***University of Chicago 2019 RD Results

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
61

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite (35 E, 36 M, 32 R, 34 S, 10 E)
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): 34 Composite (35 E, 36 M, 32 R, 34 S, 10 E)
[] SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 800 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
[] Weighted GPA: N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (Top 10%)
[] AP (place score in parentheses):
[] IB (place score in parentheses): Predicted Grades - IB Mathematics HL (7), IB Physics HL (7), IB Chemistry HL (7), IB English A Literature SL (6), IB Spanish Ab Initio SL (7), IB Economics SL (7), IB Theory of Knowledge & Extended Essay in Mathematics (2/3) - 43/45
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma (classes mentioned above)
[] Number of other applicants in your school: 8-9
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] CIE IGCSE Distinction (8 As and 1 A), nothing major.

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Piano (Playing for 11 years and appeared for the Grade 8 ABRSM Examination this year), Cricket (Playing for 7 years; Captain of my team in my junior year; Best bowler this year) Drama (Lead Role in Production last year; HOD of Drama for school festival)
[] Job/Work Experience: Programming Intern at an Indian Space Facility
[] Volunteer/Community service: Founded a program called Ears2See, where I create travel recordings for Blind Students at the National Association for the Blind. [/ul]
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[] Common App Main: Me reflecting on why I opted to audition for our Whole School production, 20 minutes before actually performing.
[] EC Short Answer: Piano and how it has sustained me through the years.
[] Extended essay(which topic): Groups of Three - How three objects from the hit TV Show ‘How I met your Mother’, reflected my own life decisions and inspired me to do more with myself.
[] Optional Essay: Just a list of books, magazines, music, plays and editorials I enjoy.
[li] Why Chicago: How I wanted to use the interdisciplinary focus and research opportunities at UChicago to implement a linguistic translation software for the people at the National Association of the Blind. Talked about the opportunities related to computational linguistics & applied math at UChicago and my passion to bring these blind individuals into our workforce. Also talked about the clubs and overall environment.[/li]
[] Other:[/ul]
[li] Teacher Recommendation #1: English teacher I’ve grown attached to over the past few months, also a counsellor. Probably good.[/li][] Teacher Recommendation #2: Physics teacher who loved my internship, must’ve been alright.
[] Counselor Rec: She can sell people pretty well.
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[] Interview: No interview
[] Art Supplement:[/list] Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: On the date of the deadline.
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant): India (US Citizen)
[] School Type: Private
[] Ethnicity: American-Indian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket:
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Well rounded, good IGCSE and predicted grades, standardised scores were fine.
[] Weaknesses: Recall getting a 4 in a Math HL test and a few 5s/Bs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No Clue
[] What would you have done differently?:[/ul]

Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:

62

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I:2300 (740R 770M 790W 11E)
ACT:didn’t take it
SAT II: Chem 770, Math II 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): around 4.0; Weighted 4.10
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no ranking
AP scores: BC Calc 5, AB Calc sub 5, Chem 4, Macroecon 5, Microecon 4
IB scores: n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Stats, AP Enviro, AP Physics, AP Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): many math, language awards (regional, school, etc)
Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
Volunteer/Community service: over 150 hrs for IB
Common App Main: 9.5/10, a genuine essay about myself
Extended essay(which topic): 9/10: “words/phrases that cannot be translated”- talked about my culture
Optional Essay:
Why Chicago: 8-9/10
Other:
Teacher Recommendation: not sure didn’t look
Counselor Rec: no clue; prolly very good
Interview: yes she loved me- 10/10
Art Supplement: none
Date Submitted App: i don’t remember
School Type: private, rigorous
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: middle-high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: i’ve been changing schools alot, my past experiences, volunteer work, dental internships, grades, scores, essays, community involvement
Weaknesses: no big national awards, sat is superscored
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: quirky essay, personality, visit, interview, gpa
What would you have done differently?:more research stuff, internship
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: wow i can’t believe im in uchicago!
these threads really helped me alot back when i was applying to colleges. so i hope my thread also helps you guys too! if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to message me at any time! good luck to you guys all :slight_smile:

63

**Decision: Accepted**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (700R, 700W, 740M)
ACT (breakdown): 35 ( 32R, 34E, 36M, 36S)
SAT II: ( 800 Math Level 2, 800 Chemistry, 800 Physics)

Unweighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a

O-Levels/GCSE: 13As 1A
Senior Year Course Load: 7 A-Level Courses (predicted 4As 3As)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2 Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards; many regional/school awards

Subjective:
…
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Internship/Leadership Program at the world’s largest interest-free micro-finance organization (Head Intern/Director Publications/Media)
  • National Math Olympiad (top 20 of country)
  • National Physics Olympiad (top 50 of country)
  • Intel National Science Fair Finalist (project was a computerized system for medicine delivery in underdeveloped areas)
  • Runners Up at a local ’ educational space-camp’ (http://buraqsociety.org/)
  • Computational Biology Research Project
  • Spent a year in a Germany
    …
    Job/Work Experience:
  • Internship as web developer
    …
    Volunteer/Community service:
  • LGBT rights work (head of statistical collection group)
  • organized microfinance-related charity fair
    …
    Summer Activities:
  • reading about physics
  • learning prgramming (C++, HTML, XML)
  • Computational Biology Research Project
    …
    Essays:
  • Common App: 9/10
  • Supplement “why you are here and non somewhere else” 10/10
  • Why UChicago: 10/10
  • list: 10/10
    …
    Teacher Recommendations:
  • History 9/10
  • Math 8/10
    …
    Counselor Rec: 8/10
    Additional Rec: -
    Short Answer Questions: -

Interview: -

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics/Philosophy/Math
State (if domestic applicant): -
Country (if international applicant): Pakistan
School Type: -
Ethnicity: Pakistani/Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: -

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:

Strengths:

  • exceptional grades, good scores, heavy course load
  • research supplement

What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:

  • focused on my love for questions; very philosophical app

Weaknesses:

  • extracurricular activities
  • community service
  • essays maybe
  • interview not done

Why you think you were accepted:

  • extremely philosophical essays and application

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at MIT, GeorgiaTech.

Notes:

Wohoo! UChicago :D

64

[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted

[ b]Objective:**
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): -
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown): -
[ *] ACT (breakdown): 34
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown): 34
[ *] SAT II: WH 770, USH 760, Bio-E 700
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.9
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 35/616
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): 9 Exams taken. five 5’s, three 4’s. one 3.
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): -
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: Strong on AP’s, 1 honors, 1 dual-enrollment
[ *] Number of other RD applicants in your school: 1 or 2
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:**[ list] National AP Scholar, QuestBridge National College Match Finalist and College Prep Scholar, 1st Place in DECA states, 1st place in UFlorida MUN Conference, 2nd place in UMiami MUN Conference, etc.
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): School Academic Team, County Academic Team (Foreign Language Expert), DECA, MUN (Treasurer and VP), Latin American club (Treasurer and VP), Congressional Youth Cabinet, Democratic Party Youth Leadership Academy, etc.
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Self-employed Tutor for struggling students in Spanish 1 and 2, Model at Abercrombie & Fitch
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] Sunday School teacher for 2 years, helped at local food banks, etc.

[ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list]
[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: Very good, potent about leaving my country. 9/10
[ *] EC Short Answer: Great. About MUN conference experiences. 9/10
[ *] Extended essay(which topic): (Untranslateable word) Very good. Talked about how I taught myself German. 9/10
[ *] Optional Essay: Simple and to the point. I just stated what I like to read in my free time online and such. 8/10.
[ *] Why Chicago: specific but allowed my personal connection to UChicago shine through. 9/10.
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: Very well written, shows my abilities and performance in classroom.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: Simpler but passionate and sincere. Loved it.
[ *] Counselor Rec: She’s amazing and she does appreciate my person so it was good too.
[ *] Additional Rec: None.
[ *] Interview: Fantastic!! Interviewer went there for Master’s but he enjoyed talking with me. Finance major but soft-spoken. Lasted about an hour and I showed him I knew a lot about the school.

[ b]Other**[ list]
[ *] Date Submitted App: Nov. 1, 2014 (QuestBridge National College Match process)
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Florida
[ *] Country (if international applicant): International residing in US. Venezuelan and Spanish citizen.
[ *] School Type: Public, large.
[ *] Ethnicity: Hispanic, White, Middle Eastern
[ *] Gender: Male
[ *] Income Bracket: less than $60k
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] URM, passionate about International Relations with hands-on expertise. Good at writing.

[ b]Reflection**[ list]
[ *] Strengths: Essays, extracurriculars, most grades, test scores.
[ *] Weaknesses: Math grades weren’t so hot…2 C’s overall.
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m passionate and quirky about my major. I have drive and initiative, and I characterize myself as ambitious.
[ *] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list] Nothing :smile:

[ b]Other Factors:** BEING INTERNATIONAL…need-aware application with 4% acceptance rate. No idea how I got a full ride.

[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:** Congratulations to all those who got in! I certainly wasn’t expecting it even though I tried so hard on my app. Deferred EA but don’t give up hope, future applicants! :smiley: never give up!!

65

[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:**[ list]

[ *] SAT I: 1680 Superscore (600CR, 530M, 550W)

[ *] ACT: 26 Composite (26R, 25W, 24M, 27S)

[ *] SAT II: None

[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.53

[ *] Weighted GPA: 5.305

[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3rd out of 86

[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): APES (3) APUSH (3) APLang (3)

[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): None

[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish Lang, AP English Lit, Physics, Pre-Cal Honors, Allied Health Assisting, AP Psychology, Personal and Family Finance. DE: Music Appreciation, Public Speaking, College Algebra, General Biology, Intro to Chemistry, Human Growth and Development.

[/list] [ b]Subjective:**[ list]

[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NSSHS, FEA

[ *] Job/Work Experience: None

[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Neurologist’s Office and at local hospital

[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list]

[ *] Essays (Include Subjects):[ list]
[ *] Common App Main: 8

[ *] Extended essay(which topic): Why here and not there? 9

[ *] Why Chicago: 7

[ *] Other:[/list]

[ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: 10

[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: 8

[ *] Counselor Rec: Generic

[ *] Interview: None

[/list] [ b]Other**[ list]

[ *] Date Submitted App: November 19th

[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Florida

[ *] School Type: Charter

[ *] Ethnicity: Hispanic

[ *] Gender: Male

[ *] Income Bracket: Under $40,000

[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen.

[/list] [ b]Reflection**[ list]

[ ] Strengths: Essays
[ ] Weaknesses:
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I don’t know honestly.
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors:
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc:

66

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[] SAT I superscore (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT (breakdown): English 31 Math 36 Reading 34 Science 32
[] ACT superscore (breakdown): Only took once
[] SAT II: Math 2 800
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
[] Weighted GPA: Not done at my school
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[] AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4) US History (3) Calculus BC (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro/Micro, Required English, AP Physics C, AP Mandarin, AP Computer Science, Multivariable Calculus/Differential Equations, Government
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None [/ul]
**Subjective: **[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
[] Job/Work Experience: Internship at a historical art preservation organization
[] Volunteer/Community service:Red Cross[/ul]
**Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best): **[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[] Common App Main: 8/10
[] Extended essay(which topic): pH 9/10 One of the best papers I’ve ever written
[] Optional Essay: 7/10 Just listed out things I love
[] Why Chicago: 8/10 Mostly concerned about my own beliefs about education.
[] Other:[/ul][li] Teacher Recommendation #1: Math 10/10 I love her so much and she loved me <3[/li][] Teacher Recommendation #2: Social Studies 8/10 He’s the absolute sweetest guy ever and a great writer.
[] Counselor Rec: 7/10 He knows my dad pretty well and I grew up knowing him lol
[] Additional Rec: Nope
[] Interview: We hit it off so well! It was really chill and we just talked about a bunch of stuff.
[] Art Supplement:Nah [/list] Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Day it was due :’)
[] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Feeder
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: ~$150k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not much[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays, courses I’ve taken throughout the years.
[] Weaknesses: Scores/GPA/the 3 on APUSH
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, I’ve no clue. I’m extremely blessed and thankful for this!
[] What would you have done differently?: Submitted the app earlier! [/ul]
Other Factors:
**General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: ** Congrats to everybody who made it! May those on the waitlist be at the very top and those denied get into something amazing.

67

** Decision: Accepted **

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 M, 800 W, 790 R)
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 US History, 770 Chemistry
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
[] Weighted GPA: 4.91
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/673
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5), US History (5), World History (5), English Language (5), Spanish Language (5)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP English Literature, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, Soccer, Drawing IV
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist (PSAT 221)
[/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Soccer (Captain), National Honor Society (Executive Board), National Spanish Honor Society (Secretary), Art, math tutoring, Spanish Club (Historian), Key Club
[] Job/Work Experience: Internship at Whole Foods Tech Dept.
[li] Volunteer/Community service: Humane Society[/li][/ul]

Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects): I wrote all the essays the night they were due. Wouldn’t recommend.

Odd numbers (10) - Did a short proof by induction, talked about how pattern recognition can be deceptive. I absolutely loved how this essay turned out. The prompt was perfect for me, esp. because I want to go into math.
Why uChicago (5) - I barely finished this one, and it had to be heavily edited because I started at 11:45 and wrote it in about ten minutes. It was pretty unfocused. I feel bad because it doesn’t do the school much justice.
Optional essay (10)- Wrote about synesthesia and how I think there’s a strong connection between El Greco’s View of Toledo and Keane’s Atlantic. I loved this essay.
[] Common App Main: (8) Wrote about the art garage at my school. Not my favorite topic, but it was really well-written.
[] Teacher Recommendation #1: Math
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Physics. Not sure the quality of either of these, but I really think highly of and admire both of these teachers.

[] Counselor Rec: I go to a huge school, so I’m not really sure.
[] Interview: Didn’t have one!
[li] Art Supplement: Sent in five of my art pieces. I think it was pretty strong. Message me if you want to see.[/li][/ul]

Other [ul]
[] Date Submitted App: Pretty sure I submitted it late. I’m a terrible procrastinator.
[] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Female
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: GPA, test scores, art supplement, major (math)
[] Weaknesses: My “Why uChicago” essay was absolutely terrible.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’ve worked really hard the past four years.
[] What would you have done differently?: Not procrastinated. Luckily, I got away with it though.
[/ul]

68

WAITLISTED :neutral_face:

SAT I (breakdown): Total: 2220- Critical Reading- 750 Math - 720 Writing - 750
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Chemistry 780 Math 2 750 Biology Molecular
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 AP Psychology 5 AP Calculus AB 4 Chemistry 3 World History
IB (place score in parentheses): 5 IB Visual Arts 5 Mathematics
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC IB History of America HL 2 IB Biology HL 2, AP Spanish/IB Spanish, IB English HL2, Theory of Knowledge IB, AP Physics C Mechanics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some art competitions, international Automotive Denmark Competition, Congressional Art Competition, national honors, AP Awards,

[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Screen Actors Guild Member, Professional Actor in Movies/TV productions, Red carpet photographer for galas and movie premieres, Employed by Kaiser Permanente for Summer job, Editor in Chief of High School Newspaper, created Squash club for underprivileged kids, Model for Ford Models Agency in 9th grade, Robotics Club Semi-finalist in FIRST competition, Founder of Environmental Club Association in School
Job/Work Experience: Actor Red carpet photographer, and worked as a Host in italian restaurant
Volunteer/Community Service: 400+ Hours, Costa Rica Service Project,
Summer Activities: Red carpet photographer going to LA and photographing televised award shows such as the Golden Reel Awards
Essays: About my red carpet photographer and the other is about how I had Heart surgery and that is why I want to be a cardiologist
Teacher Recommendations: Great, one from psychology teacher and one from the best math teacher in the world (literally he is, he got awards for it)
Counselor Rec: good
Additional Rec: None but sending now since i got deffered from my acting manager
Interview: great super long, he asked detailed questions

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? NO
Projected Concentration: Psychology
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Prep School
Ethnicity: Caucasian/White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ACTOR?!?

[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: crazy weird ECs, good unique essays
Weaknesses: SAT score? AP SCORES.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am thinking my acting is not a good fit for harvard since it is in boston and that city has no opportunities. Really dissapointed though
Where else you are applying or have already applied: ALL 8 Ivys
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Please PM me if you want my essays and common app, add me on facebook I need opinions. This deferral has made me lost all hope

69

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
SAT I:2320
ACT:36
SAT II:Math 2 800 - Chem 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.8w)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500 u (6/500 w)
AP scores: 5s in Calc BC, Chem, USH, English
Senior Year Course Load:AP Stats, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP English, AP Music Theory, orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Science Olympiad - national medal winner, National Merit Finalist
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Orchestra, Boy Scouts, Math club, Science Olympiad
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Boy Scout Camp Counselor, 1 year Presidential Service gold award
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:Did not see. Should of been very good.
Counselor Rec:Did not see.
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other
State (if domestic applicant):Midwest
School Type:Large public
Ethnicity:W
Gender:M
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: Grades, test scores
Weaknesses: Essays?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Waitlisted: WashU, Harvey Mudd
General Comments:
:frowning:

70

[ size=+2][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected**[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:**[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2010 (Math 720, CR 690, W 600)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: math V and VI, lit, economics, art history, painting, sculpture, drawing, world history, psychology, bio,
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): varsity volleyball, yearbook, newspaper editor, lit club, painted 2 murals at school, spelling b, national merit award finalist
[ *] Job/Work Experience: assistant at an Art Gallery
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: volunteer at a dog’s shelter and educational cultural center for kids
[ *] Other:[/list][ *] Teacher Recommendation #1: meh
[ *] Teacher Recommendation #2: amazing
[ *] Counselor Rec: pretty good
[ *] Art Supplement: I’ve had two group art exhibitions (photography and oil painting) that’s what I submitted, it was great I think.
[ *] Country (if international applicant): Mexico
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Strengths: recs and essays
[ ] Weaknesses: test scores I guess
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Test scores weren’t good enough, and I was also applying for Aid.
[ ] What would you have done differently?:[/list][/list][ b]Other Factors: I totally regret not preparing myself enough for the SAT
[ b]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: UChicago was my dream college, so… well I guess I’ll survive. Congrats to all who got accepted (:

71

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800M/730CR/790W)
SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2390 (800M/800CR/790W)
ACT: not taken
SAT II: Chemistry – 780, US History – 790, Math II – 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Chemistry (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, AP Mandarin, AP Spanish, AP Physics C, AP Calc AB, English Elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist?

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Piano, Skating, Debate, Racing, Engineering-related internship, Foreign Exchange (Sorry I’m being really vague)
Job/Work Experience: Paid internship at a university, Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: Peer tutoring, Counselor for kids, Hospital, NHS
Summer Activities: Aforementioned hospital volunteering, volunteering as counselor, and internships
Essays: Spent a lot of time on these, though I’m a pretty bad judge of my own work.
Teacher Recommendation #1: Very good.
Teacher Recommendation #2: No idea, but we had a good relationship.
Counselor Rec: No idea. I go to a big high school, so it probably could be better.

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: Asian/White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection: Not terribly disappointed or surprised
Strengths: SAT, female in engineering
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, no interest
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My application was hardly stunning lol
General Comments: Congrats to those who got in!!!

72

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (790 CR, 740 M, 780 W, 10 Essay)
[] ACT (breakdown): 33 (32 E, 30 M, 34 R, 35 S)
[] SAT II: Molecular Bio 730, Eco Bio 700, Math 2 700
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Weighted GPA: Cumulatively 4.5, Currently 5.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/175
[] AP (place score in parentheses): A smattering of 4s
[] Senior Year Course Load: All AP everything
[] Number of other applicants in your school: only me
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Don’t really feel like detailing everything. I basically had all of the standard stuff, nothing too crazy.

[] Job/Work Experience: Hard manual labor.

[] Volunteer/Community service: tons. Approaching 800 hours. Raised 40,000 for a family saddled with high medical bills from an unexpected cancer case [/ul] Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):[ul]
[] Essays (Include Subjects):[list]
[] Common App Main: 9/10
[] EC Short Answer: 9/10
[] Extended essay(which topic): Three things. 9/10
[] Optional Essay: Hilarious. Best college essay that I wrote. 10/10
[] Why Chicago: Cookiecutter. 7/10
[] Other:[/ul][] Teacher Recommendation #1: Standard stuff
[] Teacher Recommendation #2: Standard stuff
[] Counselor Rec: she hates me
[] Additional Rec: glowing!
[] Interview: Didn’t do one
[] Art Supplement:[/list] Other[ul]
[] Date Submitted App: on deadline
[] State (if domestic applicant): CALIFORNIA (NORTH)
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Rural, public, gross
[] Ethnicity: White/Latino
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: ~150k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: URM, Essays
[] Weaknesses: SATII Scores
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I dunno
[] What would you have done differently?: No regrets [/ul]**Other Factors: **[ul]
[*]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Sup UChicago homies [/ul]

73

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1940 (670R/660M/610W), didn’t send to any schools that didn’t require it (used ACT+W)
ACT (breakdown): 33C (30M/35R/35S/34E/8W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 650 Physics (ouch)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 U/W, 4.23W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/237
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (4), Biology (4), Psychology (5), Calc AB (3), English Lang (3), APUSH (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Music Theory, AP Statistics, AP Physics C: Mech, AP English Lit, AP Euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist, QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, NCFL Qualified (top 6 in state)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech/Debate, National Beta Club (4 years, Senior Representative and Vice President), National Honor Society, Science Club, Guitar, Piano
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Over 200 hrs from various projects
Summer Activities: Freelance programming, volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- My essay is based around my love of technology/computers (what I’m most passionate about), but it’s not the best thing I’ve ever written (7)
College Essays- Good (7/8)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Physics Teacher (9) - Knows me very well and how much I am dedicated to my education
Teacher Rec #2: Psychology Teacher (8) - I was one of the best students in his psych class
Counselor Rec: I have not spent a lot of time with my counselor, but she is known to write excellent recommendations. She knows of the hardships I have faced and how I have overcame them. (9/10)
Additional Rec: None
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Sci
State (if domestic applicant): KY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Med/Large Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Below 30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, economic/family hardship

Reflection

Strengths: I have taken the toughest course load possible at my HS, and I am also the valedictorian. My ECs show that I am well rounded.
Weaknesses: I have not done anything extraordinary in any of my ECs, and my test scores are not the strongest although I did not have to send my inadequate SAT score to any college that didn’t require it.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Guess I wasn’t what they were looking for.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: nowhere but state schools
Waitlisted: Duke, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt
Rejected: Caltech, MIT, Swarthmore

General Comments: Pretty bummed that I haven’t gotten in anywhere. Not quite sure how any of those waitlists are going to turn out. Just waiting on the Ivies now.

Congratulations to everyone that got in!

74

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 2070 (650M, 720CR, 710W)
• ACT: 31 (35 English, 26 Math, 36 Reading, 28 Science, 8 Writing)
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.3
• Weighted GPA: They don’t tell us
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 38%
• AP (place score in parentheses): ELCAP (4)
• IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP American Government, Speech, English IV, AP Microeconomics, Anatomy & Physiology, Health Science II, Cheerleading IV
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Scholastic Art & Writing? (Regionally)
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Founded and run a literary magazine and a project that empowers women, customize skincare routines for people at my school, run a skincare/social justice blog.
• Job/Work Experience: Junior year worked for Aeropostale and Kumon Tutoring Center
• Volunteer/Community service: Raise money through T-shirts for environmental conservation, raised books for a library in Malawi
Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
Essays (Include Subjects):
• Common App Main: 4 – It was about Dungeons and Dragons and being yourself…? It was terrible actually.
• Extended essay(which topic): Growing up idolizing Disney princesses and yet looking like none of them/ growing up as the only Black person in my neighborhood (8/10)
• Optional Essay:
• Why Chicago: Wrote as if UChicago was a boy I liked (9/10)
Other:
• Teacher Recommendation #1: Cheerleading coach that idolizes me but can’t write very well (7/10)
• Teacher Recommendation #2: Health Science teacher (9/10)
• Counselor Rec: I talk to her a lot but I don’t think she likes me too much (6/10)
• Additional Rec: Didn’t have one
• Interview: Didn’t have one
Other
• Date Submitted App: 1/5
• State (if domestic applicant): TX
• School Type: Really good public, second in our district
• Ethnicity: Black
• Gender: F
• Income Bracket: ~110K
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, idk
Reflection
• Strengths: My essays were pretty good I guess, I write a lot outside of school and most of my extracurriculars play to my strengths
• Weaknesses: My GPA, obviously lol
• Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My scores weren’t really high enough to compensate for my GPA if that kind of thing even happens, but my essays were pretty thoughtful
• What would you have done differently?: Would’ve walked my teachers through writing a recommendation, most of them just repeated my activities list
• Other Factors: …
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: I’m lucky I was even considered, like I’m not really up to par with anyone else who applied at my school aka the AP kids lol (but they got rejected so there’s that)

75

WAITLISTED

SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34, 35 weighted (35M, 35W, 32R, 35S)
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology (5), US Gov’t (5), Stats (4), English Lang (5), Physics B (4), Macroecon (4), APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): School doesn’t offer
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Chem, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, Peer Tutoring, AP Music Theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): PSAT/NMSQT Commended Student, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): school & local youth orchestra, orchestra pit in a couple musicals, NHS, youth advisory council (met with local senator regularly), swim team freshman year, Scholastic Bowl, WYSE Team
Job/Work Experience: violin tutor
Volunteer/Community service: 130+ hours at a local hospital
Summer Activities: traveled to India to meet family, summer school
Essays: they were decent, but I think they lacked creativity (for UChicago standards)
Teacher Recommendation: should have been pretty good, didn’t get to read them though
Counselor Rec: should have been good as well
Additional Rec: N/A

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
Intended Major: biochem, chem, neuroscience, robotics and intelligent systems
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection:

Strengths: ranking, GPA, course load, violin
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: my love for learning, I guess
Weaknesses: lack of extracurriculars? no hooks, Asian (lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: essays, ^weaknesses
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at Loyola, Missouri State, Notre Dame, Purdue, U of I at Urbana-Champaign, UW Madison, Deferred/waitlisted at MIT, UChicago, Northwestern, Rejected at MIT, Duke (still waiting for ivy d-day!!)
Notes: I was deferred, then waitlisted… :confused: Congratulations to everyone who got accepted!!

76

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (M: 770, CR: 730, W: 750)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: English: 700 Maths II: 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 5 A Levels
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gold Senior Maths Challenge, a couple of national awards in academics

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Own Business, Debating, Environmental Activism, Music, TV Show
Job/Work Experience: Business, Teaching Piano
Volunteer/Community service: Activism Work
Summer Activities: Hiking, Internship at Bank
Essays: Common App was okay, Supplements were good.
Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t see them but were probably okay.
Counselor Rec: No idea.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Didn’t have one.
Supplementary Material:

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): UK
School Type: State School
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: M
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): Enough to qualify for near full-ride
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses: Essays weren’t amazing
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I DON’T KNOW!!!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Stanford, UChicago, Duke (Karsh International Scholarship), Yale-NUS
Waitlisted: Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth
Rejected: Harvard, Cornell, Brown

**General Comments: **
No idea how this happened. I never thought I had a shot at UChicago as I need a lot of aid and they are needs aware for internationals.

77

Hey guys! Do you mind to tell what major you applied for and you get admitted or denied or waitlisted?

I started a thread but it seems like no body can answer that!

I got waitlisted with biology major.

And there’s a problem I can’t copy and paste the breakdowns. I will write a bit about myself.

State: MI
GPA: on 4.0 scale : 3.9
Ap classes: ap chem ap bio and ap calc ( I joined this school this year)
Ec: 2 international research projects:
One in engineering field and one in Nanotechnology
Volley Ball player
Studenet government
Act: 26
Sat: naver taken
Sat ii: didn’t send
RL: pretty sure they wrote good letters

78

[ size=+2] [ color=red] [ b] Decision: Rejected ** [/color] [/size]

[ b]Objective:**
[ *] SAT I (breakdown):
[ *] ACT: 29 (33 English 34 Reading 26 Science 24 Math)
[ *] SAT II:
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.047; my school doesn’t do unweighted)
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/106
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Stats
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Diploma Candidate (elective french ab initio)
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma Candidate
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

[ /list][ b]Subjective:**
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity swim 3 yrs (state qualifier), mock trial 3 yrs (regional champions, eighth at state tournament), my school doesn’t offer much
[ *] Job/Work Experience: McDonald’s crew member 1 yr
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: NHS, CAS
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays: Very good!!! I write very well (when I’m not writing on online forums)
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: a bit bland, i did get to read them; however, they did talk about my respect for education and for faculty, which i thought described me well
[ *] Counselor Rec:
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ *] Interview: very, very good!
[ *] Supplementary Material:

[ /list][ b]Other**
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: rural public (and not a very good public school. only 25% of students go to a university after graduation. my ib class is only four students. not a well-known school. few have ever gone out of state.
[ *] Ethnicity: white
[ *] Gender: female
[ *] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate):
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): rural gal who wants a taste of city life, mock trial

[ /list][ b]Reflection**
[ *] Strengths: the essays really described my love for the school. i visited it four times! the interview was fantastic.
[ *] Weaknesses: act score, not a very impressive high school at all
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: competitive applicant pool
[ *] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was originally deferred EA. Denied: Columbia, Barnard, Northwestern; Waitlisted: NYU, UMich; Accepted: Loyola Chicago and Wayne State (both with high scholarships)

Congrats everybody!