Official University of Chicago Class of 2015 EA Results Thread

makethemgold · December 19, 2010, 6:06pm

Pick one:
Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): CR- 700 W- 720 M-670 Total-2090
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): same!
[] ACT (breakdown): E-33 M-29 R-30 S-29 W-6 (lol) Composite- 30
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): same!
[] SAT II: US History- 680 Lit- 670
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.65?
[] Weighted GPA: 5.12/6.00
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4), US History (5), AP Lang & Comp (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov/Econ, Speech, AP Psych, AP Stats, Theatre IV, AP English IV, AP Environmental Science
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: not sure of the exact number, but a handful at least, i’m sure.
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] national merit commended, AP scholar, many school awards, latin awards, theatre awards[/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): theatre for 4 years- on average 8 hours a week, photography club, english honor society, latin club for 3 years. outside of school- i’m a sharpshooter in riflery and i taught myself to play piano.
[] Job/Work Experience: junior counselor at my childhood summer camp for 7 weeks
[li] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] none (:[/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: my experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail (9)[/li][] EC Short Answer: how I became interested in psychology through my experiences in theatre (8)
[] Extended essay(which topic):
[] Optional Essay: find x (6) - it was good, but not too original.
[] Why Chicago: how I embraced my inner nerd and how Chicago is my authenticity realized, etc. etc. (9)
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: junior AP english teacher (10)
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: senior AP english teacher (8)
[] Counselor Rec: 7
[] Additional Rec: theatre director (8)
[] Interview: 8?
[] Art Supplement: n/a[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: october 20, 2010
[] State (if domestic applicant): texas
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: white
[] Gender: female
[] Income Bracket: not sure.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): err. I’ve had one family member teach at Chicago, and one attend the university, although that was a while ago.

Reflection[list]
[] Strengths: my essays, ECs, recommendations
[] Weaknesses: my grades and SAT scores
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my grades are not a great reflection of my passion for knowledge… what can I say? sorry I find no passion in precalculus. also my SAT score was low.
[] What would you have done differently?: worked on improving my SAT scores more. which I am going to do, and retake the SAT this January- here’s to hoping I get in this April. [/ul]

[/list]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I honestly expected to be rejected. In the back of my mind, yes, I was hoping to be accepted, but a deferral was a happy medium I guess. I plan on improving my SAT score. Hopefully that’s enough to get me admitted, but again- I’m trying not to get my hopes up. Congrats to everyone who was admitted; I know you all are going to adore Chicago (:

Nybdyr · December 20, 2010, 12:48pm

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): NA
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): NA
[] ACT (breakdown): English 27, Math 35, Reading 32, Science 30
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): 31
[] SAT II: NA
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[] Weighted GPA: 4.1
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Statistics (4), Physics (4), Bio (4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP World Lit., AP Environmental Science, AP Econ (macro and micro), International Relations (St. Olaf College), Welding, Intro to Political Theory (St. Olaf College)
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Cross Country, Knowledge Bowl, Mock Trial, Ski Club, Hockey, Youth in Government
[] Job/Work Experience: Neighborhood handyman
[li] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] Food Shelf[/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: 9[/li][] EC Short Answer:
[] Extended essay(which topic): 9 (dissolving)
[] Optional Essay: NA
[] Why Chicago: 10
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Strong
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Strong
[] Counselor Rec: Unknown
[] Additional Rec: Strong
[] Interview: Strong
[] Art Supplement:[/list] NA

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Nov. 1st
[] State (if domestic applicant): MN
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public High School
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Middle Class
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] None

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays
[] Weaknesses: AP tests
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul]

[/list]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:

Helenaxrobot · December 20, 2010, 6:29pm

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): CR 800, Math 770, Writing 800 (11 on essay :[)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): uuh, total 2370?
[] ACT (breakdown): Can’t remember, but 35 composite, 36 math, 32 science
[] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[] SAT II: 770 math 2, 760 bio, 730/720 the two times I took chem
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): IB has messed up gpa weighting, we all have 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: 5.318
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/270
[] AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc BC (5), AP Stats (4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): German SL (6)
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB Chem3, Bio 3, Math SL, 20th century history, TOK, English HL
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1, as far as I know
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] none[/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): FRC Robotics team (Team Captain) Science National Honor Society (president) Newspaper (head editor) NHS, Orchestra, piano, math team, mock trial, academic challenge/quiz bowl, German honor society
[] Job/Work Experience: summer intern at a chemical plant, pianist for weddings, receptions, etc.
[li] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] volunteer at a local hospital every summer since 7th grade, playing christmas carols for piano at nursing homes and mall[/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: topic of choice. I wrote about cooking. [/li][] EC Short Answer: I cheated; mentioned how much I wasn’t good at swimming compared to robotics and piano, and then said how swimming actually taught me more
[] Extended essay(which topic): find x. Talked about being a girl in robotics.
[] Optional Essay:wrote about the books I liked, music, writers, artists, basically everything. and then added two categories of my own.
[] Why Chicago: Wrote about a day in my life at Chicago, if I made it in.
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Dunno, didn’t read, but the teachers all liked me.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Again, didn’t read.
[] Counselor Rec: I didn’t read any of my recommendations.
[] Additional Rec: none.
[] Interview: went fairly well, I think.
[] Art Supplement:[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: October 20ish
[] State (if domestic applicant): Carolina!
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public, ghetto school. We have an IB program so the school won’t get shut down.
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Female…
[] Income Bracket: No idea. I don’t work.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none. [/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Captain of robotics, did a lot of research about the school, really good writing skills (I’ve won awards for short stories and poetry), really quirky writing because I’m a nerd and I love nerds. Oh, and good grades too. AP Calc BC, Stats, and Math HL are all independent study.
[] Weaknesses: I want to study engineering, so I had to choose physics for UChicago. But I researched their physics department before the interview. Also, our school has one honors physics course, and that’s it. So that, along with my ACT score of 32 in science, might have disadvantaged me a bit.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My Why Uchicago was probably the reason I got in. It was very unique, and I can’t believe how easily it flowed once I started writing. I still read over it sometimes, just because I love it. And that’s saying something, since I never like my writing.
[] What would you have done differently?: I think it would have helped if I had known to turn in my financial aid form on time. Now my parents might not let me go :[ [/ul]

[/list]Other Factors:
Accepted at USC, Clemson, GATech so far. Deferred at MIT.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
This came one day after my deferral from MIT, and the more I look at UChicago, the more I want to go, right now. I wasn’t so psyched before I applied, but once I started applying, all the stuff they sent me, and my Why Chicago essay, made me realize that I would really fit in well there. For those deferred, there is still hope! And remember, everyone, that there are many great universities, and that sometimes the admissions committee really takes note that perhaps their uni isn’t the best for you, after all. Keep your options open; I had my heart set on MIT, but now I’m looking hard at GATech and Uchicago too. Good luck on your college searching!

Dardyjoe · December 21, 2010, 4:00am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT (breakdown): 36 math, 36 english, 35 science, 35 reading, 10 writing
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): 36
[] SAT II: N/A
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
[] Weighted GPA: 4.345
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/293
[] AP (place score in parentheses): US Gov (4), Comparative Politics (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Physics C (Mechanics), Physics B (Electricity and Magnetism), AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Statistics, AP Latin 5, Office Aid
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1 other than me
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commendation, Williams Book Award[/li]
Subjective:[list]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student Council Treasurer (11th), Class President (12th), JCRC Student to Student - Diversity outreach program for Jewish teens (11th-12th), Steering committee and group leader (12th), National Honors Society (10th-12th), secretary (12th), Main stage Theatre Productions (10th-12th), three main stage productions including lead role in The Mousetrap, JAM - Jews and Muslims Diversity Group, a one-year program that promotes dialogue between Jewish and Muslim teenagers in St. Louis (12th), Flyspace Improvisational Theatre Troup (11th-12th), Parkway North Ultimate Frisbee Team (11th-12th), 3rd place at the state Ultimate tournament (11th), Senior Directed One Acts One Act performance, Ive been in two of them (10th-11th), I plan on being in another this coming spring, Beta Chi Pi Science Community Service Honors Society (11th-12th), Forensics Debate Team Numerous novice Public Forum awards (One first place, 3 second place) (10th), World Awareness Club A club for the education of students regarding humanitarian crises (9th-10th), Harry Potter Club A club dedicated to fighting the Dark Arts in the world, the first official branch of the Harry Potter alliance (look into it, its quite prevalent now) (9th-10th), Jewish Youth Groups BBYO and USY (9th-12th)
[] Job/Work Experience:The summer before 11th grade, I spent a month in a Public Health lab and Saint Louis University designing and carrying out tests on water filters that are used in third world countries. I left behind instructions for graduate students to complete my work, although lack of funding has put my project on the back burners.
[li] Volunteer/Community service:[/ul] Project Help Community Service Club (9th-12th), Executive board (11th-12th), tri-weekly meetings[/li]Ready Readers Read to inner city youth to promote literacy (11th-12th), weekly program
KidSmart Community Service project available only to seniors, I work in a warehouse once a month, giving school supplies to students who cannot afford them (12th)
Senior Men Community Service Club Another club that provides community service opportunities to students (12th)
Slice Camp in Impoverished County Put on a one week summer camp for impoverished kids in a St. Louis slum (9th)

Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: Did my own topic (9.5/10). Exploratory surgery of my brain. I want to be a neurologist[/li][] Extended essay(which topic): Find X (9/10). Much more serious, maybe too serious for them.
[] Why Chicago: Really good, but highly generic at second look (7/10)
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Awesome req, basically a family friend, known for his reqs
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: I didn’t read it, but im sure it was very personal
[] Counselor Rec: Pretty good. Me and my counselor know eachother really well since I work in the counseling office
[li] Interview: It was amazing. Me and the interviewer clicked and we ended up talking about the israeli-palestinian conflict (his senior thesis)[/li]
Other[list]
[] Date Submitted App: 10/27, although they refused to admit that they had my reqs online until late November, but we called them personally. It may have postponed to review of my application.
[] State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Ultimate Frisbee? lol[/li]
Reflection[list]
[] Strengths: Extra curriculars, community service, test scores, grades, interview… what more do you want???
[] Weaknesses: Biology major, Teacher req incident, not enough national awards?, maybe my essays.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, but I have no idea. You tell me. I think they may have filled the quota before reading my app.
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul] I would have made sure they read my application. It kicked the other app from my school’s ass, and that kid got defferred too (although he has a better major)

[/list]Other Factors:
**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I don’t know. I just really don’t know. I’m quirky enough for them too!

alexjonlin · December 21, 2010, 4:27am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 760 CR, 720 M, 780 W (2260 total)
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): what?
[] ACT (breakdown): none
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): none
[] SAT II: 690 Lit, 660 Math II, 720 USH
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.56
[] Weighted GPA: unknown
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 168/391 (ugh magnet school)
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Euro (4), English Language (5), US History (4), Calc AB (4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): None
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP English Lit, AP American Gov’t, Honors Calc-based Physics (not AP but considered the hardest class at the school, and even marked as such on the transcript)
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: unknown, at least a few
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Honors, National Latin Exam Gold twice, Prudential Sprit of Community Award 2007[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Washington State Legislative Youth Advisory Council (founded by getting bill passed through State Legislature in 2005), Seattle Youth Commission (Steering Committee), Seattle Transit Master Plan Advisory Group, Marching/Concert Band, Hebrew Lessons, Choir
[] Job/Work Experience: Seattle Department of Transportation intern, Washington State Senate Page
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer intern at Sound Transit (Seattle’s regional transit agency) for a summer, Volunteer intern for Dow Constantine for King County Executive campaign for a summer, Volunteer intern at Washington State Democrats 3 summers in a row[/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: About how I got the Washington State Legislative Youth Advisory Council established by meeting with legislators and testifying at hearings, and have been working with it ever since. I don’t know how to rank these on a 1-10 scale, but I thought it was pretty good.[/li][] EC Short Answer: Wrote about my interest in transit, and how that’s manifested in both internships (paid at Seattle Dept of Transportation, unpaid at Sound Transit) and in taking transit everywhere in my city and wherever I travel
[] Extended essay(which topic): Find X: Wrote about what makes neighborhoods feel vibrant and pleasant
[] Optional Essay: Talked about my favorite books, among those I read for pleasure about urban planning and among the classics that we read in school, and about where I get my news, mainstream and in the realms of urban planning and politics, from
[] Why Chicago: wrote about the programs at UChicago, and how much I love the city and how much being in the city will help me in learning about what I’m interested in
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Incredible
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: didn’t see it
[] Counselor Rec: probably incredibly generic. super lazy counselor
[] Additional Rec: had one great one from a state senator and one great one from my boss at the Seattle Department of Transportation
[] Interview: thought it went quite well. super informal.
[] Art Supplement:[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: a few days before the deadline
[] State (if domestic applicant): Washington
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public magnet
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Upper
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Extra-curriculars, political activities, internships
[] Weaknesses: grades
[] Why you think you were deferred: grades
[] What would you have done differently?: gotten better grades over the last four years haha[/ul]

[/list]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
eh, kinda sucks to get deferred, but maybe I still have a chance…

boomshakalaka · December 21, 2010, 12:15pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

<pre><code>* SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (when submitted), 2350 (now)

SAT I superscore (breakdown): Ask me
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 U.S., 800 Math II, 770 in one and 740 in another
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: NA
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/391
AP (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Hard classes
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1 or 2, I don’t know and don’t care
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens Semifinalist.
</code></pre>

Subjective:

<pre><code>* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Generic stuff, some leadership

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
My writing was definitely my best quality. I have always been told that I have a clear voice and my writing is easy to read. I read a lot so my vocabulary is pretty large, but I don’t overdo it. I would give myself a 9, I have always had a knack for writing essays
Essays (Include Subjects):
o Common App Main: Talk about my fish.
o EC Short Answer: Nerd stuff
o Extended essay(which topic): I drew a where’s Waldo type picture, and define x as waldo, and I sent it via mail to Chicago.
o Optional Essay: Naruto
o Why Chicago: I love Southside mobster and etc
o Other:
Teacher Recommendation #1: didnt see
Teacher Recommendation #2: didn’t see
Counselor Rec: She didn’t cross me. If she did, I would have been rejected
Additional Rec: Research mentor. He said I had the potential to win the Nobel Prize, nah, maybe not
Interview: awesome, the only interviewer who traveled all the way to my town, how nice of him
Art Supplement: SUbmitted abstract and description of my work
</code></pre>

Other

<pre><code>* Date Submitted App: October 22

State (if domestic applicant): AL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:Poor as dirt
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
</code></pre>

Reflection

<pre><code>* Strengths: Writing, transcripts, SAT?, research award, publication (didn’t submit in app)

Weaknesses: ECs, Asian, etc.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Crazy essays, Siemens didn’t hurt
What would you have done differently?: Don’t know
</code></pre>

Nothing now
[/list]Other Factors:
80% sure not going to Chicago unless I get a better financial aid award. Jacksonville State Class of 2015 baby!!! For those who are doing interviews: please talk a lot about yourself initially and your accomplishments if you don’t want hard questions in the end.

subtle315 · December 22, 2010, 12:11am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (CR 710; M 800; WR 720)
[ *] SAT II: Math II 800; Physics 720; French 720; Literature 760
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB 5; Chinese 5; Macro 4
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Eng Lang, AP Comp Gov, Yearbook, AP Euro
[ *] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): ballet, taekwondo, skating, badminton
[ *] Job/Work Experience: 3-month grocery store clerk
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: seniors center, community center, school student ambassador

Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[ *] Common App Main: 7
[ *] EC Short Answer: 5
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Find X, 7
[ *] Optional Essay: didn’t do
[ *] Why Chicago: 8
[ *] Other: N/A
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: didn’t see
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: didn’t see
[ *] Counselor Rec: didn’t see
[ *] Additional Rec: N/A
[ *] Interview: N/A
[ *] Art Supplement: N/A

Other:
[ *] Date Submitted App: 10/31
[ *] Country (if international applicant): Canada
[ *] School Type: private
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: Female
[ *] Income Bracket: 25,000
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection:
[ *] Strengths: can’t think of any
[ *] Weaknesses: grades, over-generic essays perhaps
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: essays and a combination of factors
[ *] What would you have done differently?: Not much

Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I am working hard on my RDs right now and keep my hope for Chicago.

solemnlyswear · December 22, 2010, 12:19am

@boomshakalaka, is the financial aid really bad? I don’t think we find out till next week, but my family does not make enough money at all to support me going there.

solemnlyswear · December 22, 2010, 12:31am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 690 CR, 740 M, 750 W
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2180
[] ACT (breakdown): Didn’t submit but 32 S.S.
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): ^
[] SAT II: Didn’t submit
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): <3.7
[] Weighted GPA: 3.7 *School hardly weighs grades
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
[] AP (place score in parentheses):
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load:
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 4?
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I’m not sure if National History Day, DECA, or things like that are considered major awards… but if they are, then… yes! [/ul] [/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Swim Team Captain from year 1 of its existence, NHD VP & national finalist, DECA national finalist, prestigious swimminmg award from my community swim team, cellist of 12 years, model congress secretary, model UN college conference winner, music pre-college division, etc.
[] Job/Work Experience: Private tutor, waitress at summer camp.
[li] Volunteer/Community service: work with kids with developmental problems & teach cello to inner city kids [/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: About my green birthmark. Worked on and edited way too much. Lost a sense of clarity and creativity. 6/10[/li][] EC Short Answer: Lmao, I don’t even remember this…
[] Extended essay(which topic): Find X. 10/10. Honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever written and the best & most truthful reflection of who I am.
[] Optional Essay: Did not do.
[] Why Chicago: Straightforward & inspiring. 9/10
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: AP World & AP U.S. teacher! Had him for 2 yrs in a row. Amazing teacher, graduate of Columbia. Was able to see me grow as a student. Did not read but I hear he writes the most amazing ones every single year.
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: AP English & Language teacher. Loved him too! Didn’t read, but since we had a great relationship and he IS after all an ENGLISH TEACHER, it should be fantastic
[] Counselor Rec: Well… I’ve just had him for 3 months… but apparantly my past guidance counselor who was promoted to VP guided him. I made sure he know me. No clue how he writes but I’m sure it was great.
[] Additional Rec: Came from my NHD/ social science research teacher. Very close relationship. It was very personal to me.
[] Interview: Yup. Went well. Was a bit nervous because it was my first. Wasn’t really sure how it went… but who knows!
[] Art Supplement: Submitted in for my RD schools… didn’t have time to submit it in beforehand so I’m not really sure if UChic ever got it… but it was my cello recording & extensive music resume. [/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: 10/27
[] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: $20,000-30,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none. [/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays & teacher recs.
[] Weaknesses: GPA & SATs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: definitely my essays &teacher recs
[] What would you have done differently?: nothing [/ul]

[/list]Other Factors:
**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: feel so blessed & excited. Uchicago really does care about who you are as a person and appreciates you for that. UCHICAGO CLASS OF 2015 LESS GOOOOOOOO! & for all those deffered, hope to see you next year! To those rejected, rejection sucks. I know. I was rejected from my ED and thought that I wouldn’t get in anywhere else and then… a week later on a random busride I check my email and YAAAAAY! So anything could happen. Don’t lose sleep over it. **

anaknieli · December 22, 2010, 8:49am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): CR:720 M:800 W:780
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): same as above
[] ACT (breakdown): n/a
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): n/a
[] SAT II: Chemistry: 780 Math Level 2: 800
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[] Weighted GPA: 4.05
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Microeconomics (5) Macroeconomics (5) Calculus AB (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): May 2011 session, Predicted scores are
Economics HL (7), Math HL (7), Chemistry HL (7), Physics HL (7), French B SL (6), English A1 SL (6)
[] Senior Year Course Load: Same as IB subjects
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: just me
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a lol [/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Rugby, MUN, FHS, Orchestra among others
[] Job/Work Experience: intern at Ministry of Environmental Protection in China one summer
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Loads [/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: About Rugby (8)[/li][] EC Short Answer: About MUN (9)
[] Extended essay(which topic): The one about how truth is required in society (6)
[] Optional Essay: About World War Z, my favourite book (8)
[] Why Chicago: About how Chicago is founded on history and looks to the future (9)
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: From my Economics teacher (phd in economics), amazing im pretty sure, he loved me
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: From my Chemistry teacher, he likes me and i generally participate in class so ok i guess.
[] Counselor Rec: Probably bad, she’s kinda clueless and barely knew me
[] Additional Rec: n/a
[] Interview: n/a
[] Art Supplement:n/a[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: October 31
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant): Philippines
[] School Type: Small Private
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: High
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ANTI-HOOK: Male Chinese[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Test Scores, Teacher Recs, Challenging Courseload.
[] Weaknesses: Leadership positions and ECs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Dunno probably cos of my test scores lol
[] What would you have done differently?: worked more on my essays[/ul]

[/list]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Good Luck to everybody else! :D, waiting anxiously for my RD schools to come out and Happy Holidays!

bearsfan092 · December 22, 2010, 12:15pm

**Decision: Accepted! **

Stats:[ul]
[] SAT: Didn’t do it
[] SAT IIs: 800 Math 2, 800 Physics
ACT: 36 Math, 35 English, 34 Science, 34 Reading, 12 Writing
[] GPA: 4.5 W, 3.9 UW
[] Rank: 19/500 (There are three people ahead of me who got deferred. Go figure)
[] Other stats: 5’s on AP Calc BC, USH, Gov’t/Politics, Macroeconomics. Full AP course load senior year, 2 years of football (1 varsity), 1 year varsity cross country, Model UN, Math Team, RWDC Engineering Challenge, 20 hours volunteer service (I’ll rant about this later), County Election Judge for 2010 Primaries
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Essays: My “Find X” essay was basically a shot at humor. My “Why UChicago?” essay was pretty vanilla, but it cited some specific stuff that I was interested in. I did write an essay about Between the Buried and Me’s album “Colors”, which was basically an essay for my own sanity. I could talk about that band for days.
[] Teacher Recs: One of them, to my knowledge, was absolutely glowing about a historical research paper I wrote about a week prior to. The other one was decent, but he waited until the absolute last minute, and if I didn’t remind him, I’d have been screwed.
[] Counselor Rec: Pretty decent. Nothing spectacular.
[] Hook (if any): Maybe the double varsity thing.
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[] State or Country: Illinois
[] School Type: A UChicago rep informally described my school as “PCW: Public, Competitive, White”
[] Ethnicity: White/Asian
[li] Gender: Male[/li][/ul]Other Factors: I did an on campus interview. Went pretty well

My thoughts: I’m surprised I got in, especially seeing some of the deferrals here and at my own school. What I got out of this is that, after a certain point, there’s a “good enough” academic cutoff. EC’s might be slightly overrated, and if you consider the quantity people take only for college applications, doesn’t it seem misleading? This brings me to my point about volunteer hours. I was basically doing menial labor at my local public library with the odd tech support job here and there. After five weeks, I quit and never took up another volunteer job. This tells me that essays really are worth a lot.

Overall, I’m happy. I got into a good school without leasing out my high school life.

EDIT: Used a template from a different thread because it was pretty much ready to go. Still gets the general point across.

JohnRobertson · December 22, 2010, 4:48pm

bearsfan092 wrote - “I’m surprised I got in”

I’m not. It’s easy to forget when attending a strong HS that a 35 ACT score is in the 99.7th percentile, because you see a bunch of other kids with scores like that. But in the grand scheme of things, that’s pretty darned good. Couple that with SAT IIs and AP scores that also excellent, good if not outstanding grades in very tough classes, and good essays … and that should get the job done. My kid’s HS got 12 kids into Chicago by that formula. Which is a lot!

bearsfan092 · December 22, 2010, 7:27pm

JohnRobertson: You’re right, but if I could advise anyone here, it’s to never go to the Chances forum. I’ve posted there twice, and both times I was essentially told that I was screwed for Ivies/Chicago/Northwestern, etc. I probably just got some bad members that live to mess with other people.

JohnRobertson · December 23, 2010, 2:49pm

Or people who didn’t have a clue, but who were happy to offer an opinion anyway. Wait until you join the working world. Half your coworkers will be like that. (Rolls eyes.)

Anyway, congrats. And to those deferred or rejected, I bet that basically all of you land at a really good college, and when you graduate you’ll be proud that you went there.

xzymaggie · December 24, 2010, 12:05am

I figured you might be Asian when seeing the first few lines. Great job!

cjgone · December 24, 2010, 10:35pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 34 english, 35 math, 34 science, 31 reading (34)
ACT superscore (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Weighted GPA: unknown
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~16%

Reflection:
Low GPA because I had a 3.1 in 9th grade (3.97 without); very little community service and maybe a 34 isn’t high enough(?). I thought my essay was good, but apparently not.

Wow…Not fair, I love progressive metal… :'(

supercool · December 25, 2010, 3:58am

Here’s hoping that I actually did this correctly…

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 720 cr, 800s math/writing
[] SAT II: 770 physics, 780 math II
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: 4.56
[] Rank: 2
[] AP: physics b (5), english language (5), spanish language (5), us history (5), biology (5), calculus bc (5), physics c (5-mech, 4-e/m)
[] IB: nope, and thank god, too!
[] Senior Year Course Load: moderate
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0, I think
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none[/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): basketball, track, NHS, school literary journal
[] Volunteer/Community service: community youth board, tutoring for middle schoolers[/ul]

Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: living passionately (10)[/li][] EC Short Answer: quick little description of my interest in physics
[] Extended essay(which topic): Find x. I went through different methods of trying to find x (empirically, analytically, philosophically, etc.), but demonstrated that I could only begin to find it by intuiting what it could be personally. (9,10)
[] Optional Essay: I mentioned the books, movies, and music I really enjoy but I was fun about doing it. I also gave them a disclaimer saying that they need to look up at least a few of the books and music I talked about. (10)
[] Why Chicago: It fits who I am, enough said.[/ul]
[li] Teacher Recommendation #1: good[/li][] Teacher Recommendation #2: good
[] Counselor Rec: good
[] Additional Rec: yup
[] Interview: nope
[] Art Supplement: nope[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: mid-October
[] State: California
[] School Type: mid-size public school
[] Ethnicity: white
[] Gender: male
[] Income Bracket: >100k
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not really[/ul][/li]
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:
Any of you who want to know secrets about college admissions, it really is about how you write and not what you write (well sort of). I went back and reread what I submitted and it seems too good to be true that a place like The University of Chicago accepted me, and that if I want to I can go there! I didn’t flash my statistics, and I didn’t much talk about ALL that I have done about the community, my school, in academics, and so on. I didn’t even talk about some of the things that you might think would be no-brainers to talk about, because I had some really recent things that have made a huge impact on me. The point is, you shouldn’t think to conform or craft your responses a certain way. Above all, sincerity and strength of character reign supreme. That’s the only way I figured UofC could have possibly have admitted me, because I told them all of what was important to me and my pursuits and gave them a good look at my personality.

ChiCityStudent · December 27, 2010, 2:10pm

^^Or it could b that you have good stats, which were combined with a good essay. Just saying. Getting into one college does not mean you have the know-how to make sweeping generalizations into the admissions process in general at all schools (or even this one.)

boomshakalaka · December 28, 2010, 12:52pm

^I’m HaCityStudent :D

jersee7 · December 30, 2010, 9:07am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 720 CR, 800 M, 790 W
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): (same)
[] ACT (breakdown): n/a
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): n/a
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Biology
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: ~4.5
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 of 450 (#1 going to MIT)
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5), Biology (5), US History (5), US Government (5), English Language (5), Calculus BC (5), Physics C-Mechanics (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
[] Senior Year Course Load: High School: AP Statistics, AP English Literature; University of Michigan: Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Honors Physics II w/Lab
[] Number of other EA applicants in your school: 2
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi, AP Scholar with Distinction, Coca-Cola Semifinalist[/ul][/li]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Cello- 1st Chair All-State, Michigan Youth Symphony (Principal), Future Problem Solvers (Vice President), Science Olympiad- State Ranked Team, 8 Individual Medals, String Quartet- Michigan Youth Arts Nominee
[] Job/Work Experience: Wedding String Quartet, Community Education Instructor
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Fiddlers Restrung- HUGE commitment, school instrumental performing group, 80+ gigs/year, 400+ hours community service (teaching, raising money/books/toys, performing), recorded 2 CDs, worked on 1 international and 2 national tours; National Honor Society (tutoring coordinator) [/ul][/li]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[li] Common App Main: 9, talking about driving between recording studio and performance hall, different perspectives, etc.[/li][] EC Short Answer: 8, Fiddlers Restrung (because it needs explanation)
[] Extended essay(which topic): 10, Find X, I’ve never written a better essay in my life. It’s about forgetfulness, the movie “Memento”, and being “absent-minded”
[] Optional Essay: 7, just wrote about favorite music
[] Why Chicago: 5, meh, talked about Fermi Labs and ArtsPass program
[] Other:[/ul]
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: n/a (probably okay)
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: n/a (probably good)
[] Counselor Rec: n/a (probably good)
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Weird. She brought her kids and she didn’t really answer any of my questions.
[] Art Supplement: 9, Submitted Private Teacher Rec, Music Resume, and CD (Barber Cello Concerto Mvt. 1 Cadenza and Bach Suite 5 Prelude), any other cellists here?[/list]

Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Early October
[] State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Middle Class, ~90-100k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Both Parents went to UChicago, but they don’t really care about that[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: APs, GPA, Extended Essay
[] Weaknesses: Why Chicago Essay, SAT CR
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Hard Sciences + Music + Right Numbers
[] What would you have done differently?: Spend more time on Why Chicago Essay[/ul]

General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I can finally breathe! Still waiting on MIT/Harvard/Yale but I’m so relieved! Wasn’t sure where to put this, but I got a merit scholarship; did anyone else get one? Anyways, congratulations to everyone

Official University of Chicago Class of 2015 EA Results Thread

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