Toward

Hi! I'm a senior who just sent my ED application to Northwestern.
I really hope I get in. I love the school and knowing my decision early will make my life a lot easier. However, I'm not sure about my odds.
My likelihood of getting into NU will probably affect how many other schools I apply to (those application fees pile up!) ... So I'd appreciate any opinions.

Oh, and I did apply for financial aid. I've heard that makes a difference at NU, unfortunately :/ Correct me if I'm wrong

SAT:
Composite: 2210
CR: 760
M: 700
W: 750
Math has always been my lowest subject, and I'm proud of this score. For my three SAT testings, I have a nice upward trend in math of 560 - 630 - 700.
SAT II Literature: 760
SAT II US History: 680
I'm a little concerned that I have only 2 subject tests, one of which isn't exactly awesome. (NU recommends 3 but to my knowledge doesn't require any.) How much will this affect my admissions chances?

GPA: 3.97
Rank: Top 2 or 3 out of ~350
Attended a large-ish public high school in a small-ish rural town. Not many AP's, etc., but I have taken / am taking all but 1 of the ones we do have.
My only B came from an Art II class where I misunderstood the exam, and made 2 clay pots instead of 3. Life does that to you :P
AP Human Geography: 5
AP US History: 3 (ouch)
AP Government: Currently enrolled
AP English Literature: Currently enrolled

My main focus is Chinese, which I strongly emphasized in my app.
-Enrolled in my HS's first-ever Mandarin class; 2 years of language
-Enrolled in Chinese Culture elective, new this year
-Founded Chinese club
-Researched, designed, and proposed my own curriculum for Independent Study in Chinese Literature (This is super rare at my high school)

Other stuff:
-Attended my state's Governor's School for the Humanities, which is fairly competitive; wrote my Common App essay on this experience. Was editor-in-chief of the newspaper there.
-Editor-in-chief of my school newspaper; newspaper staff member 10, 11, 12
-Working on founding my school's first literary magazine & creative writing club

-Key Club, NHS, Mock Trial, Drama, Stock Market Game,
-Volunteer with an after-school program for underprivileged / at-risk 1st and 2nd graders
-Some other volunteering stuff
-Web and graphic design work for local businesses & organizations

-A glowing rec. letter from my Journalism/ AP Eng. teacher, who has been teaching for 30-odd years and calls me one of her best
-A supplemental rec. letter from a professor at Gov. School (also wonderful, I'm confident)
-National Merit Commended Student

Aaaaand... that's pretty much it. I would really love some replies I hate having to bump these threads constantly.


I'm also applying for sure to Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, and Rhodes. Maybe Yale and/or Duke. What are my chances at those places?

Glenny

Are you doing Medill? Cause you're definitely in if you applied to Weinberg ED.
:-)

Toward

Oh! No, I applied to WCAS. And "definitely"? Wow, haha.

Toward

Should I take another SAT subject test? The deadline was extended to today, so I could still register.

I would probably do either World History (no class but significant background & more natural talent) or else Biology (took the class but it wasn't my best).

They wouldn't get the scores until (probably) late December to early January, which would be after they made their admissions decision... Should I bother? if so, which test?

Perididdle

Frankly, your spread makes it pretty unnecessary to take that last subject test. Plenty of people get in without any subject tests at ALL (since they're not required), so two is definitely fine. Plus, with such a good SAT and GPA, you're an extremely attractive candidate. I wouldn't worry about it. Pushing yourself to that last test won't make a difference anyway since, as you said, their decisions will be out before the scores are. If you get deferred for some reason, then it might be a good idea, but I would say your chances are great and you can sit back and relax without that final score. =)

Toward

Great! I feel a lot better about all this now.

Toward

Any more input would still be great though!

Sam Lee

NU is need-blind for US students. Unless you are international, FA shouldn't affect your chance.

CerebralAssassin

No one is ever "definitely" in, so I wouldn't be booking flights just yet.

With that said, your GPA and SATs are above the medians, which bodes well. Plenty of people with higher scores have been rejected. My VERY strong suspicion is their Why NU essays were subpar. I am rather close to many people in admissions, and the Why NU essay is a big factor. I have commented on myriad threads about this, so I won't belabor the point.

Short version: If NU is not one of your top choices, your essays will reflect it and you may not get in.

Implicit Understanding: NU knows that people with your scores apply to most of the Ivies/Duke/Stanford etc. You need to show the adcoms that you will attend NU if accepted. There are way too many 2200+ students who apply to NU because they feel like they should. NU won't pull a WashU and waitlist those kids. The university will flat out reject kids who it knows will not fit in at NU.

Toward

Thanks! I needed to hear that from somebody; while all the positive feedback was great, it was a little unnerving in a weird way (as in "What if I put all my cats in one bag and then get rejected?")

First thing: I applied ED, so they know I'll matriculate if accepted, as long as FA isn't a problem... Applying ED also demonstrates a pretty significant level of interest, right?
Second thing: I feel pretty good ... pretty okay about my essay. I made a nice connection with visiting Chicago as a child, and brought in some pretty specific details about WCAS at the end. The only thing I'm worried about is that the WCAS details (mentions of various programs, departments, etc.) might sound a little... tacked-on.
Since you seem experienced, could I PM you my NU essay? I would really appreciate your opinion.