How hard is it to actually get into UChicago

Stressed HS senior here. I've already researched this question as much as I could in other forums, but I wanted to ask WSO as there are plethora of actual UChicago graduates here. I just submitted my application; I have near-perfect stats (3.98/36) and ECs plus legacy. But I can't say my essays meet the "world-changing" quality expectation that I've picked up from other forums. Compared to the books I read, my writing isn't particularly profound or eye-opening — yet neither are the accepted essays I find on YouTube. So, to those who are students/alums at UChicago, how stressed should I be for my application? I'm not sure if I should be going all-out in writing essays for the regular decision round.

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No one here can give you the answer you're looking for, but I can try to give you the answer you need. Don't stress. You've done all you can - great stats, probably comparable ECs, submitted application, etc. There's nothing more you can do to influence the outcome so don't waste mental energy on it. Instead you absolutely should invest time in writing essays for RD round. With your stats even if you don't get into UChicago you still have an excellent chance to get into a great school, but that chance will take a big hit if you put all your eggs in the UChicago basket and don't put the work in for the other applications. So relax, trust UChicago will work itself out, and get writing on those others apps. Good luck!

 

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