UChicago chances --help a clueless Junior out

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey there, lately I've been prompted to think about college and was seriously considering University of Chicago (I did a bit of research and really love everything about it. Smart, pretty, and unique school). I was wondering how I stacked up on admission chances so far and what I could do to improve my app (please don't give inane advice like 'be yourself'...I've been doing that for three years and have never given my choice of college serious thought until now, so I need something more substantial).</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 4.5 (not sure about unweighted but I'm sure it's in the higher range, lowest grades ever gotten were three A minuses); rank 13/ 650 class at a large (but rigorous) public school; haven't taken SAT recently but my practice PSAT score was a 215, if that helps? Freshman SAT score was 1960ish but I'm sure I've improved since then; taken 2 APs: AP world (5) and APUSH (4), this year taking APLAC, AP microecon, AP psych, my courses have always been on the rigorous end and Senior year I plan to take AP bio, AP chem, AP comp, AP french 5. I've done probably 90+ hours of community service at hospitals over the summers and am part of model UN, NHS, French Honor societyy, and a few smaller school clubs. I'm primarily focused on science,took part on (Project LEAD The Way science classes all throughout highschool) but am relatively fond of creative writing and linguistive pursuits as well (which I why I really like Uchicago, I think I could do well on the essays). I'd like to be doctor someday.</p>

<p>Be brutally honest. I realize I lack awards and extensive extracurricular pursuits but do I even stand a chance against the admissions? I plan on taking part in a medical research program this summer as well. What else could I do to give myself a better chance (besides practicing SAT). ANother school I'm considering is Northwestern, which has a pretty competitive premed program and is hard to get into. </p>

<p>Please Advise. Any help would be greatly appreciated:)</p>

2

<p>shezz, you sound like a fine U. Chicago applicant. You’re doing all the right things. You just need to keep on keeping on – continue to do well in your classes, revel in your extracurriculars, finalize your summer plans when you can. One great place to look for information is The Choice blog, on the New York Times website. They publish monthly checklists for juniors and seniors, to help you stay on track. Here is a link to the “Counselor’s Calendar”: [COUNSELOR’S</a> CALENDAR - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/category/counselors-calendar/]COUNSELOR’S”>Counselor’s Calendar - The Choice Blog - The New York Times)</p>

<p>Does being a fine candidate mean that you will be accepted? No, of course not. You’ll need to develop a list of schools that include some that are downright likely to admit you – places where your test scores, once you have them, are at the top of the range.</p>

<p>I’ll give you an example of why no one is going to be able to tell you just how likely you are to be accepted to any of the most highly selective schools. A brilliant young man of my acquaintance was accepted at Yale but not at U. Chicago. Does that mean that U of C is harder to get into than Yale? No. The holistic approach to admissions that our top schools use is not predictable. It’s good that you are starting to think about these things now. Continue to get to know your options, a little at a time, and don’t forget to be yourself. ;-)</p>

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<p>haha thanks for the wise words of wisdom anouilh. It’s just nerve wracking to see friends join every club in school to be able to put it on their apps and feel like I’m doing nothing in comparison. It’s not that I don’t care about the whole admission process, I just don’t want to do unnecessary things that I don’t like that won’t even pay off in the end.</p>