<p>I wanted to apply to the Northwestern engineering school for chemical engineering, but I fear I may have ended with a C in Calculus BC first semester (I had a B but I don't think I did well on the midterm at all so it could very VERY potentially bring me to a C). I'm also a girl and a minority (Mexican Cuban), so I know being a girl helps for engineering, but I don't want to ruin my chances at admission with the C. Should I play it safe and apply to the college of arts and sciences for a chemistry major? We don't get our grades back until after the application is due so I won't know. I'm very nervous, PLEASE help! :(( </p>
<p>Depends on the circumstances. I would say usually Northwestern in general looks for people who tend to get mostly As with a few Bs during HS in a fairly rigorous schedules. Engineering is the most compeditive school to get into (along with maybe journalism) so a C could definitely hurt you. But NU evaluates holistically so one class alone won’t put you out of the running. Having a demographic also helps as well as other circumstances so it’s really hard to say. What’s done is done so if you feel this one class would completely diminish your odds for engineering you could apply to Weinberg and transfer at some point, since transferring between schools is fairly easy. However in general NU’s engineering is really tough program, with a much more vigorous math program than the other schools so you may want to keep in mind and maybe research what courses you would take under each major before deciding what program you wish to apply for. Good luck!</p>
<p>It’s impossible to judge you because we don’t know your other classes and your stats. Most schools are equally competitive now but I would apply to SESP as they were known to have better chances.</p>
Apply for the thing you care about most; admissions people are likely to see through feigned enthusiasm. Don’t apply to a school just because you think you might get in easier.
@queserrva how do you know that getting into SESP is easier than getting into other schools?