<p>Which one should I use to have as much chance as possible?
There's only short amount of time left to answer NU's own main essay
topics, and I was debating between common app and NU app. </p>
<p>Although representatives say they absolutely do not discriminate,
I always thought using NU app and answering their own essay questions
means the applicant took time and effort to do NU essay, which obviously
shows interest in their school - therefore helping me at the margins. am I correct?</p>
<p>Nope. By signing up to use the Common App, Northwestern signed a contract that they would not discriminate against it.</p>
<p>Both are equal, so you might as well do the Common App.</p>
<p>I agree with Cardene; it makes absolutely no difference which application you use. Of all the Early Decision applicants to Northwestern, I believe the statistics said that 53% used the Common App and 47% used Northwestern's application. (Although those numbers might be reversed if my memory is wrong.) </p>
<p>The only reason I chose to fill out the Common Application was because I strongly preferred their essay questions to Northwestern's. NU's questions were creative, but after reading them, I felt that they limited my writing too much. I preferred the Common App's open ended prompt : Write about a topic of your choice. :) </p>
<p>If you feel you could write better using one of the Common App's prompts vs. Northwestern's, definitely use the Common App. Otherwise it doesn't matter which one you fill out, unless, like me, you're applying to other schools that also accept the Common App, in which case it would be more convenient to use.</p>