<p>I’m a senior at the University of Chicago lab school so I have an above average shot of getting in (every year about a 48% acceptance rate) but I had a rough start freshman year and sophmore year with my adhd and anxiety medication. And my first year I had a 2.87 average and second year 2.876, but junior year when my medication was changed for the best I got all As (2 of the As in AP Classes) and so far this current year I got all As. For my service activities I am an eagle scout, Assistant Scoutmaster, Volunteer at a homeless shelter and an Alter server. My SATs are 800 math 800 critical reading 760 writing 730 Bio E 700 Math 1 first time 790 math 1 second time, 710 lit. I stillhave to finish the Application and I haven’t been able to get an interview. and 34 ACT</p>
<p>Well since you go to Lab, you should know exactly what the adcoms want in terms of the essays. Make sure to explain your medical condition thoroughly in the additional info section. Interviews are not important at all. If you challenged yourself and took AP courses this year, I don’t think you should have a problem getting in.</p>
<p>I had about the same gpa freshman year, and kept the same upward trend that you seem to have (though a bit more gradual). My SAT scores were about the same, a little higher on the writing and much lower on the math. And with all this, I didn’t go to the lab school, and still got in. With a good essay you should be set.</p>
<p>youre pretty much in i think</p>
<p>thanks guys, and does anybody know anything about the favorite books, films, music essay, so far I have this
Would you please tell us about a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, magazines, or newspapers? Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own.</p>
<pre><code>My favorite books and authors are Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut, Loser by Jerry Spinelli, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, and Boy by Roald Dahl.
</code></pre>
<p>Favorite poems
My favorite films are “The Shawshank Redemption”, “Gladiator”, “The Departed”, “The Wind That Shakes The Barley”, “Pulp Fiction”, “A Christmas Story”, “Superbad”, and “Napolean Dynamite”.</p>
<p>My Favorite plays are </p>
<p>My favorite pieces of music and performers are “Changes” by Tupac, “Lounge Act” by Nirvana, “Requiem Prologue” by Guiseppe Verdi, “Jazz” by A tribe Called Quest, “Once In A Lifetime” by Talking Heads, “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley, “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield, “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangster” by Geto Boys, and “Under Pressure” by Queen.</p>
<p>It’s about half done, I’m just not sure how in depth i should answer it</p>
<p>lol im pretty sure your suposed to write some sort of essay or short response. at least thats what the directions say before you start writing .</p>
<p>Well honestly, I wouldn’t do a list like that. You won’t be an auto-reject because of that, but you should consider going into a few favorite things and writing a reflection on them. Make the essay quirky. Make it crazy. Make it fun. Make it UChicago worthy.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to pick one work from each of those lists and then write about it with truth and reflection. You should try to convey how the piece/author affects you and if you can, write it very creatively. I approached it by talking about two completely different books and Oasis and although I felt the writing was strong and written well, it wasn’t all that creative.</p>
<p>snipez90 – you like Oasis? Did you say anything about hooliganism in your essay?</p>
<p>oh come off it, guys. this just shows how little we all know about admissions. I don’t think anyone can just write something off as ‘auto-reject’ worthy material, especially at the UofC because just about anything is allowed in their essays. they are rather open minded about word limits and funky formatting and they let yourself do things your way so that it shows something about you.</p>
<p>“Play, analyze (don’t agonize), create, compose-let us hear the result of your thinking about something that interests you in a voice that is your own”</p>
<p>that ring a bell?</p>
<hr>
<p>I love oasis. I was going to use them in my essay but instead talked about another band. This band had people that did endorsed drugs, but I don’t think I’d have particularly liked to stress on that fact. I just talked about how their music impacted me. If I’d written about Oasis, I don’t see why I’d have written about hooliganism…</p>
<p>hey potatopat I somewhat agree with what someone above said regarding the list. it is definitely ok to send in a list, but right now that list has just too many things. you could instead pick a few things and write about how you identify with them.</p>
<p>personally, i began with a list much similar to the one you’ve got. i was 36 hours from the EA deadline and was completely stressed out and didn’t know what to do. I somehow managed to churn out a ‘good’ (in my opinion) answer to this prompt. PM me if you’d like to see it, potatopat.</p>
<p>but as A-$ so rightly says, you can’t just deem something to be ‘auto-reject’ worthy.</p>
<p>I don’t know, I’ve seen essays that were pretty disastrous and might result in a rejection, but the OP’s list is not one of them. When we visited Tufts, the admissions officer told us about an essay that discussed the applicant’s romantic adventures in detail. Not only did it get him rejected, but it was shared amongst all the Tufts adcoms. I think they clued in the boy’s GC so he would have some prayer of applying somewhere with a reasonable essay.</p>
<p>I think the OP might consider a paragraph on his music section. I like the fact that it is very … varied.</p>
<p>i dont agree with the list. i think a list shows a lack of effort even if that isnt the case.</p>
<p>Thanks for the ideas you guys, hows this sound?
I don’t really have a defined taste in music, movies, art, or publications; most of my favorite songs, movies, literature and artwork can be traced back to who I was with, where I was, or what I was doing the first time I heard, read, or viewed them. Watership Down, by Richard Adams, is my favorite book because aside from being a great read, it reminds me of my grandfather, who gave and read the book to me when I was seven. Similarly my favorite musical group is Nirvana because their music reminds me of the Christmas I spent with my cousins in Minnesota, when I first heard the group when I was given several of their albums as Christmas presents. My favorite newspaper is undoubtedly The Onion because it kept me awake and in good spirits during the dreary forty minute train ride to and from school the when I read it my first day of high school, and continued to until the onion distribution box by my station was moved. My favorite magazine for a long time was MAD magazine, because it reminded me of my family, who sent it, along copious amounts of chips, candy, and pop in a care package to me every year while I was away at summer camp to keep me from getting homesick. My favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption; humorously because I related to the main character (who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he didn’t commit) When I watched it for the first time at home while awaiting the decision of my School’s Disciplinary board for a minor infraction of school policy (I was given the minimum after an excruciatingly long three day waiting period).</p>
<p>Hey, I think it works. It certainly does address why the works affect you. There are some awkward grammar constructions in there and a strong clincher is missing but not bad for a rough draft. </p>
<hr>
<p>As for oasis, here was my essay:</p>
<p>Oasis, the British rock band led by the bickering Gallagher brothers, makes uplifting and metaphorical music. The songs’ meanings range from nonsensical to upbeat, skipping from drug addictions to the apathy of the working class to soaring self-confidence. The lyrics are fueled by a flowing stream of guitar riffs, a myriad of rolling drumbeats, and the soft but strong voice of lead singer Liam Gallagher. I save most of Oasis’s songs on a separate play list for when I am feeling down or really stressed. Lately, I find myself listening to them over and over. </p>
<p>I was going to talk about specific works but since I had already talked about two other genres I didn’t want to be excessive.</p>
<p>I don’t really have a defined taste in music, movies, art, or publications; most of my favorite songs, movies, literature and artwork can be traced back to who I was with,
where I was, or what I was doing the first time I heard, read, or viewed them. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. What makes the books so enjoyable for me is that every time I read one, I remember getting ridiculously into character and costume with my friends and family for the midnight book release parties at the local borders. Similarly my favorite musical group is Nirvana because their music reminds me of the Christmas I spent with my cousins in Minnesota, when I first heard the group when I was given several of their albums for Christmas. My favorite newspaper is undoubtedly The Onion because it kept me awake and in good spirits during the dreary forty minute train ride to and from school the when I read it my first day of high school, and continued to until the onion distribution box by my station was moved. My favorite magazine for a long time was MAD magazine, because it reminded me of my family, who sent it, along copious amounts of chips, candy, and pop in a care package to me every year while I was away at summer camp to keep me from getting homesick. My favorite artist is Van Gogh, because I associate his paintings with my aunt Virginia, who took me to see an exhibition of Van Gogh’s paintings on my birthday. SO while may favorite works aren’t really defined by a specific taste, each one has a personal significance to me, which is why they’re my favorites.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, hows this?</p>
<p>DS started out with books and music; the books part was so much stronger – in that it revealed a LOT about him and his eclectic tastes – that he cut out the rest and went with that. </p>
<p>Potatopat, you clearly have a link to these things through events with your family, and that says a lot about who you are and what you value. To me, that’s more important than an “impressive” list.</p>
<p>thanks for all your help guys, hope to see you all next year!</p>
<p>Well yes, it would be best to describe only a few thing. I touched upon my favourite play, author and movie.</p>