline Coordinator 12); DECA (Co-founder 9, Vice-President 10-11, President 12); Gay-Straight Alliance (Treasurer 10-11, Vice President 12)
Job/Work Experience: Interned full-time in the sales department of a major tech company the summer before my Senior year
Volunteer/Community Service: School Site Council (Chairperson 9-12), Drum Instructor at my old middle school (11-12)
Summer Activities: Other than an internship before Senior year, nothing significant
Essays: Common app, 9/10 (Wasn’t really an essay, but rather four anecdotes with a life lesson at the end of each); Extended essay, 10/10 (I did one of the older prompts [the Improv Comedy one]); Why UChicago, 9/10 (Wrote it from the perspective of older-me looking back on how Chicago helped me); Art supplement, ?/10 (I made a collage as a tribute to Kanye West. Literally the riskiest thing I did all app season; I’m glad it paid off!)
Teacher Recommendations: 9.5/10 for both. One was from my APUSH teacher who I had a great relationship with, the other from a math teacher I had all four years
Counselor Rec: 8/10? She really liked me, but we weren’t close until this year so I don’t really know
Additional Rec: 9/10. From my boss over the summer; she loved me
Interview: I want to say 10/10, but I cannot be sure. It was by far my best interview, and my interviewer seemed to really like me

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Economics, Public Policy, or Philosophy
State/Country: California
School Type: Public, about 1500 kids. While it’s definitely not a bad school, we had only ~15 kids applying to top 10 schools and only one other kid applying to UChicago
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Uhhhhhh none I can think of

Reflection
Strengths: My essays! Honestly, my UChicago app was by FAR my strongest application–I’m so glad that I got in. I poured myself into the essays. Also, my extracurriculars and test scores were pretty solid
Weaknesses: I did not take the hardest course load I could have (Physics honors junior year vs. an AP science, no fourth year of science or language).
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: The essays, 100%. I feel like nothing else I have really stands out, especially given the region I was applying from.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UC San Diego (Accepted!), UCLA, UW, Georgetown, Brown, Penn (Wharton), Yale (Rejected SCEA. This really got me down), Harvard
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I am so unbelievably happy I got in–UChicago is my top choice! When I saw got in I almost started crying. If I had to give one piece of advice to future applicants, it would be to take risks with the essays. At least, that’s what worked for me

55

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): Math 780 & a combination of Reading and Writing that gave me 2180
[] SAT II: Math 800, Physics 760
[] IB (place score in parentheses): predicted 45
[] Senior Year Course Load: Quite rigorous: 5HL courses, full IB diploma[/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): A lot
[] Common App Main: Art (my main extracurricular activity) Side note: it was very short, quite below the limit so I was worried but it’s fineee (for anyone wondering)
[] Optional Essay: Yes
[] Why Chicago: I did something really original :wink:
[] Teacher Recommendations & Counselor Rec: Good (I come from a relatively small school so teachers get to know students really well), but idk because I waived the FERPA
[] Interview: No
[li] Art Supplement: Portfolio for Visual Arts[/ul] [/li]
Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: On the deadline
[] Country (if international applicant): Europe (prefer not to give too much info)
[] School Type: International school
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: Upper middle class[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: IB grades, really good counselor rec (I’m really close to her)
[] Weaknesses: relatively weak SAT I scores (although english is not my first language), my ethnicity (we all know about affirmative action)
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My academics and also maybe because I didn’t apply for financial aid (it’s need sensitive for internationals), but it’s really hard to say
[] What would you have done differently?: I would not have procrastinated lol PLEASE DON’T EVER PROCRASTINATE SOMETHING AS IMPORTANT AS COLLEGE APPS. thenks [/ul]

Other Factors: I did visit uchicago in the summer or 2015 and mentioned that in my Why Uchicago ‘essay’

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I’m really happy because Uchicago is definitely one of my top choices right now. (LOVE love love their culture) Got rejected EA by MIT so I didn’t expect much; however, after that, I managed to get 4 UK uni offers (incl. Math @ Cambridge) and a likely letter from Brown! Now just need to wait for March 31st/April 1st. Moral of the story: US admissions are really a game of luck, if you get rejected by your dream school EA, don’t give up! just because you’re rejected doesn’t mean you’re worse than everyone else… Congratulations to everyone who made it, and commiserations to those who didn’t–there’re still countless other opportunities waiting for you :wink:

OH AND ALSO: I did something extremely risky for my UChicago essay and I was scared that the admissions officers might not like but guys, it’s UChicago! I think they particularly love thinking outside the box, as long as it’s appropriate, so I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE you to do something unique ;))

Anyone here familiar with the thestudentroom (TSR) (UK equivalent to CC)? I was really active there, but now that US decisions are coming out I hope that my info will help someone out here c: PM always welcome! <3

56

whoops. realized I could edit. please ignore this comment.

57

Decision: Deferred --> ** Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 35 Composite, 36 Math, 36 Science, 34 English, 34 Reading
(36 Superscore)
SAT II: 800 Math II , 740 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo 5, World History 5, Chemistry 4, Calc BC 5, Bio 4, Physics 1 4 (self “study”), English Lang & Comp 5, US History 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP CS, AP Lit, AP Econ, AP Physics C, AP Seminar, Honors Adv Math II, Academic Decathlon, WOOT
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National and state medals for academic decathlon, but really nothing, probs why I got rejected

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Math Team 9-12
Physics Olympiad, 10-12, Captain
Science Bowl 11-12, Co-Captain
Table Tennis 9-12, Co-Captain (ran out of room and put Piano over this I think)
Academic Decathlon 11-12
Piano, 1-12

Job/Work Experience:

Volunteer/Community service: 100+ service hours

Summer Activities:
Math camp at UChicago after 7th, 8th, 9th
Particle Physics Research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory after 10th
Summer Math Program at MIT after 11th
Astrophysics Research at UChicago after 11th

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App 7/10, Find X 9/10, Why UChicago 7/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: idk
Teacher Rec #2: idk
Counselor Rec: idk
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Magnet
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):none

Reflection
Strengths: none
Weaknesses: GPA, lack of significant awards. Tried to do stuff like math and physics olympiads but never got to the point I should’ve for the amount of work I put in. I sacrificed my grades to try to become good at them in the same way an athlete or musician might, but ultimately it didn’t pay off. no regrets though, still learned a lot.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ^
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected Caltech, WashU, Northwestern Waitlisted MIT

58

** Decision: Rejected **

Objective:[ul]
[] Major: Ecology/Evolutionary Biology
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2040 (Woops…didn’t send!)
[] ACT (breakdown): 33 superscore
[] SAT II: Didn’t take.
[] Weighted GPA: 4.3
[] AP (place score in parentheses): U.S. History (5), Environmental Science (5), English Language and Comp (5), World History (3), AP Chemistry (IP), AP Calc BC (IP), AP English Lit (IP), AP U.S. Government (IP)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit, AP U.S. Government, Orchestra, Spanish
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: I was deferred EA, but there were about 8 other applicants, and only 1 person got in early.
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major ones; just some small ones for mock trial, AP scholar, etc. [/ul] Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Mock Trial (both attorney and witness/defendant), orchestra, multiple clubs (president of one, member of two more), poetry editor of school’s lit mag, perform poetry/some theatre.
[] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer/Internship with an aquarium. (400+ hours of community service)
[/ul] Writing[ul]
[] Essays:[list]
[] Common App Main: (10) Was edited by a couple friends and teachers, talked about having had cancer, and how that influenced my choice in major, and my goals in life/career/etc.
[] Extended essay: (9.5) “You are you and your…” Wrote about having synesthesia in a pretty unique way; went pretty full out in terms of weirdness, haha.
[] Optional Essay: (8) Talked (more like gushed) about my love for e.e. cummings!
[] Why Chicago: (9) Was pretty specific, had a couple jokes, mentioned specific professors I would like to do research under.
[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: (9)
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: (7/8 ish)
[] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, but I’m sure it was great.
[] Additional Rec: From boss/head at internship. Didn’t get to see it.
[] Interview: (8.5/10 I think?) It was my first interview so I was pretty nervous, but the interviewer told me I was a great fit, and we talked for a while. Couldn’t connect on a whole lot with her in terms of my major, but we discussed books a lot, and standard “Why UChicago” questions.
[/list] Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: October (EA Applicant)
[] State (if domestic applicant): Southern California
[] School Type: Large (~3,500 students) public school
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: ~$140,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen-American, cancer patient (if that counts?).
[/ul] Reflection[list]
[] Strengths: Essays, interview went pretty well, extracurriculars aren’t too bad.
[] Weaknesses: GPA, ACT, no SAT II’s.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My scores were on the low end for UChic, and they do tend to be pretty score heavy with most applicants. Never really expected to get in to begin with though, eh.[/li]
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: UChicago was pretty much my top choice, and was a super reach for me. As time went on, I realized it wasn’t necessarily the best fit for me, and that I could be happier somewhere else. That being said, I still love the community and vibe, and wish future applicants the best of luck! As for advice, even if you think you won’t get in, I would suggest applying regardless. I am sure UChicago is also very big on fit, and once in a while, they do accept “under-par” students (in terms of scores and numbers) for the sake of having someone with character and personality.

59

[ size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]

Objective:[ list]
[] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[] ACT (breakdown): 33
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[li] SAT II:[/li][ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.7
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~40/200
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): Music Theory, US History, Environmental Science, Calculus AB, US Gov, Statistics, Literature
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov, AP Stat, AP Lit, Honors Choir, Honors French 4, Introduction to Ethics (at University of North Carolina), Sociological Perspectives (at University of North Carolina)
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: idk
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:**[ list] National Merit Finalist
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): A Cappella (president and music director), Assistant Musical Director for school musical, pit orchestra for musicals, junior advisor
[ *] Job/Work Experience: none
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: about my experience leading my a cappella group which used to be terrible and ridiculed by others in the school and how i made it better
[ *] EC Short Answer:
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Describe a street: talked about the street I grew up on and how it changed with me
[ *] Optional Essay:
[ *] Why Chicago: Talked about touring and how nice students were to me
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: Civics and Economics and Global Cultures and Minority Studies, not sure what it was like he’s a hard guy to read
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: Junior Year English teacher: I think he really liked me because I like philosophy and talked about it with him
[ *] Counselor Rec: My counselor loves me for reason I don’t really understand so probably really good
[ *] Additional Rec: My choir teacher who knows me really well after having me for all four years
[ ] Interview: was over the phone, I think it went well didn’t really connect with the guy though
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list] [ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App:
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NC
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Female
[ *] Income Bracket:
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] none
Reflection[ list]
[ *] Strengths: essays were good
[ *] Weaknesses: grades and GPA not so hot
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: grades and GPA
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
I was deferred EA and didn’t really expect to get in RD. UChicago was my big reach and I’ve been hearing a lot about how competitive an environment it is and I know some people there who are unhappy so I really ok getting rejected!

60

** Decision: Waitlisted **

** Objective: ** [ul]
[] ACT (breakdown): C: 33, E: 35, M: 31, R: 35 S: 34, W: 32
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): 34
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.62
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~ 15 / 300
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (3) Biology (5); I’m retaking Chem, self-studying Psych, and taking Eng Lit and Calc AB this year
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB / Calculus and Vectors (combined course), Grade 12 Physics, Grade 12 Church and Culture (catholic school lol), AP English Lit, I also have a placement at the local hospital
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 0
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I’m from Canada, they aren’t really any provincial / nation - wide distinctions but I’m the Loran Scholar for my school + on Honor Roll [/ul]
** Subjective: ** [ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Mayors Youth Advisory Council (Chair), Me to We Club (leader), Anti-Drug Committee (leader)
[] Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard / Assistant Instructor at local pool
[] Volunteer/Community service: (600 ish hours) Volunteer at Local Hospital, Church, Martial Arts Academy, summer camp [/ul]
** Writing ** [ul]
[] Common App Main: 8/10 How my unique background affected me, why I do what I do; it was good
[] Extended essay(which topic): 8/10 Your worst enemy one, wrote a poem about how you are you’re own worst enemy
[] Optional Essay: 9/10 I loved it had random things like my favourite Tim Hortons, time to fall asleep at etc.
[] Why Chicago: 8/10
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: 11 bio teacher 9/10
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: English teacher, probs my fav teacher ever 9/10
[] Teacher Recommendation #3: ap bio teacher, we have a love/hate relationship so either really good or really bad

[] Counselor Rec: she really likes me plus I’m the only one in my school to apply to American schools so 9/10
[] Additional Rec: 8/10 [/ul]
** Other ** [ul]
[] Date Submitted App: deadline
[] Country (if international applicant): Ontario, Canada
[] School Type: Catholic
[] Ethnicity: Black
[] Gender: Female
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m the only one in my city applying to UChicago + I was born in Africa and my first language is German [/ul]
** Reflection ** [ul]
[] Strengths: ACT, first two teacher recs,
[] Weaknesses: 3rd teacher rec, no major awards, needed a lot of FA, GPA, rank, really light course load this year
[] Where were you accepted: Canadian Unis (UofT, McGill, Queens, UOttawa), Columbia b **
[] Where else did you apply: McMaster (Health Sci/iSci), Yale, and Harvard
[*] What would you have done differently?: Applied ED, spent more time polishing my essays [/ul]