Northwestern Chances!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>I was actually wondering what my chances are at getting accepted into Northwestern. Any advice is greatly appreciated especially from those who are currently attending Northwestern.</p>

<p>Here are my credentials:
Junior at a large, highly competitive, public high school in Kansas
My parents moved to America from Pakistan; I was born in the U.S.
GPA (unweighted): 4.0 (all 'A's since freshmen year)
GPA (weighted): 4.5 (this is what I project my GPA to be by the end of first semester senior year)
Class Rank: top 3% (in a class of about 550)
ACT: I haven't taken the ACT yet, but let's assume I score a 29
AP/Honors classes: AP English (9, 10, 11, 12 grades), AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP American Government, AB Calculus, Honors Pre-Calc, French IV (which counts for college credit at my school)
*I will be taking the AP tests for the classes above next spring and the spring following next spring. Let's assume I get a 3-4 on my AP tests.
ECs:
Orchestra (7th-12th grade)
Debate (9th-12th grade)
Forensics/Speech (10th grade)
French National Honors Society
National Honors Society
Hospital Volunteer (about 200 hours)
President's National Service Award (twice; both bronze)</p>

<p>If you need any additional information, let me know. Please note that some of these figures are projected because I am only a junior in high school. Any comments, suggestions, and advice is greatly appreciated!</p>

2

<p>anyone? ,</p>

3

<p>I can speak as someone with a son at NU... your stats are very good, but with those grades, I'd shoot for a higher ACT than 29, if possible. Also, be sure to (a) stress any leadership roles in the ECs you mention, especially any that pertain to your choice of major, and (b) spend LOTS of time making your essays interesting and original so they'll stand out without being annoying. Essays aren't as important at some schools, but at NU they're critical. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Edmond maybe I misunderstood, but when you said "but with those grades, I'd shoot for a higher ACT than 29" -- how could he have done any better than: "GPA (unweighted): 4.0 (all 'A's since freshmen year)." I still agree with you, you should be in the 30's to be safe right?</p>

5

<p>^I think he meant that those with 4.0 uw GPAs have the capability of scoring higher than a 29. Unfortunately grades don't always correspond with a person's test scores, but nonetheless, you should be able to do better than a 29...aim for the mid thirties!</p>

6

<p>Yes, that's exactly what I meant -- it was a compliment. Kansan90 has great grades, so I thought he/she might have the potential to score in the 30's, which is a good goal for NU.</p>