Decision: Waitlisted
Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2070
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 770 Critical Reading, 610 Math, 690 Writing
[] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
[] SAT II: US History (740), Literature (730)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[] Weighted GPA: 4.5
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/95
[] AP (place score in parentheses): AP World History (4), AP US History (5), AP Language and Composition (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Pretty rigorous, but could have been better. Includes Advanced Chemistry, AP Government, AP Literature and Composition, and AP Calculus AB
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: None that I know of
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, Junior Achievement VP Finance of the Year 2012, some school awards [/ul] [/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Academic Team (Captain - 11, 12), National Speech and Debate Association (Treasurer - 11; VP - 12), Student Council (Fundraising Committee Chair - 11, 12), Junior State of America (Founder/President - 12), National Honor Society, Junior Achievement (VP Finance - 10; President - 12), Girl Scouts, Church Choir, Confirmation Class Facilitator/Catechist, Track and Field
[] Job/Work Experience: I suppose Junior Achievement counts, but I’ve never had a “real” job.
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Tons of hours with my parish (I really put my heart into it), and Girl Scouts activities.[/ul] [/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: It was about an accident my father got into when I was ten years old and how that event shaped me as a person. I did my best, but there’s still this nagging feeling it could have been better. 9. [/li][] EC Short Answer:
[] Extended essay(which topic): I made up my own prompt about narratives in history being skewed towards the victors. It started off strong, but sleepiness got the best of me and I ended up submitting a final product that was a tad rage-against-the-machine and, now that I look back on it, a bit preachy. 8.
[] Optional Essay: I just wrote about some of my favorite things. I don’t really want to give this one a score because I can’t really quantify it. 9, I guess?
[] Why Chicago: This one was by far my favorite. I talked about how modern school systems stifled openness, insight, and creativity, and how UChicago is beyond that. 10. [/ul]
[li] Other:[ul][/li][li] Teacher Recommendation #1: My 10th grade English teacher who really likes me. I haven’t seen it, but I’m assuming it’s pretty good. [/li][] Teacher Recommendation #2: My 9th grade Ancient Civ/US History teacher. I read it, and it’s great! 10.
[] Teacher Recommendation #3: One of my senior teachers. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had and admitted to me that I’m one of her favorite students. I haven’t seen it, but I hope it’s stellar!
[] Counselor Rec: I don’t know her that well. I honestly just turned in a resume and personal statement to her and my school report was uploaded two days later. Probably pretty generic.
[] Additional Rec: From my debate coach who has known me for four years. Haven’t seen it. [/ul]
[li] Interview: N/A[/li][] Art Supplement: N/A[/list]
Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: January 2, essays submitted January 5
[] State (if domestic applicant): A US territory. I’d rather not say, haha.
[] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[] School Type: Small Private Catholic
[] Ethnicity: Filipino/Pacific Islander
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: ~100K
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not much. I suppose minority status, but I doubt that had too much influence. [/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Why Chicago essay, Common App Essay, Teacher Recs, Extracurriculars
[] Weaknesses: Test Scores, Senior Year Course Load, maybe my extended essay.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: It’s a crapshoot. I honestly expected rejection, so being waitlisted is at least better than what I expected. Who really knows why anyone gets admitted, waitlisted, or rejected? I really think it’s a person-to-person basis.
[] What would you have done differently?: Worked harder on my essays, turned in my app earlier, and getting my midyear report in on time (It was 12 days late). [/ul]
Other Factors:
**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: **College is a crapshoot, especially with really selective schools like UChicago. I’m sort of disappointed, but at the same time, I’m proud of being waitlisted by a school of UChicago’s caliber. I offer good luck to everyone on the waitlist like me, sympathy to those denied, and congratulations to those accepted. I’m still holding out hope!
