<p>Northwestern and Uchicago have always been my favorite universities.</p>
<p>Given that I got waitlisted today at Uchicago (where apps went up 40% this year), what are my chances???</p>
<p>Are the two universities equally hard to get into?</p>
<p>i just got rejected from uchicago =(. i think in general, northwestern is slightly harder to get into, but they look for different things. uchicago is known to be an academic powerhouse and they look for really strong grades over extra curriculars. this is y it is notorious for having a relatively anti social student body. i dont really know that much about northwestern so i dont kno what exactly they look for, but i think the acceptance rate is lower. anyway, good luck! im dying to find out</p>
<p>@evilsquirrel</p>
<p>I got rejected from UChicago as well and am hoping for a better turnout with Northwestern. I do agree about the grades - I’m actually really okay with not attending UChicago, though it is a bummer.</p>
<p>Northwestern RD admissions rate will probably be twice as large as Chicago’s (since Chicago’s RD admit rate this year was about 11%). So if you got waitlisted at Chicago RD, that doesn’t say too much about your chances at Northwestern.</p>
<p>Last year, I had a friend get into UChicago and denied from Northwestern, and he had top grades and test scores with so-so extracurriculars, while my cousin got into Northwestern with really low grades and test scores and pretty solid extracurriculars.</p>
<p>So I agree with the grade thing about UChicago.</p>
<p>I got waitlisted at UChi too. But the two schools look for different things in their applicants, so it’s hard to say if this is indicative of the Northwestern decision in anyway. Also with the 42% increase in applications this year it was probably much harder.
In general, I like Northwestern a little better, I’m so anxious for next week’s decisions!</p>
<p>uchicago is also pretty particular about the essays. they take a lot of pride in their quirky essay questions. i personally hated them and i think i got rejected cos my essay was so bad. northwestern had a much more standard essay so i dont think they’re looking for anything too creative. and yea, as some ppl have said, uchicago was much harder to get into this year that previous years. im hoping northwestern isnt as competitive cos i really need an acceptance</p>
<p>So are you saying that if I have really high GPA/sat scores with decent extracurriculars but not AMAZING (dancer for 14+ years, dance teacher, cross country, community service, volunteering in africa… but that’s it) it would have been better for me to apply to UChicago? I love Northwestern and truly hope to get in, but I’m from the east coast and didn’t know much about schools in the midwest… so I didn’t apply to UChicago. The strengths of my app are my rigorous course schedule (but not overloaded with AP’s… I hate public school) and great GPA/test scores/academic awards. Basically I’m not great at sports or a great musician and I love dance but I don’t compete or anything… did I apply to the wrong school?</p>
<p>slpxx16. You didn’t necessarily apply to the wrong school. UC is more quirky-and more lopsided (no offense to UC students or hopefuls) It is a very tough, and what I remember, strident (read depressing) environment. Northwestern students, also excel in academics with high SAT, GPA etc but are generally more well rounded with a bit more personality IMO. Not necessarily tons of EC but have other interests. This is a generalization of course. My sister is an alum of NU and I attended summer quarter. She says it was, and hears from others, that it still is “Darwinian” ie survival of the fittest, so not an easy environment, just different than UC. As for admissions, all universities are trying to build a class. They have needs to meet (enough musicians and particular instruments, athletes of various sports, students of certain majors etc) so it is tough to say who they will choose no matter what the academics are, but expect all the top 20’s to have tougher academic standards one must meet to be admitted. If you have high stats, it is always a plus, but not a guarantee. Again, U C is more strident and quirky. NU seems to be concerned more with the “whole person” and their contribution to the college other than just academics. I am not an admissions officer, so this is just a viewpoint from our family of former NU students and alumni. Dance would seem a plus at NU over UC.</p>
<p><em>sigh</em> Well, this thread certainly makes me feel a little better. Got rejected from UC (I had a slightly lower gpa- 3.7 UW with all ib classes), and was becoming terrified for my chances everywhere else. My extra curriculars are what i really excel in though, so this gives me at least a small bit of hope to cling to! ;)</p>
<p>@slpxx16: first of all, it seems like u have a TON of extra curriculars. definitely more than i do. second, if ur GPA and SAT are really as good as u say they r, i think u have a pretty good chance at NWU. dont feel bad that u didnt apply to Uchic. if u really like NWU, then im sure you’ll be fine. also, dont worry about not taking enough APs. colleges will generally look at how many APs u took relative to the amount ur school offers.</p>
<p>The two schools are about the same academic wise. Northwestern students are more pre-professional and more well-rounded; while UChicago students are more the academic type who would pursue PhD’s.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks for the advice guys. Haha, I wouldn’t lie about GPA/SAT… then I wouldn’t get real feedback. evilsquirrel: Are you getting that from my post on the UVa board? Ugh, I know that I’m really involved with dance & did a significant amount of community service, volunteer work, etc… but sometimes CC makes me feel so inferior! Haha some people’s “chance” threads are just ridiculous… I do love Northwestern… eek Friday is so close but so far away at the same time. Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>I got accepted at UChicago and waitlisted at Northwestern. Overall I’d say I’m more academically oriented so that possibility is definitely out there.</p>
<p>I’d say that if you have really good extracurriculars you should be fine. Good luck!</p>
<p>I got into UChicago AND Northwestern and my ECs are pretty average (but I’d definitely say social-wise, I’m more of a UofC-er) so yeahhh…</p>
<p>@ plumdum: same here…</p>
<p>I was accepted to Northwestern but flat-out rejected at UChicago.</p>