Northwestern RD Results Class of 2021

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

[noparse]
Pick one:
Decision: Accepted
Decision: Deferred
Decision: Rejected

Which School?

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT:
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
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:
Teacher Recommendation:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments:

2

Decision: Accepted

Which School? Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1590 total; 790 CR+W, 800 Math
ACT (breakdown): 35C; 36E, 35M, 34R, 35S
SAT II: 800s Math II, Chem, USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7037 (4.72 as of 7th semester)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/251 (15/254 as of 7th semester)

AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Music Theory (5 overall, 5 nonaural, 4 aural), Chemistry (5), Calc AB (5), Literature (5), Seminar (4), U.S. History (5), Physics 1 (4)

IB (place score in parenthesis): none offered

Senior Year Course Load: French IV, Honors Comp Sci I, JROTC IV, AP Lang, AP Physics 2, AP Calc BC, AP U.S. Government

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, National AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, ACS Chemistry Olympiad 1st Place in Region Tests Level 1&2, Beta Club Membership Selection

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Old-Time Fiddle for 8 years-won school talent show, 3rd place in state youth fiddle contest, some
ensembles (submitted arts portfolio)

JROTC since 9th grade (C/LTC & Battalion Commander-highest position in program, numerous
lesser positions) - Scottish Rite of Freemasonry JROTC Award, Superior Cadet Award,
attended JCLC

Junior Civitans since 7th grade (Club Pres, District PRC, Club PRC, Club Secretary) - 2013 District
Female Junior Civitan of the Year

Pulsar Search Collaboratory since July 2016 (School Club Founder/President) - attended 2016
PSC Camp in Green Bank, WV, founded school Club for research, training, education etc

Biography published by WV Division of Culture and History in WV Veterans Memorial Archive
Database spring 2016 (coauthor)

Private fiddle teacher: half hour per week since September teaching son of my dad’s friend

Job/Work Experience: aforementioned private fiddle teacher

Volunteer/Community service: 650+ between JROTC and JCivs

Summer Activities: PSC Camp 2016, Vandalia Gathering Fiddle Contest, JCLC

Writing:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CommonApp 7/10? Wrote about my experience with JROTC and why I did not want to go into the military. I think the quality of writing was probably fine, but the topic was kind of lame.

Why Northwestern? 9/10 It was written poorly (choppy, due to the word limit), but I think it showed a real love for Northwestern. I talked about how NU was the first place I found where I didn’t feel like I would have to try to fit in and connected my laundry list of things I liked at NU to their “AND is in our DNA” slogan.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 English teacher, had me for AP Literature junior year. I was one of 2-3 kids
she had last year that got 5s. Knows me pretty well and probably a good writer. Likes me a lot,
although we might have butted heads a little bit in class. She liked that I contributed to the
discussion and stuff I think but obviously I couldn’t read it so I don’t know how good it is.

Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 AP Chem teacher junior year (my intended major is Chem). Loves me but
doesn’t know me reaaallly well on a personal level. I’ve heard that he uses my work as answer
keys in class and he’s said that he’s had one other student of my caliber, and that student went
to MIT (I got deferred though lololololol). Also loves me for the ACS Olympiad stuff we did last
year. Plus overall he’s a teddy bear to everyone, but again I don’t actually know what he put.

Counselor Rec: 6-7/10? I don’t know my counselor very well, but she seems to really like me. On
the one hand, she’s realllly old and kinda crazy, but on the other hand she’s been doing this
college stuff for so long that she seems to know her stuff. She interviewed me for an hour or so
to help her write the recommendation.

Additional Rec: none

Interview: N/A didn’t have one

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): WV
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: best public high school in state, but that’s not saying much since it’s WV
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: pretty up there? We don’t live in a gated community or anything but it’s high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none. WV and female in STEM might be bonuses though.

Reflection:
Strengths: GPA, test scores, Why NU essay, leadership/community service/ECs?
Weaknesses: no big draws, no big awards, non-stellar CA essay, ECs, and recs…basically everything
else?
Why you think you were deferred: above strength/weaknesses, but I think my Why NU seriously pushed me over the top, since I don’t think anything else could have stood out about me.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: so far Accepted WVU Honors, Ohio State, Case Western Reserve U; Rejected MIT, UChicago; Waiting on Princeton, CMU

General Comments: I AM SO EXCITED!! NU has been my #1 since I visited. It’s such a miracle that I got in-all I think I had really going for me were my scores/GPA and my supplement essay. I’m really starting to believe in this “fit” thing people talk about. This may sound cheesy, but everything happens for a reason and if you don’t get into the “school of your dreams” I’m sure it’s because they recognized you would be happiest elsewhere! Good luck from here on out everyone :slight_smile:

3

Decision: Accepted

Which School?
Engineering and Applied Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (800R, 780M, 750W)
ACT: 36
SAT II: 800 M2, 770 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/401
AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History (4), Calc AB (5), Psych (5), English Lang (5), Chem (5), Bio (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, EDD (engineering), Band, US Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (Field Commander); All State Band/Orchestra (Oboe); community bands; Math Club (President); NHS; Pit orchestra; softball
Job/Work Experience: Softball umpire, babysitting
Volunteer/Community service: 400 hours at my church
Summer Activities: Ohio Supercomputer Center Summer Institute (researchish)
Dayton Women in Engineering camp
Softball
Essays: 9/10
Teacher Recommendation: Idk
Counselor Rec: Idk
Additional Rec: Idk
Interview: Really good :slight_smile: 9/10

Other

State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): BME
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Prefer not to answer
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Woman in engineering

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, grades, interview, essays
Weaknesses: No outstanding extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My stats are in NU’s range, and I showed personality in my essays.

General Comments: I’m pretty excited to have gotten accepted RD to Northwestern! I most likely won’t attend due to the cost, but I enjoyed the process nonetheless.

4

Pick one:
Decision: Rejected

Which School? School of Engineering and Applied Science

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1450 (760 Reading/Writing, 690 Math)
ACT: 31 (did not submit)
SAT II: 630 Spanish
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not provide ranks.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology (5), Human Geography (4), Calc AB (4), Calc BC (3), Language and Composition (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Graduated at the semester, so I took electives, did an independent math study, and took a couple advanced science courses.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A
Common Awards: National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Honor, Scholastic Art Awards: 2 Gold Keys and 2 Honorable Mentions, Honor Roll, School-sponsored academic achievement award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Math Team
  • School Newspaper (Treasurer)
  • Photography Club

Job/Work Experience:

  • 2 years as a barista
  • 2 years of research in a biochemistry lab, I’m presenting my research at an international meeting in Brazil next week. I was asked to give a talk.

Volunteer/Community service:

  • 2 years weekly volunteering at a hospital
  • 1 summer of volunteering weekly for a non-profit organization called SERRV
  • 1 year of serving as a science symposium mentor for middle school students
  • 1 year of being a freshman advisor
  • I started volunteering at the Red Cross in December

Summer Activities:

  • Lab research
  • Traveling
  • Working
  • Volunteering

Essays:

  • Common App: Pretty good, I’d say 8/10. I talk about growing up with a genetic disorder and a physical disability.
  • Why Northwestern?: Also pretty good, 8/10.
    Teacher Recommendation:
  • #1: My math teacher for freshman and junior year. He also sponsored my independent study for senior year. The letter is probably very good, I’d say 9.5/10. I didn’t read it, but he said it was a “glowing letter of rec.” I know he likes me a lot.
  • #2: My social studies teacher for sophomore and senior year. Probably pretty good, an 8/10.

Counselor Rec: I know my counselor pretty well and he knows how driven I am. I’d say it’s an 8/10.
Additional Rec: My art teacher. A very good letter. I’d call it a 9/10.
Interview: N/A

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Wisconsin
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Biomedical Engineering
School Type: Highly ranked public school
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really…

Reflection

Strengths: LORs, Research Experience, Interest in both art and science
Weaknesses: Number of clubs at school, SAT Subject Test, SAT score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my scores are too low and I don’t have enough extracurriculars actually at school.

5

Decision: Accepted

Which School? Medill School of Journalism

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 720 Reading + Writing 700 Math (1420) 420 lol
ACT: never took
SAT II: never took
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Not sure
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 49/750
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography 5, World History 4, Environmental Science 5, English Language and Composition 5, US History 4, Statistics 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Music Theory AP, Government AP, Macroeconomics AP, Physics AP, English IV AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w Distinction, National Hispanic Merit Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Speech & Debate for 4 yrs (Vice President)
Orchestra for 4 yrs(Historian)
Gay-Straight Alliance for 4 yrs(Co-President)
National Honor Society for 2 yrs (Historian)
Culture Club for 2 yrs

Job/Work Experience:
Fast Food Employee (just for the first semester of senior year)

Volunteer/Community service:
Art Museum Volunteer
Volunteer for Family Services Association (2 hrs every week)

Summer Activities:
Speech & Debate camps

Essays:
Common App: I chose the generic “tell us about your background” essay, and I wrote about taking care of my disabled mother and dealing with my alcoholic father. I highlighted how I sometimes resented that other kids had parents to do everything for them, while my sister and I were the ones taking care of ourselves and our mother. I specifically talked about the time my dad almost died and my sister and I had to take care of everything. I also mentioned that despite these hardships, I am still privileged because my dad works and puts a roof over my head. 8.5/10?

Why NU: I talked about how NU’s student body is diverse in that they celebrate the arts just as much as athletics, and I mentioned specific extracurriculars I wanted to join there. I emphasized how I liked their interdisciplinary approach to learning and specifically mentioned the Scientific Images art competition. I ended it with “It also pleases me that Northwestern’s mascot is the same as High School Musical’s. Go Wildcats.” I’m a decent writer so 8/10

Additional information: I wrote that I didn’t think the award box of the extracurricular section could fully show my commitment to Speech & Debate, so I listed extra state-level and national-level achievements for Speech.

Teacher Recommendation:
English teacher: I had only known her for a semester, but she highlighted my love of genuine learning (not just vocational learning) and my resilience despite hardships.

Counselor Rec: Okay? Hard to know counselors in a really large public school. I think she knew me a tad better than other kids though just because she knew my sister too.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): N/A
Intended major(s): Journalism
School Type: Public, Large
Ethnicity: Multiracial! (Asian, Hispanic, White)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~30k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (kind of?) Legacy

Reflection
I’ve always wanted to fill out one of these results things, so this has been fun! I don’t know if I can go to NU though because it might be too expensive.

Strengths: Extracurriculars, Essays
Weaknesses: Scores, Grades (only kind of, I had all A’s except for a couple high B’s throughout freshman-junior year, but then senior year I got an 80 in one class and a 78 in another lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Extracurriculars, Essays, and Hooks (I heard from someone that NU doesn’t care about Legacy status, but I feel like they do … because I’m still shook that I got in with my grades/scores)

General Comments: For the “Why __” essays, do thorough research on the school and read everything on that college’s website. Be specific, not vague. Don’t write about superficial stuff like “I like the weather”; talk about stuff that only that school would have.
For the essays, I personally think it’s better to tell a story. Use lots of descriptors to draw them in. Essays that just start with "As a child, the most important part of my upbringing was " don’t draw people in as much.

6

Hello everyone,
I have not yet received an email from Northwestern but checked on the online portal. There is not a decision listed on the portal. Does this mean they did not review my application? Has anyone else had this problem?

I just want to know at this point in the game :slight_smile:

Thanks!

7

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Which School?: Medill School of Journalism

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 800 Reading + Writing, 770 Math (1770)

ACT: 35 (36 English, 12 Writing, 36 Reading, 34 Science, 35 Math)

SAT II: 800 - Literature, 770 - World History, 760 - Math Level 1, 750 - US History, 750 - French

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank

AP (place score in parenthesis): - World History - 5 , Lang + Comp - 5, US History - 5 ,European History - 4

IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: High Honors English, History, and French that qualify me to take the AP tests for Lit, French, and Gov, AP Physics, AP Calc AB, Broadcasting
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Illinois State Scholar.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

-Writer at moderately well known online magazine, have an editorial position on there - 4 Years

  • School Newspaper - 3 Years - Editor in Chief this year
  • School Broadcasting Team - 4 Years - Co station manager this year, have had own radio show for 3 years
  • Speech Team - 3 Years - Chair of Prose Reading this year, made it to nationals three years in a row
  • GSA - 4 Years - Board Member
  • Feminism Club - 4 Years - Board Member
  • Key Club - 4 Years - VP
  • Literary Magazines - 4 Years - Editor in Chief for upperclassmen one this year
  • Thespians - 2 years, been in some school productions.
  • Member of National Honor Society and World Languages Honor Society.

Job/Work Experience:

  • Job in retail for two years

Volunteer/Community service:

  • Volunteering through Key Club, the public library, and other organizations, about 300 hours total.

Summer Activities:

  • Northwestern Cherubs Journalism Program and Northwestern Summer Screenwriting Program

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10/10, i went for the basic “tell us about your background” story - my experiences as a middle class white passing lesbian in a very rich + conservative suburban town, my awful relationship with my immigrant parents and the pressures i faced as a first gen college student etc and how writing + journalism and a passion for social issues managed to save my life through the years.

Why Northwestern? 7.5-8/10, I did not expect to get in and Northwestern wasn’t my first choice (Emerson is and I haven’t heard back? Boston U was up there too and I was accepted there), I talked about how Northwestern manages to keep a balance of arts and athletics and academics without exclusion of one and everyone has an area here to go along with my common app which had a theme about belonging, wrote about my time in the cherubs program there

Teacher Recommendation:

  • 1: 10/10, the sponsor for the Newspaper at my school, he loves me a lot and this rec letter almost made me cry
  • 2: 10/10, my current history teacher, runs the advanced humanities program at my school, and is on admissions at northwestern. knows me + my aspirations well lmao

Counselor Rec:

  • 8/10, I wasn’t close with her until junior year, which I regret. but i think she liked me well enough.

Additional Rec:

  • 10/10, My speech sponsor, who’s also co sponsor of the gsa, and one of my favorite teachers i’ve ever had

Interview: 9/10, i tend to give decent interviews and this went very well

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Ilinois
Country (if international applicant): United States
Intended major(s): Journalism
School Type: Public, Large, and a decent amount of kids get into Northwestern? (Around 15 out of 30 who applied this year total)
Ethnicity: Mixed (South Asian/White)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 80k - 90k a year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college student, teacher on admissions board

Reflection

Strengths: EC showing interest in major, recs

Weaknesses: GPA/Courseload (for Northwestern), not many APs, my “Why Northwestern Essay”, not enough diversity in ECs?

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: First gen hook combined with teacher on admissions board combined with Common App essay

General Comments: I really did not expect to get in and I really don’t know what to feel. Do not underestimate the importance of recs and showing strong interest in an intended major through ECs and Essays

8

Decision: Accepted

Which School? Weinberg School of Arts & Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT: 30 (English: 35, Math: 32, Reading: 29, Science: 26)
SAT II: Didn’t submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History (4), AP Calculus AB (5), AP Biology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, Spanish 3, Biochemistry/Biotechnology, Civics, Senior English, Senior Project
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar I guess

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Yearbook (Editor-In-Chief), National Honor Society (Vice President), National Spanish Honor Society, Peer Tutoring Program, College Mentorship Program (Co-Founder). Choir, African Student Association
Job/Work Experience: Chick-Fil-A
Volunteer/Community service: National Jewish Hospital, University of Colorado Hospital
Summer Activities: Working, Volunteering, Road-tripping
Essays: Common App (9/10) talked about my inability to accept my Ethiopian roots, Why Northwestern (8/10) talked about my absolute love for science
Teacher Recommendation: both probably great!
Counselor Rec: most likely 10/10, she loves me!
Additional Rec:
Interview: 7/10, felt very average

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant): USA
Intended major(s): Biochemistry & African Studies
School Type: Public Charter
Ethnicity: African-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 80k-90k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, woman in STEM?

Reflection

Strengths: writing for sure
Weaknesses: test scores (yikes)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: literally have no idea, I didn’t think I had a shot but I guess they saw something unique in my application

General Comments: I’m still shook, but I’m excited! #NU2021

9

**Decision: Accepted/b
~
SAT I (breakdown): 1390 (670M 720R, didn’t send)
ACT: 34C (36R 36E 35S 30M)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/344
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4s - art history, calc bc. 3s - gov, english lit
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: ap - chem, comp sci, psych, english lang. honors - spanish 4. teacher aided for calc ab.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none
~
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
assemblies of god bible quiz since 7th grade, at one point i was the first-place player in the northeast region, and i’ve gone to nationals twice so far for it (was on a team that placed 6th one year and 5th the next year).
varsity speech/debate team, i was captain
varsity track
mock trial
nhs (not an officer)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: not much, but i’m on my school’s tech crew–basically we set up for almost every event at the school, from plays to band concerts to board meetings to graduation. i often stay after school from 2:30 to 6/7 working on things like that.
Summer Activities: pretty much nothing tbh outside of bible quiz (nationals are in july)
Essays:
common app was 7/10 i think. i wrote about the rough transition from cyberschooling to public school during junior year, especially bc i’m 15 and had a difficult time adjusting to a new environment.
supplement was also probably 7/10, i wrote about how my mother attended northwestern and how i have that connection to the school.
Teacher Recommendation: all pretty much 9-10/10. they were all teachers who had watched me grow as i became used to my surroundings in a brick and mortar school and knew of my academic achievements, and all of them told me that i’m one of the best/most unusual students they’ve seen in their careers.
Counselor Rec: probably 8/10, he personally helped me adjust to public and knew of my weird academic background. we have a fairly good relationship although i don’t know him super well.
Additional Rec: my quiz coach, he’s known me for 5 years and has seen me grow up from a shy, cyberschooled 11-year-old to me now, and he probably focused on strength of character and leadership ability.
Interview: N/A
~
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): USA
Intended major(s): neuroscience or comp sci
School Type: public (~1500 students)
Ethnicity: taiwanese/jamaican
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~$150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ethnicity, legacy (?), black girl interested in stem
~
Strengths: strong-ish grades and stats, my mom went there, my being fifteen and a former cyberschooler (not sure if this is actually helpful, but i figure it made me stand out), and strong recommendations
Weaknesses: my extracurriculars are weak because i’ve only had a year and a half to build them up. i’ve also been told that my age might make me unattractive to colleges.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: honestly unsure … guessing my recommendations pulled me through.

General Comments:
i only really applied because my mother went there and i thought “why not?” but i kinda thought i’d get rejected because of the low acceptance rate, so i’m shocked that this was the outcome!!
other results thus far:
accepted: penn state, middlebury, washu
waitlisted: bowdoin, colby
rejected: pomona, harvey mudd
waiting on: williams, amherst, lafayette, scripps, claremont mckenna, stanford, wellesley, wesleyan

10

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Which School? Medill

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): (740 CR, 770 M, 790 W) 2300
ACT:
SAT II: 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Gov (5), Comparative Government (5), APES (5), APUSH (4), AP Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Calc BC, AP Economics, AP Stats, and AP Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • National Merit Scholar Commended
  • Chosen as 1 of a handful of teens nationwide for a major program
  • (2x) High school award in math and science - given to best student in each class
  • Yale essay contest 1st place
  • Two other, smaller online essay contests - finalist/top10 winner
  • High honor roll, NHS, etc.

Extracurriculars

  • Blogger for the Huffington Post
  • Co-Editor in Chief of school newspaper
  • Co-President of DECA business club
  • Co-Founder of a growing company (annual revenue projected around $15k-20k)
  • Published writer and journalist: fantasy novel published on Amazon, reporter for local newspaper, published in 4 literary magazines
  • Editor for a national high school literary magazine
  • Karate Black Belt (first degree)
  • Class Treasurer
  • AVID Tutor and Freshman mentor
  • Former waiter and housekeeper at a bed and breakfast, ongoing private tutor with 3 clients, former employee for a financial literacy website

Recommendations:
I think they’ll be good!

Essays:
In my opinion, they’re great!

Other:
U.S. State/Territory or Country: competitive state
School Type: Very large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: No financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):

11

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (770 Reading, 780 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 English, 36 Math, 34 Reading, 32 Science)
SAT II: 730 United States History, 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 89.25 percent
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unavailable, percent or rank, but probably top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language, Statistics 4; US Government, Comparative Government, Macroeconomics, Calculus BC 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Physics 2, AP Human Geography, AP Computer Science, English 4, Student Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Wikipedia moderator (2 years); political columnist (2 years); photography (several years); president of two service clubs (2 years); student government; other minor ones
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: See extracurriculars
Summer Activities: Did absolutely nothing
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada, but applied as Chinese citizen (no longer)
School Type: Public, large, competitive
Ethnicity: Asian - Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 1M+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Many antihooks

Reflection:

Strengths: Test scores, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: UCSD, Colby, Colgate, UBC
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Deferred from Brown, UVA, Michigan, Tulane, denied scholarship USC, waitlisted UCLA, rejected Chicago, JHU and Bowdoin.

General Comments: Not much

12

@tku980 Hey dude, I see you on zhihu. Your stats are great and I love your ECs. Good Luck!

13

@Jasonapp Thanks!

14

ACCEPTED!!!

Which School? Weinberg

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1280 (Yeah I know)
ACT: Didn’t take
SAT II: Lmao I didn’t submit these horrific nightmares to anyone.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Valedictorian (1)
AP:
IB:
Senior Year Course Load: English 4, English Level 2(Dual Enrollment), English Level 3 (Dual Enrollment), Calculus 2 (Dual Enrollment), Linear Algebra (Dual Enrollment), Econ, PE (Dual Enrollment). Theater (Dual Enrollment), Government, Senior Project, Spanish 3.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NCWIT Regional Affiliate Runner-up, School Honor Role, District Black Highest Honors Awards… (I started to win more impressive national/regional stuff after I applied which means I wasn’t able to put it on my application so I’m only listing what was on my app)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Black Student Union (President), Raising my little brother, Democratic Society, Math Engineering Science Achievement (Administrative Assistant), Book Club (Vice President) (I’ve done a little bit more than this but this is all I listed under my application as well b/c ya know… Limited space… but overall I didn’t cure cancer or anything impressive.)
Job/Work Experience: Certified College Tutor, Technology Assistant for a Real Estate Company
Volunteer/Community service: Interact club is the main one I listed on my app but I’ve done a lot of other ones not listed like volunteering at a Disabled Students Center, volunteering as a physics tutor and a lot more.
Summer Activities: Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program and receiving a sponsorship to study Public Policy at Cornell on a full ride
Essays: My Common App Essay - coming to terms with my skin and the impact my skin complexion inspired me to create as an activist for black and other underrepresented groups. I feel like I was gonna have the people reading my essay a little too shook but I guess I left them shook in a good way since I got in lmao. If you want an idea about how my essay tone was, the opening line was “I don’t believe in racial colorblindness.”
My Northwestern essay- This one was pretty cool too. I think for all of you that are wondering if visiting the school can help you have a better chance of getting accepted, this is where you show it. This is where you show the specific things about Northwestern that are gonna help YOU succeed and be a valuable investment. This is how I wrote my application. I talked about how the current talents I have and my passion and plans for creating innovation in Africa would really be suited well with many Northwestern programs and projects at the school.I did do this the day it was due but since I visited the school, I knew exactly what I wanted to say in the right way.
Teacher Recommendations:
9th Grade Math Teacher - Her recommendation was incredible!!! We are very close and she has watched me grow from getting my first ever A in math in 9th grade to achieving straight As in math ever since. She also talked about my leadership qualities in terms of being one of the big leaders at school and how I am a natural peacemaker. She talked about how I use my BSU to mend social issues that occur in school and gave the example of how a huge argument was going on among classes about the use of the n-word. She made me look amazing and really made my Common App seem true to my school legacy And I think she made me look like the “Civil Rights” persona that they needed at Northwestern lmao.
Spanish Teacher - Her recommendation was great as well. We are very close as well and she really distinguished me from my other classmates and demonstrated the community activist in me and was that little side finesse that I needed to discuss my community service activities I did and how I used what I learned in her class to complete them. She also talked about how I wanted to continue learning Spanish to help uplift the people in the communities that I grew up in and give them better access of translations of their rights
Counselor Rec: Hers was excellent as well. She is my BSU adviser and I got to really connect with her senior year so we became very close. I wanted to utilize her recommendation to really demonstrate the personal growth in me from my 9th grade year being shy and coming from a conservative Catholic school and how I blossomed into this outspoken, young activist eager to change the world and her school. She was able to really describe that as well as describe the weird school system that my school uses lmao.
Additional Rec: This was where my tech side came in since I got a letter of recommendation from my Girls Who Code advisor. I didn’t get to read it but I remember how I sucked hard core at the program so I would always stick around for office hours to get help. And in the end when they asked him who he would miss the most he said it would be me and gave a whole heartfelt speech about why. I wanted to cry hearing it because it made me feel better about how I was doing in the program lol.
Interview: Lmao, I got the option but didn’t do it cause it was far and seemed a bit impersonal.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): CA (NorCal) Insert Thizz Face
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Computer Science
School Type: Weird Public where we take dual enrollment classes instead of AP classes so that we graduate with our 2 year college degrees before we get our high school ones.
Ethnicity: I’m Black Yall, and I’m Black Yall, and I’m Blackety Black and I’m Black Yall
Gender: Woman
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Having a college degree already

Reflection: I still can’t believe it tbh.

Strengths: ESSAYS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BOIII! THEY’RE SO IMPORTANT! I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!
Weaknesses: Lmao we all know my weakness… looks at my sub-college confidential level test scores in agony
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I think it’s because I used my words shown through my essays and recommendations to show Northwestern what I could contribute past just being a smart person.I feel like all the components of my application made me sound like someone that you wouldn’t feel intimidated by, but rather, someone that would make you feel protected and cared for (does this sound corny? I know it does).
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Northwestern, UCSD, UCD, UCSC, Hampton.
Rejected: UCLA
Waiting on: Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, USC, Berkeley, Stanford

General Comments: Guys, if you are too scared to apply in fear of rejection APPLY ANYWAY. I literally looked at my test scores and my heart dropped because I thought I did a lot better than what I got back so I thought I stood no chance. But I began to write my essays and I strategically planned out who I was getting recommendations from since FRESHMAN YEAR and I planned out how I wanted each part to depict me. I wanted each part of my application to reveal a different side to who I was, but at the same time get Northwestern to understand the main idea about me and what my core values were. Yes, you may not be that perfect applicant, but you have the potential to offer so much past your test scores. I didn’t win any major awards, I didn’t find the cure to cancer, I didn’t get a recommendation from Jesus Christ and I didn’t do it all while living in a trashcan on the streets of San Francisco (but hats off to all of you that did). I tried to do what I could that was within my vicinity and tried to create an impact for the people around me in small but meaningful ways. Don’t be afraid to write about your experience, but just make yourself sound genuine. Genuine and like someone that would add life and something new to the campus. And if you seniors, juniors and below have any questions or need to vent to about SAT scores or need even a pep talk, just PM me

15

ACCEPTED

Which School? Weinberg and Bienen dual degree program

Objective:

ACT: 34
SAT II: 710 Math 2, 710 Bio, 710 U.S. history
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89/ 4.2 w
Rank: 14/380
AP: 5 U.S. History, 4 Lang, 4 Bio
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Gov., APES, AP Lit, Geography, Economics
Major Awards: many prestigious music awards internationally and state wide

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Flute playing/ many competitions/ performed in Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic/ invited to perform at Carnegie Hall/ Orchestra, marching band, concert band experience
  • Local choir for 10 years/ All Southern California and All state honor choir
    Volunteer/Community service:
  • Set up camp teaching children with autism how to play piano
  • Coordinated concerts to raise money to buy pianos for nursing homes
  • VP of club that performed in nursing homes
  • Key club publicity
  • Created group that uprooted invasive species at local mountains
    Summer Activities:
  • went to state sponsored summer camp for the arts
  • Boston University’s Summer Challenge Program for economics and business
    Essays:
  • I wrote my common app essay on Squidward from “Spongebob Squarepant’s” influence on me LOL (7.5/10)
  • My NU supplement was one of the best essays I’ve ever written. It truly illustrated my love for the school and the role I would play in NU’s community. (10/10)
    Teacher Recommendation:
  • AP Bio (8/10) I didn’t read it but I was one of the 3 people to get an A in his class and we always enjoyed talking to each other.
  • APUSH (7/10) She really liked me but her writing skills are not superb.
    Counselor Rec:
  • I have no idea. She’s really busy so I am not sure what the quality of the letter was.
    Additional Rec:
  • Flute teacher: (10/10) He outlined my community service events with music and my personality.
    Interview:
  • (10/10) It lasted for 2 hours and the interviewer emailed me to thank me for a great interview. I really enjoyed talking to him and this further solidified my desire to go to NU! <3

Other

State: CA
Country : USA
Intended major(s): Environmental Science and Flute Performance
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Gen.

Reflection

Strengths: ECs all the way and my “why NU?” essay.
Weaknesses: Test scores and GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:

  • Although NU claims that the application for Weinberg and Bienen are reviewed separately and have no bearing on each other, I honestly think having a good audition at Bienen was what pushed me through the door for admission to both schools. A lot of music majors also got into their dual degree school, so I’m not sure if NU students are just very well rounded, or if the two applications are not totally independent of each other.

Accepted: Berkeley regents invitation, Northwestern, UCSD, UCSB honors college, UCI honors program, BU full ride, Boston College, University of Washington
Waitlisted: UCLA, Barnard
Rejected: none yet :,)
Waiting on: Dartmouth and NYU

General Comments:
I’m so grateful for this opportunity and super stoked to be a wildcat next year!! <3 GO CATS!!

16

[noparse]
Pick one:
Decision: Waitlisted

Which School? Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (super-scored)
ACT: 34
SAT II: (didn’t submit)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Either 1/34 or 2/34 depending on when my counselor submitted my transcript
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics 1 (3), APUSH (5), World History(5), Stats(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Band, AP Macroeconomics, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C (both Mechanics and Electrostatics), AP Calc AB (my school doesn’t offer BC), AP Literature, AP Government, Genocide Studies, Computer Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lead Builder on school’s FTC Robotics team (4 years and made it to the state competition three times), HOSA, NHS Parliamentarian for 2 years, Speaker for Lexus Eco Challenge club (we cleaned up and raised awareness about the Galveston Bay), started a club to teach elementary kids the fundamentals of soccer, Varsity and JV soccer (named MVP and won state championship), made science projects each year to teach younger students in middle school important scientific principles (in junior year I made a space time simulator)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: I have over 800 hours volunteering at a local convalescent home
Summer Activities: One year I studied abroad in Turkey, and for 2 other summers I went on medical mission trips to Belize
Essays: I thought my supplement was specific and well written, but I feel my CommonApp essay was much stronger
Teacher Recommendation: really good
Counselor Rec: I am pretty close to my counsellor so I think so
Additional Rec:
Interview: didnt have one
Demonstrated Interest: did a tour and signed up for all the mailing letters and stuff

Other

State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Religious Studies / Linguistics
School Type:
Ethnicity: Asian (from India)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:>200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): my aunt was part of HPME and my uncle went to Northwestern for med school and undergrad if that counts as legacy

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, volunteering, commonapp essay
Weaknesses: middle of the pack ACT score, didn’t submit subject tests, ORM
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was a strong applicant because of my volunteering stuff, but was eventually waitlisted because of my lack of academic achievements.

Accepted: RICE!!
Waitlisted: Northwestern
Rejected: WashU (this one REALLY surprised me)
Waiting on: Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton (I don’t expect any of these)

General Comments: I was bummed out and discouraged by WashU and NU, but I really like Rice because of the residential college system. Good luck to any future applicants!

17

Decision: Rejected

School of Communications (Film & Television)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (superscored), Reading: 780, Writing: 780, Math: 700
ACT: N/A
SAT II: None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): English HL (6), Spanish A SL (7), Math Studies (7), Bio SL (6), History HL (6), Theatre HL (7)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Spanish A SL, IB Math Studies, IB Bio SL, IB History HL, IB Theatre HL, IB TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commendation

Subjective:

-Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student government (President), School Theatre (one lead and one supporting role) Volleyball (Captain, 4-year starter, all-conference), Quiz Bowl, Prom Committee
-Job/Work Experience: None
-Volunteer/Community service: Charity Color Run (Head organizer), Spanish tutor, Film festival volunteer
-Summer Activities: Northwestern National High School Institute Film Cherub summer 2016
-Essays: My supplement was strong, creative and specific to NU. My CommonApp essay wasn’t as great but was centered around my experience at a Northwestern summer program
-Teacher Recommendation: Okay, one very specific to my ability as a screenwriter, the other more generic about my achievements
-Counselor Rec: Good, focused on my writing and creativity.
-Additional Rec: Film teacher at Northwestern summer program. Specific to my abilities as a filmmaker.
-Interview: I think I came off somewhat bland. My interviewer told me I seemed “bright and positive”, but didn’t seem at all impressed with me. I also seemed to know more about Northwestern than he did which he didn’t take all that well.
-Demonstrated Interest: signed up for mailing list, toured, shadowed a student, attended Northwestern summer film program

Other

-State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
-Country (if international applicant):
-Intended major(s): Film & Television
-School Type: Highly competitive private IB international school
-Ethnicity: White
-Gender: Female
-Income Bracket: $120,000
-Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

-Strengths: Grades, language proficiency, SAT verbal, activities relative to my major
-Weaknesses: SAT math, weakness of my STEM courses, location
-Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Northwestern doesn’t allow for film applicants to submit any creative work beyond the supplemental essay, so there wasn’t any way for me to show if I was a good fit for that program. Ultimately I think it came down to Northwestern’s aversion towards the IB and Indiana applicants. On my part I don’t think I emphasized what I woud contribute to the school very well in my Why Northwestern, which probably would have helped.

-Accepted: Columbia University, NYU, Emerson College, DePaul, Columbia College Chicago
-Waitlisted: None
-Rejected: Northwestern

General Comments: Of the more competitive schools I applied to (Columbia, Northwestern, NYU) Northwestern was the one I thought I had the best shot at, so I was honestly really shocked when I didn’t get in. I was even more shocked when I actually got into Columbia, as I thought I was a much better fit for Northwestern than CU.

18

Have any accepted students rejected NU go elsewhere? If so, where are you going to and why? Thanks.