University of Chicago EA/ED Results ONLY

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Yeah the results come out in a few days and I’m itching with anxiety and excitement. So post your stats once they come out!!! …

Choose One
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Waitlisted [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments :

2

Remember to delete the 'a’s

3

I applied EA and was deffered.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800CR, 800W, 770M (Old SAT)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (homeschooler)
AP (place score in parenthesis): none
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: 7.5 credits
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Teacher’s Assitant in elmentary level science classes for the past 2 years. (Student Leader) in church youth group, particpated in 2 mission trips. Kniting, with some pattern design. Participant in National Bible Bee (Bible Memory competition), was one of 100 to quailfy for National level. Recreational Gymnast. Led debate team last year for my homeschooling group.
Job/Work Experience:

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Overall I’d say a 7. I think they were pretty good, but I did write them so it’s hard to objectively rate them.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

I waived my FERPA rights, so I’m not sure about ratings.
Teacher Rec #1: English Teacher (had her for 3 years)
Teacher Rec #2: Biology and Chemistry Teacher (had her for 2 years)
Counselor Rec: my Dad (again, homeschooled)
Additional Rec: Youth Leader at my Church
Interview: Completed on-campus, I think it went pretty well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Homeschooled, but attended homeschooling group for about 2/3 of my courses.
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: UofC is need blind, so I’d prefer not to answer.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Woman in STEM (physics is very male dominated in particular)

Reflection

Strengths: Test Scores, Intellectual Curiosity, Demonstrated interest (interview).
Weaknesses: Lack of AP courses (my homeschooling group doesn’t offer them), extracuricullars aren’t anything special.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Wheaton College (IL), Hillsdale College, Baylor University.

4

im still in shock what just happened

Decision: Accepted ED

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (800 W, 760 CR, 750 M, 12 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: Math 2 (800), Lit (710), Bio E (650; didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Weighted GPA: 5.17/5.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 102/639
AP (place score in parenthesis): English lang (5), Calc BC - AB subscore (5), Calc BC (4), Spanish lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Spanish SL (6), Bio SL (5)
Senior Year Course Load: IB European History HL, IB Math HL, IB Psychology SL, IB English HL, IB Theory of Knowledge, Varsity Symphony Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national merit commended scholar (does that count?), some all-state rewards for violin solos and concertos. other than that, not really

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): published 3 novels, ‘Frontage Roads’ school literary magazine (editor in chief), international baccalaureate student officer at my high school, award-winning creative writing blog (founder & writer), varsity LD debater, varsity symphony orchestra (historian & student council representative), national honor society, mu alpha theta national math honor society, national spanish honor society
Job/Work Experience: Public media manager of Hanabi Restaurant (managed website & wrote the majority of it, wrote social media ads, etc)
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered to help the elementary school kiddos at the Austin Harmony Youth Chamber Orchestra
Summer Activities: Real estate company (Hurst Lending) technical writing internship, certified in genomic technology and android programming via Coursera
Essays (rating 1-10, details): probably average? email me if you want to read them: asherpolaris@gmail.com
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Probably not exceptional; I’m not very good at building relationships with teachers

[ul]
[li]Teacher Rec #1: math teacher (meh, didn’t really know him, but I thought I needed a math person to balance my literary side)[/li][li]Teacher Rec #2: Theory of Knowledge / English teacher (probably good because he’s a good writer, but tbh didn’t have anything special with him)[/li][li]Counselor Rec: IB counselor (I hope it’s okay, but she tends to leave things to the last minute so the quality might not be the best & again, I’m not very good with teacher relationships)[/li][li]Additional Rec: school orchestra director (hopefully good because she’s known me for 4 years now, but tbh nothing special between us)[/li][/ul]
Interview: none

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: english
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: public high school
Ethnicity: Asian
Income Bracket: 96k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection:
Strengths: lol idk, sat score?
Weaknesses: grades aren’t too good, don’t have any phenomenal awards
Why you think you were accepted:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted 27k honors scholarship to northeastern, deferred at Baylor

General Comments: I submitted a writing portfolio, but idk if it made a difference. hah maybe i just annoyed the admissions person because of the extra reading

5

ED I
Accepted !!!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (One sitting)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 780 MathII, 760 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Weighted GPA:4.51
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/52
AP (place score in parenthesis): Statistics (5), World History (5), Calculus AB(5), US History (5), English Language (5), Chemistry (4), AP Art History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature, AP Governments, AP Bio, AP Studio Art Drawing
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with distinction, ART, Science, Math, French Honor Society

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President Student Council. Internship visual design lead, tennis varsity, Basketball JV, interact club
Job/Work Experience: tennis coach
Volunteer/Community service:Hospital volunteer, pet shelter volunteer
Summer Activities: U Chicago summer immersion program, Maroon Scholar (Merit base), U Michigan Science/Math Scholar
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common 10/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): not sure, should be good
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): not sure, should be good
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): not sure, should be good
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 8/10

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Cognitive science and visual art
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Small private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 300,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No

Reflections:
Strengths: ED I, Class rank/GPA, summer program UChicago with merit scholarship
Weaknesses: no major award, OK test score
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ED, Good grade, leadership, summer program.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments (if any):

6

I applied ED and was accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 730 math 740 reading 1470 (new)
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: ?
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (4) AP Lit (4) AP Lang, AP Calc BC (3), AP Seminar (3), AP Physics C E/M
IB (place score in parenthesis): non
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Research, APUSH, AP German, British Literature, World Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National German Exam Gold and Silver Medal winner (one in 2014, one in 2015)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 year varsity cross country (captain 2 years), Forensics (captain), 3 year varsity track, Senate Scholar program ( interned in the Wisconsin State senate for a week), Student Athlete Advisory Committee (president), German Club (2 year president), National Honor Society, German Honor Society (senior board member), Math Honor Society,
Job/Work Experience: Library Shelver ( 2 years), Track Coach ( 1 year)
Volunteer/Community service: N/A
Summer Activities: Running captains practices, Foreign Exchange trip to Germany
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I would say (with a biased opinion) that my essays were around an 8. While not the most eloquent, I do believe that they truly showed my love for this school and its environment.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): My recommendations were average. My teachers like me but are not the best at writing in all cases.

Teacher Rec #1: English Teacher and Forensics Coach
Teacher Rec #2: Physics Teacher
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec: Government Teacher who also coached me in track
Interview: asked for but did not receive

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Near Eastern Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Wisconsin
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: -
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think that despite my accolades, having legacy greatly played into it
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have only heard back from one other school and I was accepted into Saint Louis University

7

Decision: Waitlisted EA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 30 highest, but 31 superscored
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not available
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Psych 4, APUSH 4, AP Chem 1, and AP Lang 2
IB (place score in parenthesis): Doesn’t have
Senior Year Course Load: Reg. weight training, honors organismal bio, AP Japanese, AP Calc AB, AP Human geo, honors art 1, and honors world lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
??? idk. Umm one time my school won second place in city for lacrosse last year. And National Japanese Honor society.

Subjective: ???

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Vice president of Japanese honor society, JV/Varsity lacrosse, Club rowing, korean culture club, key club, asian club, community service/political group, samulnori, soran bushi, umm idk after that
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: key club events and volunteer at local hospital. probably around 200 hours, but i didn’t check in a lot of my hours
Summer Activities: lacrosse and rowing
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
I did the “Who’s your biggest enemy?”: 10/10 honestly. I worked so hard on this.
Why u of chicago: 7/10 I’ve visited many times, but not my best.
Other thing: 6/10 Umm it was okay
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:Japanese teacher. 7/10 she likes me??? but she also she realllllly hates me
Teacher Rec #2:10/10 I loved my honors chem teacher. She’s like my mother
Counselor Rec:7.5/10 counselor rec. We got a new counselor halfway in, but my other counselor wrote something about me and I’m pretty sure it’s positive
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: molecular engineering
State (if domestic applicant): illinois
Country (if international applicant):USA
School Type: top 20 in the nation :^)
Ethnicity: Asian :^)
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 100k ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lmfao

Reflection

Strengths: my essays
Weaknesses: literally everything else
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: lmfao im so dumb but im so happy i got deferred. this is my first choice
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to UIC. waiting for Northwestern, UIUC, u of Minnesota, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine

General Comments : CONGRATS TO EVERYONE WHO GOT IN!!! (especially u alexis :^)))))

8

**Decision: Deferred EA **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/125
AP (place score in parenthesis): 9 after this year, 4 taken previously (all 5’s one 4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP’s
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FBLA and DECA (Chapter President), Varsity Football (Captain), Track, Math Team, NHS, others I can’t remember right now
Job/Work Experience: Work full-time in summer
Volunteer/Community service: Serving at church
Summer Activities: Work, sports, lifting
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10, Did all essays including optional one, and thought they were pretty good, spent a lot of time on them. I did the “parts” one on music, wrote about James Joyce for optional, other essays weren’t anything special content-wise but I thought they were well-written
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: My English Teacher’s (very good I assume)
Teacher Rec #2: Business Teacher (okay I assume)
Counselor Rec: Good, I assume
Additional Rec: Biology Teacher (okay I assume)
Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Humanities
State (if domestic applicant): WI
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public High School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Pretty disappointed, but I guess it isn’t over. Main weaknesses were lack of extracurriculars and community service, but I’m introverted and focus on a lot of things that don’t have clubs (at least not in my town of ~5000). Maybe it came down to a demographic thing but who knows haha…

Strengths: Academics, Essays, Type of Personality
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, Community Service
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Lack of extracurriculars, community service
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Haven’t got decisions from anywhere else yet

9

**Decision: Waitlisted EA **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 33C (27E,36M,35R,34S)
SAT II: didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.33
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (5) US History (4) Calc BC (5) Language (5) Micro (5) Macro (5) American Government (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP literature, AP comparative government, physics 2, broadcasting, Spanish 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP scholar with distinction,

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (Executive Board), Video Club(Director/Producer), National Honors Society, Rotary Club
Job/Work Experience: Tutor at the Tutoring Center
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at community center with the technology center
Summer Activities: Attending Leadership and Business Camp,
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 (Felt like my essay made a good point about explaining square one and how you can’t go back to it.)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9 (My Econ teacher, did a great job explaining my strengths in both the classroom and outside of it)
Teacher Rec #2: 7 (my broadcast teacher I’ve known for three years felt like he did a good job. He likes me)
Counselor Rec: 7 (knew him well and knows he likes me)
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Suburban Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: good extracurriculars, good recommendations
Weaknesses: didn’t do the optional books essay
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: didn’t do the optional essay and applied early action, which seems to have a very low acceptance rate.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Michigan (waiting response) Northwestern (waiting response) UPenn (regular decision)

10

**Decision: Waitlisted EA **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.80 out of 5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/4652 (rank on district level)
AP (place score in parenthesis): One Three, Two 5s, Three 4s
IB (place score in parenthesis): 6 on IB Chem
Senior Year Course Load:Standard IB Senior course load (6 IB Classes)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit, Most Oustanding Senior County,

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): VP of Investment Club, Secretary of Cakes for a Case, Captain of Tennis Team, Event Leader Relay for Life
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Veterans Home, Event Leader Relay for Life,
Summer Activities: N/A
Essays (rating 1-10, details): One came off somewhat conceited, the other was stellar.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Would assume they were all good, my teachers love me.
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec: Generic
Additional Rec:
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity:White
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: 250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Lots of awards, good GPA, good tests scores, good essays
Weaknesses: Relatively wealthy, conceited,
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: So many people were, saw someone with a 2380 get deferred so I don’t even feel bad anymore.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments :a Why did UChicago accept every chump from ED but accept very few from EA.

11

**Decision: Accepted **
Accepted EA

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.899
Weighted GPA: 4.733
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/526
AP (place score in parenthesis):
US History (5)
Lang & Comp (5)
French (4)
Comp Sci (4)
Biology (4)

Senior Year Course Load:
AP Euro
AP Lit & Comp
AP Physics MEM
AP Calculus BC
Choir

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
National Merit Commended

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Choir
Theatre
Irish Dance

Job/Work Experience: no

Volunteer/Community service:
Immigrant Legal Services Charity
NHS

Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Wrote about a traumatic visit to a cadaver lab for Parts/Whole essay
Favorites list was straighforward w some interesting topics (favorite untranslatable phrases, stuff like that)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
3, unsure what they say bc FERPA

Teacher Rec #1: AP Bio teacher
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang & Comp teacher
Counselor Rec: just my counselor lol idk
Additional Rec: Choir teacher
Interview: Interview went REALLY WELL. Got along great w interviewer.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: linguistics
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 250+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses: no varsity sports
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Good scores & grades.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments :

12

ACCEPTED!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 31
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.66, (3.72 now)
Weighted GPA:n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):Full IB
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Some leaderships awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):President of an organization, science Olympiad
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:TONS
Summer Activities: Internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA (9) poured out my souls!! supplements (8) I took a lot of my time in every essay, Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t see but I’m assuming very well!

Teacher Rec #1: didn’t see
Teacher Rec #2:didn’t see
Counselor Rec:didn’t see
Additional Rec:n/a
Interview:Actually went alright, thought it would hurt my chances, but it didn’t.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:yes!!
Intended Major:Biology
State (if domestic applicant):Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:Private
Ethnicity:Black
Gender:Female
Income Bracket:100 k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM

Reflection

Strengths:Essays, ECs
Weaknesses:GPA, ACT
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I showed who I was, and crafted each essay with honesty.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:Accepted Northeastern.

General Comments : Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t get in anywhere! Honestly cried my eyes out because I thought I wouldn’t get in. I just thank God, and I wish every one luck!

13

**Decision: Accepted EA **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (770 Math 740 Writing/Reading)
ACT (breakdown): did not send
SAT II: did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): did not send
IB (place score in parenthesis): did not send
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, Computer Science, AP Spanish, Modern Literature, AP Statistics, Band, AP Physics 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commended National Merit, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Spanish club, BuildOn, basketball freshman year, NHS (tutor)
Job/Work Experience: Worked at medical office over the summer each year
Volunteer/Community service: mostly through NHS, summer in the city, local food banks, library
Summer Activities: See above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): idk probably good 8/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8/10

Teacher Rec #1: My AP Chem teacher really likes me and knows me well :slight_smile:
Teacher Rec #2: It was a pretty good essay not too generic
Counselor Rec: Does not know me well at all but she pulled it off I guess haha
Additional Rec:
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psychology? maybe
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: I honestly don’t know probably too much for financial aid…
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: My essays and recommendations must have been really good! Also good scores on tests
Weaknesses: My ECs were definitely lacking
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essays
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Good scores and recommendations

General Comments : !!! I did not think I was going to get in at all, but I’m so happy I did.

14

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 36 Composite
Math: 36
English:35
Reading: 36
Science: 36
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA:4.40
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3rd
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP English Language (4), AP United States History (4), AP Calculus AB (5), AP Calculus BC (5), AP Chemistry (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Concert Orchestra (lower level), Chamber Orchestra (higher level), AP European History, ENG 100 (Morehead State University Dual Credit), ENG 200, MATH 276 (Calculus III, Morehead State University Dual Credit)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Qualified for KY All-State in violin for the past two years, MOS Master Certification (Award or not?)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Orchestra, play at retirement homes, dinners, etc.
  • FBLA, community service
  • Mock Trial, competed at a high level, our team has won State 13 times in the past 20 years
  • Academic team, (co-captain)
  • Rolling Hills Church of Christ Youth Group, community service
    Job/Work Experience: N/A
    Volunteer/Community service: School grounds cleanups, helping local business owners with miscellaneous tasks, have participated in a haunted house that raises funds for our local policemen (2 years running)
    Summer Activities: N/A
    Essays (rating 1-10, details): No idea for ratings?
    1. Uncommon Prompt: What is square one? I wrote about square one being a frame of reference for human lives in the same way that the origin of a graph is the point of reference for all of the other points. I compared humans to vector valued functions and established that, for a parameter “t,” all humans experiences are based on square one without ever beginning at it.
    2. Personal Statement: I wrote about the University of Chicago meeting my ideal as a stable home, someplace for me to actually feel welcomed and appreciated, that I’m going to stay at for more than 2 years at a time. I talked about how unique the University was and how I really appreciate how that was shown in every facet of the University.
    3. What Do You Like Essay: I wrote an annotated, albeit sparsely, list of my favorite things including books, TV shows, anime, etc.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Statistics Teacher- I know her really well, and I worked hard in her class to excel
Teacher Rec #2: AP Physics Teacher- Another great teacher whose class I really enjoyed, she basically forced me to read her letter (I didn’t ask to) and I thought it was extremely moving.
Counselor Rec: I don’t really know my counselor. The counselor assisting me last year retired, and it was a weird transition.
Additional Rec: Middle School Orchestra Teacher: I really love this teacher! She was hands down my all-time favorite teacher, and I basically lived in her classroom, I don’t think I’ve ever really gotten to know someone as well as I got to know her.
Interview: Applied for alumnus, but never heard back. Didn’t think I was going to get to visit campus because of money and parents’ jobs, but I got to go on a day when the interviews were filled.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant): KY
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian/White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 96k-100k?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: ACT Score (so close!), recommendation letters? (I’m betting they were all stellar (because my teachers are great #doubleparentheses) except maybe counselor rec., but I don’t know for sure, only saw one)
Weaknesses: I don’t think my community service was very evident because I move about once every year or two (makes it hard to get involved in a community, you just get settled in before having to move again); my essays probably weren’t that great because my writing is a little awkward; no job because of moves and extracurriculars (no time), my transcript may not have shown my dual credit classes because I’m the only student who has ever commuted from our school to a local college to take classes, not sure how that was handled on the transcript.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no clue
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: University of Alabama in Huntsville (accepted), University of Louisville (accepted)

General Comments: Really depressed. UChicago is my dream school. I really don’t have any idea what I’m going to do if I don’t make it. U of L and UAH are fine schools, but they don’t fill me with joy when I talk about them.

15

**Decision: Accepted EA **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Overall: 1480; Reading: 750; Math: 730; Essay: 24/24
SAT II: English: 790; Math II: 770; Latin: 670 (didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.2
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Latin (5), AP Calculus AB (4), AP English Language and Composition (5)
-----Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Art History, Honors Advanced Topics in Latin (3 Trimesters), Honors Advanced Calculus, Honors Independent Study in Mexican American History and Activism (1st Tri), Honors Lived Religion (2nd Tri), Honors Cultural Studies (3rd Tri), Honors Senior English
-----Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Too many to list here. The ones I put on Common App were: Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical Dictionary Award - 4 consecutive National Latin Exam Gold Medals; AP Scholar Award; National Merit Semifinalist/National Hispanic Scholar; Agnes Scott Book Award; 3 consecutive National Roman Civilization Exam Gold Medals

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Again, too many to list here. The ones I put on Common App were: Texas State Junior Classical League (TSJCL) Parliamentarian, TSJCL Editor, TSJCL Area F Chair, Latin Club (VP, President for 2 years), Cultural Competency Council (Co-Founder, Senior Leader), Writing Center (President, Tutor, Activities Chair), Breakthrough Austin Program (Mentor), Innovation Center (Student Assistant), Spectrum/LGBT Activism and Awareness Club (Vice President for two years, Co-Founder), Peer Leadership Program (Senior Leader)

Job/Work Experience: None.

Volunteer/Community service: The Breakthrough Austin Program I mentioned above, plus a handful of other things here and there. Nothing to write home about.

Summer Activities: National Junior Classical Conventions every summer since 7th grade; Italy immersion trip to study Latin/Roman History in June 2015

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-----Common App: 8/10 - very accurate reflection of who I am, good story, very well written
-----UChicago Extended Essay: 6/10 - probably not as bad as I think, but still my least favorite essay. I had trouble with the prompt.
-----Why UChicago?: 10/10 - my favorite essay I’ve written; 432 words, very well written, very specific about my major (Classics) and about other departments, mentioned two professors I really look up to, talked about outside of the classroom stuff (diversity, cultural awareness, etc)
-----Optional Essay: 7/10 - solid essay, pretty straightforward, nothing crazy. Talked about The Hobbit, The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, and Kurt Vonnegut (specifically A Man Without a Country)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
-----Counselor Rec: 10/10 - she’s like a second mother (/cool aunt), my best friend’s mom, have traveled with her for a total of 4 months on school trips (several weeks every summer + a month long trip to Italy), my Latin teacher for 3 years, certamen (Latin quiz bowl) coach for 5 years, known her for 6/7 years, see her every day, we’re super super close. There’s no one on the planet I’d rather have write a recommendation for me
-----Teacher Rec 1: 9/10 - my Junior US History teacher, she absolutely loves me, we have similar beliefs/interests, we did a one-on-one Independent Study last trimester about Mex Am History and it was amazing
-----Teacher Rec 2: 7/10 - my Junior Chem and Senior AP Chem teacher, she also loves me and I did really well in her class. I don’t know her super well though, we don’t talk much outside of class, but she’s so so nice
-----Interview: 7/10 - off campus with an alumna; I presented myself well, but it was hard to get a read on what she thought of me. We also had super different interests (she was public policy and I’m Latin/Greek), but overall she was nice and we had a good conversation

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
Intended Major: Double Major in Classics and something else w/in the Humanities or Social Sciences (maybe Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies)
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: small, private, wealthy, white
Ethnicity: Latina
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: upper class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (Hispanic)

Reflection

Strengths: extracurriculars, grades/GPA, awards, recommendations, essays
Weaknesses: SAT score, amount of APs (compared to some people), virtually no community service
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I have a lot that makes me a unique applicant, certainly as far as the statewide leadership positions I’ve held (organizing conventions for an organization of 40,000+ Texas Latin students), and I think I was really able to convey my passion for diversity and Classics in my application
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet, but my other top choice colleges are Wellesley and Columbia.

General Comments : As much as you can, do your research about the school and talk SPECIFICS in your essays. As much as possible, express what makes you unique and talk about what you love. If you can, try to get on campus to get a feel for the school - an added bonus is that you can talk about your visit in your essay(s).

16

**Decision: Waitlisted EA **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): **NEW SAT: 1520 (C), 780 (R&W), 740 (M), 800 (Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (C), 36 (E), 36 (R), 35 (M), 34 (S), 29 (Essay)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 77/420 (UW), 22/420 (W)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (3), U.S. History (4), English Language and Comp (5), U.S. Government (5), Calc BC (5), Calc AB Subscore (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics (Macro and Micro), AP Computer Science, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, and French IV
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar With Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Eastern Cultures Club (Vice President), Debate, Forensics, Film Club (co-creator), Quiz Bowl, JV Tennis (Captain), French Club, NHS (Fundraising Committee Chair)
Job/Work Experience: Retirement home server (May 2016 - now)
Volunteer/Community service: AnnHua Chinese School, Family Learning Institute tutoring, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Ann Arbor Art Fair, Debate team
Summer Activities: Went on a 2-week exchange trip in Japan to learn about culture
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I put a ton of work into my essays, but I don’t think I got enough peer advice on them. For my extended essay, I chose the prompt about vestigially and wrote about the deterioration of the significance of lawn flamingos. I wrote it in the form of a statistics experiment and made up correlation equations between different factors and the popularity of lawn flamingos. I thought it was pretty creative, so I’d give it maybe a 7 or 8. For my supplemental essay, I wrote about my long-lived passion for UChicago. I included specific references to UChicago’s buildings, clubs, and classes. I also talked about how my dad’s passion for his grad school influenced my perception of the school (my father got his PhD in Geophysics from UChi).
**If you want to read over my essays or get tips on how to write yours, email me please!! kiennaqin@gmail.com

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Gov teacher - We developed a personal bond over the course of my class, and I was always super passionate and eager to learn and participate. I was thinking of majoring in Political Science last year, so that’s why I applied myself so much. We still keep in touch!
Teacher Rec #2: AP U.S. History teacher - I had him Sophomore year, and I still see him and talk to him every week or so. He genuinely wants his students to do well, and he’s also my Quiz Bowl coach, so that’s why I asked him for a recommendation letter.
Counselor Rec: I had to fill out a super long form for my counselor so that he could write a good recommendation. I’m not sure how it turned out, but my counselor was extremely helpful for my siblings in their college admissions processes.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Prefer not to say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy status (both parents went for grad school)

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA, essays (?), not many leadership positions
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m overall a very well-rounded student, but there’s nothing about me that sticks out and says that I’m the kind of student UChicago wants at their school.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was accepted to Michigan State University, hearing from University of Michigan tomorrow, and waiting on Georgetown (regular), UCLA, and UCSD.

General Comments : Congrats to anyone who got accepted! I wish the best of luck to all of you, and please email me at kiennaqin@gmail.com if you want to chat or have any questions or tips for me!!

17

**Decision: Deferred EA **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34 (superscored), English 36, Math 30, Reading 36, Science 34
SAT II: didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): my school doesn’t tell us unweighted
Weighted GPA: 4.1/4.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top decile
AP (place score in parenthesis): Stats (5), English Language and Comp (4), US History (3), Chemistry (3), World History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): school doesn’t offer IB
Senior Year Course Load:
AP English Lit
AP Physics 1
AP US Gov
AP Calc AB
Honors band
Economics
Astronomy

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
AP Scholar with Distinction
National Merit Commended

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching band for 5 years (3 years as rank lieutenant and 2 as section leader)
Show choir band for 4 years
Pit orchestra for 4 years
Minnesota Science Bowl for 2 years
Pep Band for 5 years
NHS for 2 years
GSA for 3 years (Adviser)
Job/Work Experience: one year as a lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: NHS for two years but nothing outside that
Summer Activities: none
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7 overall probably, they were a little rushed but my common app and optional favorites essays were really good in my opinion
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I have no idea because I waved FERPA but probably around a 7 as well

Teacher Rec #1: English teacher I had last year who is super nice and really liked me, so probably pretty good
Teacher Rec #2: Stats teacher I also had last year, I only asked him because I got a 5 on the test so who knows how that one is
Counselor Rec: I’ve never talked to my counselor so no idea what she said
Additional Rec: My band teacher who I’ve known for 5 years, so he probably gave me the best rec
Interview: didn’t have one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Linguistics
State (if domestic applicant): Minnesota
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: approx. 200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing really, I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ community but idk if that counts

Reflection

Strengths: not too much tbh, my ACT isn’t bad and I had decent recommendations
Weaknesses: GPA, AP tests
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted to the University of Minnesota, I’m applying to Northwestern and Macalester RD
General Comments :

18

**Decision: Accepted ED **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (740 CR, 760 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 34 Superscore
SAT II: 700 physics, 720 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85?
Weighted GPA: 4.23
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (4), Physics C E&M (4), Physics C Mech (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: This semester–Calc III, Western Civilization I, World Lit. I, Gen Chem II, Spanish VI, Object Oriented Programming with Java, Human Anatomy and Physiology
Next semester–Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Western Civilization II, World Lit II, Spanish VI, The American Revolution, History and Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): idk, Presidential Medal for Volunteering (I have like 300 hours), National Merit

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Not too much, junior and senior year were at a boarding school without many extracurriculars, Varsity Cheerleader, Spanish Club Officer, Scholastic Team
Job/Work Experience: Barista at a local coffee shop, one year, grade 10
Volunteer/Community service: Counselor at a summer camp for disabled kids, food bank in my hometown, tutoring and tours and some other stuff around my school (around 300 hours total from junior and senior year)
Summer Activities: Mostly volunteering, took 6 hours at a regional university
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Honesly, each are probably 9’s or 10’s, I spent SO much time on these essays from the beginning of school to mid-October.
Why Chicago: wrote about being gay lol
Favorites: wrote about the Grapes of Wrath and my identity as an Oklahoman
Extended essay: the vestigiality prompt, wrote about grades
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: My American Lit professor from junior year–had a great relationship with him, but I’m not the best at Lit, so maybe an 8?
Teacher Rec #2: My Calc 1 professor form last year–loved me! 9 or 10
Counselor Rec: My college counselor and I are very close, we talk almost daily, 10
Additional Rec: A woman I volunteered under at the foodbank, as well as the general counselor at my school, probably 9’s
Interview: Very well! Went to a starbucks and chatted for about an hour, she said she thought I’d make a very good fit, 9

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Spanish? Econ? Something business?
State (if domestic applicant): Oklahoma
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Elite Math and Science, Boarding, best in my state
Ethnicity: White and Native American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: I think I’m very personable and multifaceted, which complement UChicago well
Weaknesses: I wish I had more extacurriculars at my school, but it’s kind of the trade-off for the good classes and stuff
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think diversity factors like Native American and Oklahoman played a big factor, but who knows, my essays were very good, too
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Universty of Oklahoma and University of Tulsa, prob not applying anywhere else now

General Comments : ¯_(ツ)_/¯

19

I applied Early Action and was deferred.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
1450 Math: 760 Reading 690

ACT (breakdown):
34 superscore

SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
3.882 (C in Art, B in AP European History)

Weighted GPA:
4.294

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
1 of 213

AP (place score in parenthesis):
Human Geography (4) European History (4) Biology (3) Statistics (4) Lang (4)

IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Calculus AB, Culinary II, AP Chemistry, AP Chemistry Lab, Physics, AP Psychology, AP Macroeconomics, Dual Credit - SPA 101, Dual Credit - SOC 101, Dual Credit - ENG 102, Dual Credit - ART 100

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
AP Scholar w/ Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Bedford Acres Christian Church Youth Group, Family Farm, (School Varsity Academic Team), (School Theatre Club), Team ECHO, School FCCLA Chapter, School Pep Club

Job/Work Experience:
Handshoe Shaved Ice Stands

Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Where’s Waldo: 6-9. The essay was okay but it might not click with all readers.
UChicago: 7-8. The essay told why I want to go to UChicago and what it means to me but it probably could’ve been better.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I’m assuming my recommendations were good to great but I waived my FERPA rights so I’m not positive.

Teacher Rec #1: AP Biology and AP Chemistry Teacher
Teacher Rec #2: Pre AP Geometry and AP Calculus AB Teacher
Counselor Rec: Counselor?
Additional Rec:

Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Yes

Intended Major:
Dual Major in Molecular Engineering and Applied Mathematics

State (if domestic applicant):
KY

Country (if international applicant):
United States

School Type:
Public

Ethnicity:
White

Gender:
Male

Income Bracket:
Lowest Bracket

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Test scores and grades are not bad.

Weaknesses:
My recommendations are unknown, my essays could’ve been good or bad, my application seems very weak compared to others.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I have no idea why I was not straight up rejected.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted at the University of Louisville, University of Cincinnati, Bellarmine University, and Northern Kentucky University. Pending acceptance at the University of Kentucky.

20

**Decision: Accepted ED **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (770 M, 790 R/W)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36E 35M 36R 35S)
SAT II: 770 Math II, 800 Lit, some lower but didn’t send those
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 (naviance says 3.67 but calculator says 3.89 so I’m gonna go with 3.7)
Weighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (3), Bio (4), English Lang & Comp (5), Calc AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Spanish Language, AP English Lit, AP Art Portfolio, Research in Advanced Mathematics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHS, National Merit

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mock Trial, GSA, Robotics, Diversity Council, Tech Advisory Council,+ a few affinity groups and literary publications, art portfolio, NaNoWriMo
Job/Work Experience: Freelance art commissions
Volunteer/Community service: ~100 hrs, helped with therapy for a local autistic girl
Summer Activities: Penn Summer Pre-college, Summer@Brown, working on my art portfolio, and editing music/animating music videos for my group

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CommonApp: 9/10. I created an extended metaphor comparing myself to the pokémon Magikarp. It was really weird and gay and self-deprecating and I regret everything. But it made my English teacher cry, so I guess it must have been pretty good.
Uncommon: 8/10. Vestigial structures prompt, wrote about literal dreams and sleep theory.
Why UChicago: 9/10
Optional: I talked about one of my favorite musicals and connected it to censorship in education and adolescent suicide, depression, anxiety. 10 points to Hufflepuff if you can name the musical

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Entirely guessing here
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 from my English teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 6/10 from my Calc teacher
Counselor Rec: No idea
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: It was okay. We didn’t connect, but nothing disastrous happened. I mentioned that Bernie Sanders went to UChicago and she started ranting about her conservative personal political views. I just smiled and nodded. A little yikes.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: yep
Intended Major: Biological Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: Private Prep
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: just enough that I could afford to apply ED
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): gaysian? Nothing, really

Reflection
Strengths: essays, community social activism, art portfolio
Weaknesses: ECs, stats, lack of significant leadership
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m passionate asf. My art portfolio gave a lot of insight into my interests and personality. I never really care much for being the best academically, but I dedicate so much time and effort to the things I love (art, music). Again, I think the creative passion thing stood out. And honestly, I’m pretty sure just being from a well-known prep school helped too.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred from Soka, accepted Clark w/ merit

General Comments: PRO-TIP: DO NOT JOKINGLY SELECT “FARMER/RANCHER” AS YOUR CAREER INTEREST ON THE COMMONAPP AND THEN FORGET TO CHANGE IT BACK BECAUSE I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE

Anyway…I think I’m dreaming. High school was like a 4 year audition for college. My parents push me hard and constantly tell me that I’m not good enough, and now I feel like I’ve finally proven myself. However, decisions are in no way indicative of your value as a person. Regardless of whether you’ve been rejected, deferred, accepted, you’re all brilliant. Stay frosty.