Hi!
I get that this question is kinda useless, it’s just a little hard to move on from being rejected by UChicago since I worked pretty hard all throughout high school with UChicago in mind? Why was I rejected? These are my stats, and I kinda hoped they were enough to at least merit a deferral from EDII or luckily a waitlist, but I was straight-up rejected.
Bio:
-Citizenship: USA
-State of residence: TX
-Race: South Asian
-Gender: F
-Languages spoken: English, Hindi
-Financial situation: 200k bracket
School:
-Type (Public/private & size): Public, 700+ students
Academic Profile:
-Unweighted GPA: 3.96
-Weighted GPA: 4.69
-AP’s: I’ve taken 18 so I don’t want to less them all haha
-AP test scores: APCS(5), WHAP(5), Lang(5), Calc BC(5 - junior yr), Chem(4), Phys1(4)
-ACT: n/a
-SAT: 1590 (790 R, 800 M) and 8/8/8 (24/24) on SAT essay
-SAT II: 800 on Math II, 800 on World History, 780 on Math I
-Rank: 11/ 704 [top 1.56%]
-Course Rigor: i try to take APs whenever possible
EC:
President of Interact Club (2 years) [community service club]
Secretary of MUN (1 year)
LiNK VP (2 years)
Black belt in martial arts and leadership team (7 years)
Clarinet player (couple of awards, marching and concert band) [8 years]
Teacher at Hindu Temple (2 years)
FBLA member (made it up to nationals) [3 years]
Speech and Debate (all varsity congressional debate, public forum debate, extemporaneous speaking)
Member of a bunch of clubs: Mu Alpha Theta, Computer Science Club, Key Club, International Culture Society, Habitat for Humanity, Spanish Honor Society, Science Club (Competition’s Chair as of 11th-12th grade)
Other Notables (College courses you’ve taken, papers published, created own website, TAing a class, ect):
I took a non-credit course at Brown University over the summer
-Volunteer regularly at senior center, library, and animal shelter
did data entry for beto o’rourke’s senate campaign
created a website w/ job advice for FBLA competition
Honors:
Ranked 2 w/ clarinet solo at TSSEC (TX state), ranked 1 in district
3rd place in area and state FBLA for website design
AP Scholar w distinction
National Merit Finalist
Nominee for Presidential Scholarship
Bronze, National Non-Native Spanish Speakers Competition
a few more small essay/painting scholarship competition things
Work:
private tutor for 3 clients, regularly over the year
grader at Kumon for a lil bit
Recs:
three all felt good, avg of 8/10?
Essays:
no kidding, i spent two months+ on all of my essays and def think they turned out well for it, sept and oct were full of a lot of late nights haha, 10/10 or maybe 9.5/10
I even tried to maintain a good amount of contact w my regional admissions officer, and i def did my best to demonstrate interest, including doing the 2-minute video
You have worked hard, and I am sorry to hear of your denial. But, you should assume that your academics were not unique given the quality of applicants to U Chicago. What remains to differentiate you are your essays and recs. Possibly the adcom didn’t get a sense of who you were from those. Good luck, with your track record you will do well no matter where you go
Your qualifications are amazing, and whatever school you choose to attend will be lucky to have you. No one on here can tell you for sure why you were not admitted, but your essays and LOCs are a big piece of the decision. Does your school use Naviance? Are you able to see acceptance results from years prior? I am very sorry you did not get the result you were looking for, but the AdCom is looking to build a class with different backgrounds achievements, and interests. Applying as a business/Econ major might have hurt you as well, since it is such a popuar choice. Please do not let this decision define you or your worth. You will do and achieve great things.
OP I am going to say something you may not want to hear. U of Chicago is not looking for just a resume. While you have undoubtedly an outstanding academic record, the AdCom is looking for a certain type of intellectual that fits the class profile. Although there is no doubt you are academic overachiever, either your essays or your LOR are not able to convince that you are the type of student U of Chicago is looking for. In short, your application and AdCom just do not click.
Bottom line is this: the ED2 rejection is not a judgment of your intelligence or personality. You are going to end up in another good school. Good luck.
thanks for your reply @Tiglathpileser ! I guess so, I thought my essays were both really unique, and my Why U Chicago included a lot of research and info about me and my quirky essay was a letter to my eyeglasses, but I get what you’re saying
@PepperJo Thank you so much for your kind words! It definitely made me feel at least a little better, and I understand what you’re saying
My school does use Naviance, I’ll log in and see if I can get anything from it
Thanks again:)
EDII doesn’t defer - it’s an up or down vote. Well, ok there’s also waitlist but they won’t be pulling anyone off the waitlist most likely since they are reducing the size of Class of '23. That reality may be driving the high number of rejections this year (at least it seems there is a higher number anecdotally). It’s very possible, OP, that last year your qualifications may have earned you a more favorable outcome. Sometimes it just comes down to what they need to add to the class from this admissions round.
pleasechanceme01 - sorry for the rejection. I strongly suspect, as was pointed out above, that you will be getting into a great school and that you will be doing great things in your life. Reading over your application details, the rejection almost seems like a mistake to me, too. One explanation is that you have been negatively affected by the need for a variety of people in the class. Best of luck to you.
This is why I can’t stand the idea of students pinning their hopes on any hyper-competitive “dream college.” where admission for any unhooked applicant should be considered to be a reach. I’m sorry you have been denied by UChicago. Sulk for a day or two if you need to but then it is time to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and move forward.
Don’t allow your confidence or self-worth be derailed by an admissions officer who likely has never met you and who reviewed your application for 15-20 minutes. Clearly you are an excellent student who has much to offer any college. The good news is that there are tons of amazing colleges and universities in the country and, assuming you applied to a good mix of colleges, you should end up with some great choices in the end.
@pleasechanceme01 You have substantial and quality accolades and stats, and I would say you did not do anything wrong. I think it’s just because there are so many qualified individuals that even ones with super achievements like yourself get denied. Things happen for a reason and good things will come your way even though you might not believe it now. From what you’ve posted, you’ll do great no matter where you land.
I know a number of my unhooked South Asian friends got rejected ED2 to Chicago this year. Most are high stats amazing students in my opinion. My speculation is that it is a question of diversity for the school. They may have already admitted a good number in the ED1 round and the school just didn’t want 15% of it’s incoming class to be of South Asian descent. So they turned down some amazing South Asian kids to increase the diversity in the class. I know that sucks if you are South Asian, but it may have nothing to do with you or your individual profile.
Or diversity among majors! Bus. econ. has probably attracted a ton of applicants. Obviously OP doesn’t present like a kid who is interested in studying English Lit or Classics - and it’s important to be genuine and straightforward on your application - but if you are the gazillionth kid to specify Bus. Econ. that may not be a mark in your favor.
@pleasechanceme01 It seems there is nothing you did or did not do that lead to this outcome. Clearly, you are a very accomplished candidate and will do great wherever you go. As stated by many others, gaining admission to hyperselective colleges is almost like winning the lottery. I feel for you.
This is all a game and not a personal attack. It’s really not about you. It’s about who they need to build a class. You done with UChicago. Time to move on and get excited about your other possible choices. What are you going to gain from Naviance at this point? Nothing. Move on and enjoy your senior year. You did everything your were supposed to.
Your stats and achievements are simply outstanding. The only plausible explanation is that there were too many other kids who look like you: South Asian, Econ, from an overrepresented state is not a good mix.
The bar is simply higher for over represented groups. Unfortunately this is one of the unintended consequences of diversity. But as the others point out, hold your chin up high, and move on. You’ll go on to achieve great things, as there are many other outstanding universities that would love to have you.
“The only plausible explanation is that there were too many other kids who look like you: South Asian…”
Harvard, Yale and most of the ivies do that. But take it from a Chicago alum and friend of several trustees, UChicago does not. If the 2000 best applicants have Indian heritage, they will accept 2000 applicants of Indian heritage. It’s all about who is likely to make a contribution to human knowledge and who is just looking for a path to Med/Law/Bus school. If they think you are in the latter group, the bar is much, much higher.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of essays. If your essay is insipid, boring, or just poorly written, a 1600 board score won’t save you. Don’t apply Ivy League sensibilities to Chicago. It is very different from all of them.
That is very heartening, @AshurbanipalV . It is what I, an old alumnus, imagined to be the case merely because it is in keeping with what the College has always been about, going back to the days when there was a very explicit Jewish quota in the ivy league schools but nothing of the sort at Chicago. The search has always been for kids who want the particular sort of thing Chicago offers, regardless of background. A Chicago education is not inconsistent with your getting rich some day or entering a profession, but those and similar motivations, even coupled with grades and accomplishments, won’t in themselves open the doors to this school. You must make a convincing showing that you have the right stuff of the sort that Chicago particularly values. I have always thought this, but we have so little direct confirmation of it. I am happy to hear that the trustees also see it that way.
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