Northwestern Transfer 2014 Advice

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>I was denied this year as a high school senior and I'm looking to transfer next year. I will be going to University of Illinois - at Urbana Champaign for Aerospace Engineering next year and I want to transfer into Northwestern Economics. Here's my resume shortened up: </p>

<p>EDUCATION
• Cumulative GPA: 3.8/4.0 (unweighted) 4.7/5.0 (weighted)
• Academic Scholar, Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor
• ACT: Composite – 34, Math – 36, English – 36, Reading – 32, Science – 35
• SATII: Math II – 790, Chemistry – 750
AP Courses: Calculus BC, Physics B, Language and Composition, US History, Macroeconomics, Government and Politics, Biology, Statistics, Chemistry, Literature and Composition</p>

<p>WORK EXPERIENCE
2012 –2013 ALEXIAN BROTHERS MEDICAL CENTER
o Volunteered four hours every Monday starting in July 2012 for a total of 144 hours</p>

<p>2012 SUNRISE SENIOR LIVING<br>
o Volunteered four hours every Saturday starting in June 2012 for a total of 52 hours</p>

<p>2012 KENNETH YOUNG CENTER RESALE SHOP<br>
o Volunteered four hours every Sunday starting in July 2012 for a total of 48 hours</p>

<p>2011 – 2013 EBAY BUSINESS
Owner; my personal Internet business over the holiday season
• Bought video games, consoles, and other gamer products during Black Friday and resold them throughout the holiday season on eBay
o Purchased approximately $10,000 worth of products over the past two years
o Generated approximately $4,000 profit over the past two years</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
2011–2013 BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS OF AMERICA
• Participated in Presentation Management Individual
o Competed at state-level competition
• Participated in Global Marketing Team
o Placed 1st at the Regional competition and competed at state-level competition
• Awarded Business Professionals of America Illinois Merit Scholar Award
2011–2013 MATH TEAM
• Competed in competitions involving rigorous, real-world mathematics problems
2011-2013 HEALTH AND MEDICAL CAREERS CLUB
• Actively participated and assisted in setting up for major health events
2009-2013 GERMAN CLUB
• Actively participated and assisted in setting up for German-culture related events
2010-2012 CROSS COUNTRY
• Actively participated in this sport for the last three years of high school
2009-2011 BASKETBALL
• Actively participated in this sport for the first two years of high school</p>

<p>This summer I'm working as a Research Assistant at the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics at The University of Chicago, attending the Allsup Summer Entrepreneurship Academy at Saint Louis University, and taking MATH 230-0 Differential Calculus of Multivariable Functions at Northwestern University. My top two schools for transferring into next year are Northwestern and UChicago. I'll also be applying to schools such as Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, WashU, NYU, and the Ivys. What should I focus on during my freshman year at U of I Engineering to make this possible?</p>

2

<p>Oh and my rank was 20/611</p>

3

<p>Congratulations on your stats and achievements mate, don’t be too disheartened - you have an amazing resume to your name so far and are obviously very dedicated! You should be very proud - and there is always room for improvement. As a recent transfer applicant, I hope I can give you a little bit of advice in order to give you the best opportunity.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Get a great college GPA. Keep up your fantastic academic record and try to get the best grades in your first year as possible. Remember, when you apply as a sophomore to any school, you will be evaluated based mostly on your FIRST semester grades (as they will be the only ones available). As for your second semester (the time you will be applying), you will send in middterm grades to the admissions office - these are also important, but your GPA is already determined from your first semester, so do the best you can. You are in an advantageous position because you have stellar HS stats and SAT/ACT scores. Keep up this good work and work hard.</p></li>
<li><p>Build some great relationships with your professors/advisors. Aim to become close with professors specific to your core classes and curriculum. Stay after class, chat with them, buy them chocolate! Go to office hours and let them know you are thinking about transferring and ask for their opinion. Considering you are looking to transfer into an economics program, I would suggest getting close to some of your math/economics teachers who can then write about your performance and academic ability (remember you need two letters of recommendation when transferring that are from college professors to Northwestern). This is very important! If any of them have been to Northwestern themselves (or another great University), this is an added bonus.</p></li>
<li><p>As a freshman in college you (usually) have the flexibility to take whatever classes you like. Do not underestimate the importance of the classes you take your first year! I cant stress that enough. Pick classes that will be advantageous to your transferring bid to Northwestern. I am not sure in your case what these will be, but it would be a good idea to let your advisor know quite early in the game that you are aiming to transfer, and let him/her help you facilitate a good, rigorous schedule that will help your bid. Also, perhaps you could talk to a Northwestern advisor also and get some advice there too. You will be looking to take a tough set of classes both semesters; stick to economics and math classes and maybe get your writing requirements out of the way too.</p></li>
<li><p>You will be required in the Northwestern essays to show passion and interest in the specific Northwestern program that you choose to apply for. Do research! Make them see that you are a great fit for their program and for their school. Research the program and the professors that teach it. What are their research interests and accolades and how do these reflect your interests/research/work experience? There are only so many economics professors at Northwestern, find a few that you like and get some information that you could put in your personal essays. Contact them and tell them you are interested in the school and their work. Look at the specific opportunities and unique qualities of the economics curriculum - is it just like economics at every other school or is there something about it you love? You have to be sociable here.</p></li>
<li><p>Get involved at Urbana-Champaign as much as you can. You are a well rounded candidate - try to get involved in some clubs/sports or whatever you can outside of your major. It will give you more of an advantage over other transfer applicants applying to your program who focus solely on academia and getting high grades.</p></li>
<li><p>Start early - if you are really passionate about going to Northwestern and getting into this program, and you know that you will be transferring - start the process now. The earlier the start, the more opportunities you have and the more prepared you will be when the time comes. This will also allow you to build relationships over the course of the next 2 semesters with Northwestern admissions counselors and prominent figures within the program. Contact them early, let them know that you are interested and get your name in the mix. Also, have a look at Northwestern’s supplement this year for transfers - it wont change too much next year, so get familiar with it and start early.</p></li>
<li><p>Last but not least - get some help. As incredible as you might be at writing and finessing your essay/resume - a smart, second set of eyes to help review your application is very important. Find someone, whoever it may be, to look over your essays, resume and application who has experience in the field.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Congratulations and good luck champ. Remember, a well prepared and well rounded applicant who is passionate about his/her goals is key. If you follow all of these steps, I am sure you will be happy with whatever the outcome. Good luck and believe in yourself!</p>

4

<p>I was also denied my senior year from Northwestern and after going through the application process again this year I was admitted into Northwestern and also WashU which I saw that you mentioned. The above poster gave great advice: get a high GPA and get to know at least one professor who can give you an outstanding recommendation.<br>
I also am transferring as an economics major into the economics program. You may want to take some economics classes in your freshman year to show that you can excel at it although your major at U of Illinois is not economics. From your resume that you posted above I would say that you are an excellent candidate. Show interest also(especially with WashU they are really into that). In my Northwestern statement I wrote about specific programs I was interested in and specific esteemed professors. I also went beyond just the classroom and talked about clubs and events that are Northwestern specific such as Dance Marathon.<br>
Because you are transferring to a different program between the schools, that would be something good to discuss in your general transfer essay. Say you have had a change in interests. You could also mention the difference in sizes between the universities, as U of Illinois is certainly much larger than most of the other schools you are applying to.</p>

5

<p>Hey all! My stats are below. Let me know what you think my chances are for being accepted as a spring transfer. My current university, University of Denver, doesn’t offer a degree in Middle Eastern Studies or Arabic.</p>

<p>H.S. GPA: 3.9/4.0
ACT: 27 (no great, I know)
Current GPA: 3.85/4.0 (on a A, B, C scale–not A, A-, etc)
Letters of Rec: Director at the Embassy of Jordan (just finishing an internship there this summer), Director of the undergrad program for int’l studies at DU, and my writing prof
EC: Student editor for undergrad research publication at DU, various clubs, volunteer at refugee center, internship at the Embassy of Jordan, etc</p>

<p>I’ve taken a pretty strong workload too.</p>

<p>Let me know what you all think. Thanks…and goodluck to everyone!</p>

6

<p>Oh hey I was in your boat a while ago where I couldn’t get into any good schools as a high school senior but eventually transferred into Northwestern. I’m gonna be honest, the admission process in this country is crazy and I feel a good part of it is left up to chance so I wouldn’t be too sad as you seem to be a capable student. Personally, I think you have a decent chance of getting into NYU as their transfer rate is around 25% last I checked. I would take the advice of what the people above me said as well as try to actually learn something about the schools to see if you are a good fit. Go on their websites and skim through your interests and talk to people that go to those schools if you can.</p>

<p>Also, I don’t think UChicago offers engineering which seems to be your major at U of I.</p>

7

<p>I plan on applying to NU for the fall semester next year as a transfer student. My majors are currently economics and German at the University of Dayton. I was diagnosed with learning disabilities going in to my senior year in high school. That being said, my GPA before and after are drastically different after receiving treatment. Nonetheless, I would like to know if anyone here thinks I have a decent shot at being accepted and if applying will be worth my time, effort, and money. Also, I am a white male who is a U.S. citizen.</p>

<p>GPA: 87/100 in HS (after diagnosis: 96/100), 4.0 in college
ACT: 29 (not great, I know)
ECs: Starting and running a weekly soup kitchen in Dayton, OH
Varsity baseball captain in high school
Founder and Vice-President of high school Ornithology Club
UD Libertarian club and Young Americans for Liberty
Econ tutor for two international students (not recognized by university)
UD Economics club
HS Jobs: Basketball referee (worked 8hrs/wk) and front desk employee (5hrs/wk)</p>

<p>Other notables: currently have 100%'s in ECO 204 Principles of Micro and GER 312. Will be taking GER 450 Literature next semester, as a freshman. My Father is an alumnus.</p>

<p>That is some information that I believe may factor into the university’s decision. Based off of previous admissions, I hope someone here can give some insight into whether or not my chances are worth going through the process. Also, if anyone here has any recommendations to improve my chances or of other schools that I should apply to, please feel free to say. If I need to supply any more information or anything, please say. </p>

<p>Thank you.</p>

8

<p>write a very good supplement essay, NU loves people who also love NU.</p>

9

<p>I have a question:
I just completed my first semester of ChemE, and ended up with a decent GPA but definitely too low to be accepted. If I apply now and get rejected, then apply again next with higher scores/GPA, will my chances increase because they can see improvement?</p>