I am applying in the fall and I will be a senior.
unweighted gpa: 4.0
weighted gpa: 4.75
ACT score: 33
I am also the valedictorian of my class. Freshman and Sophomore year I took 4 advanced classes. Junior year I took 4 AP classes and 1 advanced class, including AP trigonometry/ Pre-Calculus, AP Anatomy and Physiology, AP U.S History, AP English Language and Composition, and French III. Senior year I am taking 5 AP classes and 1 advanced class, including AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP English, AP psychology, and French IIII. I have played volleyball and soccer. I have been involved in student council, key club, and friends club. I am a member of National Honor Society and Beta Club. I have gotten over 80 hours of community service. I also attended a medical camp and shadowed doctors over the summer.
Northwestern is pretty selective, so I would consider it a reach for almost everyone. In your case, you have a strong academic portfolio, but your ECs seem pretty common. Not trying to disparage what you’ve done, which is pretty incredible. I would give you a decent shot of getting in. Northwestern has a markedly higher ED acceptance rate, so if you’re really committed to going there, I would ED. That would give you a better chance of getting in, seeing as you would already be a pretty competitive candidate there. GL!
Will depend in large part upon your “Why Northwestern ?” essay. You qualify with respect to your numbers (GPA & ACT).
There are no “AP Precalc/Trig” or “AP Anatomy and Physiology” classes, to clarify.
NU (not NW guys) is super selective; IMO you have an above average chance of getting in
It looks like you have done all the right things on paper, but the subjective parts of your application (essays, letters of rec) are just as important. Quite frankly, the opinion of anyone here does not carry any weight except to say that you would likely be competitive in comparison to our own stats from when we were applying. Plenty of highly competitive applicants get deferred/waitlisted/denied, even when they seem like shoe-ins to outsiders. College admissions are unpredictable, so all I can say is best of luck and keep striving to be the best student you can be throughout senior year.
My kid went there recently & knew people who got in with significantly lesser credentials than yours, & apparently almost all had applied ED. It’s much harder to get in RD. They really want people who want to be there and will embrace Chicago & the Big Ten experience (i.e. not sulk because they didn’t get in an Ivy).
At the recent graduation ceremony, it was raining, windy, and 60 degrees, and they still held the ceremony outdoors. The first words from the president were something to the effect that, “We are tough Midwesterners, and will get through this.” He’s an amazing and energetic guy whose spirit pervades the university. So it would seem advisable to have your application indicate that you would enjoy all the challenges NU would present you with, including academic and meteorological.