<p>Hi everyone, </p>
<p>I know that Chance threads are certainly not everybody's favorite, but i was wondering if i had any chance at Northwestern</p>
<p>I am a PA resident.</p>
<p>Highly competitive public school, no rank system, and only a 5% weight on APs, grading on 100 pt scale.</p>
<p>93.6/100, I'm guessing the admissions crew will have to do a conversion to 4.0 unweighted based on my transcript?</p>
<p>Standardized tests</p>
<p>ACT 33 composite, essay 11, 33 eng, 32 math, 32 reading,33 sci</p>
<p>SATII: 730 math 650 bio and US hist</p>
<p>Good Teacher recs</p>
<p>Decent essays</p>
<p>Lots of community service, many clubs and groups, athletics are lacking tho.</p>
<p>Financial aid is needed, low income family.</p>
<p>If more info is needed, i will try my best to provide it.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Your ACT looks solid, the SAT2’s a little low. Was the SAT2 Math2 or Math1?
Did you take a lot of AP and (real) honors courses at your school in relation to what was offered?
If you didn’t explain the GPA situation at your school in your application, a follow up letter to the admin office couldn’t hurt.
I’d call it a low to mid reach.
Anyone else?</p>
<p>sorry, this was in Math 2. </p>
<p>I took all “honors” courses at my school. I’m not sure if they were really “honors” but they were the best courses offered at my school. For APs, i have taken 6. Although this sounds low, I have been taken orchestra all 4 years and that takes away a possible AP course.</p>
<p>Even without orchestra, I believe the max number of AP’s one can take after satisfying the prerequisites is 8-9.</p>
<p>My guidance counselor said that they always send a short letter explaining the school and it’s curriculum.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response.</p>
<p>Okay, maybe a high match to a low reach.
Anyone else?</p>
<p>bump for more opinions?</p>
<p>You are competitive, but hardly at the high end of the competitive pool.
Your 33 ACT is solid. On the Subject Tests, you undoubtedly realize that the math is fine but the other two leave a lot to be desired … and will not favorably impress the AdCom.
The most important part of the application will be the transcript. If the 93.6 is weighted, with a 5% boost, it looks to me like your UNweighted might be only about 89, which is not great. What are the APs you’ve taken and are taking, and if any were junior year, how did you do on the AP exams?
Your description of your essay as “decent,” and recs as “good,” hardly inspire. Is that because you tend toward understatement or is that a candid assessment?<br>
All in all, I think it’s a reach; it’s certainly within your reach and you might well get in, but it is a reach.
Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for replying WCASParent, </p>
<p>To answer some of your questions:</p>
<p>I am not sure if that is weighted or unweighted GPA, however, my school does not weigh anything but AP classes which earns the 5% weight. With this said, this 93.6 is my culmulative gpa UP TO this school year. This includes only 1 AP class which i took junior year, AP Calculus(5 on AP exam btw). So, I don’t think that my gpa would drop that much if it was converted into unweighted. </p>
<p>I believe that my mid year report should show a much higher GPA as I have many more AP classes(5) this year and I have been doing well, 94+ in all of them.</p>
<p>My “Decent” essays and “good” recs are just a rough assessment. I had 2 teacher recs and I was able to see and read 1 of them. I felt that this teacher did a great job but i cannot confirm what the other teacher wrote. I believe my essays are just that, decent, and by no means AMAZING. However, this may be an understatement.</p>
<p>You can probably figure out your GPA (do it out of 100%, it doesn’t matter) on your own;just don’t weight.
If you are in 5 AP classes this year with 94+ in all of them, that should favorably impress.
You are a competitive applicant, and as I said before, that ACT is solid.
Good luck.</p>