<p>another morning without news…</p>
<p>@gossipgirlxoxox we still have time to receive something!</p>
<p>Hello friends!
I’m an applicant from California :^)
I chose the “Why are you here and not somewhere else prompt”. I used some of the knowledge I gained through philosophical discourse we had in our Secular Student Alliance to craft the essay into an existential crisis for the readers. I mentioned it in my interview, and my interviewer, a kind and cultured old chap who shares my interest for pizza and break making, laughed heartily. I also outlined how I wanted to gain immortality in my essay, and before you dismiss me as a lunatic, I described how I wanted to create a legacy like that of the Renaissance giants Plato, Newton, Nietzsche, etc. I talked about how capricious my spawning was, and how fleeting and insignificant human live really is, but in order to make something out of our lives, we must do something momentous. We must let our actions inspire people. We must transcend to a similar level of greatness with our magnanimity. I talked about how I didn’t want to be an ephemeral light to be vanquished and blended into the human tapestry like a dot of ink, but instead to echo across millions of fibers of our legacy.</p>
<p>In my why UChicago essay, I talked about my love for discourse, and how I appreciated UChicago has a more fiscally conservative leaning than most other top-tier schools. I also talked about how I would indulge in an eclectic variety of classes that span from Tibetian Buddhism to Topical Analysis. I also talked about Professor Becker’s lecture Course Set which I enjoyed greatly, and how I thoroughly appreciated discussion type lectures that are focused on deductive reasoning rather than bullet points and fact cramming. Also mentioned Scav and the sense of community at UC.</p>
<p>In my favorite writers/videos/music/etc. prompt, I listed 3 movies, books, songs, presentations, and YouTube channels. I then explained why I liked each selection and what thematic and personal significance it has on my being.</p>
<p>I had around 800 words for the first essay, 500 for the second, and 850 for the third (got really passionate in my explanations of Lion King haha :^) ).</p>
<p>I feel slightly apprehended because my GPA seems inadequate in comparison to the statistics of previous classes (3.44 UW/4.0 W). I hope they will overlook this disparity because of the intensive curriculum I opted for (13 AP classes total). SAT/ACT scores look strong, and yes, I should not worry too much about numbers as we cannot quantify ourselves, such intricate beings.</p>
<p>I applied neuroscience as my first choice, and Applied Mathematics as my second choice. I’m feeling that the order should have been switched around as I have more of an affinity towards mathematics :?. I chose Big Problems as my third option because it looks fun!</p>
<p>Anyways, I hope to see you ALL at UChicago next fall (If by some freak chance we all got in).</p>
<p>Any fellow underqualified students around ? Its good for us to fill the applicant pool. ;-)</p>
<p>@mjordanw21 sweet, I’m a couple hours south of SF! </p>
<p>And yah I did the optional essay. I didn’t do a list at all, just talked about my favorite poem for 500ish words. </p>
<p>@idiosyncraticboi your essays sound amazing!</p>
<p>@Kigzcorp underqualified application chiming in here! Lower GPA and SAT II scores, and essays that were by no means theoretical or…what do you call it…oh that’s right, the word I’m looking for is good. I’m fully expecting a deferral. Who knows how much weight Chicago puts on EC’s, especially over essays and/or grades?</p>
<p>lol I’m underqualified too…sort of?? I mean it’s half and half–my GPA is like a 3.4 UW but I got a 36 on the ACT and a 1530 CR + M my first try. My essays are the best I’ve ever written but my ECs are pretty average for their applicant pool. I’m holding out hope still.</p>
<p>since I accidentally double posted: what RD apps are you guys working on? I have to finish essays for NYU, Pomona, Bowdoin, and Carleton still : P</p>
<p>@michaelt0101 saying that 1530/1600 is an underqualification will probably make us with very low scores to feel brainless. </p>
<p>@michaelt0101 With scores like that, you’re probably okay haha…
I’ve finished all of my RD applications, so I’m feeling good about that! I need to finish up some scholarship applications though! 
</p>
<p>my superscored act is a 33, which i don’t feel is very high. but i don’t know if it’s enough to make me unqualified test score-wise</p>
<p>Ugh my CR+M is a 1430 but I do have a perfect gpa… Since everyone’s essays sound so good I hope that maybe my ECs will help me</p>
<p>@michaelt0101 I’m doing Pomona too! I love UChicago but I would be super happy with Pomona too. I visited campus and I kind of like that it’s small.</p>
<p>My rank’s really low, only top 8%. SAT II’s are only 790 and 740, hence my impending deferral. Really hoping I get through 1st “academic round.”</p>
<p>@unproductive you are making me feel horrible about my SAT scores. My CR is an 800 but math is a 670 
hopefully my ACT math score shows I’m somewhat competent. </p>
<p>i only submitted two sat subject tests. 770 us history and 730 math 2. the math is unfortunately low… but i have a 32 on the act in math. but im ranked 2nd in my class, so hopefully that’ll help me /:</p>
<p>im expecting a deferral unfortunately</p>
<p>@unproductive Haha come on man, we both know that 790 and 740 aren’t low. UChicago doesn’t require SATII scores, so if you weren’t aware of the fact that you did well you wouldn’t have sent them in. Congratulations! You did really well, but we’re all freaking out and downplaying your great and well above average achievements only makes things more stressful for those of us who didn’t get scores that high. Seriously, great job though. You sound very qualified.</p>
<p>@alleycat2 and @wethemusicmakers I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I don’t think UChicago is the kind of school that tosses people out for having low test scores. Mine are similar to yours, @wethemusicmakers, AND my GPA isn’t perfect, but there are some really serious external circumstances that impacted my grades, so hopefully they won’t completely kill my app. We’ll see. Wherever we all end up I’m sure we’ll be fine, but here’s hoping it’s UChicago! I hope they release a date today/tomorrow! Does anybody have any news at all?</p>
<p>@Awflapjackz I’d be really surprised if the 730 hurt you. I just submitted a bunch of AP scores instead of SATII’s, because I took the SATII’s late. Honestly, I’m hoping that there are so many applicants with perfect grades/scores that the admissions committee is looking more for students who stand out in different ways. I’m expecting a deferral/rejection, but it was worth applying haha. </p>
<p>@ogacihcu thanks man. And me too! Haha I heard somewhere that the number of 2400 SAT applicants could fill the class a few times over, so they have to be looking for more than just that. I think we’re all pretty much preparing for a deferral, but some people ARE gonna get in EA… Why not us haha</p>
<p>i feel like my essays are really mediocre after reading what people wrote about /:</p>