It’s like that there is no one rejected in this EA round.
Decision: Deferred
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): superscore 2210- reading 720 math 690 writing 800
[ *] ACT: 33- don’t remember breakdown
[ *] SAT II: US History- 740 Literature- 690
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 100): 91.1- seems a bit low, but there’s an upward trend, and my school is an internationally recognized magnet school, so that has some weight as well
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History: 5 English Language: 5 US History: 5. English Lit, Psych, US Gov in progress
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[ ] Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit, AP Psych, AP US Gov, Advanced Latin Readings (honors, not AP), Calculus, Nutritional Science, Newspaper, Senior Council
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): some sort of AP scholar thing?? for getting 5s on 3 AP tests, gold and silver medals on the National Latin Exam
[ /list][ b]Subjective:
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): piano for 6+ years, robotics team- PR department- since sophomore year, I’m now a project manager this year, school newspaper since sophomore year (freshmen aren’t allowed to join)- now an editor, senior council- plan events for seniors
[ *] Job/Work Experience: november 2014 to present: paid internship at an office. I go 2-3 days a week after school for 2-3 hours a day
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: N/A
[ *] Summer Activities: summer 2012: did “summer school” at my school to fulfill some requirements, to free up periods during the actual school year. summer 2013: paid office internship over the summer. summer 2014: just SAT prep tried desperately to find a job, but no luck. summer 2015: worked at the office
[ *] Essays: my common app essay is valid, writing the why GW right now
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: I’m not allowed to read them, but I assume they’re pretty good- both of my teachers really liked me
[ *] Counselor Rec: good I suppose
[ ] Additional Rec: got one from my boss, and she really likes me, so I assume it was good
[ ] Interview:went pretty well
[ /list][ b]Other
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[ *] Intended Major: International Relations/Public Policy/something in that realm
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: magnet public school
[ *] Ethnicity: white
[ *] Gender: female
[ *] Income Bracket: pretty high lol
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): hah nothing
Reflection
Strengths: test scores, recs, interview
Weaknesses: GPA, essays were a bit rushed
Where else you are applying or have already applied: dont feel like mentioning
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: was expecting to get rejected lol
Posting data for daughter
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
ACT: 35C (one sitting, subscores 34-36)
SAT II: Math2, Chem, WorldH: 700+
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97/4.0
Rank/Percentile: Top 2-3%/500+, school uses unweighted GPA for ranking.
AP (place score in parentheses): WorldH: 5, USH: 4
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Gov, AP English, Physics 2, French, maybe ind study. Has run out of advanced classes to take. Took Calc at local college last year.
Major Awards: Nat’l Merit SF (not really major)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate, NHS etc, nothing out of ordinary
Job/Work Experience: Worked as au pair overseas past summer
Volunteer/Community Service: just through clubs etc.
Summer Activities: Family travel, Camp or two.
Essays: Common app: Lighthearted vignettes from her au pair job dealing with little kids who don’t speak English. Tried to showcase resilience and resourcefulness.
Extended: Archnemesis prompt: random short paragraphs about chaos in her life from being messy and her mercurial thought processes. First letter of the paras spelled out ENTROPY. Amusing but highly self-descriptive.
Why UC: Started out with all the reasons she did not want to attend UC (as a legacy) and morphed each reason into a strength. Tongue-in-cheek.
Teacher Recommendations: Should have been good.
Counselor Rec: Should have been decent. Very few kids apply or go to top schools
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Skype with alum in late Nov. Relaxed. Went well from report.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: STEM
State/Country: A sparsely populated mountain state
School Type: Public (has 25% dropout rate)
Ethnicity: White/Asian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (parent, uncle, aunt) and geography
Reflection
Strengths: grades and scores met the bar, essays
Weaknesses: ECs really generic. Never did an official visit/tour.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays were not too long, easy and fun to read, illustrated her personal strengths and fit for UC. Also, geography and legacy helped some, I’m sure.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: re-evaluating now. RD couple of schools if she gets the essays done.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Avoid falling in love with one school if at all possible. Our bar for schools was “could you be happy here?” when we visited, not “do you like this better than X?”. Also, I would recommend not talking yourself too seriously. Remember these adcoms read dozens of apps daily. If you can make them chuckle or laugh, you’re probably better off than trying to impress them with your intellectual prowess and vast fund of knowledge. They know you’re smart enough from your grades/scores, show your personality, be genuine.
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 33 ACT
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.3
AP (place score in parentheses): school doesn’t offer APs
Senior Year Course Load: SUPER intense (kinda regretting it tbh)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): graphic designer of my school’s newspaper, LOTS of art classes, school play, etc… pretty normal stuff, but I was really dedicated to the things I was a part of
Job/Work Experience: worked in a museum for 2 years
Volunteer/Community Service: about 100 hours helping kids in a slum in Costa Rica
Summer Activities: Art camp all the way
Essays: I feel really good about them, my english teacher said they were wonderful. For the uncommon essay I actually did a sort of graphic essay type ting, almost like a comic book
Teacher Recommendations: probably pretty great, especially the one from my english teacher who saw me grow a lot in her class
Counselor Rec: amazing
Interview: good I guess, it was hard for me to judge
Other
Projected Concentration: visual arts!
State/Country: NY
School Type: prep school
Ethnicity: white/latina
Gender: f
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): SO here’s where my application gets weird… I switched schools after 9th grade and ended up squishing my sophomore and junior years into one year at my new school, so I’ll graduate in 3 years instead of 4. I think this counts as a hook?
Reflection
Strengths: I think my idea to do a graphic essay made me stand out a bit?
Weaknesses: GPA GPA GPA (curse you, fieldston, and your horrible ways - so glad I left after freshman year!)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly? I have NO IDEA! I was really expecting a rejecting, hoping for a deferral at best, but I am so, so thrilled!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Got deferred from Northeastern, got accepted to UMich. Waiting to hear from UVA, Miami-Ohio. Planning to apply to Scripps
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I wasn’t at all planning on ever posting in these forums, as a general rule I think they kind of breed anxiety. However, I really want to share my story so-to-speak because I think it truly attests to UChicago’s unique application, in that a kid like me who struggled a bit to find her place in High School and consequentially has a lower GPA but who has a very intense passion can get into such a top-tier school. I am so beyond happy, and I want anyone who has yet to apply or who is anxious about applications to know that you are more than just numbers, and if you have a passion it will come through.
Decision:Accepted
Objective:
SAT I: Math 750, CR 690, Writing 730
ACT: Math 35, English 30, Science 32, Reading 31, Composite 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (800), Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: 1
AP (place score in parentheses): Lang (4), US History (5), Comp Sci (4), Euro (5), Gov (5), Chem (4), Envi Sci(5), Latin (3), Micro Econ-Self Studied (5), Calc BC(5) with AB subscore of (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Physics, Multivariable Calculus, Intermediate Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics with Calculus, Experimental Economics, American Foreign Policy, Wind ensemble, Public Policy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Chemistry Olympiad Qualifier, National AP Scholar
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Chem Club, Cross Country, Track, Tennis, Key Club, Environmental Club, Science Olympiad, Mock Trials, Moot Trials, Band, Orchestra
Job/Work Experience: Public Policy Intern at the Statehouse for the Minority Leader
Volunteer/Community Service: Key Club, Community Service Club, Red Cross First Responder at Events, Environmental Club, Teacher Aide to help animals at school
Essays: I made my own for uncommon. I honestly I enjoyed writing all my essays for Uchicago.
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec: Dont know. But I had the highest GPA ever in my high school so she really wanted me to get into here
Additional Rec: Written by a professor at Uchicago. He didnt let me read it so I was sorta scared.
Interview: Horrible. It was only 20 minutes and I felt like I answered the questions wrong.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Economics, Political Science
State/Country: Ohio
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150 to 200
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I had a professor of economics write a rec letter
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses: Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was really suprised because I had low test scores and the acceptance rate for Uchicago is 1 out of 30 at my High School. Also the best way to test whether this school is right for you is whether you enjoy writing the college essays.
**Decision: Accepted! **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): ACT superscore: 35 (36 English, 36 Reading, 36 Science, 33 Math, 36 Writing); Highest in a single sitting was 34.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.932
AP (place score in parentheses): AP World (5), AP Lang (5), AP Gov (5), AP Physics Mechanics (3). Also took Calc BC but didn’t report the score.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Micro, AP Stat, AP Psych, AP Lit, Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Bronze Award, AP Scholar with Honor, NSDA Degree of Superior Distinction, 2x NCFL National Tournament qualifier
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Speech & Debate (Director of Recruitment, Event Captain), A Capella (Co-President), National Novel Writing Month, NHS, All-Suburban Honor Choir
Summer Activities: WUSTL Creative Writing Program
Essays: Common App Essay-- 8/10. It basically talked about my development as a novel writer. Overall I was pretty proud of it, but there were some parts that I felt iffy about. Uncommon App: 9/10. I responded to one of the older prompts about telling the story of a street. I wrote an omniscient POV short story about several houses in a small cul de sac. I was very proud of it-- it could have stood on its own as a short story. Why UChicago?: 7/10. Those who read it told me that it was solid, but I personally had trouble writing it. Favorite Art: 7/10. I felt like it was revealing of my character but overall I was ambivalent.
Teacher Recommendations: I didn’t read either of them. One was my AP Lang teacher, who really liked me and could definitely talk about my skill as a writer. The other was my AP Physics teacher, who wrote about me more as a person (according to him). I got along with both of them so there shouldn’t have been any problems.
Counselor Rec: Again, I didn’t read it. We usually get along pretty well so I don’t see reason for issue.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: English
State/Country: Missouri
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Reflection
Strengths: My essays. English/Writing is my strong suit and I really think that came through with my essays. Also, my extracurriculars (especially debate) added a lot to my application.
Weaknesses: My grades/scores. I sent in scores for two ACTs, one with the 33 math, and the other with 29 math). I also had Bs in most of my math classes and math-related classes (Like Chemistry and Physics.)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Even though math was my weak suit, it was pretty clear that I didn’t want to study it. My high English grades and scores plus writing ability and English related activities probably put me over the edge.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Loyola University in Chicago (Accepted with scholarship), DePauw University, WUSTL, Vanderbilt
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Play to your strengths and own up to your weaknesses. If you’re not good at one subject, don’t try to disguise it, just present it and then demonstrate to the best of your abilities the areas in which you ARE skilled. Math was my Achilles heel, so I let it be and instead focused on how best to show my writing abilities and talents. WORK HARD on your essays, and even if you don’t like the prompt, find a way to make it your own. No admissions counselor wants to read the same essay 20,000 times, so make sure to show your character. I’m so happy to have been accepted!
Despite being deferred, I thought I should do this for the classes to come.
**Decision: Deferred **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 1480 SAT (720 reading, 760 math). 33 ACT (don’t know breakdown).
SAT II (place score in parentheses): None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t do unweighted. 4.18 W though. It’s also worth noting that our school weights less than most others. AP classes only worth .667 of weight, not 1.0.
Rank/Percentile: 24/600
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Chemistry (4), AP Calculus AB (4), AP Biology (Enrolled), AP Calculus BC (Enrolled), AP Government (Enrolled). School doesn’t allow Freshman AP classes. Only 1 Sophomore AP class.
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish IV Honors, Physics, AP Calculus BC, Anatomy and Physiology, AP Biology, AP Government, Economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Weakest part of my application. I wasn’t involved a lot. I did play 4 years of CYO basketball as well as 4 years of rec league basketball.
Job/Work Experience: Work at a pizza place part time.
Volunteer/Community Service: Weekly at a local food bank.
Summer Activities: Part time job, work with my mother doing yardwork and house maintenance for the elderly
Essays: 8/10. Solid. I tried to be original. I wrote my essays with one thing in mind - being unique. I think, or hope, it came across well. I took some risks
Teacher Recommendations: Chemistry teacher - 10/10. Favorite teacher of all time and she loved me as well. Got to read this one.
US History Teacher - 8/10. Didn’t read this one and she didn’t like me as much as the chemistry teacher. I’m sure it was a good recommendation though.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t get to read it. Was probably really generic, she does this for hundreds of kids.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Undecided/Chemistry/Biology
State/Country: Indiana
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $55,000 - $65,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: GPA, test scores. I think those are the only reasons I was deferred.
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars. I didn’t do a lot outside of school. No varsity sports.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Lots of good applicants. I had the scores, not the activities.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Notre Dame (defer), IU (accept), Butler (accept), Purdue (not sure), Vanderbilt (not sure)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Everyone knows the deal with UC. Give it your best shot and buy a lottery ticket at the same time. Good luck to the deferred.
Decision: deferred
Objective:
ACT: Math 36, English 34, Science 32, Reading 33, Composite 34
SAT II (place score in parentheses): US History(800), Math II (800), Math I (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76 (Had a GPA drop during second semester junior year
Rank/Percentile: School does not rank, but within top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses):World History (5),Gov (5), Chem (3), Envi Sci(4),Biology (3),
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, Astronomy, Medical Internship, Ceramics 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Commended, High GPA Award for 5 semesters, Spanish Department Award 2013, NAQT Quiz Bowl National Qualifyers, History Bowl State Semifinalist,
Subjective:
Extracurricular (place leadership in parentheses): Quiz Bowl(leadership: Captain), Model UN, Out of School Swim Team, Fishing Club, Democratic-Liberal Club, Philosophy Club, Rotary Interact
Job/Work Experience: Internship for Dental Office
Volunteer/Community Service: Rotary Interact, Chinese School Teaching Assistant
Essays:
Common App: (6.7/10) - Essays were not the best. Wrote about my struggles as a kid with behavior and social life and how i overcame it (Didn’t choose a good topic)
Supplemental Essay (8./10) Wrote about how school becoming the new Reagan Era Arms Race)
Why UChicago (10/10)- Wrote about the Core, trimester system, study abroad program, the location and lifestyle of Hyde Park
Optional Essay:(5/10) Wrote about my favorite news platforms. Wrote on the last day
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec: Knows me personally so she wrote an good one
Additional Rec: One from my AP World teacher and my AP Calculus and Algebra 1 Teacher
Interview: Didn’t do interview, but since got deferred, I will probably do one.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration:Undecided(gearing toward Political Science)
State/Country: Michigan (Suburban Detroit)
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150 to 200
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: The Why UChicago Essays
Weaknesses: Test Scores, Essays, GPA, and extracurriuclars weak based on “Asian” standard
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Probably the admissions counselor wanted to see my performance for this semester and because of a dedicated interest to go to UChicago.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: All Underclass men must get a headstart on college apps…
I promised to my D’s stats here on the other thread but I cannot figure out the format. Not tech savvy at all. Quick stats- GPA 3.9 UW, 4.6 W; SAT 1560/1600, 2280/2400, CR 800 M 760 W 720; National Merit Semi Finalist and National Hispanic Scholar; high school orchestra- cellist playing all 4 yrs; creative writing club 3 yrs; spends summers attending college classes and arts performance camp as participant/intern; school and community awards; AP Scholar with Honor; rigorous transcript; showed lots of interest in school by attending UChicago open house, local events and interviewed on Skype with someone who recently graduated; accepted as University Scholar with $30,000 a year. She is very excited and honored to have been accepted by such a great school.
Meant to say that I promised to post my D’s stats… Typing in iPhone can be hard. Again, tech challenged…
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 780M/690CR/760W (2230 Composite)
[] ACT: 33 Composite
[] SAT II: 760 MathII, 730 Bio M, 700 USH
[] Unweighted GPA (4.0 scale): N/A
[] Weighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.1
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School Does Not Rank (~ Top 10% )
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP U.S History (5), AP World (4), AP Biology (5), AP American Lit (4), AP Chemistry (4), AP French (3)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics (Micro+Macro), AP Physics C (Mech+E&M), AP BC Calculus, AP Statistics, English, Entrepreneurship, World Religions
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, AP Scholar with Distinction[/li][/ul]
Subjective:
[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Helped staff a local MUN Conference, Model UN (VP), Young Democrats (Co-Pres), Public Forum Debate, Mock Trial, National History Day Competitions
[] Job/Work Experience: Fast-Food
[] Volunteer/Community service: Habitat for Humanity, Tutoring, Helped Organize certain Community Service Trips
[] Summer Activities: Governor’s School junior year; Taught myself some pretty cool stuff that I’d always wanted to learn as well senior year.
[] Essays:
[]Common App: (9/10) I wrote about how when I was a kid I played a certain video game, and this ultimately led me to loving MUN as an extracurricular in high-school even though the two couldn’t be more different from each other. This was personal and hard to describe, but I loved it. The way my counselor described writing an essay was perfect. If your essay was dropped somewhere at school and didn’t have your name on it, would someone know it was yours? I felt my essay fit that criteria.
[]Supplemental Essay (9/10) (finding order among disorder) I wrote about how my first job changed me as a person, and how that translated to the way I interacted with other students at school. I think this was very personal as well, and something that only my close friends would know about me, but I still wanted to share it.
[]Why UChicago (8/10) I talked about my first perceptions of UChicago through pop culture, but also historical research I had done in school on the political activism past students had taken on campus at UChicago, and explained why this fulfilled my desire to attend an institute that challenged the status quo.
[]Optional Essay:(7/10) Would’ve been higher, but I put it in a bullet-point format while others I knew who were applying wrote essays. I had so much stuff to put here about very random topics that I was passionate about. I felt admissions wouldn’t have known the real me if I wrote another long essay.
[] Teacher Recommendations: I loved both teachers a lot (knew each for one year), and I think they knew me very well as a student even in such a short amount of time. So thankful to them.
[] Counselor Rec: He’s one of the coolest people I know, and we are both passionate about the same political views 
[] Additional Rec: None, I only submitted the two teacher recs.
[li] Interview: This was great. I missed classes to fly over to Chicago for the weekend and have an interview, and I drank way too much of their hot chocolate in the admission office. She was a Law, Letters, and Society student and was a lot of fun to talk to. We discussed everything from space exploration to school life, and the culture at UChicago.[/li][/ul]
Other
- [] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Undecided (I put Preparation for Entrepreneurship Careers)
[] State (if domestic applicant): TN
[] School Type: Private, Small
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: +150k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy, etc.): None.
Reflection
[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays. My standardized scores are good, but for the pool of applicants, they are nothing special. My extra-curriculars are the exact same (and I didn’t have space to elaborate on them besides what is provided in the Common App section). I loved my essays though. I felt that regardless of the decision, at least UChicago would get to know who I was, and what I stood for.
[] Weaknesses: Honestly nothing was a glaring weakness. I wasn’t a perfect applicant, but I also was pretty average in retrospect with standardized scores, GPA, etc. If I had to choose one, it’s that I didn’t do any special summer camp or internship the summer before senior year. I applied to an international affairs program, but was rejected. I spent the summer learning things that I didn’t have time to do during the school year, so I wasn’t wasting my time, and I definitely gained from that experience. It was like taking a gap summer.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred: (below in General Comments)[/li][/ul]
General Comments:
Here’s the thing, there’s not one aspect of the application that can explain why a student was accepted or deferred. Not race, not scores, not recommendations, and not extracurriculars alone. You can only try to do your best at them all, and even then there’s no saying what could happen. Take solace in the fact that you’re an amazing student (and I know you are if you’re reading this right now because you’re concerned about your future and interested in learning from others’ experiences). I too scrutinized these threads when I was a sophomore and junior, but in the end, no matter how much analysis I did, there was no outlying trend. I don’t know why UChicago chose me, and if they had to restart the application process, I imagine their selected pool might even look different because there are so many amazing students out there that holistic is simply another term for “subjective.” If there’s one thing I will say, be your best, truest, most genuine self. Your youth is too evanescent to be tainted by worrying over minute details such as the difference between a 33 and a 34 on the ACT. Acknowledge whatever deficiencies you think your application has, and just move past them (or even better, bury them with all the good stuff). You’ll end up exactly where you need to be.
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2250 (one test) 800 Math 730 Reading 720 Writing (1530/1600)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math2 (800) USH (790) Lit (680) Did not submit Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88 (4.5 weighted)
Rank/Percentile: Schools does not rank but in 10% based on weighted GPA
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (5) AP US gov (5) AP Comp gov (5) AP Chem (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Calc BC, AP Statistics, AP Econ, AP Art History, Shakespeare.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar commendation
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Founder and president of multiple political clubs at school.
Job/Work Experience: Internship for the same political campaign/interest group for 4 years.
Volunteer/Community Service: Led trips during spring/summer breaks to New Mexico for community service trip with Native Americans. Did various community service and received school awards for it during the year.
Summer Activities: Summer before senior year I worked at city hall and did some really interesting stuff that I won’t go into detail on but was a major part of my personal statement.
Essays: Personal statement (11/10). Creative Essay (10/10). Why Chicago (9/10). Books essay (9/10)
Teacher Recommendations: (8/10)
Counselor Rec: (9/10)
Additional Rec: From my boss at city hall (11/10). From my boss at the interest group (9/10)
Interview: (7/10). The interviewer was a little awkward (what a surprise) and it went well, but I don’t think that I wowed her or anything.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: Political Science, IR, or History
State/Country: California
School Type: Private (secular prep school)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: Essays were incredibly fire. Scores, grades, and senior classes are good but common among applicants.
Weaknesses: Straight, white, cis, male, at a private school, with means.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays made it very clear that Chicago is a good fit for me.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Michigan and UVA EA
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
ACT:
(One sitting) Composite 32, Writing 10. (Super score) Composite 34, Writing 12
SAT II:
–Math II (770)
–Literature (670)
–Reading (650)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
–(out of 5.0) 4.8605
Rank/Percentile: 1 out of 397
AP:
–Biology (4)
–US History (3)
–Physics B (3)
IB: Diploma Candidate (no scores yet)
Senior Year Course Load:
–IB English HL
–IB Spanish (Language B) SL
–IB Mathematics SL
–Differential Calculus (through Oregon State University, 2nd semester only)
–IB Chemistry HL
–IB History HL
–IB Psychology SL
–IB Theory of Knowledge (1st semester only)
–Economics (2nd semester only)
Major Awards:
–National Hispanic Scholar
–Outstanding Female Junior, Mason’s of Lakewood
Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
–Forensics Speech and Debate (Captain for 2yrs, 1 yr state qualifier, 5th alternate national qualifier, several 1-4 place trophies)
–Gender-Sexuality Alliance (Co-founder, President)
–Research Assistant in a Traumatic Brain Injury lab
Job/Work Experience:
–Cashier at McDonald’s
Volunteer/Community Service:
–Hospital volunteer
–Church Janitor
–Church Sunday School Leader
Summer Activities:
–Language / Cultural immersion in Costa Rica
–Running camp
Essays:
– Common Application essay
–UChicago supplement
Teacher Recommendations: Sent maximum number from English and TOK teachers
Counselor Rec: Yes
Additional Rec: No
Interview: Not interviewed
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?
–I indicated I would not, but I changed my mind and plan to apply for it
Projected Concentration:
–Mathematics
–Philosophy (secondary)
State/Country: Colorado, USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic, Native American, Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 180K+
Hooks: First Generation, Lesbian
Reflection
Strengths: I work very hard and have passion for learning and people.
Weaknesses: I’m bad at to-the-point academic writing (I’m more of a “flowery” writer, which was reflected in my essays). I am also not great at taking standardized tests.
Why I think I was accepted: I think what set me apart was my unique background (first gen lesbian) with community involvement that shows I will give back to my unique community (which they hope will equate to future donations to UChicago). My application reflected personal growth and how I attempt to make the most of what I learn about myself and the world. My extracurricular also cover a broad range of interests, making me more interesting (I guess?)
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I applied to 19 other schools ranging from the Ivy League schools to state schools that accept everyone.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I never expected to get in. In my application, I exercise the “show don’t tell” method of showing the admissions committee that I am not perfect, but I’m trying to make the most of what I have both inside and outside of school.
*I misreported my ACT score initially (2 points lower on the reading section), and I immediately emailed my admission counselor. He was glad I notified him, and it was fine.
*I also sent an update on my senior year achievements to my admission counselor with a copy of my complete resume and assurance that UChicago was my number one choice. I referenced those cheesy emails they sent me, and received a positive response.
[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted **[/color][/size]
[ b]Objective:**
SAT I and/or ACT (Math: 770) (Writing: 800) (Reading: 740)
SAT II (Didn’t submit any):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank/Percentile: N/A (My school doesn’t rank)
AP (place score in parentheses): Comp sci 4, English lit 5, English comp 5, Physics B 4, USH 4
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: 7 classes, 2 AP, 4 English classes, lmao
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Yeah not really anything here
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Varsity XC (captain), Varsity Swimming, Varsity Indoor track (captain), Varsity Outdoor track
Started school drone team, participate in UAV competition
Robotics, Jewish students assoc.
Job/Work Experience: worked in a bio lab over the summer
Volunteer/Community Service: worked in Baltimore inner city serving hot lunches, nothing too special
Summer Activities: lab work, CTY, running
Essays:
I don’t know, I didn’t think my essay was that great or unique. In fact, I kinda rushed it, but hopefully captured something interesting about me. Wrote about water and drinking water.
Teacher Recommendations: I can’t say, although probably pretty good cause prep school
Counselor Rec: Pretty good, focused on my robotics and drone stuff
Additional Rec: Got one from my lab PI but didn’t get it sent out in time
Interview: n/a, although i went for an overnight visit
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: English/Bio
State/Country: Maryland, USA
School Type: Prep School/private school
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing really
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: SATs help, counselor and teacher recs definitely important, going on a visit/speaking to regional admissions officer
Weaknesses: meh essay, although I’m not sure. Not a great GPA either.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably a good amount of luck - my school also seems to do a good job getting kids into uchicago.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applying mainly to service academies, only places i would go over chicago
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, don’t stress too much. I think there’s a good amount of luck involved. If you’re an athlete contact the coach just to show interest, I’m still wondering if that helped me get in.
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2320 (800 reading, 780 writing, 740 math)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (720), lit (710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Computer Science A (5), AP NSL (4), AP bio (4), AP world (4), AP statistics (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Lang (4)
Senior Year Course Load: student aid, AP Psychology, Logic, Creative Writing, newspaper, Honors English 12, research class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, national journalism award
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): theater, school newspaper (editor), activism (independent organizer), and some more small things but these are the main ones
Job/Work Experience: tutor 3 days a week
Summer Activities: internship in biology lab
Essays:
Personal: 10, I expressed myself genuinely and it was kinda funny at parts. I’m proud of the concept I used, i think it was clever
why uchicago: 9, talked about a lot of different things I really liked about the school (do your research!!)
Teacher Recommendations:
Teacher 1: 10, we’re buds
Teacher 2: 9, we’re also buds lol
Counselor Rec: 10, I got to know my counselor so he knows who I am and what I’m passionate about (really important for uchicago especially!!!)
Interview: 10, he said he’d have nothing but good things to say about the meeting!
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: English
State/Country: Maryland
School Type: public (I’m in a math/science magnet program)
Ethnicity: black
Gender: female
Income Bracket: <60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection
Strengths: essays and recs were huuuge for me
Weaknesses: grade trend, junior year grades were worse than sophomore and freshman years, but I guess it was fine!
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: essays were very strong, and stats helped a lot I’m sure
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Columbia, USC, Fordham, Goucher, Stanford, NYU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: essays and recs are crucial if you ask me, make sure they’re very polished and great! Most importantly, express who you are!! Show your authentic voice, talk about your passions, don’t be afraid to to take a few risks in your essays. UChicago appreciates that, and it’ll definitely matter a lot in your application.
**Decision: Deferred **
Objective:
Objective:
SAT I: 2370 (770 Reading, 800 Math, 800 Writing)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 SAT II Chem, 800 SAT II Bio
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.974
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics C Mech (5), AP Physics E/M (5), AP Calculus BC (5) , AP Statistics (3), AP World History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government & Politics, AP Microeconomics, AP Computer Science A, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish Lang & Cult, British Literature, Differential Equations (Fall), Linear Algebra (Winter), Real Analysis (Spring).
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): American Mathematics Competition 10 Top 2.5% Finisher (124.5/150), American Mathematics Competition 12 Top 5% finisher (103.5/150), American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) Score of 4 , AP Scholar with Honor, Conrad Awards Science Competition Semifinalist, Tech Challenge Judges Choice Award 2nd place, Finalist in IBM’s First Internet of Things (IoT) & Mobile Cloud AppChallenge and Learnathon for High School Students!
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Silicon Valley Bike Exchange (Part of Head Committee), Math Club, STEM Club, Math Modeling Club (Public Relations Officer), Investors Club (Secretary & Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience: Math Private Tutor (4 students, 4 times a week), 2 years
Volunteer/Community service: 300+ Hours. Have gone on two alternative spring break immersion trips, did work sorting medical supplies for third world countries at MedShare, served as a teen retreat group leader.
Personal Statement: 9/10
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: -
Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Intel ISEF 2nd Place 10th and 11th grade
Reflection
Strengths: Awards, Extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA, SAT Test Scores, personality?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Affirmative Action
OP ^ that’s offensive (your reference that because of AA you were not accepted but instead deferred). It’s offensive to those students who worked incredibly hard- both in their academics as well as in their schools and communities. at something that they are passionate about. It’s also offensive to think that in your particular case, you were deferred because of AA and no other reason. You have high stats but we don’t know what your essays were like. Maybe your sense of entitlement came across somewhere on your application. Thank goodness, the college process in the U. S. is not just stats related. Have you been rejected/deferred to any of your other choices? Perhaps is this why you are making this offensive statement? I wish you well in the rest of your college applications and please bloom where you are planted. College acceptances do not define you.
So let me see if I got you right- you are complaining about AA but you applied to and were accepted to Discover Swarthmore and ROME both fly in outreach programs that are diversity outreach initiatives by prestigious LAC’s (that want to attract Asian students). Don’t tell me that they are not diversity outreach programs because both of my kids who are URM’s got invitations as well. My D in fact applied to DiscoSwat but was not accepted. She has however just been accepted to UChicago. Good luck and I hope that you reconsider your perspective.
@goingnutsmom I agree. To OP, UChicago is an incredibly diverse school, and 28% of the student body is Asian, which is greater than most prestigious universities. Essays are by far the most important thing to distinguish yourself for UChicago. Your credentials look really good, but you need to be a fit for the university.
@goingnutsmom So much salt over only two words. I love the internet!
Anyway, I was accepted with 34 act, 3.6 gpa, a few EC’s (nothing super amazing), and pretty weak essays. Feeling pretty lucky