<p>Hi, first of all, let me give you a brief info. about me.
I came to US 1.5 year ago and go to public school in New York.
My SAT is 1800 but I swear to god, I will pull it up above 2000.
but what I think crucial to my chance is that since it's only been a year and a half living here, I don't have much of a spectacular EC:
Member of National Honors Society 2011-2012
Producer in Broadcasting Club (before coming to US) 2010-2011
Vice president of Sophomore Class (before coming to US) 2010-2011
Excellence awards and honor roll in Junior year 2011-2012
Volunteer at asylum and shelter (before coming to US) 2010-2011
as a member of school chorus did several community volunteering 2011-2012
Varsity soccer team 2012-2013
Black Belt in Taekwondo Martial arts (assistant at local taekwondo academy) 2011-2012
and even though it's not in High School..
I used to breakdance in Junior high school and had performed at several events..</p>
<p>most of my EC had to be ceased because as you assume, I had to come to US.
I transferred to this school right in the middle of my sophomore year and was busy trying to get used to America. My high school gpa in Sophomore year was 3.8 and it's expected to be pushed up a touch since my grade has been increasing during Junior year. But another fatal thing is that I don't have many AP classes. I have only one AP (AP ENGLISH) and have gotten pretty good grades. I will be taking AP Environmental Science and English in my senior year and be in math team since my math teacher recommended me.
I have some college classes (Trig and Math 2/ Intro. to Business)</p>
<p>I know it's all against the odds situation. but, I really want to get into NU. I'm starting to work on my essay during the summer and working hard on SAT. I'm thinking about taking SAT subject US HISTORY AND MATH 1/2. Since I don't have classes that would prepare me for those test, I'm planning on studying by myself. </p>
<p>It sounds to me that your biggest issue is simply how you organize your list of activities. Having a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and working at the gym sounds like a big deal to me, but you have it buried far down your list. </p>
<p>Focus on specific achievements in each EC and not just titles. At some schools, “Vice President of Sophmore Class” means that you won a popularity contest in the fall and might have attended a meeting once each month if your schedule allowed. At other schools it might mean that you spent ten hours every week planning dances, volunteer activities and other events.</p>
<p>Put some time and effort into structuring your EC to present yourself in a more positive light. It sounds like you might have some great highlights buried in there.</p>
<p>As far as the SAT, you are correct that 1800 will likely cause your application to get eliminated early in the evaluation. Even raising it to 2000 will not be in the 25-75% range. Study hard and try to shoot for 2100. While this will be daunting, some students have been able to achieve dramatic results. Also, consider trying the ACT since some students do better with the slightly different emphasis.</p>
<p>That will at least set you up in a stronger position. If they wait-list you, then you can later send in an enhanced version of yourself to compete against the regular decision candidates. If they outright reject your application, then you will be able to move on and apply to other schools. </p>
<p>For your ECS… this is an idea: Plan to include an Arts Supplement on the Common Application.<br>
Make a REALLY good Arts video showing off your break dancing. You can use some clips from middle school on a performing arts video. I am assuming that you still have some talent and can choreograph something now and put that in. Once you make a 10 minute movie, upload it into a privacy setting on youtube, and then upload the youtube address in the Arts Supplement section of the Common App, along with an arts resume and , if possible, a letter of recommendation from a dance teacher. You may want to add some dance classes just to get that performing arts teacher’s letter of recommendation on the Arts Supplement. NOTE: this is NOT the teacher recommendation letters you need on the Common App. Those are from academic teachers. The point is to SHOW a talent. You don’t have to necessarily want to major in this art form. But you need to BE talented in the art form. It is an extra part of the application that most people ignore. I would not recommend it, if you have lost the talent. </p>
<p>There is also an Athletic Supplement on the Common App. I am not familiar with it, but you may want to look it over and see if you should include that with your martial arts training. Again, it is just showing that you are a multi-talented person. </p>
<p>But all the ECs in the world will not help you if you cannot improve your SAT score.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be applying as an artist to send an arts supplement! It’s very important you realize that. An arts supplement is to show your ability, not commit yourself to a career/major. </p>
<p>What have you done with your free time since you’ve come here? It looks as if you have continued with tae kwan do, volunteered and played varsity soccer. That’s not bad from the EC side.</p>
<p>APs – why haven’t you taken more. If it’s because you were a transfer student and it wasn’t allowed, (be it lack of pre-recs or acclimation policies) I don’t think this is a problem. You should ask your GC to explain the situation.</p>
<p>The SAT’s are somewhat more troublesome. 1800 is very low for NU. As others have noted, even 2000 isn’t great.</p>
<p>Overall --I wouldn’t say your chances are great. To be honest, if you have another school where you have a significantly better shot that is close on your list, I might recommend considering that school for ED.</p>
<p>However – if NU is your dream, apply. There is nothing wrong (and quite a lot right) with applying to ‘reach’ schools. Just make sure that most of the schools you apply to are better matches and make sure to include safety schools.</p>
<p>Yes zephyr, as you mentioned, i couldn’t have taken more AP’s for I had transferred and had to meet graduation requirements. Thanks, I will try my best to reach even 2400 on SAT. Thanks for your sincere advice.</p>
<p>As I said before… plan to do the arts supplement. It is part of the Common App. Once you do it, it is automatically sent to each college whether they choose to open it or not. </p>
<p>If you send it, and the committee is trying to make a choice among five or six candidates, it is ONLY human nature to take a peak at what is in the arts supplement. </p>
<p>Other schools will look. If you still have talent, send it. You said that you can break dance. every school is looking for diversity. I will almost guarantee you that no one will send in a break dancing art supplement. Most will send in information on their talent playing the piano or violin or singing, etc. Yours will stand out because it is unique.</p>
<p>The Arts Supplement is sent by mail, as I recall. It’s a cover sheet that also asks for a hard copy of a teacher’s recommendation. It’s meant to accompany CDs, slides, etc. that you’ve packaged for the college’s consideration. If it makes its way to NU, they’ll probably throw it away. Some other colleges state outright that those materials will be discarded. You can call and ask, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a similar policy. Remember, they have separate Bienen School of Music and School of Communications applicants that need their materials reviewed, and arts supplements are usually sent to the arts professors for their consideration.</p>
<p>The Arts Supplement is IN the Common App. Not all schools will open it because they may require their own forms, dvds, letters, etc. But if even ONE school wants you to fill out the common app version, you have to fill it out and it will automatically be uploaded to all of the schools. Again, it is up to the individual school on whether or not they choose to view the information.</p>
<p>My mistake, lagunal is correct. However, the admissions office itself doesn’t review supplement materials; they’re sent on to the relevant department faculty (when they do accept it) so that they can offer their expert opinion. The problem is that the music, visual arts, and performing arts faculties will be busy with auditions, etc. for their own schools to review non-arts majors’ materials. Go for the Arts Supplement, but you don’t need to have it finished for your NU app if you’re going early decision.</p>
<p>A lot of IL students seems like. Stanford has over 40% Californians and Duke takes lots from NC and SC. I wonder if it’s in their charter somewhere? Or just loads of applicants from respective states</p>
<p>I don’t think it will be a lack of ECs that will hurt you in your chances of getting accepted to NW or like schools. I’ve known kids with hardly any ECs get accepted there, many of them over the last 20 years, in fact. They had killer stats and that was what did the job, for the most part. ECs, for the most part, a small factor in whether you are accepted or not, unless one of them is a hook that the college wants. 4 years playing soccer is not going to enhance most applicants chances in getting accepted to a highly selected school, while being a recruited soccer player at the college will drastically improve those chances. </p>
<p>The big question these selective schools ask of each applicant as they review the apps, is how that student is going to help that college in what it has listed as its needs and wants.</p>
<p>A 2000 SAT score, coming from the NYC area does not make you prime pick for NW. Look at your school Naviance info for NW, and see what the kids getting accepted there have in terms of stats. </p>
<p>NW does NOT favor IL students. As a top national university, it strives to have diversity in many areas and wants kids from all over the US and the world. Though it might have some boutique programs for underrepresented areas in the state or city as many highly selective schools do sponsor as a community service, any little edge it gives IL residents is more than made up in the sheer number of kids who apply from IL vs any other area. This is the case for any top school. More of those who live closest to the school will be applying. NW could probably fill its class with top Illinois kids and still have close to the same academic stats. It doesn’t want to do that.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’ve seen any data regarding geographic diversity by state. Best I can do is by region for class of 2014: Midwest 45%, Middle Atlantic 17%, West 12%, South 9%, New England 6%, International 6%, and Southwest 5%. I think this jibes well with what cptofthehouse said about the sheer number of applications from kids closest to the school.</p>
<p>Regarding the importance of ECs: On its Common Data Set, NU characterizes them as “important,” which sounds like a big deal until you notice that rigor of secondary school record, class rank, academic GPA, standardized test scores, and essay are referred to as “very important.”</p>