How to Get into UChicago - Personal Tips and Profile

Introduction

• Presenter: Elijah Jenkins
• Purpose: Share personal experiences and tips for getting into the University of Chicago (UChicago).
• Audience: First-generation, low-income students.
• Disclaimer: Not a brag, but a guide to help others.

General Info

• Location: Arizona
• School: Private all-boys school with 320 students
• Class Rank: Between top 10-20%
• Application: Applied Early Action (non-binding)
• Intended Majors: History or Law, Letters, and Society (LLS)

Application Tips

• Early Action/ED: Most slots filled through ED1, ED2, or Early Action.
• Undecided Major: Not a deal breaker at UChicago.

Stats and Grades

• Freshman Year: 3 B's
• Sophomore Year: 4 B's, 2 A- (due to leg injury)
• Junior Year: Improved, but one B+
• Senior Year: All A's (important for applications)

Courses and APs

• Took a total of 11 AP classes:
  • Sophomore Year: APUSH (3)
  • Junior Year: AP Bio (3, not sent), AP Lang (5), AP Macro (4), AP Psych (4, online), AP US Gov (5)
  • Senior Year: AP English Lit, AP Calculus AB, AP Environmental Science (online), AP European History, AP Comparative Government
  • Pointed out that AP classes should align with interests.

GPA

• Unweighted: 3.79
• Weighted: 4.2

Standardized Tests

• ACT: Took four times, highest score 30
• SAT: Took four times, highest score 1400
• Recommends focusing on one test and studying early
• Highlights that standardized tests aren't everything

Activities

• Utilized all 10 slots: Only include meaningful activities
• Examples:
  • Social Justice Initiatives (African-American Reconstruction, Seed Philanthropy)
  • City Phoenix District 4 Youth Advisory
  • Black Student Union (historian, secretary, president)
  • Culture Project
  • Model UN President
  • Mentorship Program
  • Student Council
  • Orchestra (section leader)
  • Admissions Guide

Honors and Awards

• Committed to Doing Justice Award: Sophomore and Junior year
• Gymnastics Regional: Placed second
• Poetry Out Loud Runner Up: Freshman and sophomore year
• AP Scholar with Distinction
• Tri-M Musical Honor Society

Essays

Common App Essay

• Prompt: Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that led to personal growth
• Topic: Gymnastics and the impact of breaking a leg on personal development

UChicago Essays

• Prompt: What's so easy about pie?
  • Topic: Relationship with grandmother and baking pies
• Why UChicago: Personal encounter with UChicago admissions officer
  • Described officer's unique style and linked it to UChicago's culture

Closing

• Message: No perfect way to get in; be passionate and authentic
• Contact: Open to questions via comments or Instagram