I wanted to know if I am a competitive candidate for Northwestern University with my stats.
I am applying with Early Decision as a Computer Science Major.
SAT: 1530
GPA: 4.60 Weighted / 4.0 Unweighted
Strong Extra-Curriculars with an Internship at Northwestern University as well!
You look to be a competitive applicant with academics and (assuming your assessment is correct) ECs that should get you a serious look. The rest will depend on things we can’t see such as your essays, LORs, depth of your ECs etc.
Any elite college should be considered a reach for any unhooked applicant. Be sure to take the time to search out a group of match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend.
Thank you for the reply!
My new SAT score is boosted to a 1580. I am hoping that will boost my application a little more.
@JiffyB Yes, that will boost your application, especially since STEM/Engineering/CS students tend to have scores on the higher end of the admitted student pool. Northwestern allows score-choice (pick and choose which scores to submit,) so DO NOT submit your 1530: there’s no point when you did much better on a later test.
Testing FAQs: https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/standardized-testing-for-2020-21/
It’s ok if they see the 1530, they’ll superscore on their own.
But it’s not the total score, it’s the components that matter, for this level of college. OP is fine with a 1580. But everyone needs to understand it’s not total, nor the ACT Composite.
And we know so little about this OP. Just telling us the ECs are strong isn’t necessarily it. In fact, at this tier, they’re going to want to see depth and breadth, in ways they feel are relevant. I hope you have a deep enough understanding of what they value, what they look for, to do a bang up job on the app and supp. This will be a very holistic review.
Adding: what about the AP scores? Just saying AP Scholar with Distinction, (another thread,) doesn’t offer detail. That’s “an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.” Much of the competition will apply with 5s in the courses related to their majors.