Chance an Anxious Junior - With Extra Advice?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
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<p>OK, I SCREWED UP MY FROSH/SOPH year. I will not lie. I finished my freshman year with an weighted GPA of 2.7, and my soph. year with a weighted GPA of 3.2. Below is my current GPA info to date. I really want to go to a great college! I am an IB student, and have been since fifth grade. If NU is not right for me, feel free to give me suggestions! I also live in Chicago, so going for my interview is NOT a problem. </p>

<p>IB English I - A
IB Biology - A
IB Math Studies - C
IB Spanish IV - B
IB Psychology - A
IB Theory of Knowledge - A
IB European History - A</p>

<p>W GPA: 5.0
UW GPA: 3.4</p>

<p>ACT: 29
SAT: Didn't take it....Will that hurt me?</p>

<p>I have an international background as an IB student and People to People Student Ambassador. I do soccer, debate and mock trial (I hope to become a lawyer).</p>

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<p>hm your grades are really weak, to be honest. And you might wanna retake the ACT to try to raise it, or else take the SATs. Not taking the SAT won’t hurt you–they’ll look at your ACT. But right now you need to raise that score. </p>

<p>However, it doesn’t mean you’re hopeless–it never does. What else are you doing? What are your ECs specifically? Grades and scores aren’t everything, you know?</p>

3

<p>First, let me give the disclaimer that I know almost nothing about IB programs, so I have no idea how that will weigh into your application. Keeping that in mind, here is my advice:</p>

<p>Agree with kukucachoo that your grades are very low. The good news is, though, that you have 2 years to work your butt off and get your grades higher. If low grades are unavoidable, colleges much prefer to see that they start off low and get higher than the other way around. So you still have a chance to bring your grades in range.</p>

<p>I also agree that you should re-take your ACT. A 29 is respectable, but probably won’t “wow” NU adcoms. If I understand your post correctly, you are a Junior now, which means you were only a Sophomore when you got that 29. That’s a good thing for you: it means you have a good chance of raising your score since you still have a few months more of material to learn.</p>

<p>No, it shouldn’t hurt that you didn’t take the SAT. I didn’t, and I got in. However, the ACT and the SAT are (from what I have heard) very different types of tests. If you hit a plateau with your ACT scores, you could try taking the SAT to see if you do better on that, then just submit the SAT instead of the ACT. (I’m pretty sure NU allows that, right?)</p>

<p>If you’re serious about NU, make sure you show that interest on your application. Make sure you visit the school, and make sure you have very specific reasons on your “Why NU” essay.</p>

<p>And, like kukucachoo said, your ECs are important, too. Try to show leadership and passion for your ECs, and show that you are well-rounded.</p>

<p>I’m sorry about the length of my post, but one more thing: looking at your username, I can’t help but wonder if you are still planning on applying to Brown and Dartmouth. Because if you are, then everything I’ve said here goes triple for those schools. I think you still have a chance for NU at this point, but honestly, where you’re at right now, Brown and Dartmouth are very, very high reaches.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>