UChicago Class of 2018 EA Decisions/Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
61

<p>@vicktator</p>

<p>Dear [name],</p>

<p>Congratulations! It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been admitted to the University of Chicago’s Class of 2018. With your exceptional academic record, strong voice, and impressive accomplishments, you have distinguished yourself in the University’s largest and most competitive Early Action pool to date.</p>

<p>For over a century, the College’s academic tradition has thrived because of students like you who crave ideas that captivate, provoke, and transform. We imagine you in our laboratories and on our performance stages, in our libraries and on our athletic fields, immersed in your passions and engaged in the pursuit of knowledge. As part of our residential house system, you will cultivate lifelong friendships; in our classrooms, you will create and inhabit a vibrant intellectual space with your peers and professors.</p>

<p>In the coming months, I invite you to explore all that UChicago has to offer. Join us April 10-11 or April 17-18 for one of our Admitted Student Open Houses, at which you’ll experience firsthand a rich community of scholars, friends, and neighbors. The enclosed information provides details about how to arrange your visit and confirm your enrollment at UChicago. We look forward to receiving your reply as soon as you are ready–but no later than May 1, 2014.</p>

<p>We invite you to be part of a school with a glorious history and an exciting present. We look to you to help us grow, to grow with us, and to be part of a tradition that elevates us all.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>James G. Nondorf
Vice President
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid</p>

62

<p>I honestly feel so unqualified for UChicago.</p>

63

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

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

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (I put all sorts together here coz some are hard to classify):
Dance/aerobic gymnastics - school team leader/coach assistant, several municipal awards as leading role
Drama acting/directing - best leading actress in schoolwide activity
Spoke on a 1- to 2-hour live BBC radio program as 1 of 8 Chinese student representatives
Minister of Arts and Recreation Department in Student Union
Translation work - English/Chinese subtitle production group, 1.5 yrs till now, “admission officer” in charge of recruit and assessment (100+ members in total).
Short intern at Bio lab</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common: Quite “sad and pathetic” story, about my mom. maybe 6?
Uncommon: Oranges and apples (mr Orange & ms Apple went on a date, written as Orange’s diary and had a little drawing) 7
Why UChi: about the e-mails UChi sent us 5 (had to rush coz didn’t notice word limit until deadline day)
Favorites: 5</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1&#2: never seen, should be nice 8 (One from math teacher, one from English/philosophy)
Counselor Rec:never seen, should be good 9
Additional Rec:n/a
Interview: requested but didn’t get one - will keep requesting for RD
*Arts supplement: uploaded 10 min of dance video clips</p>

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

<p>Reflection
Strengths: idk, quite strong in diverse areas? (but then almost all UChi applicants do)
Weaknesses:essays not compelling enough, Uncommon one wasn’t that intellectual, WhyUchi didn’t link to myself that well
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:^see above (and in terms of the greater environment, from what I know, Chinese applicants are seen as dishonest and looked down upon quite often)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:n/a (accepted by UCL in UK, waiting for Oxford) waiting for decision tomorrow from Colorado College</p>

<p>General Comments:at least 10 in my school applied EA, 2 accepted, others all deferred. Quite as expected. I read one of the admitted boys essays and I knew he’d be in.
*Will people, esp those accepted, please post your essays on the “Post Your Essay” thread?</p>

64

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] ACT (breakdown): composite 33, English 32, Math 36, Reading 30, Science 34, Writing 8
[</em>] ACT superscore (breakdown): composite 34, English 34, Math 36, Reading 30, Science 34, Writing 8
[<em>] SAT II: Math II 800, Chinese w/ listening 800, Physics 750
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
[<em>] Weighted GPA: N/A
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Cal BC (5) our school does not provide AP courses/exams
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Very rigorous. We have a fixed schedule. our high school only admits the top 1% students in our country (we had a high school entrance test).
[<em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 2… I guess?
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Guitar club (manager), Band(leader/lead singer), Piano for 13 years, Swim team, National Youth Summit (Student of the year)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: NONE
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: charity volunteer, teaching physically/mentally challenged kids.[/ul]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[</em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[<em>] Common App Main: about the reasons for my decision to transfer from a top middle school to the worst in our city. 7/10(ish)
[</em>] EC Short Answer:
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): you are you and your. very serious, talked about what I’m seeking in my life. my teacher loved it, very thought-provoking. 9/10.
[</em>] Optional Essay: Wrote about Sherlock Holmes. 8/10
[<em>] Why Chicago: Went to uchicago summer 2013. wrote about a quote on the wall and brought out the pressure, the learning, and basically what I learned and loved about uchicago this summer. personally, I love it. I’d say 9/10.
[</em>] Other:[/ul]
[<em>]Teacher Recommendation #1: my homeroom teacher who has known me for 1 year. probably good.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Bio teacher who barely knows me. (in our school teachers generally don’t recognize their students unless he/she is the homeroom teacher. so I was left with few choices.)
[<em>] Counselor Rec: counselor who has known me for 3 months. she barely speaks English but she’s pretty nice.
[</em>] Additional Rec: a rec from a professor in UChicago. He is the nicest person I’ve ever met.
[<em>] Interview: went well
[</em>] Art Supplement: a song (singing+guitar+bass guitar played by me)
[/list]Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: 10/31
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): Taiwan
[</em>] School Type: International
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: forgot
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essays, AP cal BC was self-studied, additional rec definitely
[<em>] Weaknesses: ACTs
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i’d say showing who i am, but actually i have no idea
[/ul]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: congratss to all who got in! good luck to those who were deferred/waitlisted/rejected. I’M JUST…AHH…</p>

65

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2140; Math: 680, Reading: 730, Writing: 730, Essay: 11
[</em>] SAT II: 690 Lit, 730 U.S. History
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
[</em>] Weighted GPA: 5.1
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/732
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Human (4), World (4), U.S. History (4), Psych (4), Lang (4)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Spanish Lang, AP Stat, Teacher’s Assistant, Astronomy, AP Gov, AP Lit
[</em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1 other that I know of…
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Just some school awards, National AP Scholar[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Boy choir (Head Boy, Section Leader, Proctor, Music Theory Instructor) for 8 years
[<em>]Vice President of SHS
[</em>]EHS
[<em>]NHS (Scholar Committee)
[</em>]Piano (9+ years); won numerous state awards
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: None
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 800+ service hours[/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: Amazing; it talks about how my life is as a leap year baby and how that has contributed to my independence of self-acceptance. Pretty moving and hilarious; most readers have loved it so far 10/10[/li][</em>] EC Short Answer: We didn’t have one? I’m confused…
[<em>] Extended essay(which topic): I chose the mantis ship response and I am so proud of this essay. I wrote how the shrimp see others for who they really are, unlike us humans who base our perceptions upon harsh stereotypes and prejudices. My advisor said it was one of the best college essays he’s ever read. 10/10
[</em>] Optional Essay: I just checked what I wrote about and it was a narrative regarding my adoration for Mariah Carey… oh boy haha. I basically talked about how I adore her and I somehow managed to feature an angle highlighting the oppressive demands of society. Nonetheless it accurately reflected my personality and shed valuable insight into who I am 9/10
[<em>] Why Chicago: Talked about how my town has a dearth of diversity and my appreciation for UChicago’s embracement of quirky individuals. Very humorous! 9/10
[</em>] Other:[/ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: From my Spanish IV Teacher/SHS advisor; we’re so close I’m positive she wrote an extremely personable rec letter 10/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: AP Lang teacher who brags about her rec letters and how she gets kids into the Ivies ever year, hopefully it was that amazing 8/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Bare minimum 1/10
[</em>] Additional Rec: Sent letters from my piano teacher and my choir director, both emphasized my passion for music 8/10
[<em>] Interview: n/a
[</em>] Art Supplement: Sent in my photography portfolio[/list]
Other[ul]
[<em>] Date Submitted App: Week before due?
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): FL
[<em>] School Type: Public; extremely competitive
[</em>] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: 150k +
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: My essays for sure, extra-curriculars, photography portfolio, service hours
[<em>] Weaknesses: Scores
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have NO idea, I’m still in shock.
[li] What would you have done differently?: Nothing![/ul][/li]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. My stats are unbelievably subpar compared to all these other posters, I was praying for a deferral from such a prestigious school. The top 10 in my school (including valedictorian) all got rejected/deferred from ED/SCEA schools so I can’t believe I got in! My spirits were especially down after getting deferred from my #1 (Georgetown) on Monday. I honestly believe that UChicago appreciated how personable my application was. I really believe my essays and my art supplement got me in. Guys, scores aren’t everything. Ultimately, the school is accepting a person, not a number. Make sure your application comes to life and accurately reflects all the quirks of your personality that makes you, you!</p>

66

<p>@kuowei</p>

<p>Do you attend a local school in Taiwan? Or one of the international schools?</p>

67

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2060 (Math: 720, Reading: 610, Writing: 730)
ACT: 30 (Math: 30, Writing: 34, Science: 29, Reading: 27)
SAT II: not submitted
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Weighted GPA (out of 5.0): 4.65
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 2% out of 400ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP AB Calc (4), AP Bio (4), took AP NSL, AP US History, AP Spanish, AP English Language, currently in AP Lit and AP Environmental Science
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: 2 AP’s, one honors, one elective, and a four-period honors internship with the County Executive Office
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Vision Award for schoolSportsmanship award x4
Academic Awards: AP Lang outstanding student award, GPA above 4.5 x3, English student of the month</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Field hockey (captain), softball (captain), Literary Magazine (editor in chief), Class Council/SGA (vice president), Dance Marathon Committee (chairperson), National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, babysitter, Noodles and Company cashier (just started)
Job/Work Experience: Pizza place hostess (2 summers), Noodles and Co (2 weeks haha)
Volunteer/Community service: Shelve books at public library, tutor students, have 260 service hours
Summer Activities: Library volunteering, working
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Common app: apples vs. oranges, philosophical (8)
-Why Uchicago: very unique, about the quirky prompts (9)
-Fave artist: Jack Johnson and love for the beach (7)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)
Teacher Rec #1: English teacher, outstanding, 10
Teacher Rec #2: Calculus teacher, great, 8
Counselor Rec: Not a personal relationship, but still good recommendation
Additional Rec: none
Interview: With a local alumni at panera, very social and comfortable, went well</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public school in one of the best counties
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: essays, leadership, and recommendations
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES :frowning:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My scores were way too low :frowning:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected from Vanderbilt, accepted to UNC Wilmington</p>

<p>General Comments: Congrats to everyone who was accepted! Unfortunately, many more qualified applicants were also deferred so my hopes are quite low. My scores are my only downfall it seems because I am in many clubs, have many leadership positions, and have an impressive internship that counts as 4 classes. My essays were unique and quirky and my interview helped me rather than hurt me. Good luck to everyone, and I suppose we will see in the spring!</p>

68

<p>Copying and pasting from my Georgetown post…</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred </p>

<p>Objective:

  • ACT: 36 (35 on Math, 11 on essay)
  • SAT II: 800 US History, 760 Bio E, 740 Math II (can’t remember if I sent math)
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/app. 300 - #1 already got into MIT EA
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on World History, US History, AP Eng Lang, AP Eng Lit, Psychology; 4s on Bio, European History, Human Geography
    IB: 7 on Geography SL, 6 on Spanish B SL
  • Senior Year Course Load: IB Spanish V, IB Biology IV HL, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB History of the Americas HL, IB English HL, IB Mathematics SL/AP AB Calculus, AP Macroeconomics/United States Government and Politics
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, National AP Scholar, Scholastic Art and Writing Gold and Silver Keys, some History Fair stuff, school stuff</p>

<p>Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars/Volunteer/Community service (place leadership in parenthesis):
    300 hours of volunteering, mostly in animal rescue
    NHS, Co-President
    Spanish NHS, Co-President
    Academic Team, School and County, President
    Literary Magazine, Editor-In-Chief
    Drama Club/International Thespian Society, Publicity Team</p>

<ul>
<li>Job/Work Experience: none</li>
<li>Essays: Personal essay 10/10, Why UChicago 6-7/10 (not incredibly well written, but I thought my points were genuine), Stuff I like 6-7, maybe seemed a bit superficial?</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: 1st was Bio teacher and NHS sponsor who loves my animal rescue work, probably 9-10/10, second I got to read and maybe a 7/10, 3rd probably a 9/10</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: no idea, probably a 7-8/10</li>
<li>Interview: I thought went well. It was via Skype with a couple, both grads, and they seemed to like me. At one point I was talking and not looking at my screen and when I glanced back they were beaming - maybe they say this to everyone, but they said I seemed like a good fit. Seemed to like the IB background.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other

  • Applied for Financial Aid?: No, but checked merit scholarships box
  • Intended Major: Economics
  • State (if domestic applicant): FL
  • School Type: Public with high-performing IB program inset
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Gender: F
  • Income Bracket: do not need FA
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none.</p>

<p>Reflection

  • Strengths: 36 on ACT, very passionate about my ECs
  • Weaknesses: Essays weren’t my best, maybe it looked like I padded my resume for ECs even though I didn’t? Complete lack of hooks.
  • Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Well…look at what I listed as my weaknesses.</p>

<p>General Comments: Work on your essays! I feel like if I had put forward strong essays to match the rest of my application I would have been successful…or at least, I would like to think that. Instead I put forward ones that probably showed very obviously that they were hastily written.</p>

69

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 M 640 CR 690 W (didn’t send)
ACT: 35 E 35 M 34 R 32 S (crappy essay score)
SAT II: 800 Math II 730 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/495
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (4) and Stats (4) other AP scores did not send
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Spanish, AP Physics C: MEM, AP English, AP Govt, AP Calc, credit flex with service learning, and econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing
Academic Awards: 7th place in a regional math competition, AP Scholar, gold key art award in drawing</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
captain of the equestrian team
founder and president of yoga club
marketing committee in Spanish Club
math club and art club
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Anderson Hills Animal Care Hospital
Su Casa: Hispanic Learning Center
Summer Activities:
PAVE Pre-College Program at Vanderbilt University</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App essay = 9/10, had a good topic of a friendly debate with a person who was a homophobe, didn’t agree with him
UChicago supplements = those I can honestly say were crap, the “why uchicago?” essay was ok, but my “joke” essay I just did not put my best effort in
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:Chem teacher = 9/10 He really likes me as a student
Teacher Rec #2:Pre-Calc teacher = 7/10 cool guy, wasn’t very close to him, but I enjoyed him as a teacher
Counselor Rec: 6/10 at least she knew who I was, but she can’t pronounce my name correctly… big school didn’t really talk to them until this year
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): OHIO
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian (adopted though)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: don’t need FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): absolutely nothing</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: leadership I guess
Weaknesses: not good AP scores, no big awards,
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: common app essay just made me seem like an open-minded tolerant person willing to listen to all sides of a controversial issue
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred from Brown (applied ED), accepted to OSU</p>

<p>General Comments:
I can honestly say that my acceptance came as a complete shock, considering I took zero time on my joke essay. UChicago is my third choice, but I have given up on my number 1 which is Brown and my number 2 is up in the air. Good luck to everyone else!(:</p>

70

<p>Can one of you who got accepted please read my essay for Uchicago? I would greatly appreciate it!</p>

71

<p>Could you possibly read my essay, CalCool101??</p>

72

<p>Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): CR 670 M 670 W 730 (one sitting…2070, could have been better but I just wanted to break 2000)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 730 Literature 580 Math I
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Weighted GPA: 4.65
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): High? I have no idea my school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geography (5) AP English Language (4) AP Psychology (5) AP World History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP AB Calc, Philosophy, AP Comparative Government, AP English Literature, AP Spanish Language, AP Environmental Science, Honors Fashion Design and Construction
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None?
Academic Awards: I can’t really remember, WEB DuBois Scholarship Winner, National Merit Scholar, etc.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Relay for Life Club (Vice President - raise money for American Cancer Society), Environmental Club, Drama Club (plays, directing, film - artsy things), English Honors Society, History Honors Society
Job/Work Experience: Aristotle Circle Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Camp counselor at a church, worked in my schools main office as a receptionist/Aide, small activities within my school and community (270 Hours in total)
Summer Activities: Camp counselor, Receptionist in main office
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (10) - made almost everyone who read it cry, about how I had to move out of my mom’s house and leave my family because she was emotionally abusive, but turned in into a metaphor with my film directing (I am a film writer and director) and how I am the director of my own future. Uchicago supplemental essays - Mantis Shrimp essay (10) I wrote about how our blindness causes prejudice and is preventing advancement and how we have to open our minds to new ideas and possibilities, Why you want to go to UChicago (9) - a bit generic but extremely well written and introduces my desire to go to Chicago from a new perspective and lens that showed the admissions office another side of me.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Probably 9’s or 10’s. I wasn’t allowed to read either, my school doesn’t let us. But both my teachers liked me so I’m sure they were good. We had to fill out forms for recommendations and get interviewed by our teachers, so my recommendations probably displayed my best characteristics and I got them from liberal arts teachers so they can reflect what I want to study in college.
Teacher Rec #1: AP Spanish teacher - known her for 3 years. She loves me.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Psychology teacher - I was the smartest student in her class. She loves me.
Counselor Rec: My counselor and I are very close. We had to fill out a packet for of our accomplishments so or counselors could add personal details. I am sure she wrote a glowing recommendation.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: It went amazing! My alumni interviewer was so nice and we talked so much about the school. I asked plenty of questions and he told me so much that I didn’t know about the school. He liked me and I have a personality that people (especially older people) love. I interview well because I am very enthusiastic and smart.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public. The top ranked high school in Maryland.
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class, I live in a rich neighborhood
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None? </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: My essays were all amazing (I have been told that I am an excellent writer and write from a fresh, new perspective while staying connected to the topic and adding emotion to my writing). My grades and GPA are high, I always take challenging classes. I don’t know how much weight the interviews have but I’m sure that didn’t hurt!
Weaknesses: My SAT scores (1 and 2’s). I did not want to retake them. I’m surprised they did not hurt my application; however, I am against standardized testing because I do not think it gives an accurate representation of how well students will do in college. Other than that my application was relatively strong.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Villanova (my safety), I only applied to these two schools… I was going to apply to Tufts, UPenn, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Washington University and Northwestern University… but now that I got accepted into UCHICAGOOOOO I don’t know if I want to apply anywhere else. Maybe Harvard to see what rejection feels like? ;)</p>

73

<p>Accepted!!!</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t sent
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown): didn’t send
[ *] ACT (breakdown): 36 English, 35 Math, 36 Reading, 35 Science, 11 Writing
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): 36
[ *] SAT II: none
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.7
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%, the highest my school issues
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): AP European History (5), AP Human Geography (5) AP Physics B (3), AP Calculus AB (5), AP Spanish Language (5), AP English Language (5), AP United States History (5)
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP American Government, AP Comparative Government, AP Spanish Literature, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP English Literature
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: no idea.
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list][ b]Subjective:[ list] National Merit Scholar Commended (one point from National Merit Scholar Semifinalist…), Girl Scout Gold Award, some local stuff
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Kiva Club Director of Communications, Poetry Club founder and President, National Honor Society, Peer Tutors, Congressional Debate
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Certified Red Cross and Starguard Lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Too much to list. Over 300 hours in three years of high school.
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects)
[ *] Common App Main: Talked about my favorite place in my school in the pool locker room. Mundane topic, very personal writing style. I can’t rate my own writing.
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Mantis Shrimp… I went all figurative and talked about how it can see the potential in those that it sets its sights on
[ *] Optional Essay: Wrote about my favorite poem and my favorite novel. Definitely my best of the essays.
[ *] Why Chicago: Super academics based, talked about specific aspects of their program that pertain to my major and basically prove I did a whole bunch of research on them before writing it (which I did).
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: English Teacher. Known her four years, super close.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: Spanish Teacher. Very solid, if less personal, recommendation.
[ *] Counselor Rec: We’re super close, I’m sure it was glowing.
[ *] Additional Rec: N/A
[ ] Interview: N/A
[ ] Art Supplement:[/list][ b]Other[ list] N/A
[ *] Date Submitted App: November 8 (I had common app technical difficulties)
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Large, competitive public in the suburbs
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Income Bracket: No idea.
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
Reflection[ list]
[ *] Strengths: My grades, the rigor of my classes, my ACT score
[ *] Weaknesses: My lack of an interview?
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because they recognized how in love with them I am <3.
[ *] What would you have done differently?: Nothing. Not a single thing.
Other Factors: Love the non-binding which allowed me to apply early stress-free.
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: So excited!!! To all of you future CC users reading this, I have something to tell you. Reach for your dreams. Keep working hard and trying your best for everything you’re doing, and you will reap the rewards.</p>

74

<p>Decision:Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): CR: 790, Math: 730, Writing: 740
[</em>]SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2260 (one sitting)
[<em>]SAT II: Lit: 740
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>]Weighted GPA: N/A
[</em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/359
[<em>]Senior Year Course Load: full IB track
[</em>]Number of other EA applicants in your school: 3 (1 accepted, 2 deferred)
[<em>]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3 years mock trial state (high placing at regionals and state throughout high school)[/ul]
Subjective[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): unpaid internship at mayor’s office, Partners In Health mini internship (Leader in High School Outreach, co-author of guide for high school outreach), Partners In Health club (co-president/ co-founder) (I also attended GlobeMed meetings at a local university as well as PIH Engage conference calls), mock trial, organizer of TEDx event at my high school (leader), cross country running, youth-run theater production (Head of Costumes)
[<em>]Job/Work Experience: none
[</em>]Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at Civic Theater, peer tutoring[/ul]**
Writing:**[ul]
[<em>]Common App Main: pretty good (7.5)
[</em>]Extended essay(which topic): “History is the sum total…” - good and VERY UChicago-y (9)
[<em>]Optional Essay: 4 (last-minute, just a list of favorites)
[</em>]Why Chicago: also good and VERY VERY UChicago-y (9)
[<em>] [/ul]Other:[ul][</em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: junior English teacher - probably excellent
[<em>]Teacher Recommendation #2: junior bio teacher - probably flattering but likely undetailed and impersonal
[</em>]Counselor Rec: probably good but likely impersonal
[<em>]Additional Rec: Mayor (regarding internship) - probably very good and detailed
[</em>]Interview: Meh. At best.
[<em>]Art Supplement: none
[</em>]Date Submitted App: November 8
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
[</em>]School Type: midsize urban public
[<em>]Ethnicity: white
[</em>]Gender: female
[<em>]Income Bracket: middle/ upper middle
[</em>]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none[/ul]
Reflective:[ul]
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: did some pretty unique things (in the context of my high school), solid essays (and probably recs)
[</em>]What would you have done differently?: Started the app sooner!!![/ul]
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats class of 2018!!</p>

75

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (CR 720 M 800 W 760)
[</em>] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2310 (CR 750 M 800 W 760)
[<em>] SAT II:Lit 780 Math II 780 Physics 780
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/359
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Full IB
[<em>] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 3 (1 accepted, 2 deferred)
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens Semifinalist, Indiana Academy of Science Talent Search 1st Place Winner, American Junior Academy of Science fellow (2012 conference IN male delegate), National Merit Semifinalist, 14 Science Olympiad competition gold medals, 2 silver state medals
[/ul]Subjective:[ul][<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Olympiad (Founder, Captain), Research at ND (two labs), TEDx Event Organizer, Tennis (Varsity), Quiz Bowl, Mock Trial, Partners in Health
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: None
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Police Department Tennis Program (Instructor), Civic Theatre Volunteer, Peer Tutor, Volunteer Association
[/ul]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[</em>] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[<em>] Common App Main: 7
[</em>] Extended essay(which topic): 10 (apples and oranges, best thing I’ve ever written)
[<em>] Optional Essay: 4
[</em>] Why Chicago: 7
[/ul][<em>] Teacher Recommendation #1: Sciencey, probably pretty good though.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation #2: Decent.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: No clue.
[</em>] Additional Rec: Probably great.
[<em>] Interview: Pretty good.
[/list]Other[ul]
[</em>] Date Submitted App:11/8/2013 (11:45pm)
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):IN
[</em>] School Type: Public joonk
[<em>] Ethnicity:Chinese swag
[</em>] Gender:M
[<em>] Income Bracket: Middle
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No.[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: gucc
[</em>] Weaknesses: stats
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am a triangle.
[</em>] What would you have done differently?: Would have actually written about something for my favorite things essay instead of just listing stuff out.[/ul]Other Factors: My dad was a postdoc here for a year in like 1993. Took some online courses.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I’m kinda ****ed off about the person above me getting in, but other than that, so happy! haha jkjk.</p>

76

<p>@greenstone1889</p>

<p>You have to remember that no one can read your essay and judge. Everyone’s different. How can one possibly know whether your essay is “good”?</p>

77

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
CR600, M800, W630. 2030 total, 1400 out of 1600
ACT:N/A
SAT II:
Math2:800
Physics:750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Calc AB:5
Macroecon:3
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs 1 orchestra class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):N/A
Academic Awards: High honor and Highest honor</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Pianist
Job/Work Experience: full time working experience for 3 consecutive summer.
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10 for creativeness, 8 for language, 7.5 for composition
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): FERPA waived. following are assumptions
Teacher Rec #1: 10 AP Lang & Comp
Teacher Rec #2: 8-9 AP Macro
Counselor Rec: 9-10
Additional Rec: 8
Interview: 6-8 (The interviewer didn’t even let me answer the questions fully, she interrupts me every time… gosh)</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): Study in M.A. but I am Chinese citizen
Country (if international applicant): PR China
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: high enough to afford the tuition
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: has special talent (Piano, photography), strongly demonstrated interest, creative essay
Weaknesses: Low GPA, Low test scores, course rigor in junior year is not enough.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Low test scores, lack of leadership experiences
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: UChicago is the first and only one so far. </p>

<p>General Comments:competition has become more intense this year.</p>

78

<p>Hahaha…seems like no one gets rejected in UofC ahahha</p>

79

<p>JasonLoh
Do you prefer direct rejection?</p>

80

<p>I think he just doesn’t feel special enough.</p>