Screwed Before I Even Apply????

<p>I am currently a junior who is very interested in applying to NU next year. There is a slight problem though. Both my parents went to NU but don't donate any money. My brother applied to NU 2 years ago and was accepted but did not enroll. Do both of these factors ruin my chances of addmission? Does it still help that my parents are alumni? My grades are pretty good. I will have a 4.0 unweighted and about a 4.2 weighted gpa by the end of this year. I have a ton of volunteer work and recently won first place in the Long Island Good Deed Awards. Other volunteer work i have done includes volunteering at a local hospital, organizing and starting a clothing drive for children in Senegal, and much more. My SAT scores were slightly low (1350/1600), but I am taking them again in June and plan to get about a 1400-1450. I was wondering if my situation will hurt my chances or help.</p>

<p>You should plan on getting a 1600 and be happy if they end up at 1400-1450. Just how I would approach the test myself.</p>

<p>i know but i mean that on my practice tests i have been getting about 750 on cr and 700 on math. I was really wondering, besides my SAT, if my situation hurts me</p>

<p>The only way I could see this situation remotely hurting you is if your brother utilized some form of pull within NU based on family ties to gain strong advantages in the admissions process, only to blow them off.
If he didn't, then I would say his successful acceptance bodes well for you. Admissions people are not nasty, omniscient beings who look to strike down the hopes of fearful children.</p>

<p>yeah, your parents not donating money, if anything, is just not going to work FOR you, it definitely won't work against you.</p>

<p>think of it this way, there are plenty of applicants with parents who DIDN'T go to northwestern AND don't donate money there.</p>

<p>they probably won't even know your brother turned them down</p>

<p>alright thanks...my brother didnt use any connections. He was accepted to harvard and decided to enroll there instead.</p>

<p>Your chances are good. Alumni connections are always favorable, although more so if money ties are involved obviously. But beyond that, I was accepted and plan to attend for Fall '07 with nearly identical stats. 4.2 GPA whereabouts, 2180 total SAT (2280 composite), probably a little less EC's, and a few seasons of sports, in one of which I got MVP. If you write good essays I would say your chances are quite good, especially if you apply ED (which I did not).</p>

<p>apply Early Decision if you really want to go, Northwestern is an amazing school so it really wouldn't be the end of the world if you were bound there. Applying ED would outweigh any negative effect your parents or sibling would have on your application.</p>