Colleges similar to UChicago?

ramboacid
Wed, 11 Nov 2015 12:18:46 +0000

When I applied to UChicago a couple years ago, I was very self-conscious of the fact that I had played neither a sport nor an instrument in high school. During the application process, I became so self-conscious of that fact that I wrote my UChicago extended essay in part about my inability to play a musical instrument, a lack which I explained stood in contrast to most of my friends who were avid performers. I had other things going for me (test scores/GPA, competition awards, essays, and probably teacher recs) but in short I was entirely an academic academic applicant, and things worked out.

To agree with the above posters, playing a sport or instrument only matters if 1) you’re recognized for it through awards or such, or if 2) it’s demonstrably integral to who you are, as shown through essays and recs. It probably also helps to indicate that you would continue playing your sport/instrument in college, perhaps at a club or intramural level, but that’s less significant than the other two. Since playing an instrument or sport is a serious time commitment for most people, it would help to show through your other ECs that you’ve been keeping yourself busy in the time you haven’t been playing a sport or instrument. Not necessarily a laundry list, but perhaps one or two other things you take seriously (such as volunteering, another club or sub-varsity sport, a part-time job, etc.).

@JHS Do you have a source supporting the idea that URochester has consciously modeled itself on UChicago? I don’t doubt what you say based on what I know about URoch, but I would love to read more on the topic.