<p>I noticed that some people who are on the lower end of the ACT and GPA range get accepted. Do these people just have good ECs and Essays? Also, what might help a student who is on the lower end?</p>
<p>Hey headed2great, I’m an applicant, not an admissions officer, so I can’t answer as well as some, but the sense I’ve gotten is that those applicants found a way to show that they love knowledge and can do the work. That’s what they keep saying in the admissions vids on youtube–they want to see you can do the work. So those people probably had really well thought-out essays/an unusual story that would give them a unique perspective Chicago would value in class discussions. (My SAT is 2120, which is on the low side, so I’ve been kind of obsessing about this subject haha. I’m relying on my ECs, essays and optional info and arts submissions, although I have no clue if they’re unusual enough to make me stand out.) I’d say the main thing is to come across a person who they’d like to take classes with, someone who’ll have something different to contribute. They don’t just want cookie cutter A-students, because that would limit the range of views that people bring to discussions.</p>