Influence of the essays

Caillebotte
Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:22:20 +0000

I frequently hear of how important Chicago’s essays are, but are they really the determinant variable when transcripts, grades, and test scores are about equal between applicants? Does anyone know if the essays carry more/less weight for transfers than freshmen?

I’m a prospective transfer and from searching this site, it looks like most (and by most I mean 90%+) of the transfer applicants this year have excellent objective stats. I personally have a 3.94 college gpa, 3.5 hs gpa, and a 33 act and I feel like I’ve brought a knife to a gun fight.

Looking at the accepted freshmen EA stats, it looks like the vast majority of admits are in the top 5-10% and have a 2200/2300+ unless they’re a minority.

I’ve been working on my essays for months but perhaps I’m overestimating the efficacy of their impact on admission.