Chances at Northwestern With 2 Bs??

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

Hey CC Community,

I’m currently a junior and really would like to go to Northwestern, but last semester I ruined my perfect GPA with a 89% in AP Lang and a 87% in AP Lang. I’m not necessarily too concerned with AP Lang, but will the B in AP physics ruin my chances as applying as a BME major?

My qualifications are as follows:

Mixed race, female
Good public school with class of ~1100, no reported class rank (but I know that I’m in the top 10%)

GPA: unweighted-3.94 weighted-4.49
ACT: 29 (without prep—aiming on getting a 34 or higher by September)
PSAT: 1440
SAT II: haven’t taken any yet, but plan on taking Math II, Bio-M, and possibly Chemistry
Classes:
Freshman-Honors Geometry, Honors Bio, Honors World History, Honors English I, Honors Spanish I
Sophomore-AP Government (my school only offers 1 AP class to freshmen and sophomores), Honors English II, Honors Chemistry, Art, Honors Spanish II, Honors Algebra II/Trig
Junior-AP Psychology, US history (not honors or AP), Honors Precalc, Honors Spanish III, AP Physics, AP Lang
Senior(classes I’ve signed up for for next year)-AP Bio, AP Calc BC, AP Stats, AP Lit, AP Human Geography, Honors Spanish IV

ECs:
-Art Club(officer position, all years)
-Speech team(fresh and soph)
-International Club(fresh and soph)
-School Newspaper(junior)
-Pride club
-Freshman Class Board
-Interact Club(officer position, junior)
-NHS
-Volunteer work: ~10 hours in the past year, hoping to volunteer more the summer before senior year

So, what are my chances if all goes well this semester and I maintain my As? Did I singlehandedly ruin my chance at NU last semester, or is there still hope?

2

Chill out. You’re going to be fine. I was just accepted to Cornell (which of course is not as selective as Northwestern, but it’s still something) as a white male with an UW GPA of around 3.7, weighted 4.2. My schedule was similar to yours, and I had basically no extracurriculars or awards. Your GPA is nothing to worry about. You are fine.

Focus on bringing that ACT up, as well as doing well on Bio-M (780 minimum acceptable) and Math II (800, no exceptions.)

3

@PhysicsWizard congrats on Cornell!

4

There are very few things that would single-handedly ruin your chances at any University, and certainly not something as tame as a B or two. I was accepted into Northwestern RD for Computer Engineering with one B/B+ every year (Honors Bio, Honors Pre-Calc, AP Calc) and a 3.74 UW/4.12 W Junior year GPA as an Asian male which is supposed to be one of the toughest demographics. And I’d imagine as an Engineering major, they’d be paying special attention to my Calc grades. However, that being said, I had a ton to mitigate my poor (by NU standards) grades including pretty novel essays, good test scores, good ECs, etc.

So is it good that you have a B+ in AP Physics? Not really, but it for sure doesn’t mean that the dream is dead.

If you want more info on my stats and ECs and such, feel free to PM me!

5

I honestly think your bigger problem is lack of outstanding EC’s and possibly test scores the way they are right now; your two B’s won’t be too much of a problem I don’t think. Best of luck to you regardless (:

6

I have to agree with Exwire, two Bs definitely won’t ruin (or probably even drastically impact) your chances. That said, Northwestern is still probably a major reach considering test scores and EC’s. If it makes you feel better, Northwestern is a reach for basically every applicant, so you’re certainly not alone! Overall, don’t worry about the Bs, focus on your ECs, test scores, and essays, and you will have a chance. Good luck!