Hey guys I’m trying to plan way ahead and I need some help. I like college sports and want a prestigious school. I love Michigan and NU. The only way that I think that I can get into NU is ED and I would EA to Michigan. I am just unsure of if I should even ED to NU. I really liked it but there seems to be something about Michigan. I would feel bad to waste an ED opportunity. I currently have a 90 average in my junior year after switching to a very competitive high school at the beginning of the year. I have only taken one SAT on which I got a 1440 and I have two more and an ACT scheduled along with three SAT subject tests. So should I ED to NU or just try for Michigan?
Don’t you have another ten months to decide this?
If they are absolutely tied until the end I would do the ED at Northwestern. If U of M is edging NU out at all then don’t. right now you should be focusing more on how you feel about the universities rather than trying to decide whether or not to ED yet.
I’d also advise you not to limit your college search to 2 at this point (or having your heart set on one of two reaches). If your looking in the midwest there is a couple of other great schools to look at and still more across the country. If you’ve figured out your major that’ll help tremendously so that you can pick a college that will fit you and what you want best.
If you like Northwestern as much, or even almost as much, as Michigan, I think applying ED makes good sense. Of course, if you prefer Michigan significantly more, do not apply to ED.
I agree with IN4655. If you like Michigan and Northwestern, you should check out other excellent universities with similar vides and offerings, like Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Penn, Texas-Austin, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, UVa, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin-Madison etc…
First question – are both schools affordable? If so I would re-visit both in the fall. If you still feel UM is your first choice, then I would not ED to NU. IMO one should only use ED if 1) the school is the applicant’s absolute top choice and 2) if the school appears affordable. My S’s top choice school was EA and he decided to forgo applying ED anywhere as he did not want to be locked into another school.
You should also come up with a list of match and safety schools that you would be happy to attend. I’m not sure of how acceptances go in your HS but UM and NU may be a bit of a reach with a 90 GPA.
Are you in state for Mich? If so, then that’s probably your answer. Esp if you like a big sports atmosphere. I would not ED NU if you are not sure it’s the one.
If you are OOS, make sure you have a backup plan bc you are borderline for UM, and NU, and may not even have a decision to make.
Do note that a lot of big public schools reserve their best aid for in-state students, so unless your family can afford to pay close to full price (or, at a few schools like UVa with big scholarships, you have tip tip tip top stats) those might not be viable options. UT-Austin, UVa, and UNC are competitive for OOS students to gain admission to, and UCLA and Michigan are pretty competitive too.
Alabama has great college sports, a good reputation, and is quite welcoming to OOS students. If you are competitive for Northwestern then UGA has a big scholarship you may be eligible for. Boston College is a big sports school that is less competitive than Northwestern, Duke, et al. Southern Methodist is another option.
I was in your exact position. NU and Umich were and still are my top two schools. I was too nervous to apply to NU ED, so I applied EA to Michigan and got accepted. I’m now waiting to hear back from NU regular, and 3 other kids at my school also applying, so I’m starting to second guess myself. Applying ED should definitely help your chances. You honestly can’t go wrong with these two schools.
I also loved Wisconsin, and it’s a solid safety. If you have the time maybe visit both again or see if they offer overnight summer intensives. Best of luck