<p>Stats:
ACT:29
SAT: 1950
gpa: 3.438 (horrible but i have a rising record due to a change of family situation fresh yr)
African American female</p>
<p>Its my first choice.</p>
<p>Your stats are very low for NU. But for the URM status I would say your chances are remote. With the URM factor anything becomes possible; I just don’t know. What state are you from?</p>
<p>What is your class rank?
Is your GPA weighted or unweighted?
A rising GPA can be taken into account, but test scores should back that up.
It’s definitely a very high reach.
What are your EC’s like? Great EC’s combined with URM status could bring that reach a bit closer.</p>
<ul>
<li>Ohio</li>
<li>my school does not rank but I go to a selective private School</li>
<li>Do my scores back up my rising GPA?</li>
<li>ECs: multiple leadership positions, consistency and connected with major (I would say they’re pretty good)</li>
<li>Also, I did a summer program at Northwestern and had an interview would that help?</li>
</ul>
<p>Let’s be honest about this. If you were a white male, no way. As an African-American female you have a chance although not a great one.</p>
<p>Objective789: There are plenty of hooks out there, African-American female happens to be one.</p>
<p>college28912: I think your scores are reflective of your cumulative GPA, but not a rising GPA. Have you taken the most rigorous courses available since your sophomore year? Your EC’s sound good on the surface, it depends if NU finds them appealing. The summer program and interview show “demonstrated interest”, but should have minimal effect on the admission decision. I will agree with Objective789 that without a hook, you would not be admitted.
I think every student should apply to safety schools, matches, and reaches. NU is a reach. What other schools have you applied to?</p>
<p>What about me guys?</p>
<p>Critical Reading: 730
Math: 740
Writing: 650 (only got an 8 essay… should improve the next time I take it)</p>
<p>3.8 UW GPA (taking 4 APs this year, 5 next year)</p>
<p>Lots of extracirriculars and board positions on multiple clubs.</p>
<p>^^Fine GPA and competitive SATs. You’ll be in the running, but, of course, so are lots of people and NU can’t admit them all. Your app will likely be decided on factors other than GPA and SATs.
Good luck!</p>
<p>ddfg101: If you’re planning on taking the SAT again and AP classes next year, I assume you’re a junior.
Be sure to use at least 3 or 4 citations/examples in your essay…even if you have to make up some from your “personal experience”. DS knows someone that got a 12 on their essay by writing about their mentally disabled younger brother. Yeah, he has no brother. It’s great to have a variety of EC’s but the more selective schools like to see a passion or focus in a particular area…along with everything else of course. Keep up the good work!</p>
<p>^^ thats not a good idea… I thought that too, and I do it as well, but lying about family members is a bad idea. Ivys like Havard and U Penn use the essay in admissions to check if the score given was valid. If they find out you lied… you are probably out.</p>
<p>How about this kid? 3.7 UW GPA, 670CR, 800Math, 201 PSAT
cross country, mission work, Academy of Finance, grade accelerated,
Jr. Yr. BC Calc, APChem, APUSH, APLIT & Academy of Finance.
Strong interest in Econ./Finance</p>
<p>I’d recommend re-taking the SAT to try to bump the verbal score. (PSAT is not relevant).</p>
<p>PSAT is relevant if you are a commended scholar.</p>
<p>From my understanding, commended scholar is worthless. The top Univeristies expect at least that.</p>
<p>Totally untrue. Unless you think only 50,000 students go to top universities. Our school sent two kids to Harvard two years ago (twins). Neither was a commended scholar.</p>
<p>You can list NM commended on your application as an honor, but it’s not a factor in admissions. You’ll get a bunch of emails from colleges (probably including Northwestern, both my kids got mailings and emails from NU as a result of PSAT scores). I wouldn’t list the 201 score on any application. </p>
<p>I thought a high school junior wouldn’t yet know if the 201 was sufficient for commended status - the cutoff does move around around a point or two from year to year. In past years the earliest you would have an idea of where you stood in the NM program is in April/May of your junior year when you get a letter from National Merit asking you to name two colleges to be notified that you are a “high scorer”. Some colleges will waive the application fee (Rice, I think?) if you name them as one of the two schools. If a parent works for a National Merit sponsor corporation, a high scoring commended student with other supporting stats might receive a NM special scholarship, but other than that the “benefits” of being a commended student are pretty limited.</p>
<p>Northwestern does have a significant number of National Merit finalists in each class.</p>
<p>AVHS -What is your point?</p>
<p>Objective789: My point was that AAF is a hook, like any other. A white male with the OP’s stats and a different hook could have just as good/poor a chance as the OP.</p>
<p>jrpar, his score as a sophomore was 204 and 200 has pretty much always been the cutoff. Regardless of the state. And anyone who thinks that MOST Ivy selecteds are NM scholars really doesn’t know much about the Ivy selection process.</p>
<p>Sophomore PSAT scores do not count for the NM competition, only junior year PSAT scores count in the NM process (unless a student is graduating a year early from high school). The cutoff has varied from 199 to 202 over the last five years. </p>
<p>I have no idea if most Ivy admits were commended students or higher, although I think a large percentage probably were. Given that the average SAT’s for Ivies are up in the 2200 range, it’s pretty likely that these same students scored 200 or higher on their PSATs as juniors.</p>