Decision: Accepted (to Medill for Journalism)
Objective:
SAT I (Comp, Essay, CR/W, M): 1530, 14, 790, 740
ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci): n/a
SAT II (Type, Score): Math 1 (660), US History (660), English Lit (790)
Weighted GPA (out of ??): n/a (school only uses uw GPAs)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a (homeschooled, will graduate from a homeschool group with a class of… 6)
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a (no classes available, and I wasn’t aware I could take the tests)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Pre-calc/Trig, Ancient Lit, World History, Theology, Physics, Spanish 3, Latin 4, Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Gold Medal (10th) and Silver Medal (11th), National Latin Exam Silver Medal (11th), National Merit Finalist, got published in some poetry anthology
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): yearbook (9th-10th), local theatre group (10th-12th), Beta Club (9th-12th; secretary, 11th, and president, 12th), weekly Bible study
Job/Work Experience: swim instructor/lifeguard since summer after sophomore year; work 10-35 hours a week
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered as swim instructor aide (9th; 100ish hours), volunteered weekly at animal shelter (10th-11th; 140ish hours), campaign volunteer (10th-12th; 115 hours), in addition to 150ish hours through Beta Club
Summer Activities: work, and I attended a 5-week college program at Savannah College of Art & Design (and got credit for acting and film production classes, go figure)
Essays:
Common App (6.5/10): wrote about my favorite movie (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), and how it inspired me to learn more about my neighbors (yes, it was really, really dumb)
NU Supplement (9/10): wrote about my dream of being a journalist and how Medill would get me there
Teacher Recommendations (8/10): honestly have no idea, but they both liked me and one really pushed me to apply to highly-ranked colleges so I would guess they were pretty good
Counselor Rec (9/10): my mom, so she knows me pretty well I guess
Interview: (10/10): I loved my interviewer, and she was really interested in my unique education and how it’s shaped me; I was also able to talk about all of my interests, including the ones that didn’t quite make it into the application
Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: homeschooled, part of a PSP if that means anything to you
Ethnicity: Asian/white
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $80,000
Assets: none
Property: $300,000
Extenuating Circumstances: none
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:
After being waitlisted at a number of less-competitive schools, I was genuinely shocked when I was accepted (had to refresh the page several times and still wasn’t convinced until the admission materials arrived in the mail… even now, I’m constantly waiting for someone to call me and say it’s all a mistake). My scores are fine, below-average at times (yes, I actually sent that 660 US History score), but I think my essay definitely helped me stand out (I had a very clear vision of myself at the school, and how I would take my NU education to life beyond college). Not sure how much the interview plays into the admissions process, but my interviewer was very enthusiastic about my homeschool education (I’ve been largely independent since freshman year, able to choose my own hours and focus on subjects that I find interesting) and seemed to think I’d be a good fit. Also, I chose Northwestern as my first-choice school for NMS and I did receive the scholarship through the school, so I assume that demonstrated interest was also a factor.
Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):
Earlham (A)
Centre (A)
Cedarville (A)
Beloit (A)
Fordham (A)
Reed (A)
UChicago (W)
Kenyon (W)
Oberlin (W)
Syracuse (W to dual-degree program between the arts and sciences and journalism schools)
Georgetown (W)
ADVICE: In your “Why NU” essay, explain why you want to attend the school you’ve selected (for me, it was Medill) using specific details. Talk about your intended major, classes, programs, extracurriculars. Show that you did your research. Be genuine and straightforward. Do an interview if you can, and if you’re good at interviewing. As for the admissions process in general… only apply to schools you can see yourself at, and don’t waste time applying to a huge number of schools that you just kind of like. Remember, you only need one acceptance.