Who gets accepted to UChicago?

BooBooBear
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:56:25 +0000

We had a talk with our admissions counselor, and I got the impression that U Chicago ideally looks for an intellectual/social “fit” in a candidate that supersedes pure stats, which means a kid with lesser stats but a specific personality might be admitted over that otherwise objectively “superior” student.

Translated, essays and recommendations probably carry more weight than usual with U Chicago. It is tough on forums like CC to understand and explain this in examples, because the normal “What are my chances?” thread is necessarily limited to focusing far more on GPA, test scores, and the list of ECs. With U Chicago, the issue probably is not whether your teachers/counselor gave you an outstanding recommendation or not, but exactly how they described you in characterizing your qualities. Two people can be equally brilliant, creative, and hard-working, but one might be a perfect fit for Brown and the other for MIT, so likewise U Chicago may have a distinct view on its perfect “fit” in the students it admits.