<p>I JUST DON’T THINK I’LL EVER BE READY FOR THIS DECISION</p>
<p>@alleycat2 that’s awesome! you’ll do great :-)</p>
<p>EA from philly! can’t wait to find out the decision! good luck to everyone! :)</p>
<p>I both want to know right now and never find out… this is torture. How do you guys feel about your applications?</p>
<p>It was pretty solid, but nothing spectacular. I thought my essays were really good, but they were also very wordy, so I feel kinda bad for the people who have to read it. Interview was amazing, but does anyone know how much it actually counts?</p>
<p>@ChuffedAsHeck I have no authority here, but I remember someone mentioning that the interview does not count for much. But if it went well it can’t hurt! And yeah, my application was solid, but I don’t think it will stand out at all. Just another qualified candidate with nothing to set me apart… at least that’s what I fear.</p>
<p>I feel like my application is mediocre… 
Just another white girl from the suburbs. Oh well. I did put a lot of work into my essays, but maybe I could have done more. Maybe my recommendations will boost me. </p>
<p>Can’t do much about it now though.</p>
<p>I don’t think I have a standard background story, but I’m just a white girl too. We’ll see. I’m hoping that my recommendations help me, because I know that they were really phenomenal, and I tried so hard to convey how much I love UChicago in the Why UChicago essay. </p>
<p>Aah. In the end I don’t think my numbers are high enough. I only have a 1500 on the SAT, and I don’t think my essays were strong by UChicago’s standards. I overthought them in a big way haha, and I’m confident that they’re well written but I don’t think they’re very creative. I don’t know. At this point I’m expecting a deferral or a rejection. Why did you guys apply to UC?</p>
<p>@ogacihcu I feel the same way! It really sucks so much. You definitely sound qualified though, so you never know!</p>
<p>I was initially interested a few years ago because I fell in love with Chicago. I just love the campus and the academics, really. It is such an elite school but doesn’t give off a pretentious vibe like some other universities. There is a huge emphasis on knowledge that i adore. Even though I’m interested in engineering and UChicago isn’t the first place that comes to mind for that, I really think that molecular engineering is something special that I would really enjoy. Plus I can minor in German and continue something I love. :-)</p>
<p>German is my second favorite language for sure!! But it’s so difficult!! I agree with you completely about UChicago. There’s this culture of just loving to learn that I can’t get over. Honestly the first time I heard 'The Life of the Mind" I thought this place could not possibly be trying harder but after I visited and got to know UChicago it really struck me as the coolest university. It’s cool that you’re going for molecular engineering too! I have no idea what I want to study, frankly. </p>
<p>And I think that UChicago really values the essays, so that’ll help you. Plus you’re a girl who’s in to engineering. That must mean something haha.</p>
<p>@ogacihcu
Oh, have you learned any German? I actually think it is quite easy because English is a Germanic language. I feel like French would be way harder. And UChicago has such a breadth of amazing faculty that you can’t go wrong with whatever you end up pursuing!</p>
<p>Haha, if only you worked in admissions. I honestly don’t know if my essays were genuinely good or just well-written. That’s the problem. From which state are you?</p>
<p>@Awflapjackz
Yeah, I actually know a solid amount of German. Before I picked it up I assumed that it’d be easy because English is Germanic, but I’ve found the high inflection and kind of convoluted grammatical structuring to be challenging. It’s just difficult to process fluidly, but I’m getting there. I agree about French. It’s gorgeous, but all I hear is a long string of indistinguishable sounds. </p>
<p>The faculty at UChicago is another of my favorite things!! I really hope I get in. I think school is generally what you make it, but I’ll never forget any of the teachers that I’ve had who really loved and were passionate about their jobs and subject areas. I can’t even imagine having that in almost every/every class that I take.</p>
<p>I applied from Ohio, but I didn’t grow up there. That’s exactly how I feel about my essays. Which extended essay topic did you choose? I did the ‘untranslatable words’. I started with the ‘odd numbers’ one but thought my essay was kind of boring so I rewrote it. </p>
<p>I had a dream last night that I was accepted. Waking up was a disappointment. </p>
<p>@ogacihcu
That’s awesome! German doesn’t seem like a popular language anymore. I think it’s so wonderful though! The grammar is quite strict, but my brain likes a lot of structure, so I think it has helped me.</p>
<p>Haha, nice. I’m from Michigan. I did the “why are you here?” prompt. It was the only one that really worked for me. I wanted to do the odd number one, but I had no idea how to actually answer the question! We could swap essays sometime if you wanted to. :^)</p>
<p>@Awflapjackz </p>
<p>I’ve had a bunch of dreams like that. It’s so disappointing. </p>
<p>And I know what you mean. I actually love the rigidity of German! I think it’s gorgeous. </p>
<p>Honest to god after decisions come out I’d love to swap essays with you, but if I send it to you I won’t be able to resist rereading it first, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t reread it until after decisions come out. I mean, if there’s a typo or something there’s nothing that I can do, and I’d just agonize over it and be miserable. How did you approach your ‘favorite things’ essay? Mine was a pretty short list with a couple of sentences about each item, but I’m worried that it might not have been enough. </p>
<p>I’m kind of freaking out about the ‘no barriers’ thing. It’s an amazing program that’ll probably make UChicago a possibility for some amazing people (and definitely help me out if I get in), but I’m selfish and I’m worried that if there are tons more applicants it’ll only make it harder for me to get in haha.</p>
<p>@ogacihcu </p>
<p>That’s totally understandable. Mine just sounds like a boring personal narrative anyway! My optional essay was actually paragraph form. I just focused on one thing rather than a few. I discussed German being my favorite language and how the culture, film, and sports have affected me. I really wanted to talk about my favorite music and a lot of other things, but it didn’t feel right. It sounds like most people just list things anyway. I don’t think that the format matters as long as they get a better sense of who you are. After all, you took the initiative to write an OPTIONAL essay.</p>
<p>I got the same impression at first, but I don’t think it will affect you much. Most top students seriously considering UChicago will have already applied or crossed it off their list for other reasons. Unless those who have applied during the extension have seriously thought about the essays beforehand, they most likely didn’t have adequate time to polish them and whatnot. I also feel like many parents maybe pushed students to apply during the extension whether or not the student was qualified just because it was free.</p>
<p>@Awflapjackz </p>
<p>You’re probably right. I’m not too worried about it. It might be misguided, but I trust the UChicago admissions officers above admissions officers at other schools to be able to tell who’s really a good fit for UC, because it’s such a unique environment. I read something about the process that applications undergo once they’re sent in and it sounds so thorough, but I have no idea how they have time to read each application twice and send them all to committee. I think they must eliminate a lot straight off? It’s pointless to speculate haha.</p>
<p>That sounds like a really good optional essay! I think you’re probably right about the formatting not being important. Do you have any idea what dorm you’d want to live in if you got in?</p>
<p>@ogacihcu </p>
<p>Where did you read about the process? That sounds interesting. Ugh, I also wish that I could have seen my recommendations. That’s also bugging me.</p>
<p>I honestly have no idea! I’d have to visit again to decide. I’m not sure what I want though. I don’t want to get too hung up on it now, especially if I’m not accepted. You?</p>
<p>@Awflapjackz </p>
<p>I read about it on their admissions tumblr page after I looked it up when they talked about it on the ViewChicago Live the other day. I’m 100% confident in my teacher recommendations and counselor recommendation. Honestly I think they’re one of the strongest parts of my application, but my transcripts are definitely not perfect. There were genuine external circumstances that impacted my grades, though, so I’m hoping they’ll at least defer me. </p>
<p>I don’t know either. Half of me doesn’t want to get hung up on it because I probably won’t get in, but I also just love reading about UChicago, so I figure I’ll live up the fantasy until it’s completely out of the realm of possibili</p>
<p>@ogacihcu </p>
<p>Just found it! It sounds really in-depth, which is awesome. That’s really helpful. I’m sure that your recommenders emphasized your success despite your circumstances. It doesn’t seem like they outrightly reject anyone unless stats aren’t anywhere near the range or the student doesn’t seem to fit in at all. Where else are you applying?</p>
<p>My gut says deferral, but then I have these spurs of optimism. It’s really awful.</p>
<p>@Awflapjackz </p>
<p>Yeah, it sounds like such a fair process. </p>
<p>That’s part of what I’m worried about, though, is that they seem to defer/waitlist as many people as they reject outright. I’d much rather be deferred than rejected of course, but I also don’t love the idea of being kept hanging with thousands of other applicants if I don’t really have a shot, you know?</p>
<p>I’m also applying to Columbia and probably a couple of other reaches just for the hell of it, and as far as safeties St. John’s and a couple of state schools. I don’t know. I’ll toss a few more in. I don’t want to bother with schools that aren’t going to give me enough aid because really the only schools I’d be willing to go in to a lot of debt for have great aid programs. What about you?</p>
<p>@ogacihcu </p>
<p>Deferral just sucks because it means more waiting. Seems like false hope part two. I’m trying to mentally prepared myself for that though…</p>
<p>The rest of my apps will be reaches because I have a few acceptances already, and I am expecting to get in at Purdue. I think my chances at Michigan are pretty good too. I recently sent my Cornell app, and I sort of want to see EA results before firmly deciding on others. I have to do my essays for USC and Berkeley before Thanksgiving break is over though. Whoops.</p>