<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): CR: 800, M: 670, W: 720
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Literature: 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 at school previous to UWC-USA
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/450 at school previous to UWC-USA
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), Music Theory (5) (aural and nonaural subscores of 5), Statistics (3), US History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): English A1 HL (6), Social Anthropology HL (6), Music HL (7), French ab initio SL (7), Chemistry SL (6), Math SL (5/6), total predicted grades: 37/38
Senior Year Course Load: See IB Courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Davis Scholarship (admission to United World College-USA)</p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
UWC-USA: School Newspaper (politics editor, 2008; editor-in-chief, 2009), Recording Studio (chief engineer), Choose Your Weapon: Fighting Nonviolently Summit (head student organizer), Afro-Haitian Drumming and Dance, chorus, brass ensemble</p>
<p>Quakertown Community Senior High School: marching band (soloist, 2006 and 2007; section leader, 2006 and 2007), symphonic band (section leader 2006-2008), jazz ensemble (bassist 2005-2008 performed at MENC biannual conference in 2008), anti-smoking committee
Job/Work Experience: Pizza Hut, June 2007-June 2008
Volunteer/Community service: Montezuma Castle Docent, 2008
Summer Activities: Penn State Summer Music Camp, 2005, 2006; Florida State Summer Marching Band Camp, 2007
Essays:<br>
Personal Statement:
I remember the exact intersection where I, listening to the car radio, first heard Muse’s breakthrough single, “Hysteria.” Sitting at the intersection of John Fries Highway and Allentown Road, my mind should have been focused on the bass parts in my middle school jazz band, as I was headed to practice that night. When “Hysteria” came on, however, the virtuosic bassline that opens the song captivated me, and even at practice, I could not stop thinking about that bassline. Little did I know that “Hysteria” would act as the musical version of a gateway drug – leading me to new interests in music I may have never discovered without “Hysteria.” </p>
<p>When I returned home, I searched for the song on the Internet, and I soon found myself on a website called Sputnik Music, which featured user-submitted reviews of the album. The reviews seemed positive, so I decided to try my luck and buy Absolution, the album that featured “Hysteria.” Quickly, I became addicted to Muse’s creation. Musically, it was unlike anything I had ever heard. Bombastic, provocative, and grandiose, Muse easily swept me away with their distinct mix of musical complexity and accessibility. I felt so inspired by Absolution that I decided to create my own account on Sputnik Music and try my hand at writing a review on the website. By that time, I was 14 years old, and my writing skills remained undeveloped. My review only described each track on the album in the best language my 14-year-old mind could conjure. The comments users left on the review scathingly attacked me for a lack of detail, and I felt rather dejected. I did not write for another year, but when I started writing again, I wrote about many albums that I discovered by reading other reviews on Sputnik. The genres were disparate – jazz, folk, rock, metal, classical, hip-hop – and my musical mind expanded greatly.</p>
<p>I spent that entire summer writing music reviews, sometimes writing three per day. They began rather simply; I would pick a few prominent songs off of an album and describe them, using them as case studies for the entire album. As my mind and my writing matured, however, I approached albums from a more holistic perspective. I would discuss various musical characteristics of an album and reference songs on the album to prove my point, much like literary criticism. My writing became exponentially more fluid and sophisticated, and when I returned to school, I found myself at the top of my English classes, writing essays with ease.</p>
<p>As the writing improved on Sputnik, the administration of the site decided to appoint a few of the best writers to become staff reviewers. At age 16, I was the youngest of the first batch of staff reviewers. Quickly, we decided to take Sputnik to a new level of music criticism, determined to reach the upper echelon of websites providing reviews. Within about a year, Google placed us at the top of their search results if someone searched for an album review, and Metacritic, a website that compiles the best of media reviews on the Internet, began promoting our reviews.</p>
<p>Still, my ambition pushed me beyond Sputnik. I wrote for two other sites – The Silent Ballet, a website dedicated to instrumental rock and electronica; and PopMatters, a website that provided pop culture criticism, encompassing music, film, TV, and more. My writing on Sputnik cultivated in me a keen interest in journalism because I could combine my already developed interest in music with writing, something else I always loved. Slowly, this interest in journalism developed into its own, and now, I edit my school’s newspaper and write about American politics and issues within the school. </p>
<p>I want to major in journalism and music because they have become equal interests of mine. None of this journalistic interest would ever have developed without hearing “Hysteria” in the car that one day on the way to jazz band practice. While not my favorite song by any means, “Hysteria” led me into a new world of music and writing that I am now completely immersed and enamored with, a world that I want to remain in for the rest of my life. </p>
<p>Why Northwestern?:</p>
<pre><code>My primary motive for applying to Northwestern is the double-degree program in music and journalism. For nearly five years now, I have balanced my life between these two equal and fervent passions. Indeed, I sought ways to combine them, most notably my foray into music criticism, writing for various websites on the Internet. I have never been able to put one interest in higher priority than the other for an extended period of time, and it is my goal in life to work in both music and journalism. Northwestern is the only school to my knowledge that offers a distinct double-degree program in the two areas.
</code></pre>
<p>Of course, the Bienen School of Music and the Medill School of Journalism are among the top in their respective fields, and because of the quality level of education apparent at Northwestern, I do not feel that I would sacrifice quality in either field by attending Northwestern. Bienen offers me Rex Martin as a teacher for my instrument, the euphonium, and Mr. Martin is one of the most respected tubists in the world. The wind ensemble at Northwestern plays a repertoire that would challenge me, and I am sure that through the city of the Chicago, I could find many more performance opportunities. Furthermore, Medill offers me endless opportunity in internships and real-world experience while still providing an excellent education on campus. The Journalism Residency program would allow me to fully experience being a journalist in a professional newsroom while providing me with connections in the media world. </p>
<p>These qualities of Northwestern could not be complemented better than with the city of Chicago. After living two years in Montezuma, NM, at the United World College, I cannot imagine a better contrast to add to my life experience. I have never lived in such an urban environment, and I am beginning to tire of the isolation I experience in New Mexico. I think it is incredibly important to experience as many different living environments as I can, and after living in the suburbs of Philadelphia for seventeen years and an isolated area of New Mexico for two years, living just outside of Chicago, one of the largest and most stimulating metropolitan environments in the country, would be yet another unique environment, perhaps the most intense and stimulating of them all. </p>
<p>I feel Northwestern is the best fit for me of any university because of the quality of education in both music and journalism as well as the opportunities afforded by the city of Chicago. No other university in the country provides such a mix of location, education, and opportunity. </p>
<p>Teacher Recommendation: no access
Counselor Rec: no access
Additional Rec: no access
Interview: had an audition</p>
<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): PA, school in NM
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private, 2-year IB Diploma Programme
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $30,000 - $40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation to (hopefully) complete university</p>
<p>Reflection
Strengths: I had an interest in Northwestern’s particular double-degree program with music and journalism. I demonstrated my interest in the school by going on every tour I could, going to a few presentations they gave in my area, and attending my audition in person. Also, I go to one of the premiere high schools in the country, so I guess that helps. Though my grades at UWC are not perfect, they were perfect before attending UWC. I had excellent critical reading and lit SAT scores, and math at least fell in the average. My music resume was very strong, and I have some journalistic experience.
Weaknesses: My grades at UWC were not perfect, and pretty average for my school. My journalism experience has never been merited; I never entered any competitions or compared myself to other writers of my age.<br>
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was accepted because I showed dedication and interest in NU. Also, I did demonstrate proficiency specifically in the areas I intend to study.</p>
<p>General Comments:</p>
<p>I don’t think this application would get me in regular decision, and a large factor of my acceptance was being in the ED pool and showing commitment to the school. Good luck to everyone!</p>