As it stands, I have two top schools: Northwestern and WashU. I have toured both schools, and I loved both of them. I went into the trip thinking that Northwestern was my clear favorite, but I was pleasantly overwhelmed by WashU and left with the thought that I would apply ED to WashU. (I was so happy after that tour!)
Over time, however, my old attachment to Northwestern started to creep up on me, and I gave into my previous desire to attend NU. Ever since I was a little kid, Northwestern was my dream school, and I seemed to trick myself into thinking that WashU was never better than Northwestern. Since then, I haven’t been able to reconnect or imagine the same feeling of joy that I felt after visiting WashU.
Here comes the dilemma: my ACT scores are within the lower half of the 25-75 range for both schools. However, WashU superscores, which would bring my score up to the 50%+ range of their most recent class profile. Northwestern also recommends subject tests, which I have not taken. Based on this information, WashU would seem to be my best bet for admission.
Because I don’t have crazy stats and the regular decision rates for both WashU and Northwestern are both 14% and 9% respectively, I’m worried that if I don’t apply Early Decision to either school, I will end up missing out on both options. At the same time, I’m curious to know if it would be worth it to apply Early Decision to WashU considering the prestige of some of my in-state options (UC Berkeley, UCLA). WashU is definitely prestigious, but I don’t know if it would beat the value of Cal or UCLA with the CA resident tuition that I would receive if admitted to those schools.
My pros and cons for my options are listed below:
Northwestern
“dream school” since young age
Division I sports
proximity to Chicago
subject test requirement
lower ED acceptance rate
mediocre campus tour
WashU
phenomenal campus visit
higher ED acceptance rate
superscores ACT
less “prestigious” than Northwestern, Berkeley, UCLA?
Have you talked to your parents about what they will contribute, and have you checked that all of the schools’ net prices (from their net price calculators) are within the budget?
@ucbalumnus The UCs would cost around 37K/yr. whereas WashU would cost 52K/yr. and Northwestern at 49K/yr. My parents have not put any restrictions on financial aid or paying for college, but they would have to take out loans for any school that is more expensive than a UC.
You have it all analyzed well. It is a difficult choice especially considering the chances of admission ED/RD at the schools. I would just say it seems like your reasons for wanting to apply to Northwestern are a little more about wanting what the school offers. In terms of finances, every family is different in terms of ability and willingness to pay. Do you plan to go to grad school? If so, it might be best to limit debt for undergrad.
Your reasons don’t seem very thought out to me. Think about how you fit on each campus. Did you like the vibe at each school? What about major? How do each of the schools fit for your major? If you’re undecided, how does that work at each school and how long do you have to declare? What about class size? Extracurriculars? How does job placement and career services work at each school? I think you need to dig a little deeper than “I liked the tour” or “it’s my dream school”.
Also, both schools want good scores. Unless you are URM or have a hook, I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high. Our Chicago suburban high school has kids with almost perfect SAT/ACT and GPA get turned down from both schools…even ED.
You do NOT have to take subject tests at NU - they are recommended, not required. My son got in ED and did not take any subject tests. He called NU admissions and was told that subject tests are only for those that want to show competency in an area that previous classes and tests did not. In other words, if you got a B or a C in an APCalc class, or did not score a 3, 4 or a 5 in an AP test, you might then take a subject test to show that you do know the material. Good luck, but I am sure either school will be good for you.
To me, the bottom line on an ED choice is that you need to be done with all the hand-wringing and have one clear preference. Instead it has become, for many, a way to game their admission chances. One problem with that is that you can never know, really, how much ED will even boost your chances. Worse, if you’re admitted, you won’t be able to compare aid offers. So if you don’t have a clear favorite, then don’t apply ED. If you just want a bird in the hand early in the process, find a non-binding EA school you like.
Northwestern does not have a lower acceptance rate for ED, in fact it’s considerably higher than RD, if it’s your first choice, apply there ED since you will get an admission boost. I’m not a big fan of ED for the points tk21769 brings up, but if it’s your clear first choice and your family is comfortable with the FA, then apply ED.
If they need parental loans, then their financial situation may be more precarious than they are letting you know.
If they will depend on you to support them in retirement due to such debt, be aware that this will restrict both their and your options in the future.
If you have younger siblings and they go into debt for your college, they may be much more limited in what they can contribute for their college costs.
Whether you like “the ED game” or not is irrelevant, the ED game is here to stay. There will be many qualified applicants who will apply RD and get shut out as the RD admit rates drop to very low levels essentially leaving only those with very desirable attributes to be admitted RD. Those that get shut out will end up at their safety schools. In the end you need to look at previous years admit rates for both ED and RD and see what chance your willing to take based on that and your finances. Personally I would recommend ED to WUSTL to maximize your chances.