@T26E4 What do they get to be selective for? Every ranking other than USNWR has them in the 200s, and in the 300s globally.
For reference, UPenn’s middle ACT range is 30 and 34. Apparently it’s lower than Northeastern, even though UPenn is significantly better academically and in terms of reputation.
For some reason, they’ve become very very popular – thus, they get tons of apps and turn down a lot. Northeastern’s last CDS (2015) shows them at 31-34. They had a 28% admit rate.
Penn’s middle is the same (based off their 2015-2016 CDS), by the way.
@carolinahbrahh both U Penn’s and NU’s middle ACT range is the same 31-34.
@carolinahbrahh The worldwide rankings are largely based on research output. Several top 50 USNews ranked colleges rank very low: Boston College, Georgetown for example. While non-selective schools rank fairly high: Arizona State for example. The USNews ranking focuses on the undergraduate experience. Many other rankings use the 4 year graduation metric which does not consider Northeastern’s model.
You need to look at each ranking’s methodology before making pronouncement, especially when by your own statement you “don’t know anything” about Northeastern.
Back to the OP, I think you have a good list. why not try to apply to Northeastern? It’s a reach, sure, but doesn’t hurt to try. Maybe you will “wow” them with an essay. Your GPA is very good, you should have no problem with some of the others. Keep affordability in mind as well!
BU is a possibility. The mid-range is 27 - 31. It is another expensive one.
Most schools get alot of undecided students, so talk to them about how hard it is to declare any particular major, with a strong college gpa it shouldn’t be that difficult. So, don’t worry so much about this.
Hi! I’m currently a senior in the very stressful college process. First ill give you a rundown of my stats:
Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 28C (29E, 26M, 29R, 26S)
Unweighted GPA: 93 UW, 101 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World (2), APUSH (4), AP English (2), AP Stats, AP Gov, AP Bio
(I know my AP scores are bad, I’m only going to report the APUSH score)
Senior Year Course Load: Calculus Honors, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Gov, SUPA (Syracuse University English Class)
*I took college accounting my junior year, got an A+ and received 6 credits for it
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Red Cross (secretary 10-11, Vice 12)
Key Club
Writer for school newspaper
Mathletes
Environmental
National Honor Society
Math Honor Society
English Honor Society
Science Honor Society
History Scholar Honor Society
Essays: I’m not good at judging my own stuff, but based on what teachers/students have said: 8-9/10
Teacher Recommendation: Got one from my APUSH teacher who apparently writes really good ones. I was her intern junior year! Also asked my math teacher who loves me. I really pushed him to make my recommendation good and not generic.So like 7/10?
Counselor Rec: Probably really generic. She doesn’t really know me. (5/10)
Awards/Honors (not impressive):
Semi Finalist for Stony Brook Japan Essay Competition
Published original poem in a book
Other:
Intended Major: Journalism
State (if domestic applicant): New York
School Type: Public school, not very competitive
Ethnicity: Asian! (Chinese)
Gender: Female
College List:
Baruch, Queens, Hunter, Binghamton, Stony Brook, NYU, Colgate and Northeastern (top choice)
Here’s my dilemma:
I have no idea what I wanna major in. I am leaning towards journalism because I love writing but it is subject to change. Anyways, I applied to the Arts and Science school at Binghamton because I applied undecided. However, my parents are now regretting at the fact that I did not apply to the School of Management because its one of the best. They are now telling me that I should not attend because I don’t know what I want to major in and it would be difficult to change majors when I figure it out. The only school I /truly/ wanna go to is Northeastern (applying to College of Arts, Media and Design for journalism) because of their co-op program and it seems that it is easy to change majors if I really wanted to. However, I know that it is very unlikely that I will get accepted due to my low ACT score. I was thinking of going to Baruch for a year and try to figure out what I wanna do and then transfer somewhere else.
Do I have a chance at Northeastern? Should I apply to more schools? What do you think I should do?
is there anyway i can increase my chances of getting accepted at this point besides writing a good supplement?
bump
@carolinahbrahh Journalism is not dying. I actually find that statement quite laughable and ignorant. As long as the world goes on, press will always exist to inform people of events they cannot experience with their own eyes. However, journalism is a very competitive field so OP, make sure that you are using all your resources to get internships and network. Sorry this isnt directly related to your question, but as a journalist (not my major or career interest though) myself I could not help but respond to carolinah’s terribly inaccurate and potentially discouraging statement. That being said, if youre applying for journalism major, you have an excellent resume for that!
Correct, Journalism certainly is not dying. It is changing, rather.
And while Northeastern has become more selective, I’m not sure that’s much of a factor in the quality of academics. Are they hiring better professors, are their classes smaller, do they challenge their students to think, are there opportunities for students to get involved in research, and are there opportunities for students to have one-on-one time with profs? Those are some of the factors that point to the quality of education at a school, IMO. Selectivity does play a minor role – smarter students can lead to smarter discussions, better teamwork/study sessions, more competition for an A – but ultimately, the students do not teach, they do not secure the grants for research or internships; they are the acceptors of the knowledge, generally not the disseminators of it.
And OP, go ahead and apply to Northeastern. Just make sure you also apply to some matches and at least one safety. You should like and be able to afford (without taking on unreasonable debt) all of the schools to which you apply.
I got a 28 on the ACT as well (applied EA), and I got deferred to Northeastern. Wasn’t disappointed, I got my admission decision from NEU like 1-2 hours after getting my acceptance letter from Emory 
@anxiousteen that’s great, congrats! Are you planning to attend Emory or still waiting for other responses?
hey man i think you got this! NEU has a high ACT because of the many scholarships that they offer. I know plenty of kids who get in with a 28. Im not too good at the 100 point scale, but you seem to have good grades. I think you got this.
@vivoazzuro1 It’s not a good major though, one of the worst. It seems to me that you’re either the best, or you’re making peanuts/not working in the field once you graduate.
UNC has one of the best journalism schools in the country and most of the people I know that graduated from there are doing stuff like baking donuts (with one exception).
Please apply. It’s your top school and the easiest way of not getting in is by not applying. There isn’t even a supplement writing section, so you can use reuse your common app essay.
You need to realize that the middle 50 is just 50% of their scores. 25% of the students have below a 31 ACT. Just because you don’t have a score in the middle 50 doesn’t mean you won’t get in.
I’m not saying your chances are good; I’m saying your chance is not zero. There’s only one way to find out if you’ll get in or not.
Have back ups. Apply to schools that are affordable, you have a good chance or are an automatic admit for, and you would enjoy attending there. A safety should not be somewhere you’d hate going.
Best of luck!