Anonymous wrote:Son is at UChicago now. He also had Swarthmore, Haverford, William & Mary, and Claremont McKenna College on his reach list.

Thanks to you and the posters above you. Can you share some “likelies” your kid looked at too? My DD independently came to me yesterday evening and said she had heard about Swarthmore and had looked at their website and it seemed like it could be fun. I will share the other suggestions with her too. But I do want to make sure she has a broad mix to include schools that she has a high likelihood of getting into.

It's a schools where fun goes to die. They are turning it into a school where students go and die.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious, my junior is very interested in UChicago but is all over the map in academic interests. He takes a tough course load and added on two more outside classes really against my wishes. He seems to be thrilled to take a core curriculum. He’s strong in all academic areas except any hands-on area of engineering. UChicago is strong in several of his interest areas.

So he’s a bit unfocussed but really likes a bunch of different subjects. Would UChicago be a good school for him?

How are his grades?

Very solid but not perfect. Highest rigor. 3.95 UW. Very tough private where he’s maybe top 20%. EC are mainly academic. So I agree UChicago is a reach for him.

How does a 3.95 UW at a very tough private only put him in the top 20%? That doesn't sound right to me at all. So the top 10% all has 4.0??? If so, that's not a "tough" private

School gives both a numerical and a 4.0 grade to students and on transcripts.

Son is at UChicago now. He also had Swarthmore, Haverford, William & Mary, and Claremont McKenna College on his reach list.

My son heading to U Chicago also had Swarthmore and Haverford on his list. 1) Academic intensity was there. The great things about Haverford and Swarthmore is that they can cross-register at Bryn Mawr, and there are 5-year program for different stem Masters degrees with U Penn, Pomon, and several other top schools.
2) In the environs of a big city, with great access to restaurants, arts, internships

He would have been really happy to go to Haverford but U Chicago was the dream. It was his perfect school for academics, freedom of thought and speech, D3 sports, and really interesting peer group.

Also you mentioned a daughter, so she could also add Bryn Mawr.

Anonymous wrote:From reading this thread, U Chicago sounds like the perfect place for my DD. I know she wants to apply there next year and she surely has the grades etc to be in contention. What are other schools she should put on her list so she has a good balance. We are in-state Virginia, so she is definitely applying to UVA too. But thats as far as we've gotten...

If she likes Chicago, she might want to look at Columbia and Colgate (core curricula), Swarthmore (called the small U Chicago because students are also intense).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious, my junior is very interested in UChicago but is all over the map in academic interests. He takes a tough course load and added on two more outside classes really against my wishes. He seems to be thrilled to take a core curriculum. He’s strong in all academic areas except any hands-on area of engineering. UChicago is strong in several of his interest areas.

So he’s a bit unfocussed but really likes a bunch of different subjects. Would UChicago be a good school for him?

How are his grades?

Very solid but not perfect. Highest rigor. 3.95 UW. Very tough private where he’s maybe top 20%. EC are mainly academic. So I agree UChicago is a reach for him.

How does a 3.95 UW at a very tough private only put him in the top 20%? That doesn't sound right to me at all. So the top 10% all has 4.0??? If so, that's not a "tough" private

From reading this thread, U Chicago sounds like the perfect place for my DD. I know she wants to apply there next year and she surely has the grades etc to be in contention. What are other schools she should put on her list so she has a good balance. We are in-state Virginia, so she is definitely applying to UVA too. But thats as far as we've gotten...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious, my junior is very interested in UChicago but is all over the map in academic interests. He takes a tough course load and added on two more outside classes really against my wishes. He seems to be thrilled to take a core curriculum. He’s strong in all academic areas except any hands-on area of engineering. UChicago is strong in several of his interest areas.

So he’s a bit unfocussed but really likes a bunch of different subjects. Would UChicago be a good school for him?

The core curriculum sounds like a good fit for him, actually! Rigor across the board.

My son is headed there next year. One reason he wanted to go is that he likes social science and hard sciences and was happy to do both. And is happy to take music and humanities too. Probably will end up a social sciences guy but likes alot of subjects. I told him he could take whatever he wants in alot of schools but the structure of the core curriculum appealed to him.