<p>Okay, so I've been reading the posts regarding NU and ACT scores.
I have a 30 and it seems as though a 30 is low for NU, whereas at least a 32 is competitive. With a superscore, I have a 31, but NU doesn't superscore, unfortunately. What do you guys think? </p>
<p>(Also: I have impressive ec's, 3.9 GPA with several APs, a legacy connection, blah blah blah, same old)</p>
<p>oh yeah, I'm applying early decision, if that makes a difference</p>
<p>isnt the range 29-32.....a 30 is fine especially with ed but there's always other factors</p>
<p>Well, are you applying to WCAS or Medill or?
I've seen some people get into Medill with a 29 (?) or something around there. Not so sure about the other schools though.</p>
<p>WCAS Early Decision. WCAS has more applicants, so it's harder to get in. But then again, Medil is ridiculously hard (only 100 or so get accepted)</p>
<p>I just have a hard time believing that a 30 is vastly different from a 32.</p>
<p>Well, you can say the same thing for a 2150 versus a 2200 or a 2200 versus a 2250. It isn't "vastly" different, but it does make a difference. </p>
<p>I get the feeling that Medill looks for things outside of scores, while WCAS looks at scores a little bit more. </p>
<p>A 30 is a 1320-1350 on the SAT... A 32, on the other hand, is a 1410-1450... 100 point difference.</p>
<p>When most scores that the Admissions Office will be comparing are between 29 and 34, there is indeed a vast difference between a 30 and a 32.
A 30 is just not very competitive by NU standards. You might get in anyway, but it would be in spite of the 30 on the ACT.</p>
<p>When most scores that the Admissions Office will be comparing are between 29 and 34, there is indeed a vast difference between a 30 and a 32.
A 30 is just not very competitive by NU standards. You might get in anyway, but it would be in spite of the 30 on the ACT.</p>
<p>I'm not relying on my score as "the thing" that gets me in. I'm hoping that if the score is at least solid (at a 30) for NU, my ec's, legacy, and transcript will get me the rest of the way there, but who knows.</p>
<p>yeah a 30 is plenty solid if you have other things...especially if you're ED...the 30 is not going to be the reason that you don't get in</p>
<p>I assume you either didn't take the SAT or have an even less competitive score, correct?</p>
<p>I'm not sure how strong NU feels about legacy, but if your ECs and grades are good, I don't think a 30 is going to hurt you that much.</p>
<p>For ED + your other stuff I suppose a 30 will do</p>
<p>"A 30 is just not very competitive by NU standards."</p>
<p>faaaalse</p>
<p>straight from their website: "The middle 50 percent of test scores for entering students ranges from 29 to 33 on the ACT"</p>
<p>you can't tell me a 30 isn't competitive when more than 25% of students are under 30. a 30 is 97th percentile; it's outrageous to say it will hurt someone's chances at any school.</p>
<p>if you saw another statistic, which says that the admitted range is 31-34, you would then conclude that a 30 is not competitive. The "admitted" range is always higher than the enrolled. If you are near the 25th percentile for enrolled students, the school is a reach for you. Most students who score below a 1300 on their SAT do not have a great chance of getting into a top school. The students that get in w. those kind of scores are typically legacies, athletes, developmental admits, URMs, etc.</p>
<p>And it should be noted: Northwestern is HARD. If you're barely squaking in, you will have it rough (I've seen that). And no, I don't fit that description- I am towards the upper marks of the entering freshman, and its still hard. Its not unmanageable by any means, but its difficult (mostly because of the quarter system).</p>
<p>zdub08-
A 30 will impress no one at NU Admissions, unless you have some unusual extra factor in your favor. But if you are just a mainstream, non-minority, non-athlete applicant, they reject more of your type with 30s than you can shake a stick at. You are kidding yourself by talking about the bottom 25% of the student body (not the admitted applicants, but the student body); you can be sure that that bottom 25% is not largely filled by the mainstream group of applicants described above.</p>
<p>Regardless of what anyone here thinks a 30 is without a doubt good enough to get into the school, especially ED. Northwestern does not simply base their admissions standards by solely the ACT score. It may not "impress" the admissons, but it does not definitely stand out as being below average. With good grades, class rank, EC's, legacy, etc. there is a fair chance as everyone else.</p>
<p>And arbiter213...that is just ridiculous to say that because they got a 30 on their ACT that the school is too hard for them. The difference between a 30 and a 33 could be only a small number of questions missed on the test. Everyone here needs to remember that the ACT and SAT are standardized tests, and just that.</p>
<p>A 30 isn't impressive, but it won't keep you out I guess... You'll just need some super strong EC's with leadership and a lot of awards to make up for it. ED is easier, but I don't think a 30 would necessarily make NU a "MATCH" either. Probably a high match, since you have legacy.</p>
<p>dbb07- I didn't say it was too hard for the original poster. I said it was something to note, and it was meant as a more general comment on the entire discussion overall. AS you said, a 30 isn't "barely squeaking in", but if the other stats aren't that outstanding either, its a consideration. And again, "too hard" is putting words in my mouth. But most people would prefer to get a 4.0 at, lets say UIUC, then a 2.5 at NU (not saying thats the likely discrepancy, but its possible).</p>
<p>"But if you are just a mainstream, non-minority, non-athlete applicant, they reject more of your type with 30s"</p>
<p>what a jerkoff</p>