What are the chances of me getting into Northwestern early decision?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

I am a white male from a very low income family. My mom has a master’s degree and my dad started college but did not even finish a year. Although not yet diagnosed, I am also suspected to have Asperger’s Syndrome.

Unweighted GPA: 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.525
College Level Classes:
9th Grade: AP Human Geography (4)
9th Grade: AICE Thinking Skills (A)
10th Grade: AICE English Lang. A-Level ©
10th Grade: AICE Psychology ©
10th Grade: AICE International History (A)
10th Grade: AICE General Paper (A)
10th Grade: AICE Global Perspectives (A)
12th Grade: AICE Economics (?)
12th Grade: AICE Literature (?)
12th Grade: AICE Travel and Tourism (?)
12th Grade: AICE Environmental Manage. (?)
12th Grade: AICE U.S. History (?)
12th Grade: AP Calculus AB (?)
12th Grade: AP Statistics (?)
I am graduating a year early so technically did not have an 11th Grade. I also have maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA in high school, but got two Bs on high school credit classes in middle school. For those unfamiliar with AICE, it is an international program based out of England that is roughly equivalent to AP. English scoring is generally harder and A-E is passing instead of 2-5, so roughly A/B=5, C=4, D=3, E=2, and U=1. I will also be graduating with the highest AICE Diploma (Distinction).

As of now, I have a 1410 SAT score with a 700 in Math and a 710 in Reading/Writing. However, I took the October SAT and will get my new results Friday. I expect a major improvement in the math and a slight reading/writing improvement, with a total score of around 1500. I will post the exact score when I receive it.

My extracurriculars are limited to Co-captain of the Academic Team and a member of a non-school affiliated model railroad club. My volunteer hours are very limited, consisting of a few hours of service dog therapy at an elementary school and the hours associated with the Academic Team (for some reason, hours from last year do not count). I have confidence that my recommendations will be strong. I know two are recommended, but would it be advisable to have more than this?

I have no family history at the school, but have visited the university a few times and went on one official tour. My dad has also been in email contact with the school in the past.

2

Also, I forgot to mention that my planned major is Civil Engineering.

3

I think its very hard to be competitive for Engineering without AP Physics or Chem. I’m not sure that you are doing yourself a favor by skipping 11th grade.

4

Your current SAT is fine but unremarkable, and your ECs are wanting. On top of that, I agree with stemmmm about AP Physics or Chem.

5

I just got my SAT score back. I scored a 1500 total, with a 790 in Math and a 710 in Reading/Writing.

6

I was deferred. All of my first semester grades were As and I think most of my midterms will be As with maybe one or two Bs. I also added a few more extracurriculars when I realized how many things were under the categorization, but that was also on my orginal application. Is there anything else I should try to add? I feel like I was likely deferred because of having fewer credits due to early graduation. However, since I have maintained straight As and my class rank will likely improve into the top 5%, I think I have around a 75% chance, considering the average deferred acceptance rate is around 50%. Does that seem like an accurate estimation? Thanks for your time and input; I realize there are many other deferred students posting at the same time.

7

I would recommend maybe having another letter of recommendation from a Senior year teacher, who can further try to advocate for you. Good luck!

8

Thanks for the advice. I now have an additional recommendation from my AP Statistics teacher, which I feel will be strong as it is relevant to engineering and I usually have the highest test scores and grades in the class of anyone at my school. I also received all first semester grades back. The first and second quarters both had all As, and my midterm scores were all As except for Economics and Literature, which I received Bs in. All classes averaged out to an A for the first semester, but my GPA and class rank have not yet been updated so I do not know how much I improved.