I’m an incoming senior who has really fallen in love with Northwestern. I plan on applying to U of I (urbana-champaign), ISU, Princeton, and Northwestern, although I am aware that my chances are rather slim for the latter two.
Currently, my GPA is 4.1. I’m taking as many AP classes as my schedule allows for senior year, and I’ve calculated that I can get at most a 4.2. My grades would have been much higher, but I have been quite screwed over by my high school situation in that regard. My freshman year, I transferred, and many teachers first semester made things very difficult for me, and I even got a C in one class because the teacher did nothing to help me catch up. Even though I transferred from being a “homeschooled” (technically unschooled) student, I thrived beyond my freshman year, always getting A’s. In terms of AP’s, I’ve only taken AP Lang (got a 5), but I’ve taken many honors as well. My school made it very difficult for me to take AP/honors classes due to my status as a transfer student from being home schooled to attending a public school. Thus, they would not let me advance from regular classes, despite the fact that throughout 10th and 11th grade, I consistently was the top student in nearly all of my classes, getting stellar reviews from my teachers. Also, my school has limited availability in scheduling, so in many cases I would have had to give up taking a certain class in order to take another one.
As I mentioned previously, I transferred from being a home-educated student. Technically, my parents stopped teaching me halfway through 4th grade, and I never learned anything past then. No one taught me cursive, how to write a paragraph, long division, pre-algebra, etc. etc. etc. Nonetheless, I have done phenomenally well in school despite my (understandable) rocky start being thrown into a new environment. Although this all sounds a bit like a stray tangent, I feel like it is essential to include in my college application because I know that I would have done better in school if I had had a typical school arrangement like my peers. Would Northwestern appreciate knowing my situation? If so, where should I incorporate it in my application (i.e. essays, personal circumstances)?
Overall, I’ve had an upward GPA trend each year, which I hope to continue. I got a 31 when I took the ACT the first time, although I’m aiming for at least 33, hopefully a 35 (which I believe is possible due to my lengthy amount of time spent preparing). I got a 1360 when I took my SAT which, although significantly lower, I can definitely get up, and I am aiming for the mid-1500’s range.
I’ve been playing violin since I was 4 years old, and have received top scores in competitions, will hopefully do ILMEA (state orchestra) this coming year, and I also play in about half a dozen orchestra groups, one of which plays at Bienen’s Pick-Staiger hall several times throughout the year, as well as other influential venues (i.e. Ravinia). This is a strong point for me I feel, because despite the fact that my family was too financially underprivileged to afford sports or many of the expensive clubs at my school, I have always had my music, as well as music theory and composition. I plan on applying as a music education or performance minor.
I also take Latin at my school, and play on applying as a Classics major with a focus on Latin. I have received honors yearly on the NLE, and got a near-perfect score recently (gold medal). My teacher can advocate for my leadership in the classroom, as can other teachers impressed by my tremendous work ethic, so I know that I will have no problem getting a stellar recommendation letter or two.
Sorry that this has been so much, but I really appreciate the advice from anyone who was willing to read all of this and offer any feedback! I have confidence in my ability to get near-perfect test scores (also plan on taking SAT subject tests for latin, literature, and maybe math 1&2), but my low GPA and pitiful lack of AP classes are weak points. I’ve also done tons of volunteer hours, especially with tutoring underprivileged children (academically and musically) and working with mentally/physically handicapped individuals frequently. I’ve been working on a strong essay for my application, visited recently, and am essentially doing all that I can (even taking online classes to avoid my school’s tricky scheduling issues)!
Misc: I might have an advantage as a minority (part hispanic), have several alumni in my family from Northwestern, have a parent who was given a full scholarship there (but turned it down, so it might work against me?), come from a financially destitute family in an affluent town and school district, and have done a handful of clubs at my school (NHS, tutoring, and such).