Will my age hurt me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

Hello.
I am an Iranian student, and I am a senior in high school. However, I have jumped over two grades during middle and elementary schools, so I am 16 years old. Will this hurt me? I know that many colleges don’t care as long as you manage to prove that you are both academically ready to tackle the workload and socially competent enough to connect with the older students. For what is worth, Those who have read my essays say that they are well written and paint me in a good light.
Also, will my nationality be helpful? I do know that we are woefully under-represented in US colleges.
And lastly, do you think that the need-aware policy will be a big problem for me?
Here are my stats:

Intended Major : Biochem/neuroscience/Molecular Bio/ Molecular Eng/ Chemistry
GPA: I double majored in Junior year so I have two gpa’s: 19.20 for my theoretical major , 19.40 for my Experimental , 19.06 Sophomore, 18.76 Freshman. according to https://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp, all my GPA’s translate into 4 in the american system. will this upward trend be helpful?
Rank : 2/75. keep in mind that my school is extremely rigorous.
Course Load: Biology 3, Calculus, Physics 3, Advanced Algebra and Probability, Geometry 2, Geology 1, Chemistry 3, Persian Literature 3, Persian Linguistics 3, Islamic studies 3, Arabic 3, English 3, Contemporary History, Math for EXP majors.
ACT : 34 (34 34 33 34)
Sat ii : 800 Chem, 770 BioM 790 Math 2
AP or IB classes are not offered in Iran, and we all have the same curriculum however, I was in a NODET (national organization for development of extraordinary talents) school, which means that our curriculum was tough as hell. however, I did have some advanced extra curricular classes in Math, Physics and Astronomy. I will probably write it as an academic Extra curricular.
EC:
English Teacher at a well regarded language college.
I also have a certificate of English Teaching competency from Longman.
Arts and humanities club member.
Internship at a very prestigious Lens and Optics Lab.
part of high school National Computer Olympiad team, no medal though.
9th at Ferdowsi Univ. Programming contest.
5th at Team Math&Chem City Contest
Fluent in English and Persian, good at Arabic, Intermediate in French
c++, HTML, CSS, JS, PHP coder.
Web designer. (BTW, should I submit a portfolio for this?)
Amateur Sketcher ( I am not submitting a supplement, but maybe this can make me look more well rounded? I think mentioning this is a bit pathetic.)
Swimming and Taekwondo, no awards though.
English,Geometry and Algebra tutor.

Thanks in advance for sparing the time to read my question

2

Younger than 16 might hurt at some elite schools. I don’t think 16 will hurt you anywhere.

3

@exacademic Hello again! Thank you for your advice. You have helped me so many times that I have lost count.
I am 15 right now, but I will be 16 in a few days, and nearly 17 when I enroll.

Can you elaborate on "some elite schools"? I do know that HYPS do not really care. correct me if I am wrong.

I would appreciate it if anybody were to share his or her speculation about my chances.

4

Soheils. I think you’ve got a better than average chance. Your resume is pretty impressive. Also, I just sense you are quite mature for your age and you are more focused than most. This is just a hunch based on the way you presented yourself above. I don’t think your age will hurt you at UChicago. Can’t comment about HYPS.

5

FWIW, re 16 not being a problem, I meant starting college at 16 (not applying), so I don’t think your age will handicap you anywhere.

6

@kaukauna
Thank you for the time you spared to read my post, and even more for your heart warming reply.
I hope that the admission committee shares your kind opinion of me.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by focused? I am not sure if my understanding of your statement is correct.
thanks again.

@exacademic well, that is a relief. Thanks again.

FWIW : I only mentioned HYPS as an example. I am not even applying to Y and possibly S. I learned about the atmosphere of Chicago in late October, when I was considering where to send my early application. I immediately loved the school and what it represented, but there was not enough time to write the essays as well as I wanted to. In fact, If I do get into H during early, I would only apply to Chicago and Brown PLME, since these two are the only schools that can easily sway my decision.

7

sorry, double post. I think my internet malfunctioned. Can a moderator delete this post?

8

Your resume looks really strong. And you’re from Iran which I think is underrepresented at U of C. I’ll be surprised if you don’t get in. I doubt your age will have any effect in your decision. Good Luck!

9

@Livingteen1209 thank you for your answer.
Has any of the current students ever met an iranian on campus?

10

Soheils: I guess what I mean about focused is that despite your relative youth, you have taken care to present your accomplishments in a way that gives a stranger like me (or adcom?) a good, positive view of your abilities and your interests. It’s just my impression. Your academics are clearly very good, but there’s something about your EC’s which show that you are not just drifting, but that you have a reasonable idea of what you want to do. Now if you can carry that clarity into your essays, I think you will get a very good look. You are an international so you must understand that UChicago is “need aware”. That could be a slight issue if you are seeking financial aid. Good luck to you.

11

@kaukauna I see. thank you for the clarification and the compliment.
Should I mention the amateur sketching and sports?
Also, how big of a problem do you think the need awareness is at Uchicago? I can not find much data about their aid statistics since they do not release a common data set.

12

U Chicago’s need awareness affects internationals a lot. It is even more competitive for internationals seeking aid. But people still get in :slight_smile:

13

Soheils, I think you have plenty of indications that your application will be taken seriously wherever you apply. As long as people don’t have reason to think you are a member of the Quds Force or Hezbollah, and your resume is accurate, your chances are going to be pretty good anywhere. You have a lot going for you, even without talking about sports or sketching. Even colleges that are need-aware for international applicants are willing to give substantial aid to a limited number of extraordinary candidates. I can’t promise every college to which you apply will decide to spend its money on you, but I suspect a number of them will consider it, and at least some will accept you and offer you aid. Neither I nor anyone else can tell you if Chicago will be one of the ones that does, though.

I realize it’s hard to take this advice, but you should worry a little less. Work on your applications. Don’t try to load in every last detail if it’s not really important to your main argument for yourself.

14

@JHS Thank you for your helpful and complete answer. I understand, and I shall refrain from creating more threads like this one in the future.

I am trying to relax, but waiting is very hard for me.

I shall take your advice and replace the sketching with an activity that means more to me. I have something related to robotics, but it is in ninth grade.

P.S: There are probably no Iranians in the Quds force and the militant branch of the Hezbollah. ( excluding high ranking generals). Having Iranian foot soldiers in the Quds force defeats the whole purpose of an extraterritorial mercenary army that can be deployed without causing mass panic.

15

If you still sketch (and I’m guessing from your avatar that you do!) and no longer do robotics, I’d leave the sketching in. It adds a dimension (in part because it reinforces arts & humanities club and frames web design slightly differently – e.g. aesthetics as well as coding) in what might otherwise be read as a more exclusively STEM application. To me, your language skills, especially at your age, are as impressive as your math/science achievements but I’m a close reader of texts and I think it’ll be easier to miss this element in your application if you tilt the balance more in the STEM direction. To put this another way, while I wouldn’t privilege “well-rounded” over “STEM prodigy,” I think you have more of a “Renaissance man” vibe going on here and that is quite appealing, especially in a candidate who simultaneously looks (as another poster put it) focused.

Not a big deal either way – just a different opinion.

16

@exacademic Thank you for your time, and your very helpful answer.
While I do sometimes sketch for pleasure, I rarely do more than that now. I have to keep myself prepared for The Iranian admission test, so I do not have much time. If I get into Harvard SCEA, I would have time to re-polish my skills.
I agree that adding sketching will give more meaning to my web design, and that it spices up the art club.
I am extremely happy that you got a renaissance vibe from my resume. I have always aspired to be like that, so you noticing it means a lot to me.
I would have loved to do a little more artistic activities, to compensate for the STEM heaviness of my app, but such activities are scarce here.

Fortunately, my Harvard interview gave me an opportunity to talk about some of my interests that I haven't done anything for, like Debate teams (non-existent in Iran) and Drama, and the ad-officers remarked on both the "surprising diversity of my interests" and the general allure of my app. I am hoping to get the same opportunity in UofC.

P.S : My avatar is not a work of my own. It is a very old drawing of Avicenna, the Iranian Poet/ Philosopher/ Scientist, who is a personal hero of mine.
P.S.2: This is a break from our main topic, but how big do you guys think are the chances of me not getting into any of my choice schools? I understand that nobody can give an accurate estimate, and that these are all selective schools, but I am curious to know your opinions. I have a feeling of assurance that I think is not justified, and while it helps me relax, I am pretty sure that it is unhealthy , generally wrong and very entitled and presumptuous.
my choice schools include : Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, Brown, Vanderbilt, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Columbia, Hamilton, Harvey Mudd, Grinnel, Middlebury, Swarthmore, Macalester, and maybe Duke, plus my safety schools which are Louisiana tech and Troy.

17

The odds of you not getting into any schools on that list are about 1%.

18

@NotVerySmart thank you for your help.
I believe that such a low chance of me getting into nowhere is related to my safeties, so I would like to ask what happens if we subtract the two safeties from the equation?

19

About 5%. You’re a very strong applicant, and should definitely get into several of your schools - especially the matches.

20

All I can say is wow! I have no idea about your question, but as a decidedly non-matriculating 16 year old I am incredibly jealous. Best of luck, and have fun with your admissions process.