<p>Oh, good point. My stats aren’t stellar (thank you, freshman year, when I decided to accept Bs in honors courses as legitimate), but I do believe I have the passion and the overall mindset to take on these colleges’ curricula. I think the challenge will be getting in, but if I can find a way to demonstrate my sincerity, perhaps things will turn out in my favor.</p>
<p>Liv, some colleges ignore freshman year results entirely (I seem to recall that Princeton does this). If that’s your weakness, do some more research on which top colleges ignore freshman year.</p>
<p>Do they actually “ignore” it entirely? I’ve heard some do, but I’m wondering - especially with a school as select as Princeton - if they take it into account when, say, two applicants are in otherwise equal standing with each other?</p>
<p>Well, it’s not possible to recalculate your class rank (since they don’t have your school’s entire database) and class rank can be a factor. But perfect stats are neither absolutely necessary nor a guarantee of admission. My son had perfect stats and got turned down by MIT, Princeton and Yale. But also note that 3 of the top schools that did accept him commented not on his stats, but on his dedication to his community. Don’t you do something with inner-city kids in Detroit? My god, admins eat that sort of stuff up! – if it’s significant and you can show leadership or write about real results from your efforts.</p>
<p>If it comes down to a borderline decision between two choices, the one who has shown a commitment to community service will probably win out.</p>
<p>You really can’t predict if any individual top school will admit you these days; lots of people were surprised to be waitlisted or rejected from their match or perceived safety school this year. The best you can do is to create a “laddered portfolio” of attractive colleges with a range of admission rates, ideally from around 7% to around 30%. Those schools that say they will (largely) ignore your freshman year should be among those in your portfolio.</p>
<p>I’m shocked he got rejected from those schools (Similarly, my dad - not that he’s a genius - got rejected from MIT for undergrad, but they ended up accepting for grad school - they don’t know what they’re missing!). You don’t think the volunteering essay is too clich</p>
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You don’t think the volunteering essay is too clich</p>
<p>Well-put about rejection. And thank you! Honestly, I’m pretty much obsessed with NU. I would apply ED in a heartbeat if finances weren’t an issue. So hopefully they will see that! And my dad didn’t go to MIT - or Stanford, which he was also admitted to for grad school. He went to Carnegie Mellon, which offered him sufficient money, and which accepted his wife too. So I guess I’d be a legacy at CMU (does that make me one for undergrad?).</p>
<p>CMU is another great school you should consider putting on your application list.</p>
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<p>I think you’ll get into NU, if you stay as determined and hard-working as you are now. But nothing is a guarantee these days, so consider what aspects of NU make you love the school so much and seek out other schools that also have some or many of those aspects. When your happiness depends on some stranger saying yes to you, then you don’t really have full control of your own destiny.</p>
<p>My son was in love with MIT: their aggressive math and science coursework, combined with their quirky humor and well-known pranks. But Williams has a strong math and science focus with quirky humor; NU has the ISP program which some have described as "a mini-MIT within a broader liberal arts curriculum. And both Brown and Amherst have open curriculums where he can choose any bizarre mix of classes that interest him, without having to take specific classes he might not enjoy – or be challenged by. So, these other schools may turn out to be as good or better a fit, because he’s not just a math and science geek, but one who’s curious about almost everything.</p>
<p>Good point. That’s good he was able to find places as good as, if not better, than what he originally thought he wanted! I like the idea of NU’s co-op program, its beautiful suburban campus yet the fact Chicago’s only a 20-min. drive away (my favorite city in the US), and of course, prestige and reputation of its both engineering and medical programs. (And the fact that I can easily switch from engineering to pre-med if I change my mind.) The problem is, unfortunately these characteristics are mainly unique to only NU. Do you think sometimes wanting it enough, and showing it, is sufficient for admission committees?</p>
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<p>Of course not. How would you feel about a guy that followed you around with puppy dog eyes, ready to jump through any hoop, just to make you happy?</p>
<p>Liv, you’ve got the stats for a woman interested in engineering and they should only get better if you continue to ace your classes and perhaps retake the ACT to raise your score even higher. Of course you need to show interest, to show how you’re a perfect fit for NU. But at the same time, you have to do things for yourself, not to please some faceless admissions committee – if you do it for them and they say no, you’ll be devastated and perhaps question your own self-worth. If you do it for yourself and they turn you down, well they’re a bunch of idiots and you didn’t need them anyway! College is only a stepping-stone to success, not success itself; it you allow one school’s decision to affect you, that school because an obstacle to success rather than a pathway.</p>
<p>Perhaps this is a little bit zen, but you’ll be more appealing if you want them but don’t need them. They should take you as you are, because you’ll accomplish great things together. But you’re also ready to move if they expect you to be something that you’re not.</p>
<p>You’re right. I should do things because I want to do them, to better myself, and hopefully AdComs can appreciate them in the end. Very wise words Lorem.</p>
<p>wow, this website has taught me so many things!!!</p>
<p>Good!!!</p>
<p>liv4physicz, i tried to private message u but your inbox is full, hint, hint.
u now what to do</p>
<p>Oh I catch ur drift ;)</p>