Transfers?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>Anyone else put in a transfer app. to NU? I sent mine off yesterday and am wondering when the earliest would be that I would hear. Here are some of my stats (I'll omit my high school data because it's not all that impressive):</p>

<p>*Applying to Medill
*Currently a double major in Print Journalism and Philosophy, with a minor in Biblical Studies at Biola University
*GPA: 3.74 with something like 50 units, but I don't know how much of that will transfer
*Pretty solid essay and short answers
*Letters of recommendation from 1) Philosophy professor 2) Pulitzer-prize winner and former L.A. Times editor 3) Current L.A. Times staff writer</p>

<p>*School E.C.s (only a sampling): Member of The Association of Student Philosophers, Member of the Brown Bag Ministry, Member of the Social Justice Ministry, 26 published articles for the school paper, The Chimes, Founder and President of The Society of Political Agnostics, etc.</p>

<p>*Awards, etc.: Fellow Scholar of the World Journalism Institute, Dean's List (Fall 2003, Spring 2004 and Fall 2004), Excellence in Journalism Award from Mission Viejo High School, Spirit of the Diablo Award for English from Mission Viejo High School</p>

<p>*Travel experience: Prague, Czech Republic team, a humanitarian/service orientated trip administering a survey among college students (January 2004); Mexicali/Ensenada team, a humanitarian/service-oriented trip during Spring Break; the latter two years I was a student leader (1999-2003); Merida, Venezuela team, a humanitarian/service orientated trip working with orphanges and prisons (August 2000)</p>

<p>*Work experience: Two forthcoming articles for Paste Magazine, Four published articles for the web edition of Relevant Magazine, Employee for the shipping/production department at the non-profit Purpose Driven Ministries, Videographer/Editor of over 15 wedding, memory, school, and church videos</p>

2

<p>wow, your work sounds pretty impressive. Im not applying transfer (am going to be a medill freshman next year).. but my brother is a current medill 3rd year, and I met a few other current Medillions while I visited...
hate to be the breaker of bad news, but its very hard to transfer into medill. Not that admission is any more hyper-selective than I assume you already know it is, but I talked to a guy who had transfered after his second year in the college of arts and sciences into medill (even current NU students have to re-apply as a transfer to change major into journalism) and he said it was very very hard to do. He had tried to do it after his first year but was unsuccesful...
because, medill fills all of its slots with an incoming freshman class, leaving no room for transfers.. all the transfers have to apply and wait for some current Medillion to transfer out.. which is pretty rare, because with so few journalism requirements, and the program being so prestigious, there is virtually no incentive. </p>

<p>Your ECs/work experience/travel all sound pretty incredible, so you have little to worry about on your end of the bargain. Best of luck. </p>

<p>/by the way, I had no idea that anyone who went to Biola ever got out of that pit. Dr. Dobson hasn't sicked the hounds on you yet?</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the info.</p>

<p>I thought that might be the case with Medill, seeing as it's a small school and everything.</p>

<p>My first choice (due to a number of factors) is actually USC's Annenberg School for Communication, which I'm pretty certain I'll get into, so I'm not too worried. Gosh, though, Northwestern would be such a dream.</p>

<p>Haha, I've never heard Biola described as a "pit," but the Dobson reference is more than tinged in truth. I've made some good friends and been led to some viable connections here, as well as being somewhat challenged academically, but I definitely want to be in a less conservative/more prestigious learning environment.</p>

4

<p>anybody else?</p>

5

<p>hmmmmmmmmmmm</p>

6

<p>If anybody opts to read this and either admit that they too are applying for transfer or tip in their two cents about my file, I'll make an update:</p>

<p>My above letters of recommendation are actually the ones I submitted to USC. For NU, I'm only submitting two:
1) Pulitzer Prize winner
2) Chair of the Mass Communications Department at my current institution</p>

7

<p>Yeah, I applied for transfer admissions to NU, as well... uhmm, it's nice to meet you?!</p>

8

<p>it's nice to meet you too.</p>

<p>what major did you apply for... and what are your stats?</p>

9

<p>I applied for English, and my stats are only so-so... I have a very... uhm, unique application. I studied for two years at UNLV and earned a 3.83 GPA. Then I went abroad for one year to study at the Univ of British Columbia, where I earned a 3.7 GPA. Now I'm studying over summer at Georgetown for an internship with the Institute on Political Journalism. My SAT's stunk (1320), but I have been through three years of college, had some of my math research sponsored by NASA, been published in the Ubyssey and the Vancouver Sun, et cetera, et cetera... I was the President of a couple clubs, yada yada... in other words, I have what every other applicant has, minus a strong SAT (oh, and my high school grades sucked, too). I'm really relying solely on my college experience to get me in. I always feel so weird saying my stats, by whateva... well, I hope to see you next fall! :D Oh, and my mom's boyfriend earned three degrees at NU, and our next door neighbor earned a degree there, too;but most of all, my mentor was NU's "Southern Nevada's Regional Ccounsellor" for undergraduate admissions, and fully supports my application to NU... that should definitely help me with the "friends and family" section. Well, keep the thread going. ttyl</p>

10

<p>i wouldn't say your stats are so-so. i'd say they are quite fantastic and i'm sure you're in the upper tier of competitiveness for applicants.</p>

<p>concerning the SATs... i did worse than you and am thinking NU is going to take into account both our extensive college and extracurricular experiences above that of high school. or at least i hope so... i'm banking on it.</p>

<p>good luck, dude.</p>

11

<p>Yeah, maybe... I guess I've just lost confidence in my strength as an applicant; I was rejected by Cornell and U of C :(, and I've (kind of?) given up hope on transfering into any competitive programs. Regardless, I wish you the best of luck, and, sincerely, I hope to see you at NU this fall :D!</p>

12

<p>Anyone heard anything yet??? When will NU start giving out decisions on transfer apps?</p>

13

<p>I received a card from them yesterday indicating my missing materials. I also recieved a call from them last week, but haven't been able to respond yet. And... that's about it.</p>

<p>anyone else heard from them? With actual results?</p>

14

<p>hmm, they never sent me anything, and I found out online that they were missing my recommendation... Apparently rec's aren't required. Still, I had another sent, and I'm hoping they'll rush my decision, as I have to accept an offer elsewhere by June 7th. Has anyone else heard anything yet???</p>

15

<p>noripj--yeah, I know what you mean about giving up hope on this college admission stuff. I've had quite the mix of wait-lists and rejections from all four schools I applied to.</p>

<p>I'm stressing out now because NU still hasn't received my college transcripts even though I paid for them to be sent a couple weeks ago. I had them resent, so hopefully they get them before June 1st...</p>

<p>anyway, good luck! from your stats, you seem very deserving of admission. then again, the whole process is very unfair.</p>

16

<p>helloangel,</p>

<p>Thanks!!! :D Still, my high school record is thoroughly unimpressive... I've already been rejected by 4 schools. :( I've only had one acceptance (to my safety school), and I'm still waiting on three other decisions (NU's included). </p>

<p>I wish you the best of luck--at least better than mine--with the decisions you receive. Let me know if you hear anything from NU!!!</p>

<p>PS: Don't let this process depress you... it's really turning into a big lottery, anyways. Furthermore, never before have universities been more similar in educational rigor. An intelligent (or at least highly motivated) student is going to make it, regardless of where he/she attends university (or at least that's my opinion). It's starting to matter less and less where you go; the important thing is that you go, say, to a school ranked within the top 100. </p>

<p>Again just a personal opinion, I believe elite institutions really only benefit the average person who lucks out in the lottery--djeeze, my intellectual elitism sounds rather conservative (sorry)! This person will be assumed, because of where he/she earned his/her degree, to be smarter than he/she really is. One of the biggest misunderstandings of "elite education" is that a school will make or break the intelligent person's future. You will make it (in life_ because of you! Take these decisions with a grain of salt. </p>

<p>Don't get me wrong; it would be wonderful to learn alongside serious, ambitious and experimental scholars; but it will not be the deciding factor in your future (at least not from what I see). </p>

<p>Anywho, best of luck. Keep me updated!!!</p>

17

<p>noripj--Thanks for the encouraging words! I very much agree with what you're saying about the college admission process nowadays. The competition is becoming more rigorous at elite institutions, but at the same time, educational quality is becoming more widespread and abundant.</p>

<p>I am now wishing that I had applied to more than four colleges (all of them extreme reaches.) I should have been more realistic and less of a believer of fate. Or maybe this IS my fate...?</p>

<p>Either way, I'm hoping to finally get some good results for once. I wish you the best of luck with the rest of the schools you will hear from! Keep me posted!</p>

18

<p>I applied with 32 credits, so as a sophomore, for SESP (social policy). I already paid enrollment fees to Wash U and UIllinois since their due dates were a long time ago, and I can't make up my mind between the two. I'm hoping I'll get into NU and not have to the make the decision, but I really don't know, since I got rejected from Tufts.</p>

<p>Has anyone heard anything about when they'll make/send decisions, or if there will be available housing?</p>

19

<p>They start over a month later than most colleges so I'm sure there'll be a way for them to work out housing and stuff. Their school year is just now ending probably. I was told I should expect to hear around late june, at the latest early july.</p>

20

<p>i got my acceptance package in the mail today as a transfer... anyone else? i think i'm going to go to georgetown but i havent decided for sure yet.</p>