UChicago Class of 2018 EA Decisions/Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>Seeing that results are going to be posted in around 48 hours, I thought it would be a good idea to get this up now. Good luck to everyone!

[quote]
Decision: Accepted
Decision: Waitlisted
Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II:
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[</em>] Academic Awards: [/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service:
[</em>] Summer Activities:
[<em>] Essays (rating 1-10, details):
[</em>] Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):[list]
[<em>] Teacher Rec #1:
[</em>] Teacher Rec #2:
[<em>] Counselor Rec:
[</em>] Additional Rec:[/ul]
[li] Interview:[/list]</p>[/li]
<p>Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type:
[</em>] Ethnicity:
[<em>] Gender:
[</em>] Income Bracket:
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths:
[</em>] Weaknesses:
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]</p>

<p>General Comments:

[/quote]
</p>

2

<p>fixed with formatting for everyone

</p>

3

<p>Thanks for starting this thread. I know that it needed to be made, but seeing it actually in existence really makes me dread Wednesday.</p>

4

<p>we should probably avoid making any non decision related posts here
/r/irony</p>

5

<p>Thought I’d start on this. Not gonna sleep anyway</p>

<p>[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]
[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]
[ size=+2][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]</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): 3.6x
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 20%
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Hardest available.
[<em>] Number of other EA 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]</p>

<p>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
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Interned at local radio station, and publisher; been working as a tutor for 2-3 years for three kids
[li] Volunteer/Community service: 300(?) hours at a non-profit aiming to integrate immigrants into society; developed curriculum for teaching them the local dialect, amongst other volunteering experiences[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):

[ul][<em>] Common App Main: 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>] 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.
[</em>] 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.
Other:
[<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: Forgot to send in rec from a mentor at the radio station. It was pretty damn good, so <em>headdesks</em>
[<em>] Interview: UChicago forced an interview on me, and it was awesome. Alum and I talked about everything, from philosophy to the local curriculum. He even said he’d fight for me if I got deferred or rejected, and we still keep in touch
[</em>] Art Supplement: Five pages of essays and poetry that won me awards[/ul]</p>

<p>Other[ul]
[<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: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: Fam has been living on social welfare for three years
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Background, first gen, a little bit of minority in me[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>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/rejected:
[</em>] What would you have done differently?:[/ul]</p>

<p>[ul]Other Factors: Needs a huge amount of financial aid
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Good luck, everyone![/ul]</p>

6

<p>omg i feel so bad so bad so bad so bad so bad so bad so bad so bad</p>

<p>I never won a legit award in my life :(</p>

7

<p>@Skyrior: Don’t stress! It’s not just about awards, and I’m pretty sure you have better stats than I do :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

<p>Shoot, forgot a couple of ECAs, and I’ve completely forgotten CC doesn’t allow peeps to edit their posts. Oh well, will post again later</p>

8

<p>Please only include information that UChicago will actually see via the commonapp or the admissions site. also please refrain from posting till decisions come out. any D-waving or speculating should be kept to the other threads</p>

9

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): CR 760 Math 770
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[ *] ACT (breakdown):
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[ *] SAT II: Math 2 800 Chem 780 US History 750
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Weighted GPA: around 4.2 I think
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): US History, Chemistry, AP Eng Lan (5s)
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Eng Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Gov, Sociology, Spanish 4
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: none
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list][ b]Subjective:[ list] none
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Leo Club (president), Science Olympiad, Math Club
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Kumon for two years
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] Various places throughout the years like a shelter during the summers
[ b]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 failure as a president of Leo Club, kinda dry 7/10
[ *] EC Short Answer: Didn’t the CA get rid of this?
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): I am me and my pen. Wrote a war diary about being in the “Pen Army” because I like pens and don’t like using pencils. I loved this one 10/10
[ *] Optional Essay: Wrote a rap about rap music 9/10
[ *] Why Chicago: Talked about my love for history and learning for the sake of learning maybe 7/10
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: great
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: great
[ *] Counselor Rec:great
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ ] Interview: Went okay. My interviewer seemed to like Stanford grad better than her UChicago undergrad…
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list][ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App:
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Income Bracket:
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None[/list][ b]Reflection[ list]
[ ] Strengths: Chicago supplement essays
[ ] Weaknesses: Nothing too special, no major awards or anything
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my essays
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
I’M SO HAPPY I’M CRYING. UCHICAGO IS MY DREAM SCHOOL</p>

10

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

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 750 CR, 690 M, 720 W
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2160 superscored
[ *] ACT (breakdown): 36 E, 34 R, 30 M, 27 S
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): 32
[ *] SAT II: 730 US, 560 Latin, 610 Lit (didn’t submit last two)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8056
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.8056
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): 4, 4, 4, 5
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): none
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp, AP Latin, AP Lit, AP Macro, AP Micro, H stats, R mixed media
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school:? at least 10
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list][ b]Subjective:[ list] Awards on international, national, city, school level
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): a lot, but mainly my Key Club position where I represented 10,000 people.
[ *] Job/Work Experience: None
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: almost 500 hours
[/list][ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: 9.5/10.
[ *] EC Short Answer: 8/10
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): 8.5/10
[ *] Optional Essay: 8.5/10
[ *] Why Chicago: 9/10
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: APUSH Teacher, prob good
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: AP Lit/UK lit teacher, who knows
[ *] Counselor Rec: decent
[ *] Additional Rec: none
[ ] Interview: nome
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list][ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: 10/22
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): IL
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: public magnet
[ *] Ethnicity: Czech, Slovak, bit of Hungarian
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Income Bracket: low
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ethnicity (Born in CZ), unique story, Questbridge finalist
[/list][ b]Reflection[ list]
[ *] Strengths: essays, recs(?)
[ *] Weaknesses: scores
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea. Maybe my scores were too low or my recs were bad.
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:
Do better on tests.
This kind of sucks, but could be a lot worse. Congrats to those accepted.</p>

11

<p>(Posting in both threads because I don’t know which is the ‘official’ one)</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted
Objective:

[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Did not take the SAT
[</em>] ACT: 34 (10 on writing)
[<em>] SAT II: N/A
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.44 Weighted, unsure of UW
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 out of 170
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World History (4), APUSH (5), AP Calc AB (5), AP Chem (4), AP Physics B (4).
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Calc BC, AP English, AP Poli Sci, AP Spanish, Advanced Programming
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (President), Spanish Club and Spanish Honor Society (President), Math Team (Captain), Mu Alpha Theta (VP), Drama Club, Chess Club (Founder/President), Tennis
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Worked in my school’s computer lab and tech department over summers (paid position)
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: About 90 hours
[<em>] Summer Activities: Work
[</em>] Essays: Common App essay was about the spot I go to with my telescope (6 or 7/10). I chose “You are you and your…” and wrote about my bookshelf for the extended essay. In my opinion, it is some of the best writing I’ve done, 10/10. Other two essays were short and I touched on a lot of topics.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Both my teacher recs were FANTASTIC, these surely helped a lot.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Did not read
[<em>] Additional Rec: My boss wrote one, but I did not read it.
[</em>] Interview:[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Small Catholic school
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: Not sure, tbh.
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My dad works at Argonne NL, but I am not sure if this is a ‘hook’ so to speak.[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: My recommendations and essays are what put me over the edge to acceptance I think. Both of them highlighted the kind of learning environment I am looking for. My grades and test scores certainly helped as well.
[<em>] Weaknesses: Extra curriculars are a little lacking. I don’t do much to really show my interest in my intended major. I could have done more volunteering as well.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Recs and Essays
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: This is the first result I’ve gotten[/ul][/li]General Comments: Very happy right now</p>

12

<p>Decision: Deferred</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): 3.6x
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 20%
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Hardest available
[<em>] Number of other EA 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]</p>

<p>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
[li] Volunteer/Community service:300(?) hours at a non-profit aiming to integrate immigrants into society; developed curriculum for teaching them the local dialect, amongst other volunteering experiences[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[<em>] Common App essay: 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>] 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.
[</em>] 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.[<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: Forgot to send in rec from a mentor at the radio station. It was pretty damn good, so <em>headdesks</em> Definitely sending it in for review.
[<em>] Interview: UChicago forced an interview on me, and it was awesome. Alum and I talked about everything, from philosophy to the local curriculum. He even said he’d fight for me if I got deferred or rejected, and we still keep in touch
[</em>] Art Supplement: Five pages of essays and poetry that won me awards[/ul]</p>

<p>Other[ul]
[<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
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Background, first gen, a little bit of minority in me[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>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 deferred: ^Weaknesses, but essays saved my neck
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: Better recs. Supremely better recs.[/ul]</p>

<p>General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Good luck, everyone! I’m going to execute Plan B, also known as A Desperate Tactic to Show UChicago Why I’m Perfect for It</p>

13

<p>I suppose I’ll do this…to be honest I’m pleased with my decision considering I probably don’t deserve it.</p>

<p>[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]
[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 730 CR 730 M 790 W
[ *] SAT I superscore: 2250
[ *] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
[ *] SAT II: 800 US History 770 Physics
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5ish… it’s about a 93 on a 100 point scale
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.22
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 41… top 20%. This is why I am stumped about not getting flat out rejected.
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5) US History (5) Biology (3) Psychology (5)
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP English Lang, AP US Government, French 5
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSQT Commended Student
[/list][ b]Subjective:[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Band (vice president), Physics Honor Society (founder & president), SAGE (CEO of national champion team), school newspaper (layout editor), Irish dance (no technical leadership position but it is noted in my application that I spend at least 12 hours a week at practice), varsity tennis, varsity cross country, National Honor Society, Chemistry Honor Society
[ *] Job/Work Experience: I work at a fast food chain and teach Irish dance and briefly worked on a documentary crew
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts
[/list][ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: The one about failure - I wrote about my struggles with spelling and related them to how convention defines both language and our actions. This essay is my baby. It took me from May to October to finish. About a 9.
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Tell a joke - my joke was actually quite funny. There was a typo. I’d still give it about a 7.
[ *] Optional Essay: I wrote about how I love The Office because of its simplicity, then listed a few of my favorite bands.
[ *] Why Chicago: There was an extended metaphor about a web. I rambled a little. 6.
[ *] Other: N/A
[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: My 11th grade physics teacher - Probably very positive. He could speak to a great extent about my actual personality.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: My 11th grade English teacher - Definitely positive. She really saw me come out of my shell and thinks I’m a great kid.
[ *] Counselor Rec: I barely know my counselor, but my class rank did get messed up because I transferred high schools. This was probably explained here.
[ *] Additional Rec: N/A
[ ] Interview: N/A
[ ] Art Supplement: N/A
[/list][ b]Other[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: 10/31
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): New York
[ *] Country (if international applicant): USA
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: F
[ ] Income Bracket: Middle
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Female science major
[/list][ b]Reflection[ list]
[ *] Strengths: Scores, essays
[ *] Weaknesses: GPA… it simply isn’t in their range.
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my essays were the only thing saving me from rejection. For consideration as an actual human, I am eternally grateful to the University of Chicago.
[ ] What would you have done differently?: Well, I suppose I could’ve studied once or twice.
[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congratulations to everyone!</p>

14

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): did not take
ACT: 35 (English 35, Reading 34, Math 36, Science 36)
SAT II: Biology M (760), US History (730), Chemistry (730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.36 :frowning:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 30%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), Biology (4), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Enviro, AP Calc AB, Short Fiction, Gender Studies, Intermediate Spanish B, Film Studies
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens competition semifinalist, won international space art competition sponsored by NASA (poetry category), a lot of Gold and Silver Keys from the Alliance for Writers and Artists, AP Scholar, National Merit Commended Student
Academic Awards: International Friendship Award (for hosting Japanese foreign exchange student), 3rd place UIL feature writing awards, won literary competition at school</p>

<p>Subjective</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Journalism (copy editor), school’s literary magazine (section editor), biology club (vice president) book club, poetry club, varsity track and field, recreational basketball and swimming
Job/Work Experience: Two summers working at a medical center as part of a summer research program
Volunteer/Community service: 100 hours at a local elementary school, 50 at a local women’s shelter, various other miscellaneous activities
Summer Activities: Two summers working at a medical center as part of a summer research program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App Essay (9, it was about lessons learned from raising chickens and very heartfelt), for the specialized U Chicago essay I chose the one about apples and oranges (7, it was well-written but I think I tried too hard to make it quirky)</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): </p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: From my current English teacher who is also a U Chicago alum, and she really likes me (10)
Teacher Rec #2: From my biology teacher, we have a very good relationship but he’s not a good writer (6)
Counselor Rec: Not really sure, but my counselor is warm and friendly with me.
Additional Rec: From my mentor during my two years of summer research, brilliant md/phd guy but not a great writer either (8)</p>

<p>Interview: the alum and I talked for over an hour and apart from some small slip-ups at the beginning it was fantastic.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private day, ranked as one of the top 30 private day schools in the nation
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: male
Income Bracket: $100,000-$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): absolutely none to speak of</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Siemens semifinalst and other good awards, essays were well-written and thoughtful, one fantastic recommendation, decent leadership positions, ACT score
Weaknesses: Probably the lowest GPA I’ve seen on these forums :slight_smile:
Why you think you were waitlisted: GPA for sure
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: This was my first decision</p>

15

<p>Decision: Deferred
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): N/A
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): 35 R, 34 M, 35 E, 33 S, 11 W
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): 34 C
[<em>] SAT II: 780 Math 2, 730 Chemistry
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 4.60
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/447
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4), Chemistry (5), BC Calc (5), English Language (4), US History (4), Psychology (4)
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Lit, AP Micro, AP Gov, AP Spanish, AP Comp Gov (Independent Study), Honors Physics
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: maybe 3?
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list]</p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate Team Captain, Mock Trial Captain, School Newspaper
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Little League Umpire, Side Tutor
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Synagogue Youth Group</p>[/li]
<p>[/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: 8/10; about a trip through Frankfurt airport. I expanded an idea that had no direction into an analysis of what makes an airport so pleasing.[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: 8/10; I think I effectively conveyed why I liked Chicago- because it’s a community of misfits, and I happen to be one of them.
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): 5/10; I did the topic of choice, and I asked the question “Why has faith disappeared from the world?” Idk, it could have been a little touchy, I suppose.
[</em>] Optional Essay:-
[<em>] Why Chicago: -
[</em>] Other:[/ul][ <em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: 9/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: 9/10
[</em>] Additional Rec:-
[<em>] Interview: Did it on campus, I was really nervous and probably didn’t do as well as I expected to.
[</em>] Art Supplement:[/list][ b]Other**[ list]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: October, 2013
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): CT
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender:M
[<em>] Income Bracket: >200,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list][ b]Reflection**[ list]
[<em>] Strengths:Creativity in application, test scores, rigor of courseload
[</em>] Weaknesses: UW GPA
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not really sure, to be honest.
[</em>] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:**
**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: After I applied ED to another school (an Ivy) and got in (I have NO IDEA why or how they took me, but they did), this decision had no value. Still, it was nice to see the decision without the stress of my future riding on it. I wish all of you the best of luck, and I’ll see y’all on the other side! **</p>

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<p>@movieman706 – If you got into your ED school, you really should have IMMEDIATELY voided all other applications including the UChicago one. You unfortunately just took a spot on the wait list away from someone else. Colleges only have a set number of spots on their wait-list and had they known you couldn’t attend their school, they would have given someone else that option. That was a real dick move right there. Please, tonight, cancel any other applications you have elsewhere so you’re not screwing over the pooch.</p>

17

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (790 CR, 750 M, 800 W, 10 essay)
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 36 M, 34 R, 33 S, 8 essay)
[<em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 36 M, 34 R, 34 S, 8 essay)
[</em>] SAT II: Chemistry (740), Literature (780), Math II (800)
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/147
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Took everything my school offered. Statistics (self-study, 3), US Government (self-study, 3), English Literature (4), US History (self-study, 4) Calculus BC (self-study, 4), Biology (4), Chemistry (4).
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Spanish III, Creative Writing, Non-Western Philosophy, Intro to Ethics, Multivariable Calculus, Intro to Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Intro to Number Theory, Numerical Analysis, Abstract Algebra. All of these are at a local university except for Spanish III.
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Merit Semifinalist[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Piano (9, 10, 11, 12), local chemical engineering internship/mentorship (11), editorial internship with online magazine (12), math club at local university (vice president, 12)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: McDonald’s (11, 12, 5 hrs/week)
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service:Local public library children’s program (9, 10, 11, 12), local arboretum (12)[/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: 7/10, wrote about my hair.[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer:
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): 7/10, apples and oranges.
[</em>] Optional Essay: 6/10.
[<em>] Why Chicago: 2/10, didn’t really answer prompt.
[</em>] Other:[/ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: 9/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: 6/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: 6/10
[</em>] Interview: Unspeakably awful.[/list]Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: November 1
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
[<em>] School Type: Rural public
[</em>] Race: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~$50,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-generation[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Grades, SAT/ACT scores, course rigor, one of my teacher recommendations.
[<em>] Weaknesses: Interview, lack of demonstrated interest, ECs, awards, essays.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The other applicants were better.
[*] What would you have done differently?: Improved on my weaknesses.[/ul]</p>

18

<p>I haven’t seen anyone rejected yet. Does anyone know the percentage of deferred and rejected</p>

19

<p>Posting for daughter:</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2170 (800cr, 680m, 690w)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2200 (800cr, 680m, 720w)
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): 30
[</em>] SAT II: 790 EL, 750 US Hist, 730 Bio
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (one B)
[</em>] Weighted GPA: 4.2
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/325
[</em>] AP: World Hist (5), Bio (5), Psych (5), English (5), US Hist (5)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Lit, AP Spanish
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 2
[li] Major Awards: AP Scholar, State Finalist Debate (OI), UCLA Mock Trial Institute - Best Prosecutor, many other state and local public speaking awards/scholarships[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars: Debate 4 yrs (2 yrs captain), Mock Trial 4 yrs (2 yrs captain), GSA 4 yrs (2 yrs officer), Youth Symphony (Clarinet, 3 yrs)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Licensed USSF Soccer Referee - officiated hundreds of youth games since age 12
[li] Volunteer/Community service: 120+ hours Community Foundation</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Writing:[ul]
[<em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: Leading mock trial team to podium finish at state finals (9)[/li][</em>] Extended essay: Why a mantis shrimp would make a great college admissions officer (10)
[<em>] Optional Essay: John Cage, musical genius (10)
[</em>] Why Chicago: UChicago, a love story (10) (“as it turns out, UChicago was not some creepy internet stalker…”)
[<em>][/ul][li] Teacher Recommendation #1: Excellent (“Once in a generation student.” “I would stake my entire career on this student’s academic success.”)[/li][</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Did not see, but excellent
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Ditto
[</em>] Additional Rec: Excellent - Harvard MBA Exec. Dir. of Comm. Found. where interned (“Cross between Bill Clinton and a busload of Buddhist monks.”)
[<em>] Interview: Above average, lasted an hour (“You’re just like me when I was your age.”)
[</em>] Art Supplement: submitted several poems, including limericks (non-bawdy)[/list]
Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: Deadline day, 11/8/13
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[<em>] School Type: Average suburban public HS
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: Upper middle class
[<em>] Hooks: absolutely none
[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: GPA, essays, recommendations, SAT II’s, AP scores
[<em>] Weaknesses: SAT, no hooks
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted: Rocked the essays, had fun with them and did not hold back
[li] What would you have done differently?: Get application done earlier[/ul][/list]Other Factors:[/li]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Dream come true! Totally expected another deferral after getting Georgetown deferral earlier this week. Saves having to do about six other applications in the next two weeks. Good luck and thank you everyone!</p>

20

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>I’m going to take out irrelevant sections</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] ACT:33
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8, I believe…4.2 Weighted
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/124
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology–3; English Language, English Literature, and APUSH–4; Human Geography–5
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper (Editor in chief, founding member), Yearbook (Editor in chief), Philanthropy Club (President), NHS (elected historian), Varsity Golf
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Barnes and Noble from July to October (cut short because I moved)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours
[</em>] Essays: My ‘Why UChicago’ essay blew something fierce. I thought my other two were pretty solid, though.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Solid
[</em>] Counselor Rec: I believe it’s pretty good based on the fact that I only knew her for like 2 weeks at the point she wrote it</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Female</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: I’m not sure anymore, to be quite honest. I thought I had a decent ACT and class rank.
[</em>] Weaknesses: Why UChicago essay, no awards won
[<em>] Why you think you were deferred: My essays…I wrote about Vonnegut and how much I love him but apparently the entire world loves Vonnegut when it comes to UChi apps.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Northwestern, University of Minnesota, Michigan State, Tulane, Case Western, Fordham, Eastern Michigan, Oglethorpe
[/ul]General Comments: I’m very sad.</p>