Hey guys! I just visited Northwestern today and loved it, but after reading about how difficult it is to get in I just wanted to see what you all thought about my prospects. I know a lot of this is super subjective because you can’t take into account my essays and recommendations, but I’ll take whatever estimates I can get. I’ll be a high school senior this upcoming school year.
Sorry in advance about the length of this post, I have a tendency to write way too much.
ACT: 35 composite (36 science, 36 english, 36 reading, 32 math) with a 10 on the essay.
GPA: GPA Unweighted around 3.89, GPA Weighted around 4.24 (I figured this out on my own so I may have done it wrong, my school uses a 4.3 unweighted scale where I have around a 5.18 unweighted)
Class Rank: 21 out of around 300 students (top 7%)
AP Testing: 5 AP US History, 5 AP English Lang. & Comp, 4 AP Physics
SAT Subject Tests: Bio 660 (not sending), Math II 720 (not sure if I should send), English 750 (probably going to send)
Other academic info:
- IB Diploma Candidate (HL in Physics, English, and History. SL in Spanish, Math, and Business Management)
- Honors US History I, Geometry, Algebra II, English I, English II, Biology, Chemistry, Spanish II, Spanish III
- AP/IB US History II, World History, Pre-Calc, Physics I, English III (I will be taking European History, Calculus, Physics II, English IV, Business Management, and Spanish at the IB level next year)
Extracurriculars (Kind of ordered greatest to least but not exact):
- Boy scout currently working towards Eagle Scout. By the time I apply, I should have completed my Eagle Project (friends who have completed the project have logged over 150 hours of community service). This is on top of my active membership in my troop.
- Varsity athlete, outdoor track team with pole vaulting (sophomore and junior year), Junior Varsity freshman year
- Attended the Iowa Young Writer’s Studio for Creative Writing (highly selective creative writing program out of the University of Iowa)
- This summer, I went on a mission trip to Kentucky to build and repair homes for the working poor (another 50ish service hours)
- 3 time JV letter with cross country team, I hope to earn a varsity letter this fall
- Summer job serving food at a local pool for the past three summers. For two of these years I also held a job as a summer camp counselor
- For the past four years I have been an active member in youth ministry through my church
- I participated in indoor track and field for my high school my Freshman year, earning a JV letter.
My letters of recommendation will be from an English teacher that I have had for the past 2 years (and who I am close with and has written other recommendations for me in the past) and my History teacher (who I will have for the second time next year). I don’t know my guidance counselor super well, but gave her a lot of information about me through my brag sheet that should allow her to write a good letter reflective of who I am.
I will likely ED to Northwestern this fall and am planning on applying to the School of Communications (with a prospective major in Film/Radio/TV). My essay discusses my passion for pop culture and why it is important to me, so I think applying to this school and major will fit with the rest of my application. I am generally a strong writer and really do love Northwestern, so I believe I should be able to write a genuine “Why NU” supplement.
So, what do you guys think?