Should I still try for Northwestern?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

Severe financial and domestic hardship have kept me from showing my full potential in school. I have a 3.7W and about a 3.5UW GPA. I got a 20 on the ACT (I plan to take the SAT) I was a Girl’s State representative, I was selected for numerous Summer programs like Harvard Congress of future physicians and doctors, Brandies Summer Program, USNA Summer Stem, John Hopkins Leadership program. However, due to having no money, I was only able to attend USNA and Girls State because all the expenses were covered for me. I am in numerous other clubs like NHS, BETA, MU Alpha Theta, SGA, President of Political Club, Environmental club, Student Ambassador, and many more.

I have taken some honors but only one AP class because my schedule could not fit many rigorous courses and due to my extraordinary responsibilities at home.

I am the primary caretaker of my grandmother, she is sick and down. I am also the one that cooks and does all the work at home. My parents divorced when I was six months old, so I grew without parents, and at the age of five I was severely abused and mistreated by my stepmother, which greatly affected me. But I was able to overcome that pain and void.

I was raised in the slums of Nigeria where education was poor (imagine about 80 kids stuffed in one room in an uncompleted building)

So coming to America was a great transition. Due to the difference in curriculum, I was pushed back two classes, and I had to learn and relearn everything I needed to know in the American curriculum, in order to become a successful student.

Now, my grandmother cannot afford college for me, and so when I learned of Questbridge, I found out about Northwestern University. I took thier virtual reality tour and did research on them, and found that it is definitely a school that I want to go to. Thier community, atmosphere, school spirit and rigor is exactly what I need. And on top of that, they have a “No Loan Policy”.

And although I have worked really hard in highschool, I am still way below the statistics of the average freshman at Northwestern. I have never been a good test taker due to my Anxiety.

So I will like someone to tell me my chances of acceptance, if possible, and an u advice on what to do, because I am not even sure if I can go to college as of now. My mother’s income is zero.

2

Yes! You are an amazing human being. You are totally capable, please shoot for the stars, (as cheesy as that may sound). Tell them your story, be completely transparent about your situation.

3

You certainly have extenuating circumstances and you should encourage your guidance counselor to mention them in your letter of recommendation. Ultimately, you’re gonna have to pull up your test scores. It’s gonna be tough, but you need to get that ACT score to at least 30.

4

If you were my daughter, I would probably tell you to apply somewhere else. You are going to be so happy to go to college and away from your home situation. Pick a school that you feel very well prepared for, one that you won’t need to struggle to succeed. Then take all sorts of interesting classes, engage in clubs and lectures and all the offerings that college has (and that you won’t get to do if you are at a school which is too challenging). I’m not saying that you cannot handle the work at NU, I’m saying that without a strong high school preparation - that you were unable to get due to extenuating circumstances - its going to be harder. I’m sure they have good resources to support you, but do you really want to go that route? There are so many great schools. Find one that you can succeed and blossom at, and if you outgrow it, you can always transfer to NU or go to grad school there. I hope for you that the next four years you can really enjoy yourself, whereever you are, and feel that you can immerse yourself in all the wonderful things that college offers. You deserve it. Good luck!!

5

You have an amazing story and the best way to convey that is to write an excellent personal statement talking about your struggles and how you’ve overcome them. Your low-income URM status should also help a lot. However, even with that, you still need better test scores. You you applied to the Questbridge National College Match, definitely rank Northwestern.

6

^^ I agree with stemmmm and MaybeHarvard