Northwestern Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>Hey everybody, I'm currently a Junior and I was just feeling a little nervous now that I'm getting more in-depth with college searches. I visited Northwestern and I absolutely loved it, what do you think my chances of getting into Northwestern are? I'm also looking at Cornell(reaching), University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Purdue, University of Michigan, and maybe Notre Dame? I'm open to any suggestions!</p>

<p>High School Type: Private
Location: Illinois
Race/Gender: White Male
Prospective Major: Either engineering or business</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.5/4.0 (large upward trend: 3.2, 3.5, 3.8)
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Class Rank: Top 15%</p>

<p>SAT: n/a
ACT: 33 Composite (English 34, Reading 34, Math 33, Science 32)
Courses: Taking mostly honors class and AP's, taking the most challenging classes I can.
AP's: APUSH (Soph), AP Psych (Junior), AP Stats (Junior), AP Computer Science A (Junior)
Senior Courses: AP Music Theory, AP Calc, AP Chem, Honors Physics, Honors World Religions, AP Government, Honors Spanish III, English IV</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
*Tons of volunteer work at my local hospital including teaching disabled children how to swim, tutoring, and helping at the day care.
*Habitat for Humanity, will be going down to Indianapolis this summer to volunteer in a run down neighborhood
*Basketball (Fresh/Sophomore Year) and played on club team that went to Nationals
*Captain of the Swim Team Junior and Senior Year
*Very involved in the theatre productions. Set construction, stage crew, and sound mostly.
*Philosophy Club, Calculator Programming Club, Java Programming Club
*One of founding members of my school's programming team (just started this year!)
*Piano (4 years) and Guitar (3 years)
*Don't really know if this goes here, but I read a ton</p>

<p>Work Experience:
*Worked since freshman year in hotel management/customer service at this historic hotel one of my friend's family owns. About 12-15 hours every weekend doing coat check, help setting up for weddings and banquets, bringing bags up to rooms, and even jumping into the kitchen sometimes when things get extremely busy.</p>

<p>Awards: (Not many)
*Nomination for J Kyle Braid leadership award
*Nomination for HOBY leadership award
*Nomination for RYLA leadership award
*National Honor Society
*There are definitely more that I am just blanking on right now and I'll (hopefully) get a few more this year</p>

<p>Summer Programs:
*Accepted into Purdue's engineering summer program, Seminar for Top Engineering Prospects (STEP)</p>

<p>Also:
*I really have a love of learning that drives me to take the hardest classes I can and to do a bit of self study too. I read up on a ton of philosophy, economics, and computer science outside of the classroom. I guess I just want to go to a hard, selective school where I can learn as much as I can because I truly enjoy it.</p>

<p>So I know I'm not the most stellar candidate for Northwestern, but where are some of my weak areas that I could improve on? I'm open to any critiques or further questions.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time!</p>

<p>Edit: Forgot to add work experience</p>

2

<p>Your GPA is pretty low. The upward trend is nice, but you’re still going to be competing against thousands of other applicants who have gotten straight A’s every single year of high school. That being said, you have a great ACT score, a steady part-time job, and a breadth of extracurriculars. If you truly want to go to Northwestern, interview, show passion in your essays, and even better (if possible), apply ED; that’s going to be your best shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if the RD acceptance rate drops to around 10% next year, yielding a 12-13% overall acceptance rate.</p>

<p>Edit: As far as critiques go, I’d try and nab a couple of leadership positions for the activities section of your application. Northwestern will appreciate the athletic participation, but I think it also might be beneficial to get on the executive board for Habitat for Humanity or any of the other clubs you listed. Again, just my two cents. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Your odds of getting into NU, U of C or Cornell appear to be on the low side given your GPA absent some other hook. (P.S. – all three are identical reaches and indistiguishable in terms of your odds of being admitted). ACT is good but typical for all 3 schools. I would suggest having a frank discussion with a college counselor familiar with your high school and its college placement record since it is difficult to judge a 3.5 in the abstract. ED a good option only if it materially increases your odds of acceptance. If your numbers are in the “zone” for your high school then it will make a difference.</p>

<p>As for advice – try to look unique.</p>

4

<p>Thanks so much for the feedback</p>

5

<p>Do something that really shows initiative, skill, and passion in one of your ECs–when there’s a whole snowbank of special snowflakes, it has to help to have something unique to show off. Go above and beyond what the typical duties are in something you already love, and have fun doing it.</p>

<p>Also, show a ton, ton, ton of interest in the school. Visit, meet with admissions reps at college fairs, blah blah blah. And know why you want to go, that ‘Why Northwestern?’ essay is supposed to be pretty important. One of the reasons the ED side of the class enrollment is so large is because one of NU’s goals is to find kids that want to go to NU, and not kids that are only applying in case they get rejected from Ivys, etc.</p>

6

<p>the school will not grade you solely on your gpa.
you have a ton of EC’s and decent act scores so that will help as well. </p>

<p>To be honest, for applications like yours, you will need to rely on your essays to get you in. They need to be beautifully written, creative, and portray you as one of the most interesting applicants, someone they would love to actually meet. </p>

<p>and if you’re still worried, apply early decision to up your chances.</p>

7

<p>How much of an effect do an interview and/or early decision make in an application?</p>

8

<p>Early Decision reflects the applicant’s level of interest. More interested students results in a higher yield rate. A higher yield rate results in more prestige. Over the past several years, NU has taken measured steps in accepting more ED applicants. I believe 40%, but correct me if I’m wrong, of the 2016 class applied early; couple that percentage with an acceptance rate of around 30% (give or take), and it’s obvious that those who demonstrate an exceptional level of commitment and passion have great chances at an acceptance.</p>

<p>That interest is only part of the equation. Every applicant (or a large majority) have outstanding GPAs and test scores. What separates a likely acceptance from a deferral or rejection is the applicant’s drive to succeed and level of commitment to something outside of the classroom. At this level, nearly everyone will have succeeded in the academic environment, but those who push themselves outside of the class and focus on one passion have arguably the best shot at obtaining a positive result. Then, the ‘Why NU’ essay is absolutely crucial as well. Do your research; what about NU is attractive? Professors, classes, programs, the location, the environment, etc? If you can emphatically and concisely highlight why you are interested, rather than repeating why you’re right for THEM, then you’ll be set.</p>

9

<p>Wow you all are being beyond helpful, I just have some final questions. Do you think that the debt that has to be taken on to go to NU is worth it because of how prestigious of a university it is? My guess was that it is worth it if I wasnt planning on going to grad school immediately after undergrad, is that correct?</p>

10

<p>NU gives only need based aid. Get the financial info from your parent and use their aid calculator. Consider your families resources for college. If you have to take tons of loans (as in more than the stafford limits annually - usually about 25K or so total over 4 years) then don’t do it. Look into schools where you can afford to go.</p>

11

<p>Ok, thank you very much everyone!</p>