A little about me

Hello everyone! My name is Colomba and I’m a student from Santiago de Chile. I attended one of the most selective private Chilean schools and studied with the national curriculum. My motivation to study abroad was born when I first visited the United States when I was 7 years old; at that moment, I was so impressed by the country’s beauty that I decided that it was the place I wanted to live in the future. When I was 12, I visited it again and I was sure I wanted to attend college there; however, my biggest barrier was the language.

While growing up, I became a huge fan of pop music; therefore, I loved to see Jimmy Fallon interviewing my favorite artists on his show. That was my first (and funny) way of learning English as a second language. Later, during the pandemic, I started to study with a private tutor who helped me to improve my level quite a lot!

Then, when I was in my last year of high school, I committed to apply to US universities!

Why UChicago?

My college list had up to 25 universities I was planning to apply to, and honestly, UChicago was not among my first options. This is not because I didn’t like the university, but because the essay prompts really scared me! I couldn’t think of anything to write about and I opted for choosing a college with more direct questions. That’s why I applied to Cornell in the early decision round but then got rejected. Anyway, when doing further research I realized that it was not a perfect match for me while UChicago was everything I was looking for! 

I interviewed some Chileans studying at UChicago and discovered how diverse the curriculum was. As someone who wants to major in Economics with Cinema and Media Studies, I embrace UChicago’s flexibility and love for multiple passions. I applied in the early action round, got deferred, and was offered a place in the early decision II round, so I accepted and later got in!! It is true: Rejection is redirection. I got 95% financial aid from UChicago!

Stats and Extracurricular activities

In Chilean high schools, the highest GPA score is 7 and I got a 6.6 that I later translated to a 4 in the American System. I applied with 125 points in the Duolingo English Test and didn’t send my SAT score.

Regarding extracurricular activities, I do a lot of volunteer work. For instance, I belong to a group that cultivates Catholic values in children, we do activities and play some games so the kids can make new friends at the same time that they are learning. Also, during the summers, I participated in one of my school’s organizations where I helped repair homes on my country's south side. On the other hand, I created a Funko pop business when I was 14 and expanded it to a huge online shop that sells those artifacts in many parts of the country. I also play some instruments and participate in many theater plays.

Essays and resources

I made a montage personal statement. I wrote about the first bracelet that I created when I opened my very first business at the age of 6. Every charm of the bracelet meant an important moment and lesson in my life such as my brother’s birth, the creation of my business, or some experiences in school. Then, in the Why UChicago essay, I wrote about very specific reasons of why I wanted to attend that college. I mentioned a professor who won the Economics Nobel last year and how engaged I was with his book. Also, I wrote about my excitement to take some courses at the Booth School of Business as an undergraduate and the diverse environment of the university. 

For the creative writing essay, I chose the following prompt: There are unwritten rules that everyone follows or has heard at least once in their life. But of course, some rules should be broken or updated. What is an unwritten rule that you wish didn’t exist? I wrote about the rule of having breakfast just once per day and the fact that I wanted to have it multiple times because is my favorite meal. I mentioned all my reasons why and finalized stating that I would create a special restaurant where people can have breakfast many times and whenever they want. Lovely!

I got guidance from my Education USA advisors and some Chilean students already studying abroad. I’m also very grateful to my family since they supported me through this process. If I can give you some advice is to be truly yourself while writing the essays and try to show your main essence to the admission officers. Also, never give up!