To Medill or Not to Medill?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>I am applying to Northwestern, and I'm not sure if I should apply to the Medill School of Journalism or to the College of Arts and Sciences. I am wondering specifically which school would give me a better chance of getting accepted. Here's some basic info (NOTE: the 1st few stats are really the most important; you can read the rest only if you need more background):</p>

<p>SAT I: 670 M/800V/800W
SAT II: 750 Lit, 740 US Hist, 680 Chem
4.5 weighted GPA (not sure what it is unweighted...UW average is ~96/100)
Hardest courseload offered, 7 APs total (4 during senior year)</p>

<p>ECs (writing): School newspaper 3 years, News Editor senior year
Lit Magazine 4 years, Editor in Chief senior year; Journalist for county newspaper; several poems and pieces published in literary magazines; won a $50 state poetry prize; participated in Columbia and Bryn Mawr summer writing programs (both 2-3 weeks long); held a few other one-time editorial positions for a Bryn Mawr anthology, etc.</p>

<p>Other ECs are 250+ hrs volunteering w/Habitat for Humanity and a nursing home (where I have leadership in a knitting group and through my coordination of projects and activities). I am president of Spanish Club and National Spanish Honor Society, and I tutor a Mexican girl in English 2 hrs/wk.</p>

<p>I saw that my SAT averages fit perfectly into the ranges for Medill...while my math score for Arts and Sciences is on the tail end/right below the A&S 25-50% SAT range for admitted students. Considering this and my great strength in writing/English, will I have a better chance if I apply to Medill? Is Medill more competitive than A&S? Are the numbers deceiving since Medill accepts a much lower # of students? Please give me some advice.</p>

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<p>Medill accepts a much lower number of students. They refuse to say pubically, but it's rumored to be around 9-11% acceptance rate. That said, if you want to be a journalist, or feel like you'll like the work that Medill offers, apply there first. Because of the ridiculously low acceptance rate and the thousands of people that want go there, if you get into Weinberg and decide to transfer, you're pretty much out of luck. In this year's class, there was only one transfer student who was able to sucessfully transfer between schools. And don't evevn mention transferring to Medill from outside the university. It's basically impossible.</p>