UChicago and Duke?

<p>I'm a rising senior, female, Chinese, from Texas.</p>

<p>I really loved U of Chicago when I visited, and it's definitely my top choice right now. I also really liked Duke, but I don't know if I would apply ED over UChicago's EA.</p>

<p>SAT I: superscored, 2280 (M:770, CR:750, W:760 Essay:10) 2 sittings
ACT: 35 (W:33, M:36, R:36, S:36, Essay: 9 <--ew)
SAT II: Bio: 750, Chem: 770, Math II: 800 French: 720
Unweighted GPA in terms of 4.0 scale: 4.0
At my school, we do it out of 12 (12 is A+, 11 is A and so on): weighted = 11.8
School doesn't rank, but definitely in top 5% out of a class of about 140</p>

<p>Previous APs: APUSH (5) BC Calc (5) French AP Language (4) I was supposed to take Latin AP Vergil, but we learned the wrong curriculum so it's CL</p>

<p>Projected Senior year schedule:</p>

<p>Govt/Econ (no AP classes for those)
AP Crit lit
AP Physics
AP Chem
French 5 Literature CL
Multivariable Calculus CL
Advanced Portfolio</p>

<p>My school doesn't offer as many AP or CL classes, so every year I've had the most rigorous schedule possible</p>

<p>Honors/Awards:
Sophomore year: Chemistry and French III awards
Junior Year: French 4 award
High Honor Roll all 3 years so far (all A's)
French Honors Society 9,10,11
Latin Honors Society 9,10,11
I've placed in the NFC a couple years, I think once for the NLE
Regional and State gold medalist for piano solo in TPSMEA in 9th grade
Scholastic Arts silver key 11th grade
VASE regional and state superior rating 11th grade <-- I'm taking advanced portfolio next year so I'll definitely be submitting a visual arts supplement</p>

<p>Extracurriculars are a little slim</p>

<p>Volleyball four years: Varsity 10,11,12
Traveling competitive club volleyball 9,10
Piano lessons for 13 years
there might be some others but I can't come up with them on the spot</p>

<p>Summer:</p>

<p>Last summer I worked at my school's learning camp as a counselor for a month
this summer: research assistant position at a psychology lab (which I think is pretty strong) and taking a psychology class at Brown University</p>

<p>I have three teachers writing my recs: my pre-cal and calc teacher, my french teacher whom I've had three years, and my art teacher who I'll have all four years of high school. I'm really close to my french and art teachers, and pretty close to my math teacher, so I think they'll write great rec letters</p>

<p>Do I have a chance?</p>

<p>Sure! Art and French more interesting than math/science IMO</p>

<p>You’ve definitely got a good chance at Chicago</p>

<p>University of Chicago is REALLY hard to get into and your stats look really competitive, I think you have a strong chance at both Duke and University of Chicago.</p>

<p>Thanks guys! I feel better now!</p>

<p>If anyone else has applied/is applying to UChicago and Duke, are the essays really important? I feel like UChicago’s definitely are because they require creativity and intellect, but I just want an estimate of how much they affect the admission process.</p>

<p>You look like a good UChi applicant, not only in terms of qualifications but also in terms of fit. Take risks and get creative in your supp. essays–show “quirky intellectualism” and fearlessness…</p>

<p>Def. a good chance at Chicago. Perfect the essays, though, and you should be good.</p>

<p>“If anyone else has applied/is applying to UChicago and Duke, are the essays really important?”</p>

<p>Yes. Very important. More important than stats. Personal experience here. Two senior friends, the one with the worse grades/ECAs got in, and he had much better essays. So just make the connection…</p>

<p>You can apply EA to U of Chicago and RD to Duke. Applying EA will allow you to apply to a few more schools just in case. If you are in Texas, then UT is a natural selection as a back-up.</p>

<p>UChi, in particular, has been known to reach for otherwise barely qualified kids if their essays hit the bullseye. But the bullseye moves pretty unpredictably…</p>

<p>I think you have a pretty good shot at both, but Duke is harder on OOS.</p>

<p>I’d really suggest trying to fill out your extracurriculars with community service and leadership roles. Your scores and GPA look excellent though!</p>

<p>Overall, you’re a great applicant but being a ORM and that too your EC’s are a little bit stereotypical with the piano and art. however, the volleyball team and psychology lab stand out along with the language stuff. good luck! :)</p>

<p>I think you’ve got a chance for both! Remember to have lots of EC’s relating to your major, so that you show passion for what you want to study. Maybe a few more EC’s would be good, but your application looks great and so do your chances! Speaking of chances, would you chance me for Princeton? Thanks and good luck!!!
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