I’m applying to Northwestern ED, and in my essays I talked a lot about music and how it influences me, but I’m applying to become a biology major. Will Northwestern reject me partly because I show a lack of the passion shown through my essays because I chose biology instead of their famous music school? Thanks
really? do you know *anything about the school that you are applying to? have you even looked at their website- say, the home page of the admissions section where the headline is:
No, they are not going to reject you because you have more than one interest. No, they are not going to reject you because you love music but don’t want to go to their music school.
There are a million reasons why you might be rejected from NU ED. What you’ve stated here isn’t going to be one of them.
I mean, I didn’t talk about biology or anything like that in my essays, or my extracurriculars. Didn’t even take AP Bio
@plopsun - @collegemom3717 is correct.
its kinda weird that they would allow me to take biology when i have little expressed interest in it, but whatever you guys say hehexd
Perhaps you don’t realize that saying on your application that you plan to be a bio major does not actually make you a bio major? It’s not like Europe, where you apply to study one subject and you are stuck with that one subject for the whole of your college career.
NU is fully aware that, of the students who say that they have an intended major (a lot put down ‘undecided’), on average 1/3 change their minds during the first year and end up majoring in something else- often something wildly different. As long as that something else is in the same school within the university it doesn’t much matter to the university.
Sometime before the end of your second year you have to formally declare your major (info [here](http://www.weinberg.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/majors/choosing-declaring.html)). Putting an intended major on your application just means that you are likely to have somebody from that department as your first advisor. Typically, even if you stay in the same department, you get a new advisor once you declare.
But if you’re so interested in this, why no AP bio? It’s more than “expressing interest.” It’s showing them how you prepared, academically and in activities.
It’s true kids can change majors. But right now, they’re looking at you as an applicant.
OP is pre-med and seems to think pre-med = bio major; from other post seems to be more mathy. Lots of reasons somebody interested in bio wouldn’t have taken AP (the AP teacher is crummy, class has a reputation as a GPA killer, doesn’t fit the schedule, didn’t have a pre-req particular to the HS, etc). My physics major collegekid didn’t take AP Physics for 2 of those reasons.
You think Northwestern or it’s tier sisters would like “crummy teacher” as an explanation? Or expect the same competitiveness from OP as from others?
Students don’t have to explain their reasons for their course choices, to NU or any other uni, @lookingforward.
You asked why an otherwise good student wouldn’t take the AP class in a subject they are interested in, and I gave some reasons that students I know have had for not taking a specific class.
And, yes, I know current students at tippytop unis who chose not to take specific courses b/c the available teacher was crummy. Such teachers exist, and often last for years in a school. Clued-in students (ambitious or slacker) will avoid them.
And I know what happens in any fierce competition. You don’t get a bye easily. Not when thousands of others took a more complete path.
So we disagree.
But we don’t know that the OP took a bye- might have taken (say) AP physics or chem instead of bio. OP is worried about not having AP Bio specifically b/c of an intended major.
Ok, it’s 2 to 1. LoL. What matters is the reviewer reaction. Let’s wish OP the best.