<p>• GPA: 4.7 (weighted)/3.45 (4.0) (Rank 50 ~ 480/ most probably be top 10 percentile by the end of this semester.)
Toughest courseload</p>
<p>Test Scores:
• SAT I – 2350 (Oct. 2007)
Reading: 790; Math: 780; Writing: 780
• ACT – 35 (Sep. 2007)
English: 35; Math: 35; Reading: 35; Science: 36; Writing: 9
• SAT II Biology – 800; SAT II Math II – 660 (May 2007) (misbubbled on that one)
• SAT I – 2230 (Oct. 2006)
Reading: 800; Math: 750; Writing: 680
• PSAT – 222 (Oct. 2006)
Language Arts: 75; Math: 73; Writing: 74
• SAT II World History – 800 (June 2006)
• PSAT – 220 (Oct. 2005)
Language Arts: 72; Math: 70; Writing: 78
• ACT – 29 (Oct. 2004)
English: 30; Math: 25; Reading: 33; Science: 28</p>
<p>Activities:
• Princeton University Mathematics Competition [12]
• Dale Carnegie Human Relations and Communications [12]
• Tennessee Junior Classical League participant [11]
• Knowledge Bowl [10-12]
• Young Investors’ Society [10-12]
• Science Olympiad [10-12]
• Learned Mandarin at the Chinese Academy of Memphis [10]
• Research: Effect of varying zinc ion concentrations on the in-vivo and in-vitro activity of regular human insulin – Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Tennessee [9-12]
• Facing History and Ourselves participant
• Model United Nations [9-12]
Yale [10-12]
Vanderbilt [10-12]
Rhodes [9-12]
• Government Club [9-10]
• Junior Statesmen of America [9-10]
• American Math Competition participant [9-11]
• Tennessee Math Teachers Association (TMTA) math competition [9-11]
• Mandelbrot competition (math) [9-11]
• Math League competition [9-11]</p>
<p>Awards, Honors, Positions:
• Princeton University Mathematics Competition Power Test (team) – 3rd Place
• Young Investors’ Society Chief Financial Officer
• National Merit Semifinalist
• AP Scholar with Honors
• Inducted to National Honor Society
• Perfect score on 2007 National Latin Exam Level 2
• 2006-2007 News Channel 3 Knowledge Bowl Champions, $7500 scholarship
Captain of the Knowledge Bowl team
• Science Fair 2007:
Air Force Award for Outstanding Science Fair Project
Yale Science & Engineering Association award for Outstanding Eleventh Grade Exhibit
The Society for In Vitro Biology Certificate of Outstanding Achievement for Ability and Creativity in In Vitro Biology
• Science Olympiad 2007:
Project Manager for Engineering event
Represented school at the TN Science Olympiad
Regional Gold Medal – Designer Genes
Regional Silver Medal – Wright Stuff
• Research won First Place in the Senior Division of the Memphis Joint Engineers Council’s Engineers Week<br>
• Selected to present research at the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
• Honorable Mention for playing the role of Republican Media Consultant for the 2012 US Presidential Elections at 2007 Yale Model United Nations
• Verbal Commendation at 2006 Vanderbilt Model United Nations for representing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the North Korean Six-Party Talks
• Elected Secretary General of Model UN Club
• Elected President of the India Association of Memphis Youth Committee 2006
• School Newspaper columnist: Talking Heads – Resident Genius #1
• Inducted to Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society)
• 2005-2006 News Channel 3 Knowledge Bowl Champions, $7500 scholarship
• Science Fair 2006:
The 2006 Regional Ricoh Sustainable Development Award
Second Place – Tennessee Academy of Sciences for Achievement
US Navy Award for Excellence
• Selected to present research at the Tennessee Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
Won 4th Place Overall
Invited as member of the TN delegation to the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
• Science Olympiad 2006:
Represented school at TN Science Olympiad
Won 2nd Place overall in state
Regional Gold – Scrambler
Regional Gold – Tower Building
Regional Silver – Robot Ramble</p>
<p>Internships/Volunteering:
• Political Consultancy Intern at ****** [12]
• ******* Congress Campaign [10-11]: 350 volunteer hours
Served as both Campaign intern (unpaid) and as Field Manager
• Math Tutoring [11-12]: 25 hours
• Play for a Cure [11]: 8 hours
• Local Old Age Homes [10]: ~25 hours
• Baptist Memorial Hospital “Volunteen” [9/10]: 45 hours
• County Library volunteer [9]: 15 hours</p>
<p>3.4 and not even in the top 10% of the class with these test scores and ECs screams “lazy” to me, very loudly at that. Anyone capable of getting a 2350 on the SAT and 35 on an ACT should be able to breeze through school if they put in the work. I agree that the test scores give you a lot of leeway, but I would not think of this as a slam dunk. If you have not submitted your application yet, I would make darn sure that I explain disparity in GPA/test scores to the adcom, otherwise you may get passed over for someone with a 3.9/2200/33 and solidly into the top 10% of their class.</p>
<p>How would I explain the disparity? It’s not that I’m lazy, its just that my classes are too easy. I know that sounds pompous, but I do learn in my classes. I hate the busy work teachers feel obligated to give because other people might fail. In terms of material, I should be able to “breeze through it,” but busy work is not hard, its just time-consuming and, if I may say, a waste of precious time I could spend learning more. For example, if you look at my SAT II scores and AP scores, I tend to do exceedingly well because I know my material out of pure interest and dedication to education. I really regret my grades, but I have no regrets about my education. If anything, my ECs and teacher recs will demonstrate my passion for learning.</p>
<p>Rejected. You’re international, enough said. Agree with everything GroovyGeek says. And, Chicago doesn’t really care about test scores, so as long as you’re in the ballpark, it’s all weighted the same. In addition, your SAT II’s are nearly worthless, as admissions barely looks at that. But, admissions does care about your GPA and a passionate EC, and you are all over the place.</p>
<p>^^^^
Yes, it does sound pompous, but there are indeed a few very special individuals who simply do not fit “in the system”. You could be one of them, but you will have to work hard to prove it. Unfortunately, there is a big discrepancy in your statement - if your teachers really understood you and would reflect that in the recs, then they would have given you the grades.</p>
<p>My advice stands unchanged - do not assume anything, particularly what your recs will say and how they will be interpreted by the adcom. Submit supplementary material that sheds light on the situation, if possible travel to Chicago and get an interview with an adcom. At the very least, you should have cornered your regional rep when they were in your city and discussed this at length with him/her.</p>
<p>Last but not least, an advice “about life”. I have seen several brilliant people fail in the workplace because they were unwilling to do the crap part of the job. ABSOLUTELY every job, even if you start your own company, has at least 50% crap work in it. Learn to deal with this and complete it just as diligently as the interesting part, otherwise you will always be viewed as a brilliant flake. People much smarter than me have said that “most people miss opportunity because it wears overalls and looks like work”. I fully agree…</p>
<p>Yea, I talked to an adcom when I went to Chicago, so I did something you said. Once again, let me reiterate, I do regret my grades, it was stupid, but I’m trying to repair that. Like I said, I’ll be well within the top 10% at the end of this semester. I’ve submitted a bunch of supplementary stuff. Also, my teachers do understand me, but my school is pretty cut-throat, they can’t give me a good grade for something I didn’t turn in, such as a lot of my homework (I managed to get high Bs with just my test scores). But, they have spent signinficant time with me inside and outside the classroom to know me well. And they are mostly very happy with me. Also, to CNI, the whole point of applying to Chicago was BECAUSE my ECs were all over the park. I enjoy learning, whether its math, science, or history. In my opinion, Chicago values people with that kind of interest in learning. If it doesn’t, then I’ll be glad if I don’t get in. And, I’m curious about your statements about internationals. How does that change my chances? I don’t know anything about it, so could you please enlighten me on that topic? Thanks a lot guys.</p>
<p>Don’t know what CNI was referring to, but if I had to guess it would be that as an international the decision process will NOT be need-blind, and you will not be admitted unless you have demonstrated a method for paying “rack rate”. </p>
<p>On your ECs: your list of is too long and says nothing about you. If you have not yet submitted your application, cut it down to the significant 5 that say something about you. As someone else said on a separate thread, the admissions officer will spend a limited time with your app, they will have to ponder the grades very hard, don’t make them work when it comes to figuring out the ECs.</p>
<p>I’ll fix this tomorrow. The real list that I got straight from my admissions advisor at Chicago is in another notebooks at school. They might admit you, but being an international student might put you at a disadvantage along with the GPA.</p>
<p>No, but a 3.45 UW GPA is. Just because you take honors classes gives you no excuse for getting bad grades in them (if we consider Bs poor grades, which most top colleges do).</p>
<p>Great.
Well if it makes you feel better tu160m you’ve got a much better chance than I do. My unweighted GPA is probably close to a 3.2, and I don’t have nearly as many awards…</p>
<p>By the way phuriku, I thought the UChicago admission process is “need blind?” So why would applying to financial aid hurt one’s chances?</p>
<p>Ugh, seriously, reading these boards is causing my already extremely low confidence to plummet even further… haha.</p>
<p>“Need blind” as in everyone applying for financial aid has an equal chance, whether you’re applying from a family making $150k/year or $20k/year. They DO, however, see if you’re applying for financial aid, and they’re more likely to admit people not applying for financial aid.</p>
<p>It’s kind of like how all colleges have a statement on their webpage that they don’t discriminate based on race in the admissions process. Anyone’s who’s applied practically anywhere knows that this is full of crap. Last year when I applied to MIT, I noticed something on their website along the lines of “We don’t judge your application based on race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.”, and then a whole other page is dedicated to MIT’s affirmative action policy.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I think Harvard and Princeton may be the only colleges that say they are “need blind” in evaluating international applications. Other schools won’t admit internationals without a separate decision to give them the financial aid they need, which usually has to come exclusively from university (not federal) money. Non-financial-aid internationals are not at a disadvantage, as far as I know.</p></li>
<li><p>One of my kids was admitted to Chicago EA with about that GPA and test scores, and with nowhere near as impressive a list of ECs (although lots more focus). I think the issue is whether you have challenged yourself, and whether your essays and teacher recommendations paint a picture of a really smart kid who has colored outside the lines a bit. To that extent, your ECs work against you a little: they are very mainstream, you look like a joiner. On the other hand, maybe your story is “I was doing all these interesting, fabulous things, and learning a lot, so why should I cut back on then to move from a B+ to an A- in a boring busywork class?”</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I found someone with a higher SAT and lower GPA than me.</p>
<p>I have a 3.46 and a 2340!
I didn’t know people like us existed</p>
<p>Anyways I applied early here but I have absolutely no hope of being accepted.
You on the other hand, have whack ECs and and your teachers like you. You’re going to get in, and I’m going to get deferred. :'(</p>
<p>I think you have a good chance of getting in if you find a way to consolidate your ECs without taking away their “WOW” value. I have a good friend who wasn’t even in the top 25% of his class but had great test scores and had taken college physics and math the last two years of high school. He’s in the class of 2011 at UChicago right now and loves it.</p>
<p>There are some people that just don’t function well in the traditional high school classroom, and he was one of them. However, I’m sure all his recs attested to how brilliant he was and how much he would thrive in a challenging environment. To be perfectly honest, your situation is either going to be a shoo-in or raise a bunch of red flags- I don’t think there’s gong to be much middle ground, so be careful of how you package yourself.</p>
<p>GPAs don’t tell the full story…you’ve got to see the transcript. Some kids have the opportunity to take extremely difficult classes while in HS and don’t worry about the hit to the GPA – they’d rather be challenged. Some leave their home high schools and go to specialized programs that might accept the top 1-2% of kids system-wide. Some might cross-enroll at a local college/university. Many times there is a tradeoff between getting the high-level work they need vs. the safety of sailing through the local HS without being seriously challenged. </p>
<p>Does top 20% (which might mean a – gasp! – 3.8 UW/4.6 W) at TJ or Stuy mean you’re a slacker? Generally not. </p>
<p>Happily, Chicago seems to recognize and reward academic risk.</p>
<p>Counting Down - So true. Top 30% at D’s nationally top-ranked magnet program high have weighted 4.0 plus (unweighted around 3.3 plus) GPAs, and trust me these kids work hard for these grades…no grade inflation…just a very competitive group of kids all taking APs and courses at the local colleges. We hope they don’t just look at her class rank!</p>
<p>I think it’s hard to judge who will and won’t be accepted. If you are interested in a school, you should just apply and hope the Admissions Committee see’s the same fit you do.</p>