<p>Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 30 C (one-sitting) (34 E, 30 M, 29 CR, 25 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 730 Spanish, 720 Chem, 650 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (weighted: 4.54)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): #8, top 3%
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry: 4, English Language: 4
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Lit, AP French, AP Spanish, Gov/Econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHRP Scholar, Questbridge Matched Finalist
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Tutoring, Softball, Asian Club, Chess Club, Spanish Honors Society, French Honors Society, took Japanese classes at a CC
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutor: 120+ hours
Summer Activities: Internships: 120 hours (unpaid)
Essays:Common App (10/10), Untranslatable Word (9/10), Why UChicago? (8/10), Favorites (4/10)
Teacher Recommendations: Haven’t seen them<br>
Counselor Rec: Haven’t seen it
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: None
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Of course
Projected Concentration: Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public (mostly middle-class)
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: F
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, single-parent, female interested in science . . .
Reflection
Strengths: Essays
Weaknesses: Everything else
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: hooks and essays
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Through QB it’s ED
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:I didn’t think I would get in. I posted this for kids like me who want to know where they stand. Good luck!</p>
<p>Does ANYONE get rejected from Chicago EA?</p>
<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>
<p>Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 36 (35, 36, 36, 36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Physics (800), Mathematics II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus BC (4), Physics B (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macroeconomics, AP Chemistry, Competitive Mathematics, Multivariable Calculus, Leadership 400, Spanish V, Physical Education, Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, Bertie Green Travel Award winner</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Math Honor Society (President), Spanish Honor Society (President), Diversity Club (founder/President), Robotics Club (President), Physics Club, Theatre Club, Cross Country Club
Job/Work Experience: Assistant Director of Theatre Camp
Volunteer/Community Service: President of school Community Action Group, intern at BMoreFit
Summer Activities: work at local camp
Essays: create-your-own supplement, plus all others
Teacher Recommendations: English teacher, Physics teacher
Counselor Rec: yes
Additional Rec: peer who attends UChicago, employer
Interview: yes</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Astrophysics
State (if domestic applicant): MD
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: white
Gender: femals</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: well-roundedness, test scores
Weaknesses: potentially my supplemental essay (it was pretty math-centered), athleticism
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think many early action applicants are super committed to UChicago. While it’s one of my top schools, I don’t yet know if it’s definitely the school I want to attend. It’s possible that this showed in my application.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: JHU, UMD, MIT, and all the Ivy League schools</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250 superscored (800 CR, 730 M, 720 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (one sitting, CO state test) (34 E, 30 M, 35 R, 35 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 730 Spanish, 680 World History (taken after sophomore year)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.67 (weighted 4.36)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (school doesn’t rank)
AP (place score in parentheses): US Gov (4), Human Geo (5), Spanish Lang (5), World History (5), US History (5), Spanish Lit (5), English Lang (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Art History, AP Euro, AP Bio, Japanese III
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Horseback riding & skiing (noncompetitive), Editor in Chief of school’s arts/literary magazine, National Honors Society, Gay-Straight Alliance
Job/Work Experience: Editorial Assistant for a local publishing house, 6 hrs/week
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer/trainer with Amigos de las Américas for 2+ years, member of Youth Steering Committee and High School Crew Leader program for a local ecological restoration organization, tutoring for NHS (15 hrs/semester)
Summer Activities: Two summers in Latin America (Mexico '14 and Paraguay '13) with Amigos de las Américas
Essays: Common App (9/10), Untranslatable Word (9/10), Why UChicago? (8/10), Favorites (10/10)
Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t see them
Counselor Rec: Didn’t see it
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Yes, and it went really well! I would highly recommend one.</p>
<p>Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, but probably won’t get any
Projected Concentration: International Studies/Latin American Studies/Near Eastern Studies
State (if domestic applicant): CO
School Type: Large public school in a pretty wealthy town
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >300k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None that I can think of</p>
<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Essays, test scores, commitment to community service, taking two foreign languages
Weaknesses: I got Cs in Physics and Precalc last year, lack of competitive athletics
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my essays were really genuine and well-written. My test scores couldn’t have hurt either, and my interview went really well.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I’ve applied to quite a few but the only others I really care about hearing from are Bates, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins, all of which I applied to RD so I’ve got a while to wait.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I definitely wasn’t expecting to get in so this was pretty much the surprise of my life. I think the clarity and authenticity of my essays probably pushed me over the edge but the admissions process is such a crapshoot that I have no idea. I would definitely recommend signing up for an interview if it’s not too late.</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (M:740, R:780, W:730) (didn’t send)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (E: 36, R:36, M: 34, S:36)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (720), US History (640) (didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 23/349
AP (place score in parentheses): European History (3), World History (4), Calc BC (4), Gov (5), US History (5), APES (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Physics, Honors Civil War, AP Latin Vergil, AP Lit, AP Art History, AP Stat, College Poli 100 course
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Speech and Debate (Captain), Violin, Girl Scouts, Latin Club
Job/Work Experience: Worked in Law Dept. of LabCorp this past summer
Volunteer/Community Service: Fix computers, volunteer at NC teen court
Summer Activities: Several debate camps, planned and ran a debate camp for middle schoolers for two years
Essays: Common App and UnCommon App (Untranslatable word) were really strong, why Uchicago was mediocre, and Favorites was just really fun to write and super lighthearted.
Teacher Recommendations: Latin Teacher and AP World/Civil War teacher - I think that they were both pretty good. Both of the teachers really like me and I perform strongly in their classes
Counselor Rec: Nothing special really - she does actually know me pretty well, so that might have helped.
Additional Rec: Debate coach - elaborated on leadership skills and my dedication to debate.
Interview: Signed up but didn’t get one :/</p>
<p>Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yup
Projected Concentration: Poli Sci/Economics double major
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female</p>
<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Essays were DEFINITELY my strongest point, but my ACT was really good as well
Weaknesses: Only had one strong extracurricular, and my grades could have been better
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am convinced it was my essays - otherwise I look pretty sad compared to some of you amazing people who got deferred or rejected.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applied and got into Edinburgh, applied and interviewed at Oxford, thinking about applying to UPenn, Columbia and Yale, although I’m not sure.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Pour your heart and soul into your essays - I angsted forever over writing my (deeply personal and ridiculously emotional) common app essay, but in the end it made for a better essay than anything that I could have written otherwise. And have fun, because the prompts are so quirky and awesome you can’t not 
And GOOD LUCK to all those deferred and rejected - you all seem awesome!</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 - 750 CR, 800 M, 780 W
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 M, 36 S, 36 W, 33 CR)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (780), Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88 (Weighted is 4.83)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not Available, but I’m in top 10% of my school
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5), Biology (5), Statistics (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): Nah I don’t do that meng.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, BC Calc, AP Spanish, AP Psychology, Philosophy as Literature (Honors). I plan on dropping AP Physics & maybe PhilLit 3rd term to work on CAPS, and I’d drop all of them 4th term.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commendation at BUSUN (model UN conference). 3rd Place in MLK Speech Contest. Gold or Silver in National Spanish Exam all 3 years (before this one). AP Scholar & Honor Roll. </p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Model UN (Co-Secretary General), Spontaneous Generation (It’s an improv troupe, and I’m assistant director), Improv Club (director), United Academic Association (founder and president), Theatre (I directed one show, but I mainly acted), Public Forum Debate, Science Team, Ethics Bowl.
Job/Work Experience: Madrich for Temple Beth Elohim, Paid Tutor, Teacher Assistant (Chemistry in Junior Year, Chem and Bio in Senior Year).<br>
Volunteer Experience: Volunteer for Newton at Home
Summer Activities: I went to Spain last summer, I also took classes at MIT Junction, a program which teaches kids over the summer (I did Proofs and Visualizations one year, and Moby Dick and Modern America the next).<br>
Essays: Common App: 9 (about improv, I liked it. It wasn’t well written, but it portrayed who I was), Odd numbers: 10 (It was a logic puzzle. Probably my favorite essay I’ve ever written). Y Chicago Supplement: 7.5 (Like, it was OK).<br>
Teacher Recommendations: Chem: 10 (He said the day before I got in that if I didn’t get in, he would never write another rec for UChicago again because “it would be clear they hadn’t read it”), English: 9 (My teacher liked me a lot. He sent it a little late and a little bit odd, but he’s a nice guy), Theatre: 9 (He likes me too).
Counselor Rec: 6 (My counselor’s the laziest human on the planet, but he thinks I’m smart
Additional Rec: I got one, but it was from a teacher.
Interview: 8.5 (I can’t really judge how it went, but most people tell me I interview well)</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
Projected Concentration: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Super white
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Dunno; richish, though.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m funny.</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Good recs, & good extracurrics
Weaknesses: My schedule and grades aren’t incredible, and they got worse 1st semester. Also, my Why Chicago Essay was probably fairly weak
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I just matched really well
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UMich (early), CMU, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Swarthmore, Columbia
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: It’s a crapshoot, guys. It’s really random; it doesn’t say anything about you as a person, and you nothing about me makes me better than anyone who got deferred. This website also has been really useful to just making me realize how varied the group of people who get accepted is. I’m happy to finally write something for it (and also to be accepted too). </p>
<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (800 CR, 770 M, 710 W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Physics, 780 Chem, 790 USH, 790 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.78 I think. 92.13 on 100-point scale.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t have. Probably top 25% at magnet school.
AP (place score in parentheses): Euro History (5), Computer Science (5), US History (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Phys C, AP Calc AB, AP Macro, Linear Algebra are the interesting ones</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Quizbowl cocaptain. That’s my main one. I also put down a few clubs I did one year and my guitar hobby.
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at tech center thing for senior citizens this summer. That’s it 
Essays: Common App: 8/10, wrote about how I did poorly at my first quizbowl tournament but it was pretty well-done. UChicago Extended: 10/10. One of the best things I’ve ever written (odd numbers prompt, made it a surrealist fiction piece.) Why UChicago: 9/10. I’d done a LOT of research and I think my enthusiasm came through, but it wasn’t anything super unique. Optional Favorite Things: 8/10. Wrote about Bob Dylan. Well-written but not particularly interesting.
Teacher Recommendations: Pretty good, probably.
Counselor Rec: Fantastic, she really likes me and she’s wanted me to go to UChicago from the beginning. Pretty sure she mentioned/recommended me personally when talking to our regional rep, outside of the written rec.
Additional Rec: None.
Interview: Didn’t (and regretted it but it turned out ok)</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
Projected Concentration: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): New York
School Type: Competitive public magnet
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 150-200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really.</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, particularly my extended one. Also, recs, test scores.
Weaknesses: GPA (although that was salvaged by significant upward trend in my junior year). ECs were lacking.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Almost positive my extended essay was the tipping factor, along with my counselor rec.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Applied to Berkeley/UCLA/UCSD, UVA, UMich, UNC. Now that I got into one of my dream schools I’m probably just gonna apply to Williams (and still expect a rejection.)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Super happy and consider myself very lucky. I’m happy that Chicago places as much value on essays as it does, my application wasn’t that strong otherwise. I’m also happy I managed to pull up my grades in junior year and make a 4.0 both semesters, still wish I’d done it earlier just in the interest of habit-building but I guess I managed to get in so it’s moot. I’m pretty sure I’m going there (if I get into UCB or Williams it’ll be a tossup but that’s not super likely.) Very nervous about that, but also very much excited. I’ll definitely be working a lot harder my freshman year of college than I did in freshman year of HS, and I can only hope I’m up to the challenge.</p>
<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 Composite (E:35 M:33 R:31 S:30 W:12)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.82
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/636
AP (place score in parentheses): Statistics (4) English Lang (4) APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
Senior Design (Engineering Design 12)
Symphonic Band
Calc BC
Macro/Micro Economics (AP)
AP Government and Politics
AP Physics C: Mechanics
AP English Lit
Spanish 3-4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar; 1st in State Prepared Presentation for Technology Student Association </p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 10 years competitive softball (team captain); 8 years classical flute; Public Library Board member (sole teen representative on the board of trustees); Peers Leading Peers club (executive board member); NHS; Math Team
Job/Work Experience: 2 years at local community center
Volunteer/Community Service: assistant coach for 10u softball team; general library volunteering; miscellaneous extra things; adds to roughly 100 hours a year
Summer Activities: Interned at Suzlon Wind North American Headquarters as well as a local software development firm
Essays: CommonApp- Place of Contentedness; wrote about the pitchers circle in softball and how growing up in the circle made me who I am today; 8/10
WhyChicago: Pretty generic- I talked about how I felt UChicago was a place were I could make a difference, but incorporated a running Emerson quote (“I had three chairs in my house…”) to make it slightly fancier. 7/10
Uncommon Essay: Took place in my local library and was a conversation between myself and characters coming off the shelves and speaking to me to help influence me on what to write my essay on. Anywhere else would have thought I was schizophrenic, but to UC it was just the right amount of quirky. 9/10 because it had a typo. 
Optional: Talked about my obsessions with National Geographic Magazine and Reddit; ended lightheartedly by proclaiming my love for the TV show Pretty Little Liars because, at the end of the day, I’m a teenage girl. 7/10</p>
<p>Teacher Recommendations: Did not read any of these, it is purely off of hunch
- Current Economics Teacher and my International Relations teacher when I was a sophomore. One of my favorite teachers and always says good things about me to others, but I was slightly worried about grammar mistakes as he asks me to read through his tests to look for them. 8/10
- AP Lang Teacher last year; he could really speak to how I am not locked into looking at things in one perspective, ie: my love for Vonnegut, Nietzsche, etc. even though I am a projected CS and Physics major. 10/10
- Stats teacher from sophomore year and sponsor of math team. I’d gotten fantastic ones from her for my internships in the past; she’s also the teacher that influenced me to look into research rather than engineering. 9/10
Counselor Rec: She knows me better than most students, but still not exceptionally well. Honestly I have no idea on this one 6/10.
Additional Rec: Peers Leading Peers staff sponsor; he told me he wrote about my unexpected leadership skills, as I am generally quiet and attentive in the classroom, but am able to lead others very well when put in a position of authority. 8/10
Interview: Average; the interviewer and I didn’t have too much in common, but it lasted longer than the projected half hour. I also was able to let them know that I was LGBT in this portion, something I was not able to include in a non-forceful way in my paper applications. </p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yup.
Projected Concentration: Physics and Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): IL
School Type: Large public in 2nd largest school district in the state (behind CPS)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $75,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Female in CS; as queer as a 3-dollar bill; 1st gen.</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays and recs; a lot of “hot” hooks
Weaknesses: Test scores and lack of notable awards; GPA was lacking as well
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays and rec letters; hooks are probably the only reason I was accepted early.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UMich Ann Arbor; URochester; Lawrence University; Truman State University
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Really, really happy I got in. It still feels like a dream almost, but I’m sure it will sink in one of these days. 
Good luck to everyone who applied regular or was deferred!</p>
<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2040 (M 650, W 700, CR 690)
ACT (breakdown): 30
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.25 w/ first semester senior year
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5/300
AP (place score in parentheses): Stats (4), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): That would have been fun, in retrospect, if offered.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lang & Lit, AP Gov, AP Macro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Zero</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Chairman of Youth Commission, highest ranking youth government official in large Bay Area County. “Professional” baseball writer and analyst
Job/Work Experience: Baseball Analytics writer (yeah, Moneyball stuff) for top site in the industry, beginning role as Baseball Analytics Consultant to top Division 1 College Baseball Program in January.
Volunteer/Community Service: Government activity gives me a good 45 hours a year in the community.
Summer Activities: Independent published research in baseball analytics, takes up my entire summer.
Essays: What’s so Odd about Odd Numbers? (10/10 in a vacuum; 5/10 for UChicago) Not enough creativity, mostly theoretical and psychological. Why UChicago (6/10)…I am bad at expressing emotions and deep feelings…does not lend well to college admissions process!
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 from AP english teacher, very close to him, great track record and overall amazing teacher. 7/10 from stats teacher, he likely regurgitated the activities section of my common app.
Counselor Rec: My school is infamous for terrible counselor recs—apparently one of the reasons ZERO students have been admitted to Stanford from my school in the last 15 years.
Additional Rec: From advisor. Talked about me from leadership perspective, and my growth from data nerd to “politician”.
Interview: Went really well. The guy was really interested in my research work. He is in an interesting industry doing similar business analytical work. We connected on twitter and linkedin afterwards. </p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Statistics/CS/Econ
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Average
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No applicable hooks </p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Extra curricular involvement, real-world experience and application of desired field of study, Letters of Rec, direct passion, Research Portfolio
Weaknesses: Essays (?), Scores… As a Statistician, I can tell you that my scores (Math in particular) do not validate my intended major or success in my research. Grades and portfolio do… Unfortunately, colleges weight one of those components much more heavily than the others, it seems!<br>
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Once again, my essays were far from quirky…I didn’t fit the creative mold they seek to fulfill.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Hoping for Berkeley, Duke, CMU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: UChicago wants quirk, charisma, charm. Give it to them for god-sake! Don’t be like me and shy away from what they want. Looking back now the questions prompt you to go in one direction, do not attempt to go the other way. I really think UChicago is a great fit for me, but it is a two-way street! </p>
<p>Congrats to everyone that made it in! Any one who wants to talk about stats/econ/CS plans outside of Chicago feel free to PM me! </p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptance. Thank you for posting your details. Your story sort of resonates with mine. I could use a copy of your essays for an impression of the quality required to get into UChicago. Would you please send them to me? Thank you!</p>
<p>Objective: Accepted
SAT I (breakdown): 2240
ACT (breakdown): 34C (34E, 36M, 32R, 32S)
SAT II: Math II 780 and 760 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/200
AP (place score in parenthesis):Chem-4, Calc AB-5, Lang and Comp-5, Gov-4
IB (place score in parenthesis):none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Spanish, AP Psych, Organic Chem(local university), Calc II(local university), Calc III(local university)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, Outback Bowl Grand Champion, Presidential Volunteer Service Award, AP Scholar,</p>
<p>Subjective:</p>
<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Composer(hobby), NHD Nationals, Poster Designer at local library-300+ hours, First chair French Horn in selective Wind Ensemble Program, Tutor-middle school, Senate Scholar Program, Forensics State, VAC State winner,
Job/Work Experience: McDonald’s- 1 yr
Volunteer/Community service: Mentioned
Summer Activities: Pit Orchestra, Website Design
Essays: Common app: 6-7/10, talked about composing and the Lord of the Rings Soundtrack, kind of hum-drum, but unique I guess…
Extended Essay: 7-8/10 (Why are you here?) Took an existentialist kind of approach, which might have been unoriginal, but added some humor and unique phrases: “If any of my ancestors was a virgin, you would not be reading my essay right now.”
Why Chicago Supp: 10/10- The main reason I got in. Wrote a metaphor about quantum physics. Pretty sleek and creative, if I do say so myself.
Hobbies Essay: 7/10-pretty straightforward. Wrote about Breaking Bad.
Teacher Recommendation 1: 8/10, only because Chicago really likes intellectual curiosity and because of this quote: “Likes to learn not for a grade, but for the sake of learning.”
Teacher Rec 2: 7/10
Teacher Rec 3: 6/10, accidentally submitted this, but looks like it didn’t have much of an impact on the decision.
Counselor Rec: Meh, 6/10, Generic
Additional Rec: 9/10
Interview: None
Supplemental materials: 4 minute excerpt of my NHD documentary on the Hubble Space Telescope</p>
<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant):WI
Country (if international applicant):USA
School Type: Small public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 90,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Taking O-Chem?</p>
<p>Reflection
I GOT INTO MY DREAM SCHOOL. Never thought I could get into a college with less than a 10 percent acceptance rate. Too bad I have to deal with Cornell ED now. </p>
<p>Strengths: GPA, Course rigor, WhyChicago Supp,
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Music oriented, composing
Weaknesses: EC’s, Common app, Scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Came across as curious and nuanced.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to UWMadison, Cornell University
The most unique thing in your application: Composing, taking O-Chem, WhyChicago</p>
<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): Composite: 33, (30E 33M 34S 34R)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0, weighted gpa 4.67
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/880
AP (place score in parentheses): Us Hist.(5), English Language and Comp (5), Euro History (5), Psychology (4), Biology (4), English Literature and Composition (4) BC Calc (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): SL French (6)
Senior Year Course Load: HL Biology, HL English, HL History, HL Theatre, SL Math, SL Music
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Student of the month, NHS, Academic Letter</p>
<p>Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS, Theatre (President), Literary Arts Magazine (President), IB mentors (President), Improv Troupe (Varsity), Beach Volleyball (Captain), Swing Club(president/Choreographer), Musical theatre (Assistant choreographer)
•Job/Work Experience: Nope, no time with IB and theatre
•Volunteer/Community service: run Essay workshops for IB Juniors, theatre productions, organizing fundraisers for litmag, beach cleanups, etc.
•Summer Activities: sleep for once, theatre
•Essays: Why uchicago 9/10, common app 9/10, favorites 9/10, created own prompt 11/10 (seriously I loved this essay so much)
•Teacher Recommendation: Haven’t seen them but I know they were good
•Counselor Rec: 10/10
•Additional Rec: N/A
•Interview:None</p>
<p>Other
Applied for financial aid: Yes
•Major: Theatre Studies/Creative Writing
•State (if domestic applicant): CA
•Country (if international applicant):
•School Type: Public
•Ethnicity: 75% White, 25% Black
•Gender: M
•Income Bracket: <100,000
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/a</p>
<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: My essays really rocked, I have never been more proud of my writing abilities, I also know my recommendations were good, and my gpa is really good, i’ve had a 5.0 for the past two years
Weaknesses: My test scores could be a lot stronger, and I didn’t submit SAT II’s or Is
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think that I really fit the student persona that the college was looking for and I feel that I was a good candidate with a lot of capability
Where else you are applying or have already applied: i was accepted ED at Columbia as well so I will not be attending
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Really consider the write your own prompt option, it shows a much stronger representation of who you are as a person and as an intellectual, it took me weeks of crafting prompt ideas to form the perfect prompt, also have someone read through your essays, like a friend who can check for mistakes. Good Luck to all those applying</p>
<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
I’m intentionally eliminating grades and SAT scores (even though they were very good, above average for uchi- but you can find that info on the website). I’m posting here because I love reading about the awesome people I might get to share my class with because of their interests and such, not to torture prospective students trying to figure out if they will get in. If that’s you, I feel you- that was me, but please spare yourself the unhelpful pain and go do something actually fun.
AP (place score in parentheses): none, school didn’t offer.
IB (place score in parentheses): none
Senior Year Course Load: Calc 2, Calc based physics, Russian 5, Russian Research and Translation, 3 semester English classes (Shakespeare, Theater of Revolt, the American Experience), 1 semester Math of Finance
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A lot of Russian related stuff: National Russian Essay Contest, Maryland Olympiada of Spoken Russian best in state, etc. National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship for Russian Summer.</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Newspaper (Editor in Chief), Mock Trial (Lawyer and club head 3 years), plays and musicals (a couple major parts), model UN (club head), dance
Job/Work Experience: not much, some tutoring and a science internship on summer
Volunteer/Community Service: also not much, one summer volunteered at largely Russian-speaking nursing home
Summer Activities: environmental science internship, community service, study abroad
Essays: common app prompt 2 about trying to write poetry in Russian, did what’s so odd about odd numbers question as an actually poem demonstrating how if you do things an odd number of times in poetry it make the poem odd (as in strange. hard to explain but I think it made sense), for why Uchicago talked about how this graffiti that I saw on camus–a screw someone had circled and and written God–related to why I wanted to go there, favorites essay a catch-all of random stuff that they wouldn’t know from other parts of application like my love for baking and Ayn Rand (yes, it is probably a phase; no, I am not a member of the tea party.)
Teacher Recommendations: one was from my Russian teacher whom I’ve had for four years and five classes and I just hang out with sometimes, other from my Calc 1 math teacher/Mock Trial coach/advisor
Counselor Rec: very unusual because I had her for 1.5 years of English, so she knows me pretty well.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: we talked almost none about me (like one question on where I see myself on 20 years), some about the Core curriculum and Uchicago’s reputation, and a lot about random things like racial diversity in Baltimore. We also ordered the same drink, which was pretty funny because that’s the second time that has happened on an interview.</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Economics-y international-y Eastern Europe-y something or other
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
School Type: private
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: grades, SAT 1 scores, recs
Weaknesses: I didn’t cure cancer…my extra currics/job/volunteer stuff is good but standard at schools like Uchicago
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I really proved I was a good fit with my why Uchicago essay. A passion for Russian is also pretty unusual and interesting so that helped I’m sure.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: got in to Georgetown, also applied to state school, UCLA, Claremont McKenna, Harvard, UPenn Huntsman program
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: the more I learn about this school, the more the crush I got on my blind first date (a campus visit I did on a whim because we were passing through the city) develops into love for the school and the type of people who go there. So thrilled!</p>
<p>@Articfox I think we need an early accepted group </p>
<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 750M/800CR/700W (2250/1550)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Biology M (710) Math II (670)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.61 (school only sends Weighted which is 4.837)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/214
AP (place score in parentheses): European History(4) US History (4) Biology (4) Human Geography (4) English Lang and Comp (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Physics C, AP Calculus, Honors Spanish V, Honors Religion, Honors Instrumental Music
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, PA Science Talent Search Research Award, </p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS (President), Theatre (Stage Manager), Marching Band (Section Leader), Varsity Volleyball, Debate Team, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science
Job/Work Experience: Janitor for Grade school for 2 years. Men’s Locker Room and Grill attendant full-time for a summer
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutored for a non-profit 5-10 hours a week
Summer Activities: Full-time job, Friends
Essays: CA (8/10): About my love of Music, and its use as a universal language. </p>
<p>Supplement 1 (9 or 10/10): What’s so odd about odd numbers? Titled “Why Was Six Afraid of Seven?” Wrote a creation narrative about numbers, and how 1 and 2 split apart to form their own factions. They thrived apart, and the Evens told stories of the creepy world of the Odds. One Even (6) stumbles upon an Odd settlement, witnesses a cannibalistic ritual, essay ends with “…because Seven ate Nine!”</p>
<p>Supplement 2 (7/10): Why Chicago? Wrote about my love of trivia as an example of how I love to learn for the sake of learning, and wrote about a sample class I took there that inspired me to try to incorporate everything I love into my major. </p>
<p>Optional List: no numerical evaluation, I just listed a bunch of my favorite stuff and explained why in a humorous way that didn’t sound like I was trying too hard to use eloquent language. </p>
<p>Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec: did not read but probably between 7-9/10
Additional Rec: Biology Teacher, Madman but writes awesome recs (9/10) English Teacher (8/10)
Interview: 7/10 Not a bad interview, talked a little over an hour. It just appeared that the interviewer didn’t know what to say apart from a few cookie-cutter questions, so I carried the conversation. </p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? YES
Projected Concentration: Economics
State : Pennsylvania
School Type: Private, Catholic, Fascist
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, SAT Score, Recommendations, Rigor of Classes
Weaknesses: Transcripts show somewhat average performance in classes, and SAT II’s were bad.
Why you think you were accepted: My essays were very unique and my personality was made quite apparent.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Deferred UPenn ED, Accepted Northeastern EA.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: After the rigor of your High School classes, the most important thing are the Essays. Showing your personality, and that you are a good fit, are of the utmost importance it seems.</p>
<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 CR, 780 M, 800 W
ACT (breakdown): 36 R, 35 E, 34 M, 33 S
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio (770), USH (780), Lit (800), Math 2 (730), Chem (660)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.71
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): wasn’t on transcript, but 45-ish/401
AP (place score in parentheses): Bio (5), USH (5), Euro (5), Lit (5), Lang (5), Calc AB (5), Human Geo (5), Enviro (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc 2, AP French, orchestra, choir, AP Chem, UMN Lit, UMN Writing, AP Physics 1, AP Gov, AP Macro, Science Olympiad (it’s a class- weird, I know)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO honorable mention & semifinalist, National AP Scholar [neither mentioned in app]</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): bunch of orchestra stuff (orchestra board, concertmaster of some stuff), National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, freshman mentor
Job/Work Experience: waitressed summer between soph/junior year
Volunteer/Community Service: Orchestra Mentors (co-president for two years), recycling club
Summer Activities: see waitressing above, CMU Pre-College (William Elliot full scholarship) [not mentioned in app]
Essays:
-CA: (9/10) Dealing with my own biases while waitressing in lower-income neighborhood (pretty self-deprecating)
-Supplement 1: (10/10) Untranslatable word (prompt 2); beauty of a single moment and how we can’t take it for granted (sensory overload, almost too long)
-Supplement 2: (9.5/10) Why UChicago; intellectual curiosity, vibrant urban environment, UChicago’s peculiar quirks, etc. (basically word vomit on how much I freaking love this school)
-Supplement 3: (8/10) Optional Essay; how this one David Sedaris book gave me insights on my own life (kind of last-minute, pretty unpolished-slash-weird)
Teacher Recommendations:
-AP Bio: edited from a rec letter written last year, which was very good (10/10)
-AP Lang: talked about my extracurrics too much, but otherwise good (7/10)
Counselor Rec: close to counselor, talk with her very often; this was edited from one written last year, so extra time was spent on it (9/10)
Additional Rec:
-Middle school orchestra teacher and supervisor of Orch Mentors; complete wild card, probably very good (?/10)
Interview: AMAZING; interviewer was fellow English major, really clicked- interview was tons of fun, and we talked about books a lot (11/10)</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes, rather a lot of it.
Projected Concentration: English/linguistics/gender studies
State (if domestic applicant): MN
School Type: competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 80,000-90,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: test scores, course rigor, essays, recs, interview (but I’ve heard that it doesn’t count for much)
Weaknesses: GPA, not enough leadership, not enough awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: literally zero idea how I got in, but eternally grateful; slash my essays probably entertained the admissions people
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UMTC, USC (haven’t heard back from either)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: kinda wish I hadn’t forgotten to mention some pretty important things such as USABO in my app, but oh well</p>
<p>Oops, I just realized that I did put the awards in my app, plus National Merit and National French Contest.</p>
<p>Choose One:
**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): yeah no (psat 215)
ACT (breakdown): 33 E 36 M 35 R 36 S 35 C 10 W 32 EW
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Physics Math II (both 800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 9%, no specific rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Music Theory 4, subscores 4 aural 5 nonaural, Calc BC, Physics C E&M, Physics C Mech, Lang & Comp, Microecon, Euro History, Am. History all 5’s
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP CompSci, AP Gov/AP Macro (one per semester), AP Lit, AP Chem, AP Psychology, Logic (Philosophy course at local CC), Multivariable Calculus at JHCTY, Varsity Water Polo. (8 periods out of the normal 6 weren’t as bad as I feared, spent more time for water polo than I did studying/hw and all solid A’s)</p>
<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Level
National AP Scholar
Commended National Merit
NHS (all of these aren’t great but no other section)</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Key Club (Boatload of KC specific positions/awards, nothing regular like Pres/VP unless you count secretary)
JPL Intern for the Rosetta Mission
SciOly (Team President)
Science Team (VP)
Speaker for TEDx
Water Polo, froshsoph for 2 years, jv one, varsity one (gg asthma)
YMCA Newspaper (Editor of Opinion)
CalYMCA Youth and Government (delegation secretary, other assorted awards like rookie of the year etc)
Music for hobby, no actual objective band/orchestra
Speech & Debate (treasurer)
Swim Team</p>
<p>Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: through key club, got aforementioned award
Summer Activities: took a class at summer session got an A-
Essays: 7/10 CApp, 9.5/10 Chicago
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 for both, both knew exactly what to put. One received a teaching award from Uchi, other one used to work as adcom for other uni
Counselor Rec:9.5/10, counselor and I are buddies and he could write a lot about me
Additional Rec:
Interview: 10/10, interviewer told me I did excellent compared to others</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?
Projected Concentration: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NOPE so stereotypical it hurts</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, Transcript, supplements/interview
Weaknesses: Pesronal statement, awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Took summer classes and built that into why uchicago, did really well for the subjective writing/interviews specific to chicago with a very passionate tone, scores are great. Was able to show who I am past a stereotype. Generally, I knew exactly why I wanted to go to chicago and said it, supported by rec letters. Also, had very relevant ECs, with an internship at JPL after the recent comet landing, Scioly/Sciteam.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: HYPSM, deferred caltech
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: They admit people, not test scores. Don’t think about or mention numerics in your app, they have hundreds of qualified applicants with similar transcripts and scores. Be the best you that you can be and show that in your essays, I was the only one to get in out of ~20 at my school even though many of them had an objectively better application. Soul>scores.</p>
<p>Decision: Deferred</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 31 (36E, 34R, 26M, 26S, 12W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 35/725
AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology (5), Lang (5), World History (5), APUSH (5), Macroeconomics (3), Microeconomics (3)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Art History, AP Lit, AP Government, AP Stats, Ethics in Business, Entrepreneurship, Speech and Debate III
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, I guess.</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Bowling (Varsity Captain), MUN (Founder, treasurer, secretary), Mock Trial (founder), Creative Writing, DECA (executive), FIRST Robotics (CFO), Speech and Debate (Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: NHS, all Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation events
Summer Activities:
Essays: Really good… my strongest point.
Teacher Recommendations: I think really strong; both were from teachers that knew me really well. One was from both my Lang teacher and Speech and Debate coach, and the other was from my Gov/Econ teacher and Mock Trial advisor.
Counselor Rec: Decent, but probably generic.
Additional Rec: From my mentor… he knows me well, probably gave a different perspective than the other recs.
Interview: Didn’t request</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: International Studies
State (if domestic applicant): NV
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Gen</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, recs, GPA
Weaknesses: Tests, tests, tests…
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Test scores, probably, but also course difficulty. Since a lot of my electives were part of the magnet program I’m in, it was difficult to take a lot of APs (even though my school offers a ton) prior to senior year.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Brown (ED, also deferred)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m still holding out for Regular Decision. </p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 32 (26E, 32R, 34M, 35S, 8W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (4), English Comp (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, African American Studies, AP German, Orchestra, Calculus, English,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some award on the National German Exam</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Fencing, Cello, Lacrosse (jv and varsity captain), Cheerleading (captain), MUN, Chemistry Club (leader), Yearbook
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutor, Camp counselor at a camp for inner city youth, OASIS Healthy Habits
Summer Activities: See Above Community Service
Essays: What pH are you? 3 Why Chicago? Talked about my 3 visits and my 1 overnight on campus Common App prompt? Talked about my mother suffering epilepsy
Teacher Recommendations: Probably pretty good. Got one from my physics teacher and one from my German teacher who has taught me for 6 years
Counselor Rec: Probably good. He’s known me for a while</p>
<p>Interview: Didn’t request</p>
<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Biology (pre-med)
State (if domestic applicant): MO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >30 K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really but the admissions counselor for my region graduated from my highschool and I know her pretty well. We went out for coffee once</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, EC’s, race, tests
Weaknesses: GPA!!!
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Test scores, EC’s, over 650 hours of community service. I am also black and come from a low income single parent household and although this should not hold a lot of weight it does and I’m sorry. AA is shitty and I know I’m taking a spot from someone else. My essays were also pretty good
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Mizzou (accepted), Loyola Chicago (accepted), Miami of Ohio (accepted), Depaul (accepted), Tulane (accepted), UW Madison (still waiting), IU Bloomington(accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I know my GPA was bad and this is a bad excuse but I’ve been taking care of my mom because it’s just us two and she’s epileptic. And as bad as it is I know AA played a role in my admittance. But Uchicago had been my dream school since 10th grade and I intend on taking full advantage of this amazing opportunity to do good in the world. </p>