<p>I am a junior at a good CA public school
Male Indian (Asian)</p>
<p>GPA: 3.61/4.06 grades 9-11, no ranking at my school
SAT: 2340 - 800W, 790CR, 750M
Psat 223 (probably nmsf in ca)</p>
<p>9th- pe, span2, bio h, eng h, wood tech, alg 2 h,
10th- ap chem, ap world, precalc h, eng h, span 3 <---kinda did bad this yr
11th- ap bio, ap psych, ap eng lang, ap calc ab, ap ush, span 4
12th- ap physics b, ap span, ap eng lit, calc II, video film, ap gov/econ</p>
<p>4 years varsity swimming
tutor socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary school kids
volunteer at a hospital ~ 100 hrs
worked as a teacher aide at a summer school
some other random volunteer hours ~ 50</p>
<p>basically, i really want to go to northwestern but dont know if my gpa is good enough, will it ruin my chances of getting in to nu and other top schools?</p>
<p>Honestly your chances are kinda low due to your average ECs and kinda low GPA</p>
<p>Yeah, your unweighted GPA is pretty low, and there aren’t any leadership positions, special honors, or other unique things that would make you an interesting application.</p>
<p>I, uh, don’t want to rain on your parade, but if you’re already a rising senior, it’s really a bit on the late side to polish things up from where you are now.</p>
<p>Anything is possible. I got in off the waitlist with a 3.3/3.8 gpa. However, I had a very a specific interest in film and had many E.C.'s in that field. I suggest targeting a area you’d be interested in and get involved immediately. You have to make your application a story about you as an individual. Based on your current E.C.'s, I don’t see anything that pops out.</p>
<p>Your grades are a bit low, but your SATs are excellent.</p>
<p>You have a shot – based purely on the fact that NU has a 16% acceptance rate, it’s tough to say that it’s a real good one.</p>
<p>I am planning to apply Early Decision, which i have heard helps a lot</p>
<p>If you apply ED, your chances are pretty good. You would be good RD too, if it wasn’t for your GPA and ECs. Your EC’s are okay, but it would’ve been nice to see a bit more different clubs/diversity in there. As for the GPA, it seems low, but it also depends on your school; a 4.06 GPA scale is weird. If it is anything similar to the regular 4.0 GPA scale, then you have a relatively low GPA, if it isn’t, then it just depends on how it compares with the rest of your school.</p>
<p>Make sure your essays are great, and show you really want to go to NU though. Use specific examples, and remember what the tour guides say (you might use examples from them-- examples you can’t find on a website, which will look very impressive). In all honesty, I think it’s my essay more than anything that got me in. I, like you had weak ECs, but unlike you I had a pretty high GPA. I also applied RD, so if I got in RD, I’m sure you can get in ED as long as you write a killer essay and keep up the good work.</p>
<p>Also, to add on to my post, it’d help if you seemed pretty dedicated/interested in something. This is for all colleges in general. For me example, most of my application focused around my passion for econ/business, which I feel helped me a lot. So if you can find a way to connect one of your ECs to your planned major or an interest and make it a centerpiece of your app, that would also be a boost as it’ll make you look dedicated and focused.</p>
<p>It may also help if there’s been a sharp upward trend in your GPA, and/or if your high school is well know to have lower-than-average GPAs.</p>