<p>What kind of aspects does UChicago emphasize? What would you advise to a high school sophomore to stay on track for this school?</p>
<p>U of Chicago is a reach for everyone these days given the low percentage of students admitted. But some things you can do to improve your chances:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get very good grades, take quite a few AP classes if they are offered.</li>
<li>Work hard for high standardized test scores</li>
<li>Be a little “off the beaten track” in some way in your ECs, and show some intellectual interest in the things you do choose to pursue. IMHO, the standard “captain of a sports team, student body president, NHS officer” student is not really what they are looking for. I think they want what they have always wanted – very bright, a little quirky, interesting/unusual people. They have a harder time identifying them sometimes in the current pool of students because it is so large, but I still think that is what admissions is seeking.</li>
</ul>
<p>My extracurriculars as of now are:
Tennis (JV as of now, hopefully varsity by junior year, been playing for 6 years)
School newspaper (I am a web editor, our school is an nspa pacemaker)
TEDx club (we have hosted a conference)
Community solutions (we look at problems in the community and try to invent devices to solve them)
Science Olympiad
Key Club</p>
<p>So what would you say about these?</p>
<p>I would say being yourself and following your passion is more important than anything else. Here is a link, if I can do it right, to MIT Admissions staffer Chris Peterson’s blog post entitled “Applying Sideways” which answers your question. What he says for MIT holds for U Chicago. If link doesn’t work, just google Applying Sideways. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>[Applying</a> Sideways | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways]Applying”>Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions)</p>