[urgent] Chances!!! For Rd

Colleges & Universities University of Chicago
1

<p>Background
I am Korean, I hav lived 13years in Korea, then I moved to Australian International school in Singapore due to my father’s job. In australian school, I suffered a lot in the beginning especially in year 10 due to the lack of English</p>

<p>SAT I Verbal 580 Maths 800 Writing 470
SAT II Maths Level2 800 Physics 770</p>

<p>GPA
Year 9 (KOREA) 4.0/4.0
YEAR 10 (Singapore) 2.0/4.0 (??? -_-;:wink:
YEAR 11 (Singapore) 3.8/4.0
YEAR 12 (Singapore) 4.2/4.0 (1st in 4 subjects 2nd in Physics)
Ranking in Senior year (1st or 2nd out of 60 students)</p>

<p>Awards
Australian Maths Competition 2002 Distinction top 4%
Australian Maths Competition 2003 Distinction top 2%
Australian Maths Competition 2004 Distinction top 7%
Computer Competition Credits top 11% 2002~2005
8 Principal Awards (Academic, getting 1st in subjects)
The most improved student (Principal award) in year 10
Representing my school for Business Global Competition (issued by Prime Minister of England)
University Admission Index (similar to SAT scores but for Australian Universities) projected 97 ~ 99.4% </p>

<p>Course
ESL (In australian system, if the student has not attended English speaking school for more than 5 years, he/she must take ESL in year 11 and 12)
Maths (1st)
Maths Ext. 1 (1st)
Maths Ext. 2 (Equal level to Further maths in A level (University 2nd year maths) (1st, 45% above the class average)
Software And Design (similar to Computer ap)
Physics (there is no Physics AP in Australian education system) </p>

<p>ECA
Translator in school
School Magazine Designer
Badminton
Tennis
Table Tennis</p>

<p>OTHER STUFF
consistently learning piano
Designing and managing a personal website (roughly 2500 members currently)
tutoring year 11 (Calculus BC and Physics)
50 hours of volunteering community services </p>

<p>Recomandation letters
from maths teacher (head of maths department)
from Principal
from English teacher
from Physics teacher</p>

<p>Finance
do not need at all… (wonder whether this helps or not…) </p>

<p>Alrite… these are my status…
here are few questions…</p>

<li><p>My SAT I scores are very low… especially writing scores…
would writing scores heart my chance? (How much will it be considered? (compare to Maths and Verbal Scores…)</p></li>
<li><p>I am ESL student… But Australian ESL class is bit different from American school’s ESL course, since we do all the subjects as what other studnets do, and compete with all of them as well. However the only difference is that in only ENGLISH class, we compete only within the ESL class. This face would heart my chance?, if i explain this?</p></li>
<li><p>Do not require any financial aid… This would help?</p></li>
<li><p>I want to study maths or physics… How competitive in these courses? Are they really competitive in U of Chicago ?</p></li>
<li><p>FINALLY ! What is my chances ? for maths or physics course in U of Chicago!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks for spending your valuable time reading this…</p>

2

<p>I think that you should probably take the TOEFL - the difficulty with your verbal/writing score is due (in part at least) to the fact that you are not a native speaker. Also, the fact that you do not need finaid will help, as that is limited for internationals. </p>

<p>Your challege will be to explain grade 10, and convince them that your ability to adapt has improved greatly since then. If your principal can address this in his letter if would be a good thing. You don’t want of have to go into a lot of detail about it and come off as whiny - but issue needs to be addressed. This (and the TOEFL) is true for the other schools to which you will apply as well. </p>

<p>I certainly think it is worth applying. With a reasonable TOEFL, letters and essays, I think you could consider it a reasonable reach. One of the things that you should consider, though, are the core requirements. You will have to take a significant number of humanities and civilization courses (along with your math and physics). They will require a good bit of writing - if this is not appealing to you, you may not be very happy first-second year.</p>

3

<p>I think you could get in, if you raise your verbal and/or take the TOEFL. In fact, as a non-native speaker, you MUST take it.</p>

<p>I bet you could get in if you really concentrate on your essays and make sure they are 100% grammatically correct and creative. I have a friend who is applying EA, too, and (although I offered to edit her essays) she submitted some with completely awful grammar and really poor word choice. I think it will definitely hurt her in her admissions.</p>

<p>Your math will definitely help. Don’t worry so much about sophmore year, but include a letter explaining it. That makes a huge difference.</p>

4

<p>the ugly truth is that you’re not getting in. 800M, dime a dozen. get an 800cr and a low math, you still have a chance. with those scores how do you expect to handle the essays from uchi? if the essays are out of this world, all uchi has to do is pull up your sat essay and realize that you probably didn’t write the uchi essay. if your uchi essay reflects your sat I writing score, you’re in trouble, either way, the best course of action is apply to bowdoin, sat’s optional.</p>

5

<p>OK, maybe getting in isn’t as easy as I made it seem.</p>

<p>however, it is a $50 bet on your future…why not just try? The worst thing they can do is reject you.</p>

6

<p>Bowdoin is pretty particular about grades - I would be concerned there, too. However, if the OP has some solid matches with good physics/math and a generous admit rate, applying to a reach or two is fine. Case, RPI, URochester might be good possibilities.</p>

7

<p>i only mentioned bowdoin because sat’s are optional and the posters grades don’t appear to be as bad as the sats</p>

8

<p>That’s true - but Bowdoin’s RD rate and EDII rates are pretty low. OTOH, they are good for math/science, and might be interested in the OP to give them a more diverse class. And … the food is supposed to be excellent. Beautiful place.</p>

9

<p>beautiful place? who cares, 6 out of the 10 months poster would be there, poster would probably be huddled inside because of the snow. good food on the other hand…</p>