@Lipp7260 They couldn’t have been that weak if it helped you overcome a 3.6 GPA.
@jarrett211 I suppose you’re right (I do keep hearing how UChicago puts a lot of emphasis on the essay). I guess what I meant by weak was that I didn’t spend as much time on my UChicago essay as I did on the other schools I applied to because I wasn’t sure I really wanted to go.
@Lipp7260 Same I feel so lucky that I got in with a 32 and with a couple missing commas in my essay 
Choose One:
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 760 Physics, 800 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: Top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Comp Sci, Physics 1, USH, Eng Lang All 5s
Senior Year Course Load:
AP: Lit, BC Calc, Spanish, Gov, Macroeco, Physics C, Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Sci Oly (Board Member), Programming Club(President)
Job/Work Experience: Sports Referee
Volunteer/Community Service: Not Much ~100 hrs total
Summer Activities: Summer Research 12th, Internship 9th, Math camp 10th + 11th
Essays: Poured my heart out into this.
UChicago Supp: 8/10
Why UChicago: 9/10
Arts: 7/10
Teacher Recommendations: Knew me well so probably pretty good
Counselor Rec: Ok. Probably not anything special.
Interview: N/A
Other
State/Country: NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 180k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection
Strengths: Essays
Weaknesses: Honors/Awards, Class Ranking
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays, Scores, URM
Where else you are applying or have already applied: U Mich (Accepted), Cornell
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:You don’t have to won USAMO or some national competition. Be yourself and you’ll be fine. Spend lots of time on those essays. When you’re finished with the essays you should be proud of them. I can confidently say that the essays I wrote for U Chicago are among the best pieces I’ve ever written.
@Coldsummer123 do you have any advice on how to go about the essays? I want to “pour my heart out” in them but i’m not really sure how.
snooping on CC for a while, promised to do this if I got in soooo…
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2220 ( CR 760, M 720, W 740 (12) ) 
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
Rank/Percentile: 1/65
AP (place score in parentheses): n/a
IB (place score in parentheses): English L&L HL (7) Chinese SL (6) Math SL (7) Economics HL (7) Psychology HL (7) Physics SL (7)
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): lots of in-school but eh
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Hong Kong school, lots of titles no work, Chairman this, Captain that blah
Job/Work Experience: two short summer internships
Volunteer/Community Service: founded a social outreach program, renovated a school in a developing country
Summer Activities: internship
Essays: CommonApp, eh, made it personal; Supplement, Where is Waldo?; Why UChicago, gave it a twist; Extra, rambled about art
Teacher Recommendations: privacy policy, didn’t see
Counselor Rec: again
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: lol didnt know until too late
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? eh
Projected Concentration: Economics Philosophy
State/Country: Hong Kong
School Type: Private IB
Ethnicity: Chinese HK
Gender: M
Income Bracket: middle middle…
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a
Reflection
Strengths: essays probably saved me
Weaknesses: scores, eca, not a lot
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: really lucky hardcore procrastination on essays but sometimes you just need that inspirational spark
@itsisha
Looking in the facebook page of accepted kids, everybody just did something they wanted to. If it feels right, you’re probably doing it right. A whole bunch of them were incredibly silly but probably really well thought out and punny. However, that doesn’t mean you have to have a funny or witty essay. If it’s not you try not to force it. Mine was very serious and analytical because that’s more who I am than something else. Be yourself and you’ll do fine. Also, don’t use it as an opportunity to flaunt your resume. They already know what you’ve done. Show them something new. Let them know who you are and why you’re a good fit for the school.
I’m sorry I’m not mentioning everything, but I hope what I have helps!
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 34 (composite); English: 34, Math: 33, Reading: 33, Science: 35, Writing: 8 (no idea how)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Never sent to them
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC (5, 5 on AB subscore), Chem (4), Physics 1 (5), Physics 2 (5), Psych (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP English Language, AP Computer Science A, other school electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction?
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Information Technology Squad (vice president)
Job/Work Experience: Employed at a Physical Therapy clinic part-time ever since June 2014
Volunteer/Community Service: Assistant teacher of foreign language at a Sunday School
Summer Activities: nothing really besides work
Essays: I used the topic of order within disorder. I wrote about how I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when I was 4 (harsh isn’t it) and how it threw my life into whack, but it actually helped me maintain a healthy body that most of my friends missed out on. For Why UChicago I mentioned the Core and how it allows me to easily double major (I’m also considering a major in computer science, I know UChicago isn’t the best place for that)
Teacher Recommendations: AP Calc BC teacher and junior year honors English teacher
Counselor Rec: no idea
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: nope
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Will
Projected Concentration: biology
State/Country: Illinois
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Egyptian (you guys determine what it is, I mentioned it as African American but specified that I’m Egyptian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Rather wouldn’t mentiom
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Essays and academic record
Weaknesses: I don’t think I had enough extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really think it has most to do with the essays and rec letters above everything else
Where else you are applying or have already applied: ivy league, JHU, Northwestern, and some safety schools
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: It looks like they place way more emphasis on essays rather than the academics. My friend has a better academic record than me but got deferred. Focus on your essay writing but make sure everything else is good!
Congrats to everyone who got accepted! To those who got deferred, the admissions counselor at the open house said that you have a higher chance of being accepted if you get deferred, so don’t lose hope!
To everyone applying RD: Good luck to you all!
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250 SAT (Reading: 690, Math: 800, Writing: 760)
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite (English: 32, Math: 36, Reading: 34, Science: 36, English/Writing: 29)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800) Chemistry (770) Physics (640) <-- Took halfway through physics 
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: School does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus BC (5) Spanish (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): NA
Senior Year Course Load: Music Theory AP, Statistics AP, Advanced Choir, Chemistry AP, Computer Science AP, Economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, Lots of school/state awards but nothing else that big
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Male A Cappella Club (4-year member, President as Senior), Piano Lessons, Vocal Lessons, Cross Country (Captain as Junior, Senior, Team State Champion as Junior), Track and Field, Advanced Choir (Co-President as Junior, Senior), NHS, Barbershop Quartet (Leader), Ultimate Frisbee Club, Teaching Assistant in Choir Program. Had more but wouldn’t fit all on Common App, so those don’t matter
Job/Work Experience: United States Soccer Federation-certified referee
Volunteer/Community Service: Pro-bono tutoring, Teaching Assistant, helped with friends’ Eagle Scout projects (haha)
Summer Activities: Piano and Vocal Lessons, Visiting Colleges
Essays: Extremely proud of essays. Common App essay (8/10) was about life in scoliosis brace for nearly three years. UChicago Supplement (10/10) was a mathematical proof of the saying “Tragedy plus time equals comedy”. Why UChicago was alright (7/10).
Teacher Recommendations: Feeling very good on this end. Ranges from 8-10/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec: Had two extra recs, probably even stronger than teacher recs since these people knew me even better
Interview: Interviewer seemed a little awkward, conversation felt forced unlike at my interviews at other colleges. I pretty much babbled about music for an entire 45 minutes to an hour.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Chemistry
State/Country: Indiana, United States
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Don’t know
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Mother went to UChicago for masters (dropped out when my older sister was born), Father used to teach there
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Recommenders, Number of and depth in extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Diversity factor?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays and recommenders must have played large, but acceptance letter also mentioned I should talk to relatives? So maybe that helped.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted - Purdue, Indiana, Michigan | Waiting: Dartmouth, Northwestern, Pomona, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Johns Hopkins and Duke (both maybes)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Work long and hard on those essays. I didn’t procrastinate and was able to put out some of my best writing when I needed it most. Get deeply involved in a few things, instead of being a fringe member of every single club available.
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2120 (760M 690CR 670W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Physics (800) Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6 (Self-calculated, I’m international)
Rank/Percentile: 8/278
AP (place score in parentheses): International
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: standard in Brazil (1 year’s course of Math, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, World History, World Geography, Philosophy, Sociology, Portuguese, English and PE)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nope
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Rock Band (Drummer/Frontman) 4 years, Tutoring and Lecturing on Modern Physics 1 year, German 2 years, 1 month trip to England to study in 2014
Job/Work Experience: Worked as a tutor and lab assistant in a local high school, during 3 months of my gap year, 30h/week
Volunteer/Community Service: Animals’ adoption NGO, 1 year 6h/week
Summer Activities: 1 month trip to Canada in 2011
Essays: Paradox (where I wrote about being an animal rights’ person vs. loving zoos) 9/10, Why UChi 7/10, the optionals I would say a 7 or 8ish
Teacher Recommendations: Three, I’m sure all were a strong 9 or 9.5/10
Counselor Rec: Bad. Really bad. 4/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: Great! We had a great talk, and she thought I was a perfect fit for the school ^^
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Nope, although with the crisis that hit Brazil in the last few months, I probably will have to find a way
Projected Concentration: Phyyysiiiics
State/Country: Brazil
School Type: Hm, Private? I don’t know what you mean here
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Third world country (?) don’t know if that counts
Reflection
Strengths: Probably Essays, recommendations and interview. My extracurriculars were far from spectacular, as were my Standardized tests. I had great grades for the Brazilian standard, though
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars and tests. Sat II may have helped, however
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea ‘-’ but they probably saw in me a quirky UChicago student, with my essay and all
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Oh a crap ton of schools. Princeton, Harvey Mudd, Williams, Berkeley, UCSB (CCS) etc.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: As you can see, nothing in my application breathes “strong applicant” (Probably why I didn’t get any merit scholarships ), but this can only prove great essays and letters of rec can change an applicant’s chances! Maybe the fact that I’m international helped shadow my not-so-great ECs and grades, but still…
Good luck to all who were deferred! Hope to see you all next year ^^ and happy holidays
Decision: Deferred
Objective:
SAT I: 1950 superscore (700 CR, 660 M, 590 W), 1920 one sitting (700/630/590)
ACT: 31 superscore (35 E, 29 M, 32 R, 27 S), 30 in one sitting (35 E, 29 M, 32 R, 26 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 730 M1, 580 M2, 650 Lit, 640 Bio E (didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.66 (I have a 4.0 this semester, so this will change)
Rank/Percentile: 25/174 (more like 15-20 after this semester’s grades are posted; we’re all pretty close together)
AP (place score in parentheses): didn’t send (they are HORRIBLE; 1, 2, 2, 2, 3). But I’m taking the AP Physics 1 test (even though I don’t have the class), as well as three others, and actually studying this time.
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load (+hardest possible): AP English Language (took Lit junior year), AP US Government (online; school doesn’t offer), AP Calculus BC (online; school doesn’t offer), Mandarin Chinese 3 (German my first year), Biology (College), Newspaper, Required Phys Ed, The 60’s (duel credit), Physics (school doesn’t offer AP), Sociology
My school doesn’t offer many AP Classes. No AP Bio, Gov, Calc BC, or Psych. I’ve taken all except AP Chemistry, because my mom won’t let me (I’ve already taken CP Chem a year before they started offering AP and she said it would be a waste of time…)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
National Honor Society (Secretary)
The Echoes Newspaper (Entertainment Editor)
One Acts Play (Cast Member)
Speech (Performer)
Math Club (Member)
Math Bowl (Alternate)
Job/Work Experience: 2 jobs; I’m a lifeguard and work at a local restaurant/bakery
Volunteer/Community Service: Not much, just for NHS and I work at a camp for 25ish hours each summer
Summer Activities: Volunteer at a camp for 25 hours one week, work at both of my jobs, play piano for 10+ hours, compose music
Essays:
Common App: 9/10. Wrote about how I am transgender living in Nebraska, and about astronomy. It was actually good.
Why UChicago: 10/10. I LOVE UChicago and Chicago itself, so I wrote about the neighborhoods, how I imagined doing homework in some of the restaurants and cafes. Wrote about RISE, the opportunity to go overseas and the program UChicago runs, and the opportunities for education it would give me. Also, I wrote about how it scares me that a single person determines my future there, even though it means so much more to me (more eloquently, of course).
Supplemental: 10/10. I wrote about this book of quotes I have on my desk that inspire me.
Teacher Recommendations:
1: 11/10. English teacher, absolutely fantastic. I read it before she edited it lightly, and she told me to my face I was her favorite student thus far in her teaching career.
2: 10/10. Math teacher, wonderful. He was Teacher of the Year in Nebraska for 2014, and knows how much I care about school.
Counselor Rec:
7/10. I know her fairly well, she knows I’ve struggled through some things, but she isn’t very personal and LOVES the future valedictorian of my class, not me.
Additional Rec:
1: 11+/10. Piano teacher, amazing! He's traveled all around the world, won symphony competitions when he was 17, taught music classes at high school when he was in high school. I have known him since I was 6. I've composed music with him, and when I started learning classical music, he said I was learning the music 12 times faster than usual people (I learned a Chopin nocturne in one month perfectly). He thinks I'm better than sliced bread (which I'm not but lol).
Interview: Haven’t had one, but I requested one after I found I was deferred.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Kind of, I guess
Projected Concentration: Astrophysics (although, I forgot to fix this on my application so they have Economics)
State/Country: Nebraska
School Type: Small, rural
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male (I guess)
Income Bracket: $250,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Transgender from Nebraska
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Recommendations, academic rigor, extracurriculars (available to me at least)
Weaknesses: Test scores and GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Test scores and GPA, and some applicants just look better on paper
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Still to Apply: Stanford, Harvard, Duke, Columbia, Yale, Princeton, University of Virginia, Northwestern University
Already Applied: University of California Santa Barbara-LA-Irvine-Berkeley, University of Washington Seattle, Vanderbilt (Denied), University of Missouri (Accepted), University of Nebraska Lincoln (Accepted), Reed College
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: After Vanderbilt I expected to be denied, but I’m just extremely thankful with for my deferral. I’ve requested an interview, have another letter of recommendation (11/10; probably the best), received a 4.0 this semester, improved my class rank, studying for and retaking the January SATs, wrote the optional essay (10/10), and I am adding a supplement with my own piano compositions. There is no way I am getting denied again in late March. Just know that you won’t get denied, even because of your standardized testing scores, or a lower-than-expected GPA. It may hinder you from an acceptance, but there are always chances.
**Decision: Rejected **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT: two 32s and superscored to 33.
SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4
Rank/Percentile: Top 15
AP: Microecon (2) (not sent), Calc AB (3), Gov/Politics (4), Bio (4), English Language (4), US History (4)
IB: Not offered
Senior Year Course Load: Psychology I (1st Semester), AP Psychology (2nd semester), AP English Literature, AP Chemistry, Honors Spanish 5 (highest Spanish in my school), left school early every T/Th to take a Calculus II class at a nearby Community College. Taking Calculus III 2nd semester.
Major Awards: Nothing major besides awards at my Sunday School and Honors Society
Subjective:
Extracurriculars and leadership (F-Freshman Year, So- Sophomore, J-Junior, S-Senior: Chess Team FSoJS; Math Team FSoJS; Scholastic Bowl SoJS; Newspaper JS; Illinois Youth and Government JS; Islamic Sunday School since kindergarten; ELL (English Language Learners) Algebra/Extended Algebra Tutor Senior; Honors Societies
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at UChicago Pediatric Neuropsychology Service (Entered clinical data from Neuropsych evaluations for research, role-played mock patients for grad student trainees over summer between Junior and Senior year); Clerk for Summer Book Club at local Library (Summer of Sophomore to Junior year)
Summer Activities: 8th to F: took swimming and educational classes at a Community College; F to So: Took Pre-Calc prep classes; So to J: Took care of my grandparents that came from Pakistan, Drivers Education, ACT review class; J to S: Volunteer at UChicago Pediatric Neuropsychology Service
Essays: Solid, reviewed by quite a few people and my supplemental essay talked about the craziness of the universe as the order within disorder. Why UChicago wasn’t the greatest
Teacher Recommendations: Probably not the greatest, just passable. I’m funny and I like to think I made an impression, but I don’t think they ended up fantastic. Bio and Spanish Teachers
Counselor Rec: I’ve talked to her a lot about things, however I don’t know how this one will turn out based on something like that.
Interview: N/A
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State/Country: Illinois, USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: South Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High up there
Hooks My essays and the Volunteering at UChicago. My dad works there, didn’t expect it to mean much but it was there.
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, familiar already with the school, Volunteering, Tutoring ELL students, and ethnicity
Weaknesses: Consistent Cs in high math classes, though brought it up to a B in the end of Junior year, rest of grades are alright, ACT (got a 36 on English and Reading!)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably too boring or not quirky enough. I don’t know. It sucks,.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Northwestern, UMich, Knox College, UIC, U of I, Loyola, Notre Dame, Washington U.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I felt like my essays came from my heart and I am proud of it. Picking the essay that really speaks to me was very satisfying, even though it didn’t seem like it in the beginning. I think I just wasn’t smart enough to even be on par with the rest of the valedictorian presidents of everything I see in this thread. What can you do. I’ll admit my confidence has been hit quite a bit by seeing all these Accepted results.
.
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2320 (800 Math 730 CR 790 W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.44
Rank/Percentile: School only ranks in deciles, top 10% (Counselor mentioned in my rec that I’m third in my class though)
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Euro, Chem, US History, Computer Science, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics: 4, AP Calc AB, Language and Composition: 5
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Physics C E&M, AP Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP French, AP Government, Honors Sociology, AP Statistics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-finalist, National AP Scholar, Outstanding Service Award, FBLA awards, Quizbowl State Champions
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Future Business Leaders of America (President), Science Olympiad (President), Quizbowl Team (JV Captain), Chemistry Club (Co-president), National Honor Society (Food Drive Chair), National French Honor Society, Rocket Club (Research Manager)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: 165 hours at a Chinese Culture Center
Summer Activities: Chinese Culture Center, Took a Game Theory class at Penn
Essays:
Common App Essay - 7/10
Why Chicago - 9/10
Supplement -10/10 (I got a handwritten letter from the admissions counselor complimenting me on this essay )
Teacher Recommendations:
Chem Teacher - 9/10
Lang Teacher - should be good, I was one of two people in her class to get an A
Counselor Rec: should be good, we have a solid relationship
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went pretty well. We talked about feminism and deep dish pizza.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes (probably not going to get any…)
Projected Concentration: Econ/Statistics
State/Country: Pennsylvania
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None lol
Reflection
Strengths: SAT score, Essays, Leadership, Quizbowl
Weaknesses: No subject tests, no national awards, no music?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably a combination of my supplement and my leadership in school. I know my teacher recs were probably pretty good, too. I tried to show passion in my essays and think outside the box.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Berkeley, Columbia, Georgetown, Brown, Duke, NYU Stern , deferred at Wharton.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Super psyched! UChicago is an amazing school, but I think I’ll wait to hear back from my other colleges before making a decision. Congrats to all and best of luck!
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 32 but 33 superscore (35E 30M 31R 34S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank/Percentile: 7/245
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Euro (5), AP Cem (4), AP US (4), AP Lang (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus, AP Literature, Government, Economics, Physics, AP Physics online (worked all summer to pay for it, made sure I capitalized on that)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Outstanding Student - American Chemical Society, AP Scholar with Honor
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Marching band (percussion section leader), concert band, percussion ensemble, indoor percussion, jazz band, NHS
Job/Work Experience: Worked last summer for contractors uninstalling and installing windows at Coast Guard bases.
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at the local animal shelter on my free Saturdays, NHS
Summer Activities: None, but I got accepted to Stanford and UChicago’s but couldn’t afford them.
Essays: I worked really hard on these but submitted them without getting feedback from anyone, and wish I could have edited it a little more. I just wrote about what mattered to me and I think that’s really what they wanted to hear. I wrote about metal music and playing drums and my academic interests. I did the “mind that does not stick” essay and really enjoyed it. I find that if you turn part or all of your essay into a narrative, people really like it. I did write the optional essay. My “Why UChicago” essay was my longest one and I put a lot of thought into it.
Teacher Recommendations: My first one was by my AP Chem teacher and I think it was really great. I didn’t read it but she said it was killer. She loves me and thinks I’m a good student so I’m sure it helped me out a lot. My second was by my AP Calc teacher which was a littler more generic, but still had thought put into it (i read that one).
Interview: there were no alumni in my area
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Projected Concentration: Physics and Astronomy
State/Country: Alabama, US
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: lower-middle class?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, low income
Reflection
Strengths: I think the fact that I worked to take AP Physics online in my free time helped me out a lot. I’m pretty sure my first teacher recommendation also put me over the top.
Weaknesses: Definitely my ACT score. Just goes to show that standardized testing doesn’t make or break you. Show them your passions and your excitement for UChicago and the city of Chicago. Demonstrate a love of learning. If you’re reading this in the future, don’t get discouraged if your ACT is not a 35. You can make it. Don’t give up.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: honestly I feel like I didn’t play into the whole “put your best foot forward” thing, as in I just showed them who I was and they really liked it. Other than that, I feel like I’m academically average so I don’t that that’s what got me in.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to Pitt, UT Austin; no reply yet from Northwestern, Vanderbilt, or Rice
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Again, don’t get discouraged or overly confident with your ACT score, it definitely is NOT what determines your decision. Show them who you are and show them you’re unique, not just a robot who gets good grades.
Is there any sort of Facebook page for admitted EA students? Every other school I got into EA has a Facebook page, the BC kids even have a GroupMe
@HSTruman98 There is a Facebook page for admitted students. It’s been up since decisions were released. You can find it through your UChicago portal.
**Decision: Deferred **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 35 (35/35/34/36 10W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math 2, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank/Percentile: N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): Physics B, C, Calc BC, Macro, English Lang, Computer Science (5) US History (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, Bio, Micro, Psych, Spanish Lang, Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NM Commended, IL State Scholar, nothing big
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Swim Team - 4 Years Varsity (Team Co-Captain)
Band - 3 years
Freshman Leader
Club Swim
NHS
Job/Work Experience: Tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: NHS and Chinese School
Summer Activities: Research at NU
Swimming Club
Essays: Common App was good, UChicago’s were awful
Teacher Recommendations: FERPA
Counselor Rec: FERPA
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? no
Projected Concentration: Econ/Stats
State/Country: IL
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): negative hooks
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses: my essays were terrible
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at UM and Case
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Columbia, Cornell, Northwestern, WashU, GA Tech
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was a terrible fit for UChicago anyways so this didn’t hurt at all.
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size]
[ b]Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 35 one sitting, 800R 710M 720W
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.96
Rank/Percentile:5/250
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH: 5 Calc AB: 5 Eng Comp: 5 Euro: 5 APES: 4
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat AP Spanish Ap theory Ap us gov Ap lit chamber choir hnors physcs
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):lol (NC Honors chorus?)
[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):Lots of chorus/theatre, varsity baseball, a cappellla… mostly depth in chorus stuff
Job/Work Experience: .5 year busboy (don’t even think this made it on the app)
Volunteer/Community Service: some but not significant
Summer Activities: GOvernors school, theater, volunteer stuff
Essays: CA: 7/10, Uncommon: tbh no idea. was def funny, went very weird, prolly depended on reader (8/10 maybe) why UC: 8/10 fav: fine
Teacher Recommendations: APUS teacher: 9/10, eng: 6 or 7/10 havent seen it didnt know me that well
Counselor Rec: 7/10 good relationship but she has a lot to do
Additional Rec:Chorus teacher 10/10 shit mustve been good.
Interview: might do for rd
[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? of course
Projected Concentration: Something social sciency
State/Country: NC
School Type: publico
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: my mom’s a school counselor…
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Straight, cis-gendered WASP both parents have masters
[ b]Reflection**
Strengths:test scores, i sing good
Weaknesses: essays probably but honestly they couldve loved them no idea
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Crapshoot, wasn’t good enough i spose (yet)
Where else you are applying or have already applied: no decisions yet, but: UNC UVA Brown Swarthmore Haverford Vandy DUke maybe some others
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
dont do drugs
**Decision: Deferred **
Objective:
SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2310 (780 M, 770 R, 760 W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800); Lit (760); Physics (740)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank/Percentile: N/a
AP (place score in parentheses): Enviro Sci (5); Macro (5); Micro (4); USH (5); Comp Sci (4); Lang (5); Stat (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C; AP Lit; AP Am. Gov; AP Comp. Gov; AP Calc AB; AP French;
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing important
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Decent, few leadership but nothing amazing
Job/Work Experience: Minimal
Volunteer/Community Service: Lots
Summer Activities: Volunteer Work; Princeton Research
Essays: 9/10; Everyone who read said were excellent
Teacher Recommendations: One was very good, other probably average
Counselor Rec: Average
Additional Rec: Very Good, from Princeton professor
Interview: No
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: Econ/CS/Philosophy
State/Country: NJ
School Type: Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection
Strengths: Essays
Weaknesses: GPA, EC’s
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA, Nothing exceptional
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Penn (deferred M&T), Harvard, Duke, Cornell, NYU, Michigan, Rutgers (Accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Focus on developing unique EC’s