Northwestern ED 2024 <RESULTS ONLY!>

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

Hey y’all know the drill…remove the 3 a’s in the brackets blah blah blah. Good luck tomorrow everyone! Northwestern is my dream school, God I want to go there so much. I’m making this thread to give back to the people who generously provided their stats so that I could stress myself out comparing myself to them. Gotta pass the anxiety along to the next generation!

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay:
Why Northwestern:

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

2

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 32, english: 35, reading: 34, math: 28, science: 29
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5
Weighted GPA: 4.26
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: H Spanish V, H Anatomy and Physiology, Dignity and Vocation of Women, H AP Government and Politics, H AP Calc BC, H AP Physics C, H AP Senior English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): !st place at Indiana Academy of Science Talent Search Competition (advancing to nationals in February), 3rd place at Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (advancing to nationals), local science fair awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Body President, Sophomore Class Treasurer, Spanish Club, National Honors Society
Job/Work Experience: University of Notre Dame fitness attendant over the summer
Volunteer/Community service: ICU volunteer (chairperson) for three years, Buddy Up volunteer, Together for the Long Run volunteer
Summer Activities: Northwestern college prep program, Hoosier Girls State, Mini Medical Program @ local hospital, volleyball and tennis camps

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: wrote about volunteering in the hospital and how volunteers can lift the burden off of a family member’s shoulders just by listening to their problems
Why Northwestern: wrote about study abroad, sorority life, and learning about other cultures through Northwestern’s diversity

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Head of Science Department at my school
Teacher Rec #2: Head of Hospital’s Volunteers
Counselor Rec: my school’s special college advisor, wrote about how much I loved northwestern
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: biology
State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: a lot
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): attended northwestern camp

Reflection:
Strengths: research success, a leader at high school and hospital
Weaknesses: GPA and act
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: low gpa and act score
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: just indiana university so far :)) hopefully case western!!

General Comments: study hard kids

1 Like
3

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (790 M 720 EBRW)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
Class Rank: 15th percentile
SAT II: 800 M2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Ap Physics 1 (4), Ap Psychology (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Ap macro, ap government, ap biology, ap chemistry, ap calc bc, ap euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Very competitive soccer player (national league and npl)
Raised $10k+ for Leukemia and Lymphoma society
Started LLC selling sneakers (still do it today)
High school soccer
Shadowing pediatrician
Shadowing an orthopedic surgeon
Saxophone private lessons for like 10 years
Vice President of a club

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: idk how to rate this, friends and family thought was pretty decent
Why Northwestern: 7.5/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 AP Physics 1 teacher, she loved me and was honored to write my recommendation
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 English teacher also loved me but probably got a lot more people asking her for a rec b/c she was known for it at school
Counselor Rec: 5/10 didn’t know me very well
Additional Rec: none
Interview: 8/10 talked for about an hour, felt like a conversation; not awkward at all

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (400 kids/grade)
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection: Pretty bummed out, and kind of puzzled as to why I got flat out rejected than deferred. Oh well, at least I didn’t get a delayed rejection.
Strengths: Test scores were within range, extracurriculars, Common App essay
Weaknesses: Class rank, # of ap’s prior to senior year
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Class rank, maybe NU essay? I was super specific to what I would contribute and what I wanted from a school, maybe they didn’t like it.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UGA Honors, nothing else so far.

General Comments: This year was tough, many rejects and deferrals, however, good luck to everyone, you’ll kill it

1 Like
4

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34 (30M, 36S, 33E, 35R, 7R)
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.999
Weighted GPA: not reporte
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/83
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 2 APs, 3 honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Football (team Captain Junior and Senior years, all-conference junior and senior years), Varsity Basketball, Varsity Track, NHS, Student Ambassador,
Job/Work Experience: Paid spring and summer at greenhouse
Volunteer/Community service: About 50 hours varied
Summer Activities:

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 7
Why Northwestern: 7

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9 - small school. AP Calculus teacher is also varsity football coarch. Knows me really well
Teacher Rec #2: 9 - Engineering teacher and Robotics coach - also knows me very well
Counselor Rec: 7
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, but we won’t get much
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): WI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:
Strengths: Good Stats
Weaknesses: Essays and lack of AP classes available at my very small school
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My stats were pretty good. My high school is very small so my letters were from teachers who knew me very well.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

Good Luck to Everyone!

5

Decision: Accepted

For my D20:

Objective: School of Communications, Theatre major
SAT I (breakdown): 770 EBRW, 790M
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: didn’t report
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.286
Weighted GPA: 4.643
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): WHAP, APUSH, English, Psych - all 5s
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Human Geo, AP Gov/Pol, Honors Calculus, AP Spanish
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
None. Nominated for statewide acting award.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): VP acting company, many leadership roles National Charity League, mentor in political process. Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Award
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: NCL
Summer Activities: Cornell summer high school

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 8/10
Why Northwestern: 10/10 - she showed a LOT of demonstrated interest. We visited and she attended local events with reps

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: AP English 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: Physics Honors 9/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10 knows her well
Additional Rec: 10/10 voice teacher
Interview: 10/10 - they really hit it off

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Theatre
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: very competitive, large public
Ethnicity:
white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy

Reflection:
Strengths: gpa, test scores, theater resume, demonstrated interest
Weaknesses: maybe common app essay
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: showed interest, met 75th percentile for grades and test scores
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere and now rescinding applications

General Comments: she’s thrilled and I’m so proud. Such a hard working, diligent kid.

6

Decision: Deferred

SAT I : 1410 - 700 M, 710 EBRW
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): roughly 3.7 not done at my school
Weighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: top level english , top level calc, top level spanish. history, music and drama, only one class offered for each
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): school awards… rotary speech award local level

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School board student rep, Un Youth Nat’l events, sport, music, theatre, Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, school committees, debate, speech
Job/Work Experience: didn’t mention
Volunteer/Community service: part of Duke of Edinburgh award, food bank work
Summer Activities: n/a

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 8/10 at least
Why Northwestern: 9/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 19/10- english teacher who knows me very well
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 spanish teacher travelled with, knows well
Counselor Rec: 10/10 I’m the only student at my school who applied to U.S. Colleges so she spent a lot of time on it and knows me well
Additional Rec: 10/10 pastoral dean/ math teacher taught me for a long time, family friend who attended NU, wrote a character reference.
Interview: 8/10

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Polisci
State (if domestic applicant): n/a
Country (if international applicant): New Zealand
School Type: ?
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: mid-high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy, much of family has attended

Reflection: disappointed but still hopeful
Strengths: a lot of my ec’s were focused towards intended field of study- my application made sense
Weaknesses: stats
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: think that the admissions office wants to compare my application to other New Zealand applicants ( I know that I was the only ED applicant from New Zealand)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: don’t know yet…

General Comments:

7

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 36P, 9 on essay
SAT II: 800 (Math II)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Weighted GPA: 4.42
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calc (5), CompSci A (5), CompSci Principles (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Stats, AP Econ Micro/Macro, Spanish II Honors, regular English, PE, Civics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chess Team (Captain, We are one of the best teams in the state), JV Tennis team.
Job/Work Experience: Worked at Mathnasium as a math tutor, Internship at a Fortune 500 company for computer science doing actual CS work.
Volunteer/Community service: N/A
Summer Activities: took Math 240: Linear algebra for credit through the college prep program at northwestern and got an A. More internship stuff. Went to some computer science camps.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 10/10. I thought it was awesome. That sentiment was shared with many other people.
Why Northwestern: 9/10. Talked about specific classes and extracurriculars. I thought it was very solid.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10. AP Computer science teacher. She thinks very highly of me.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10. Math teacher that I had in 7th grade and again as a junior.
Counselor Rec: 10/10. I know my counselor very well. He said it was one of the best recs he has ever written.
Additional Rec: 10/10. It was written by a northwestern professor. I took Linear Algebra summer quarter and earned an A.
Additional Rec #2: 10/10. It was from my boss for the internship. Very great rec (I read it myself :smile:)
Interview: 7-8/10. He said he was pretty impressed with my background, but my answers for “What qualities would you bring to NU” and “Why NU over other schools” were meh in my opinion.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science (McCormick)
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public School, Pretty Competitive
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection:
Strengths: Grades, test scores, essays, recs, the fact that I literally took a for-credit class (math 240 linear algebra) during the summer quarter and got an A, actual work experience in the CS field.
Weaknesses: I got a C in PE as a sophomore and didn’t take any of the English or history AP classes.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There are a good amount of people from my school that applied ED to NU. At least 1 other person got deferred and at least 2 got accepted. One of them got accepted to CS (She was going to get accepted no matter what as her mother works there and she has good grades and insane extracurriculars that I can’t compete with). I’m hoping I just didn’t get in since they were reluctant to accept multiple people from the same school into CS (probably just dumb wishful thinking, though).
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Rose Hulman (EA, Computer Science), Rejected U of I (EA, Computer Science)

General Comments: I’m pretty disappointed. I don’t think I could’ve had a much better rec. This goes to show that no matter how good your application is, there’s never a guarantee for anything these days.

8

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective: Weinberg, International Studies major
SAT I (breakdown): 740 EBRW, 800M
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: didn’t report
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Weighted GPA: 4.4ish?? idk… 4.1 sophomore year, 4.7 junior, 5.0 senior
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): chem (4), macro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): econ (6), cs (4)
Senior Year Course Load: IB HL Spanish, IB HL Math, AP physics C, IB HL english, IB HL history, TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nahh

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): debate team (prez), school newspaper (managing editor), foreign affairs club (prez and founder), school leadership, other clubs and stuff
Job/Work Experience: i had a cool internship last summer at a social justice non profit
Volunteer/Community service: i founded a volunteer group for teaching debate to middle schoolers
Summer Activities: see work above and summer before that i took IR classes at georgetown

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 9/10
Why Northwestern: 10/10 - hella specific. I talked about this one professor whose books i used to research for my extended essay.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: english 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: math 6/10??
Counselor Rec: 5/10… massive public school. I’ve barely ever spoken to her
Additional Rec: 8/10 my boss at my internship
Interview: idk?? I thought it went well 9/10

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: International Studies with a possible double in econ or philosophy
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: very competitive, large public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nah

Reflection:
Strengths: SAT, extracurriculars, why NU essay
Weaknesses: im boring
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: test scores + very focused on my intended area of study
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: lmao Aberystwyth uni in Wales

General Comments: Go Cats!!

9

ACCEPTED FOR ECONOMICS ED
Can’t believe it I got in!!! Northwestern is my dream school ?

GPA: (not available)
34 in IB
RANK; (N/A)
SENIOR COURSE LOAD: IB Eco Hl, IB BM hl, IB bio HL, IB Math SL, IB Spanish SL, IB SL English
SAT:1490
ACT:33
SAT 2: Math ( 800)
8/10 Essay
11/10 recommendations
Hooks: first gen student
Decent EC’s
Citizenship: UAE

International School in Abu Dhabi, graduating size of 140 students.
Weaknesses: Essays, Grades
Strengths: SATs and Reccomendation,

10

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (17 essay)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (but didn’t send in)
SAT II: 740 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chinese (5), AP Stat (5), AP Lang (5), APUSH (4), AP Chem (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Environmental Sci, AP Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Art History, Advanced Spanish Literature, Honors Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gold key from Scholastic Art and Writing for a Mixed Media piece, 1st place at state Envirothon competition, 11th place at International Envirothon competition, National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Envirothon (Co-Captain for 2 years), Science Ambassadors (Co-leader for 2 years), Yearbook club (Co-editor in Chief), Art, Piano, Chinese Folk Dance
Job/Work Experience: NA
Volunteer/Community service: Teacher Assistant at local Chinese School, help at a local museum, Science Ambassadors (outreach program where we go to local schools and teach STEM to underprivileged kids)
Summer Activities: Art camps and not much else

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 8/10- I think my common app essay was pretty reflective of myself as a person and it was probably somewhat unique since I wrote about soils (the subject I study for Envirothon). I basically wrote about how my journey in studying soils taught me to appreciate the people around me more and how I’ve learned to dig deeper to find the meaning in the people and things around me. I also made a comparison as to how college is like a soil pit lol.
Why Northwestern: 7/10- I think I demonstrated my interest in the school well since I researched some programs that I was interested in and wrote about them in the essay. I also touched on some stereotypical things though like how it was so close to Chicago and the opportunities that the city could provide me. So for anyone who thinks they can’t put cliche topics in the ‘Why’ essay, I’d say it’s fine to do so as long as you think it’s a compelling factor to you about the school. But try to add some more unique ideas in there as well.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10- My teacher/advisor for Envirothon wrote this letter and he’s known me since Sophomore year. I’ve worked with him closely for Envirothon and he’s seen my leadership regarding the club over the years. I also have a really good relationship with him so I’m sure this rec was great.
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10- My AP Lang teacher has a really good impression of me and I know she’s praised me before in front of other teachers at school. She writes really great rec letters so this one should have been good as well.
Counselor Rec: 9/10- Although my counselor is in charge of a lot of people, I’ve been consistently going to her office throughout these 4 years asking questions and getting advice. She also has a good impression of me and knows about my art (which I’m sure she touched upon in her rec).
Additional Rec: NA
Interview: 7/10- I think it went pretty well. Although it definitely was more of a traditional interview rather than the casual, conversation-like interviews I’ve heard about from people, I think she was satisfied with my answers and wrote a decent letter for me.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Communication Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Delaware
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA

Reflection: Overall, I think I had a decent application and even though my stats may not be the highest (my friends all have crazy stats), I’m sure my essays, recs, and extracurriculars made up for it.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my rec letters definitely helped me since my teachers and counselor know me well and definitely wrote positive things about me. My stats are also pretty good and my common ap essay was a good reflection of my growth during high school.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Didn’t apply anywhere else- I was just waiting for Northwestern to release their decisions (thank god they accepted me).

General Comments: I’m really honored to have been accepted and I think out of all the colleges I looked at Northwestern is the best fit for me. One of my best friends also applied early with me and also got in!!! I’m so excited for September 2020 to come!

11

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (760 Writing, 790 Math)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 770 Math II, 750 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/100
AP (place score in parenthesis): No ap, but 15 total college classes and graduating highschool with both highschool and associate degree.
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: 6 college classes, 1 high school honor
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): JROTC Battalion (Command Sergeant Major), Debate Club (President), National Honor Society (Vice President), Drill Team (Commander), Basketball (Varsity Player), Online Sneaker Store (Owner)
Job/Work Experience: Interned at a major consultant company in Vietnam
Volunteer/Community service: n/a
Summer Activities: LaunchX at Umichigan

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 8/10 pretty good and I think it is unique as I wrote about my experience with sneakers.
Why Northwestern: 10/10 very specific essay on how I can use my Northwestern education to solve corruption problems in Vietnam

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, Physics and Engineering teacher, knows me really well and has taught me for the last 3 years
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10, College History teacher. He has taught me for two years and he loves me (told me I was the best student he has ever taught during his 20 years tenure at my school).
Counselor Rec: 9/10, knows me really well, I talk to him at least 2-3 times a week.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: There was no interviewer in my area

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Economics and MMSS joint majors
State (if domestic applicant): international student studying in New Mexico
Country (if international applicant): Vietnam
School Type: Medium-sized Military Academy
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: 150k +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): schools do not offer APs, I had to go above and beyond to self-study while also earning an associate degree.

Reflection:
Strengths: Really good stats and specific Why Northwestern essay.
Weaknesses: My school’s academic record isn’t strong at all.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Stats and the Why Northwestern Essay definitely played a major part.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NW was the first one I heard from.

General Comments: Go Wildcatssssssss!!!

12

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1450 (670 EBRW, 780 Math)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.00
Weighted GPA: 5.12 (Honors counts as 5, AP/IB/Dual Credit counts as 6)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geography (5), AP European History (4), AP Physics 1 (5), AP Seminar (4), AP Statistics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP US Gov, AP Physics 2, AP Calculus BC, H English IV, H Art I
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boys Volleyball, Israeli Club, Physics Club, Math Tutoring (President)
Job/Work Experience: I worked at the pathology department at a well-known inner city hospital for two years during the summer.
Volunteer/Community service: Not outstanding, but I did volunteer at multiple organizations around where I live. I was also a member of two volunteering clubs at my school.
Summer Activities: Refer to Job/Work Experience

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: (9/10), I constantly worked on it two months prior to the deadline. I had an extended metaphor that was very personal to me. I also had my teacher and friend peer edit it multiple times. It was a very serious essay.
Why Northwestern: (10/10), I talked about my deep connection to the university as a child and now teenager, and then mentioned my specific academic interests relating to the school. I made it so that nobody else could have written it, and did my research on specific programs they offer. It was a more “personality” essay.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: (9/10), I asked my AP Physics 1 teacher; she really liked me as a student, doing very well in her class, and acting as a leader/teacher for other students.
Teacher Rec #2: (9/10), I asked my H English III teacher; she absolutely loved me and always told me how much of a nerd I am (in a good way).
Counselor Rec: (7.5/10), I did not talk to her much throughout high school, but I did have a couple meetings with her starting at the end of junior year. I told her about my extracurriculars, etc. (she knew which type of student I was).
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: (8.5/10), I was very nervous in the beginning, but I was able to become a very comfortable speaker. I answered all of his questions well, and he told me at the end that we had a good interview, he was able to get to know me very well.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Inner city public
Ethnicity: White, Jewish
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Don’t know the specific bracket, but middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection:
Strengths: GPA, essays
Weaknesses: SAT score (only took it once), extracurriculars/awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essays were very good, and my high school is very well known to the university, being one of the top in the nation. I was also very connected with my admissions rep throughout the process.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Did not submit other apps.

General Comments: Ridiculously high test scores and grades do not matter as much as you think – as long as they are within the range the school is looking for, you should be fine. Also, being a “checklist” kid, having 100 extracuriculars and 1000 awards, may seem what colleges want, but at the end of the day it really comes down to your essays showing who you are – don’t make it sound like a resume. GO CATS!

13

aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective: Materials Science and Engineering / McCormick
SAT I: 1590
ACT :36
SAT II: M2 790. Chem 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 5.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP HumGeo(5], AP Wrld Hist (5), APUSH (5), AP Chem (5), AP Calc AB (5), AP Comp Sci A (5), AP EngLang (5]
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP EngLit, AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1, AP US Gov, AP MacroEcon, Yearbook Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Yearbook writing - best in state, and multiple regional awards, Duke TIP Grand recognition, National Merit Semifinalist; full academic scholarship to highly competitive private high school

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Dance 15 years, Yearbook (Editor-in-Chief), GEMS - girls engineering [President), Natl Honor Society (Secretary 2 yrs), Robotics (Media Director), Other honor societies - English, Social STudies, Journalism, Science
Job/Work Experience: taught dance during summers
Volunteer/Community service: 1150 hours, Make-a- Wish, Key Club, Perpetual Motion Dance Company, raised $3000 raffling artwork for hurricane relief
Summer Activities: Duke TIP classes - Neuroscience, Abnormal Psych, AI; Stevens Institute - Cybersecurity; Worcester Poly - Robotics and manufacturing

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 10 - about her creativity both dance and arts through coding and chem, highly praised by teachers and counselors
Why Northwestern: 10 - corollary between her 2017 yearbook theme which was AND and Northwestern student material - “AND is in our DNA” talked about how Northwestern is the best place to address her two sides, Stem AND Creativity ( Dance, arts, writing) ended with her plan to paint the famous Northwestern rock

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10 English/ yearbook, known her all 4 years and has attended dance recitals, counselor said letter was amazing
Teacher Rec #2: 10 Calculus - also great letter per counselor
Counselor Rec: likely also a 10 as counselor knows her well and has been a strong advocate for her
Additional Rec: none
Interview: 10. Said she rocked it, interviewer made her comfortable, she made all her planned points, interviewer claimed to have a strong track record of success with those they recommended

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Materials Science and Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private competitive college prep 375 students per class
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket:high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:
Strengths: Superb grades and high test scores in single sitting
Weaknesses: did not take engineering classes offered at school due to yearbook conflict, but ended up as Editor senior year so that balanced out
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: the combination grade and test scores while dancing 15 hrs per week and all the other extracurricular activities plus being female and majoring in a lesser known engineering discipline. Also demonstrated lots of interest, very early campus visit, several rep meetings and Roadshow attendance

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: MIT deferred, usually one student picked early action from her high school, and it was a math comp girl

General Comments: so glad my daughter is now a Wildcat!

1 Like
14

Northwestern has been a dream for me ever since I visited the small city of Evanston at 6 years old.
Just sharing my stats, if anyone wants to use them as a reference.

Went to a Private school in Milwaukee and did the IB curriculum and scored a 36 taking 3 HL’s (Biology, Economics, business), Spanish AB, Math SL, English sl
finished 46/327 seniors
ACT:32 ACT
SAT:1420 (Not sending)
740 in sat subject test ( US history)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Yearbook writing - best in suburb, and multiple regional awards, , National Merit Semifinalist; School Scholarpplied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): WI
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: private competitive college prep 375 students per class
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket:high
Hooks : first generation college student in family
essays :7/10 for commonapp
recommendation was 10/10 from IB math teacher
applied for financial aid

15

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Major: Neuroscience and Global Health Studies

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590 (800 Math)
SAT II: Bio-E 800, Math 2 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.07
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): NA
IB (place score in parenthesis): 45/45 (EE A, TOK B)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Higher Levels: Physics, Mathematics, Biology, and English Language and Literature. IB Standard Levels: Economics and Spanish B.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NA

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Speech and Debate Founder, Student Council Secretary, French Horn Varsity First Chair, MP12 Founder (plays at U.S. Consulate Events), and Mental Health Support Group Leader.
Job/Work Experience: Neuroscience Researcher at Jinan University on the effects of luteolin on retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary blinding disorder.
Volunteer/Community service: Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter President, Global Issues Network, and Peer Tutoring.
Summer Activities: Brain and Behavior Course 2019 at Michigan Math and Science Scholars, University of Pennsylvania Summer Prep: Biology of Antidepressants

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 9.5? This is really subjective, but I went through the essay 25 times. My essay was about Bohemian Rhapsody and overcoming challenges.
Why Northwestern: 10. I gave so much effort on this one. Honestly, Northwestern is the perfect fit for me with its amazing music and speech programs, so this was not too difficult. As an International Student, I also quoted some Global Wildcat leaders to further demonstrate my interest. I linked very well with how Northwestern will help me achieve my goals. Main advice on this section is to DEMONSTRATE AS MUCH INTEREST AS POSSIBLE. EVEN IF YOU APPLY ED, AO’S WANT TO KNOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY AND FIT IN.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10, IB Biology HL teacher thought that I was one of the best students she has ever taught
Teacher Rec #2: 9, IB Mathematics HL teacher is a very dedicated and caring teacher. Although I wasn’t the best student in class, I can bet he wrote a very strong recommendation for me.
Counselor Rec: 8, my counselor had to write essays for 65 students and is not the most experienced counselor. She is also a procrastinator, meaning she waited until the last minute for everyone else. Lucky me: I applied to the University of Oxford and got my recommendations done early. I also went to talk to her every day before she wrote my rec, so it should’ve been good even if she doesn’t really care.
Interview: 10, me and my interviewer hit it on. I demonstrated a genuine passion for neuroscience, and he texted me afterwards that my interview was the strongest he’s ever seen and that he wrote a really excellent recommendation.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: NA
Intended Major: Neuroscience and Global Health Studies
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: International and Private
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college.

Reflection:
Strengths: Stats, Essays, Neuroscience Profile, Recommendations, Interview, Demonstrated Interest and Fit.
Weaknesses: Awards, Ethnicity, and School Profile.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I have some glaring weaknesses on my application: firstly, I have no true awards. Meaning, I had no awards that caused me to stand out in any way. My ethnicity was also something to be considered disadvantageous, as acceptance rates for Chinese males are probably the lowest in any group in the world. Finally, my school profile was pretty trash: our IB final scores were abysmal last year, and we have not had an acceptance from a school as prestigious as NU for around 10 years.

1590, 800, 800, IB 45 is rare. I also had fantastic grades at school. My neuroscience profile was also very strong, as I published papers at the Society for Neuroscience 2019 and went to several summer camps to demonstrate my passion for the subject. My recommendations and interview were strong as well. Most importantly though, my fit with NU was immaculate. NU’s extracurriculars supported all my interests ranging from Speech to Music, and I believe the AOs could really see that I would thrive in the community. I also had tons of leaderships in my school.

16

DENIED

Objective:
SAT (breakdown): 1420 superscore
ACT (breakdown): 30 highest composite
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang (4), Macroecon (5), Stats (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP classes, Yearbook (editor)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Honors Society, AP Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Ballet for 14 years (very intense), yearbook (editor-in-chief), design websites for profit, run own blog
Job/Work Experience: NA
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering at library & Refugee Education Center
Summer Activities: Ballet all summer, volunteering

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 7/10, personal reflection regarding ballet
Why Northwestern: 9.5/10, very specific, academics/journalism, the arts

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 7/10, english teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, math teacher
Counselor Rec: 6/10, doesn’t know me very well
Additional Rec: 10/10, yearbook adviser
Interview: 8/10, connected well about marketing/journalism

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Journalism
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant): NA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 140-175,000 per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:
Strengths: GPA, honors & AP courses, extracurriculars, Why NU? essay
Weaknesses: Test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Test scores
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to MSU Honors College, still waiting on U of M & Wisconsin-Madison

General Comments: STUDY FOR YOUR SATs, KIDDOS
12-12-2019 at 8:46 pm
19 replies

17

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Did not report
ACT (breakdown): 33 English: 29 Math: 34 Reading: 33 Science: 36
SAT II: Chem: 710 Spanish: 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90
Weighted GPA: 5.385/6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Psych (5) AP Euro (5) APUSH (5) AP Spanish Lang (5) APHug (5) AP World (5) AP Micro (5) AP Gov (5) AP Lit (2) (I can’t write okay)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
IB Biology HL
IB Chemistry HL
IB English Lang and Lit HL
IB Spanish HL
IB Contemporary History of the Americas HL
IB Mathematics SL
IB French SL
Theory of Knowledge

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I don’t think I have any except the Collegeboard stuff

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a pizzeria
Volunteer/Community service: My local hospital
Summer Activities: Did a paid research internship with a university

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 8
Why Northwestern: 8

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: English Teacher Amazing 10
Teacher Rec #2: Chemistry teacher amazing 10
Counselor Rec: 9
Additional Rec: My Supervisor at my research internship PhD 10
Interview: Did not have one

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: POOOORRRRR
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
First gen to go to college and first gen in USA and speak English

Reflection: Shocked I got in
Strengths: Math and Science and my personality with teachers and people
Weaknesses: My English scores and writing ability
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I have been accepted to every other college I applied to but none of which are major.
General Comments:
YOU’LL BE FINE AND IF YOU DON’T GET IN, IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

18

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I : 1310 (I forget the exact breakdown, I can’t access Naviance atm
ACT: didn’t take
SAT II: 1450
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): our school doesn’t do unweighted
Weighted GPA: 4.26
Rank : school doesn’t rank
AP: none
IB (place score in parenthesis): Diploma Candidate, HL Literature HL Economics, HL Visual Art, HL Biology, SL Mathematics, SL Spanish, SL Theory of Knowledge
Senior Year Course Load: see above + Imedia
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): First place in DECA regionals (x2) and states. Voted Most Memorable Performer for 2018 season at local theater

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Class Council 3 years (class historian) School, community and professional theater since middle school (i do multiple shows at once), DECA for 2 years, NHS, make up designer at local theater, youtube channel (i know, cringe, but it takes a lot of time and effort)
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting each day after school and other times, Camp Counselor for Theater camps in the summer (group leader for kindergarten - 2nd grade and 3rd grade - 5th grade for camps)
Volunteer/Community service: Organized a Princess party fundraiser for my local theater, did various service activities through confirmation class and church
Summer Activities: almost everything above is year-round

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: (6…?)bruh idk i chose the identity one and said I wouldn’t be who I was without Imovie. I vlog all the shows i am in and post one each weekend for my cast(s) and i also film other life experiences, and now I have a small community of 300 subs so I talked about how that let me build communities and bond with everyone around me and make memories
Why Northwestern: (probably a 6) I talked about their undergrad marketing program and their school of communication. I also talked about growing up by Northwestern and blah blah

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 7/8. Did my Spanish teacher - Srta. liked me I had her for two years. She is also one of the mentors for class council and She chaperoned our trip to costa Rica so she has seen me do a lot of different things.
Teacher Rec #2: N/A
Counselor Rec: I have no clue. I don’t talk to my counselor a lot but we had one meeting where she said she was going to emphasize in my rec how I managed to keep such a high GPA while doing the IB and being in 2+ shows at once amoungst other activites
Additional Rec: 8/9 A director at my local theater who has directed me in multiple shows and has also been in multiple professional productions with me. She has seen me be very passionate, hard-working, and responsible
Interview: 6/7 Lady was super nice and talkative. I thought we had a good talk but I know the interview doesn’t do much. Felt like I talked more about the present than the future.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major Communications
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity: white as hell
gender: female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Both my parents are Northwestern Alumni

Reflection:
Strengths: lots of extracurricular and I’m very passionate about the things I do. my sat was in range and i believe my gpa was as well.
Weaknesses: I think my interest didn’t come across in my why northwestern essay, and in an applicant pool of thousands, I’m really just mediocre.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: not much leadership, grades in middle of range, okay essay but not great. However, I think I am very well rounded and have a lot going on and a lot of interests and am promising so they didn’t straight up reject me yet.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was accepted to Penn State and Wisconsin Madison but deferred from U of Michigan. Holding out for UT Austin and UNC Chapel Hill!

19

D

20

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 (Didn’t Submit)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (34 Math, 33 English, 35 Reading, 33 Science)
SAT II: 720 Math II, 720 Biology (Molecular)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 -Microeconomics, 5 -AP Spanish, 4-Chemistry, 4-Biology, 5-APUSH. (Didn’t submit any)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Gov., AP Physics, English Seminar, College-Level Spanish.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, Cum Laude Society, Honors Society at school.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Research Assistant at Clinical Neuroscience Lab- Submitted my research for publication, had my lab director submit a letter of recommendation on my behalf, also took up a huge amount of my high school, (Founder/Leader of Entrepreneurship Class)- Created a really unique entrepreneurship class for students in my city to attend and learn about entrepreneurship from local business-people in the community, Model UN, Youth in Government, Volunteer at university laboratory that did research for kids with Autism, Spanish Translator for local health clinic, JV Mountain Biker and team captain
Job/Work Experience: Worked as a host/intern at a local event space
Volunteer/Community service: Helped a lot at with a local organization that assists children with high and low functioning Autism. Did a lot with community outreach for Hispanic/Latinx low-income patients at a local health clinic.
Summer Activities: Attended a UPenn Business summer camp summer before senior year

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 8 - I’m not a great personal writer but I poured everything I had into this essay and made it the best I could. I also made it super personal to myself and made sure to only talk about things that were applicable to me rather than making broad, unsupported general statements. Had teachers and counselors read over it multiple times before submitting.
Why Northwestern: 9 - SUPER good IMO. I wrote about a personal experience I had with a Northwestern student who went to my high school and how meaningful my experience with her had been to me and how it influenced my decision to apply. I also talked a lot about the academic opportunities available and the quarter system! Can’t apply to NU without talking about the quarter system lol.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): (I wasn’t allowed to read my recs so this is what I perceived of them)
Teacher Rec #1: 8- Precalc teacher who taught me for 3 years. She was a huge mentor to me and I hated math before I was with her. I also struggled in her class a lot and got my lowest grades of all of high school with her. I bet she wrote about that and my perseverance and willingness and dedication to learning.
Teacher Rec #2: 6 - English teacher who I fully regret asking for a recommendation. She writes a TON of recs for kids at my school and I feel like her words sound really generic. But again, I have no clue just my perceptions!! Could’ve been an outstanding rec but I’ll never know.
Counselor Rec: 10- My counselor and I were very close and she wrote a very thorough, detailed rec. My school lets us see our counselor recs so I know this one was an absolute 10.
Additional Rec: Lab Manger (9): Worked really closely with her to figure out what was important to include and what was unnecessary. She really promoted me throughout my work with her to do my best and always set my goals high so I’m sure her recommendation was strong.
Interview: NU gives out a handful of interviews and I jumped on the opportunity when I got it… I would say it was a good to ok interview. Not amazing not terrible but definitely strong. The guy liked me and gave me a lot of good insights into NU and his experience but we were pretty different so hard to find a serious connection.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No, but I did after I got in.
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): TN
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Small Private School
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100K +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LGBTQ+ (maybe idk because it’s possible they didn’t even read that far into my application since I only included in a small part).

Reflection: Wouldn’t change a thing. Put my best into the application and took time to comb through what NU wants.
Strengths: Strong app, good essays and average test scores
Weaknesses: SAT subject test, maybe ACT, applying to really competitive major and didn’t make it very clear why.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was accepted because I made it clear to the admissions readers why I belonged at NU. NU of all places looks for FIT ABOVE ALL ELSE. You need to address specifics of the school such as the quarter system, collaborative atmosphere, location etc. Don’t be general!!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Early admit to Vanderbilt and USC but after that I withdrew.

General Comments: Honestly, you get out of this college process what you put into it and through it all, don’t lose sight of who YOU are. It’s cliche but being yourself is what they want!!