Be honest please! :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>I am applying to Northwestern ED to the Medill school of Journalism. I am applying ED no matter what, I am just wondering what you think my chances of acceptance are:</p>

<p>Year: Applying to become part of the freshman class of 2015</p>

<p>State: MA</p>

<p>Race: African-American</p>

<p>School Type: Public (basically all-white suburban. I am one of the only African-Americans at my school)</p>

<p>GPA weighted: 3.66 (117 students out of 360 in my grade have GPA's over a 4.0. There is major grade inflation at my school, and I feel like teachers just hand out A's to undeserving students. Sometimes, I have felt academically descriminated by my peers and teachers because of my race)</p>

<p>GPA unweighted: 3.08 (I had all A's and B's my freshman and sophmore years, however due to extenuating circumstances last year, my GPA dropped significantly)</p>

<p>SAT: 1720 altogether. However, I am retaking the SAT in October to acheive an near-perfect score</p>

<p>Courses:</p>

<p>Freshman Year: Honors Freshman English, Honors Orchestra, Honors US History 2, Honors Conceptual Physics, CP (stands for college preparatory) Algebra 1, CP Spanish 2, Physical Education CP, Computers CP</p>

<p>Sophmore Year: CP Literary Studies, CP Spanish 3, CP Geometry, Honors Biology, Honors Orchestra, Health CP, CP US History 2, Physical Education CP</p>

<p>Junior Year: Honors American Literature, Honors British Literature, Honors Chemistry, AP World History, Honors Orchestra, CP Spanish 4, Honors Economics, Honors Journalism</p>

<p>Senior Year: Honors Physics, Honors Orchestra, Honors Russian Literature, Senior Study, Honors Sociology, Honors Spanish 5 for the 21st Century, CP Pre-Calculus (trying to switch into Honors Calculus)</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars:</p>

<p>Violinist in the orchestra since 3rd grade and counting. In high school I have been part of the string orchestra, full orchestra, and the pit orchestra which is for the spring musicals</p>

<p>Copy editor for school newspaper: 10th grade</p>

<p>Contributing writer for the school newspaper (ever article I have submitted has been published last year): 11th grade and 12th grade</p>

<p>President/Creator of my high school STAND (A student anti-genocide coalition) chapter: 11th and 12th grade (I am EXTREMELY involved with this. I have had my chapter contact the White-House to campaign for Darfur, and I am in collaboration with many other STAND chapters throughout the state. I may apply for a National position soon with STAND)</p>

<p>Member of Tri-M music honor society: 11th grade</p>

<p>Volunteer work:</p>

<p>Volunteer at after-school program at an elementary school in my town: 11th grade (16 hours approximately)</p>

<p>Registration Coordinator for First Book: 11th grade, and 12th grade</p>

<p>First Book is a non-profit based in Washington D.C. that gives programs that serve low-income children such as Title 1 schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, ect, access to free or reduced-priced books. So far, I have single-handedly helped 25 schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, and YMCA programs throughout the country gain access to free or reduced priced books. I especially enjoyed helping schools and programs in inner-city Boston, because I knew I was helping to increase literacy throughout my community. Last year, I had won the First Book Nationwide Registration Coordinator challange, which was for Registration coordinators to help the most programs in need gain access to free books. During November 2009, I had helped 16 programs nationwide recieve free or reduced-priced books. As a result, I had won a $250 Border's Gift Card to give to a program or school of my choice that I had helped. I had chosen a Boys and Girls Club in inner-city Boston to recieve the gift card aroung the holidays. As a result of my efforts, the director of that particular Boys and Girls Club was able to achieve her dream of starting a book club with the kids. I am not entirely sure how many hours I have volunteered for First Book. It has definitely been over 200 hours, however, I love volunteering for First Book so much, that I have stopped counting the hours long ago. I really do not care about how many hours I have volunteered, just as long as I have made a difference in people's lives. Volunteering for First Book has definitely inspired me to become a journalist, (Hence, my interest in applying to Medill) because the literacy rate and graduation rates for some areas of this country are simply shocking and I have not seen any major change so far. I believe that there still is segregation the still exists today (which is a major cause of the broken Public School Systems of America), however not literally enforced, it is figurative. i.e. Wealthy white suburbs, lower-income ethnic inner-cities. I have seen both sides of the spectrum, since my father and the rest of his entire family have grown up in inner city Boston, and have been through the awful public schools there. My father had attended an all black segregated school until he was 12 years old, and my family has exerienced an intense amount of racism throughout their lives. Many people think that racism does not exist today, however I want to tell stories as a journalist that will question society, and open people's eyes to the certain topics most do not want to hear about. I want my stories to convey a sense of "This is what is happening now. If we as a society do not pressure our lawmakers to make significant changes, then what will society be like 20, maybe 30 years from now?"</p>

<p>First Generation College Student: I am not entirely sure about this, because my mother graduated college, however my father did not graduate. So, does this mean that I am a first generation college student or half?</p>

<p>Please let me know what you think my chances of admission are. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Your GPA and SATs are poor for NU. Your URM status might change the odds for you, but without that, your chances of admission would be slim.</p>

3

<p>You know your SAT scores don’t fit the profile of admitted students, nor does your GPA. With that being said…by applying ED, you will not be able to show an upward trend on your GPA. However, your primary EC, and your personal experience with race both in school-and your family’s history, could craft a powerful essay. Is it going to be enough…it may not…BUT…you will never know if you don’t apply. :smiley:
As far as your question about first generation. As your mum graduated from college, you are not a first generation applicant.
Medill is a fabulous program. I wish you G’Luck!</p>

4

<p>You will need to write a thoughtful, well-written essay to overcome your stats. Race is a sensitive topic and while one shouldn’t shy away from it, it’s imperative you discuss it with tact, nuance, and intelligence for it to work. Be careful not to succumb to the victimhood mentality.</p>

<p>Teacher recs are also very important, especially in your case. Make sure to write a letter to each of your recommenders explaining 1) the traits you want mentioned in the letter 2) how you are a fit for Medill and Northwestern (and that they should mention this in their letter) and 3) how important their letter is to you (so they will be more motivated to write it).</p>

<p>You should get straight As this semester and send a mid-progress report with all/mostly As. Add a short addendum explaining your extenuating circumstances last year and what you did to rebound from it.</p>

5

<p>Try taking the ACT. Its testing style may suit you better than the SAT. Good Luck.</p>

6

<p>Thank you for all the input. Believe me, I KNOW how low my GPA and SAT are compared to most applicants. I am sure however, that I will get an extremely better score in October for the SAT, because the last time, I did not even finnish the test, and I got barely any sleep on the test day. I really think I stressed out WAY to much the night before and on test day. I did prepare for the SAT, but being stressed too much definitely thew me off, so I’ve learned from my mistakes. Regarding my GPA, my guidance counselor and my teachers who recommend me are going to explain my circumstances further that effected my GPA. If I get a close to perfect score on the SAT, what do you think my chances are for ED?</p>

<p>-Also, my parents think that I should improve my grades dramatically this year obviously. I cannot get anything less than a 4.0 this year. They think that I should wait until after I graduate high school to apply to college, and that I should apply over the summer or next fall for college, to show colleges the improvement I’ve made. Do you think this is a good idea?</p>

7

<p>^^What would you plan to do during the gap year?</p>

8

<p>im not taking a gap year. My parents were saying to still go to college that year but just come a semester late.</p>

9

<p>You asked for honesty so here’s an additional suggestion in addition to some very good advice you already have here. And please don’t think I’m picking on you.</p>

<p>You want to be a journalist. Given your academic statistics at this point, which I believe you will imporve, you need to wow the admissions committee with something else, probably your writing ability. I note that there are misspellings in your posts. Now I realize that this is the internet and you’re not proofreading as if your posts are college applications, but some of the errors indicate that you might need to brush up on some basic writing skills before you hit the send button on your essay. Again, not trying to be picky or call you out, just a heads up that this is an area where I think you need to pay close attention so you make a good impression.</p>

<p>Good luck. Whether at NU or somewhere else, your determination will serve you well.</p>

10

<p>I agree with speihei 100%. I don’t shy away from the fact that I have grammatical errors in my posts but there at least a few spelling, word choice, or grammar issues. Suffice it to say, students at Medill get a F on any assignment with a typo (or so the legendary “Medill F” goes). Applying to Medill with a typo would likely render the same “F”…or in this case, rejection.</p>

<p>You alluded twice to what your choices would like with better SAT scores. As most people have pointed out, being a racial minority gives a measurable but inconsistent boost to your chances. If you get a 2300 and up, I’d say that a decent essay would get you in without any real problems. In terms of what score would get you to 50/50 chances, I think around 2050 is probably a fair number. Your GPA is VERY low (remember - roughly 90% of NU students graduate in the top 10% of their class). The numbers you give suggest that the top third are above 4.0 while you sit in the 3.6 range. Depending on how tight the bell curve is, you might not be top half. If you are not in the top half of a public school - unless it is literally one of the top 10 best public schools in the country - that is going to be a SERIOUS problem. Regardless of what you do, rock your classes in the fall, get a bunch of As and do whatever you can to jump people in class rank. Make sure NU hears about all your successes!</p>

<p>But a good essay and URM status can go a long way. Even if your SAT doesn’t crack 2000, you have a shot. Not a great chance, but a reasonable shot.</p>

11

<p>Look with a 3.08 GPA you really are gonna have a tough time getting in even if you got a perfect SAT.</p>

12

<p>I don’t think that you can wait until you graduate and then apply to start a semester late (i.e., in January). Where did your parents (or you) get that notion? </p>

<p>Either take your shot now for next fall - for which I think the odds of admission are very low - or take a gap year and apply next fall for the following fall.</p>

13

<p>Does it help that I go to one of the top public high schools in my state?</p>