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**Official Northwestern Class of 2023 RD Results Thread**
StanfordGSB00
79 replies7 threads Junior Member
NOTE: This thread is for RESULTS ONLY (when they are available). General discussion should be placed in other threads. **REMEMBER to remove brackets before posting!** Good luck everyone!
[ size=6][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted[/b][/color][/size]
[ size=6][ color=yellow][ b]Decision: Waitlisted[/b][/color][/size]
[ size=6][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected[/b][/color][/size]
[ b]Objective:[/b]
[ list]
[ *] SAT I (Comp, Essay, CR, M, CW):
[ *] ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci):
[ *] SAT II (Type, Score):
[ *] Weighted GPA (out of ??):
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load:
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ /list]
[ b]Subjective:[/b]
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays:
[ *] Teacher Recommendations:
[ *] Counselor Rec:
[ /list]
[ b]Other[/b]
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] School Type:
[ *] Ethnicity:
[ *] Gender:
[ *] Income Bracket:
[ *] Assets:
[ *] Property:
[ *] Extenuating Circumstances:
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ /list]
[ b]Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:[/b]
[ b]Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):[/b]
10 replies [ size=6][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted[/b][/color][/size]
[ size=6][ color=yellow][ b]Decision: Waitlisted[/b][/color][/size]
[ size=6][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected[/b][/color][/size]
[ b]Objective:[/b]
[ list]
[ *] SAT I (Comp, Essay, CR, M, CW):
[ *] ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci):
[ *] SAT II (Type, Score):
[ *] Weighted GPA (out of ??):
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load:
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ /list]
[ b]Subjective:[/b]
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays:
[ *] Teacher Recommendations:
[ *] Counselor Rec:
[ /list]
[ b]Other[/b]
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] School Type:
[ *] Ethnicity:
[ *] Gender:
[ *] Income Bracket:
[ *] Assets:
[ *] Property:
[ *] Extenuating Circumstances:
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ /list]
[ b]Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:[/b]
[ b]Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):[/b]
This discussion has been closed.
Replies to: **Official Northwestern Class of 2023 RD Results Thread**
Objective:
list
* SAT I (Comp, Essay, CR, M, CW):1490, 19, 33,800, 36
* ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci):N/A
* SAT II (Type, Score):Chem-770 Math II-800
* Weighted GPA (out of 4.0):5.01
* Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.83
* Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 6.4%
* AP (place score in parenthesis):
Biology(4)
Human Geography(4)
Chemistry(5)
French Language(3)
World History(3)
English Language(3)
U.S History-3
Physics 1(4)
Psychology(4)
Statistics(5)
* IB (place score in parenthesis):A/A
* Senior Year Course Load:Computer Science 1, Computer Science 2, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, AP U.S Government, AP Microeconomics, APES, English 4
* Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):AP Scholar with distinction two years, National Honor Society, Science NHS, French NHS
Subjective:
list
* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Student council(10th-member,11th-class secretary/treasurer, 12th class vice president) French Club(9-10th-member, 11th-Historian, 12th-Publicist) eBay bookseller(9-12th-owner)
* Job/Work Experience:Wendy's(summer before senior year)
* Volunteer/Community service:Teen court(1 hour per week ish) and local town for a few hours over one summer
* Summer Activities: Engineering camp at in state college and computer and application design camp at another college
* Essays:8/10
* Teacher Recommendations:
Teacher one 8/10
Teacher two 7/10
* Counselor Rec:8/10
Other
list
* State (if domestic applicant):Texas
* School Type:Public
* Ethnicity:Asian
* Gender:Male
* Income Bracket: 200K+
* Assets: 200K+ in savings
* Property:
* Extenuating Circumstances:Mother with cancer
* Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):N/A
Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:
My low reading-writing score and my course load might not be considered "Most demanding". ECs are centered around my major.
Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):
Only accepted to Texas A&M so far
Denied:Cornell-ED
Purdue-EA
UNC-chapel hill-EA
UT Austin(CAP)-Priority
Deffered-
University of Michigan-still pending
Still pending
Harvard
Upenn
Brown
Dartmouth
UCLA
UCB
Objective
*ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci): 34,8,35,35,36,28
* SAT II (Type, Score): none
* Weighted GPA : 4.53/5.0
* Unweighted GPA : 4.0
* Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12/425
* AP:
APUSH: 4
Government: 5
Psychology: 5
English III: 5
Calc AB: 4
Current AP classes: Physics I, WHAP, English IV, Statistics
* Senior Year Course Load: above APs plus an extra math class and choir
Subjective:
*Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
(Quiz bowl team)
Teen court
Cross Country
NHS
Choir
Annual school musical
Annual choir show
* Job/Work Experience: lifeguard
* Volunteer/Community service: teen court during spring and general NHS things
* Essays: wrote about my experience with anxiety, probably a 7/10 essay, 8/10 essay if reader relates
* Teacher Recommendations: pretty good but not amazing
* Counselor Rec: probably good but i dont know her that well
Other
* State (if domestic applicant):Ohio
* School Type: Public, suburban
* Ethnicity: White
* Gender: Male
* Income Bracket: 30k-50k
* Extenuating Circumstances: none
* Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation but siblings have attended school
Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:
Honestly, I have no idea. I guess first generation and my essays did it somehow? I am so lucky. I also didn't even do an interview, and literally turned in the application on January 5th. Your guess is as good as mine.
Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):
Northeastern: W
Ohio State: A
Virginia Tech: A
Kenyon: W
Cincinnati: A
Miami OH: A
Case Western Reserve: A
Boston: pending
Carnegie Mellon: pending
THOSE WHO GOT WAITLISTED, HANG IN THERE, AND HOPE FOR THE BEST (also update them with the latest good things you're doing, cuz that always helps to nudge them)
THOSE WHO DIDNT GET IN, REJECTION DOESNT DEFINE YOUR OTHER RESULTS. IF YOU TRUST YOURSELF, YOU WILL MOST PROBABLY GET IN WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.
Hope this helps anyone who's happy, sad, indifferent or any other crazy emotion; or any mixture of emotions.
Objective:
Composite: 35
Essay: 10
English: 35
Math: 34
Reading: 35
Science: 35
Math II: 800
Literature: 730
Chinese: 5
World History: 5
Comp Sci Principles: 5
Psychology: 5
Lang: 5
HL Maths: 6
Ab Initio Spanish: 7
General Chemistry
AP Econ (Macro and Micro are the same class @ my school)
AP Literature and Composition
AP Comp Sci A
IB HL Maths
IB Ab Initio Spanish
Not really major but I got the Comp Sci award at my school in junior year.
Also not super major but got 2nd place in a writing competition with all international schools in China.
Subjective:
HOME: Homeless Service Club (President)
International Thespian Society (President)
Tri-M Music Honor Society
FRC Robotics (Website Coder + Publicity Director)
Elite Choir @ my school
Elite Theatre Troupe @ my school
School Musicals (2 Lead Roles, 1 Supporting Role)
School Plays (1 Lead Role, 1 Supporting Role)
Cross Country (Was on the travel team but had to quit because conflicted with choir and musical)
Homeless shelter
Migrant school choir
Volunteered at School for Deaf Education and Applied Studies @ Filipino University as an interpreter
Common App: Basically about being called gay my whole life and how that + cultural taboos hindered my self discovery. Talked about growing into myself and being proud of my identity (physical, sexual, ethnic, the whole shebang)
Why Northwestern: Classic "I have a lot of interests"/"The AND is in my DNA" stuff
Teacher 1: I would say we have a pretty good rapport but he's nice to everyone so it's hard to say. I like to think that he likes me better than his other students since I've had him for 2 years now and we talk a lot outside of class and schoolwork. (9/10)
Teacher 2: She awarded me the comp sci award and always commends my work (she apparently always uses my work as an exemplary model for her current CSP students) and also notices how I help other students in my CS class. We also bond bc we're both Filipino. That being said, she often catches me off task in her class and scolds me for it, nothing big though. (8 or 7 /10)
Just met him this year (he's new) but we built up a pretty good relationship. We're really close now and he seems to know me better than most other students in my grade. However, since he wrote my rec at the start of the year, hard to tell how good it was. (8/10)
Other
Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:
Considering my family's pretty wealthy, a lot of our income actually comes in the form of benefits (such as our housing, my HS education, etc.) from my dad's company and they aren't so keen to pay for my college education. Because of this I had to apply for financial aid and I asked for quite a bit too (half tuition more or less). My family's also paying for my sister's college education as well as supporting our family back home in the Philippines so despite the high income, the disposable income we have for my education is actually considerably lower.
Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):
SCU: A (10k scholarship)
Fordham: A (full ride)
UBC: A (awaiting scholarship info)
Pomona: D
Northwestern: D (obviously)
Brown: Deferred and waiting for RD
UPenn: Waiting
Carnegie Mellon: Waiting
USC: Waiting (but probably can't go because it's expensive and I'm out of the running for their scholarships)
* ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci): 35 (36 E, 35 M, 35 R, 33 S)
* SAT II (Type, Score): Math II (800), US History (800)
* Weighted GPA (out of ??): 4.45/4.0 (total of 11 APs w/all As at my school)
* Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
* Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/750
* AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (4), AP Euro (5), AP Lang (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Enviro (5), APUSH (5), AP CSP (5)
* Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Physics C, AP Lit, AP US Gov, AP Psych online, Multivariable Calculus online thru JH CTY, Ordinary Differential Equations through local community college
* Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major awards (rip) -- just the usual stuff like National AP Scholar, National Merit Commended, and CSF Sealbearer Candidate. I also put some math award I got from my teacher who's head of the math department of my school and some track/cross country awards I believe (I was rly fishing for awards to put on my common app lol)
Subjective:
* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): cross country (captain for two years), track (captain for two years), stem cell research, summer camp counselor, paid tutor (manager of local business), peer tutor, school newspaper (sports editor), volunteer at local hospital, math club (secretary)
* Job/Work Experience: paid tutor and summer camp counselor
* Volunteer/Community service: volunteer at local hospital
* Summer Activities: not much bc I spent most of my summers training for xc and working at that summer camp, but I also went to two of those ridiculously expensive summer programs at schools (did one at Georgetown, where I didn't even apply, and WashU, where I was waitlisted lol)
* Essays: Common App was like a 7/10; Why NU was like a 9/10 (i thought it was one of my best ones); and i actually rly liked my "elaborate on an ec" blurb, which was about running
* Teacher Recommendations: the one from my math teacher was probs a 9/10 bc she rly liked me and the other was from my English teacher and was probs like a 7.5/10
* Counselor Rec: 6/10 -- I go to a huge public school. I don't even think my counselor knows my name. these are super generic for every student at my school.
Other
* State (if domestic applicant): CA
* School Type: public school w/2800+ students
* Ethnicity: white
* Gender: female
* Income Bracket: >250,000
* Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): dad went to Northwestern but doesn't donate $$$
* Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:[/b] I think that my "Why NU" essay rly stood out. I did a ton of research about the school and found this program called MMSS (mathematical models of social sciences) that rly piqued my interest. I think this showed that I actually had a genuine interest in the school and separated me from other students who may have just been applying to NU because of the name or its prestige. Also, I think that bc i'm a girl w/a strong interest and background in math, I'm a compelling applicant for that specific program.
Decisions for other schools
* Accepted: Wesleyan, UCLA, UVA (oos as echols scholar), BU, Oxford College @ Emory, UCSB, UC Davis, UCSD, UConn
* Waitlisted: Emory, WashU, Middlebury
* Rejected: UChicago after EA deferral
* Also, deferred from UPenn ED
CONGRATS!! SO EXCITED!!!!
School of Communication (Theatre)
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn't take
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (35 E, 35 M, 32 R, 36 S)
SAT II: Didn't take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 94.39/100, school counts that as 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 15% of 220
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, US History, Language and Comp, World History (I got good scores on all, but decided not to send them in)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at my school
Senior Year Course Load: Dual-enrollment English course w/ Syracuse U, AP Calc AB, AP Chemistry, AP Govt and Politics, Symphonic Chorus, History Through Film, Personal Wellness
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Recognized by my school for receiving the most community service hours in my grade; "Excellent" rating at local music competitions
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Student Association (Student Body President, 12; Class Advisor, 11+12; Prom Committee, 11); I also have to do announcements every day because of my role as President.
National Honor Society and World Language Honors Society for French
Was involved in new theatre education performance project by performing in the first show the first half of senior year; am currently assistant directing the next show and am taking a small part
Children's theatre since I was in fourth grade, did seven shows during high school and had supporting roles in all
Professional actor in a local theatre troupe that focuses on female stories. All shows are original works and are very dance-focused and take place in nontraditional areas (such as outside in the freezing cold)
Performed in the ensemble of my school musical (9); stage managed the musical this year (12)
High school chorus all four years
School female chamber choir all four years
Weekly voice lessons
Job/Work Experience:
Packaged vegetables at a local farmstand summer after my freshman year
Worked at a local lingerie and children's boutique summer after sophomore year; managed the register
Worked at a local specialty deli at the end of my junior year, into that summer and at the beginning of senior year.
Volunteer/Community service:
Club that honors students who have received 100 hours of Community Service; organizes annual fundraising events for local charities (11,12; Treasurer, 12); In charge of managing donations
Assistant costume designer and head dresser for a professional theatre professional (11)
Volunteer at local film festival every year
Organized data at local historical society
Volunteer clerk at local arts center gift shop
Summer Activities: Besides my jobs, I took a three-week urban studies class at Columbia after sophomore year and did one professional production after junior year.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: I talked about being misdiagnosed as nonverbal as a toddler and how conquering that disability helped me discover my passions in theatre; used vivid examples and phonetics, and included how I improvise and have fun with doing the morning announcements (9.5)
Activity: Wrote about my job at a local specialty deli and the several tasks I performed as a stockperson. Wrote about my coworkers and how we support each other during the many pitfalls we face; used some vivid details (8.5)
Why NU: I talked about how I want to work as a stage manager or a producer, but my intellectual interests didn't work for a conservatory curriculum. Discussed specific courses I would take and talked about the chance to work at Broadway for Chicago to get real-world experience. It was pretty choppy due to the word count, but I think I got my message clear as to what I would do when I get on campus (8.8).
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: My APUSH teacher who is now my AP Gov teacher. We had a rocky relationship at the beginning of my junior year (personality conflicts; I'm very rigid while he is more go-with-the-flow) but after we started talking more we formed an amazing relationship. He also enjoyed my love for theatre and the connections I made with different shows to what we were learning. (8.5)
Teacher Rec #2: My AP Bio teacher from last year. During sophomore year he went up to me in the hall and said how he loved that I always smiled in the halls and how bubbly I was. He enjoyed my humor and the theatre references and recommendations I shared with him. Told me I was one of his most vibrant students that year (9)
Counselor Rec: She has known me since I was a little girl and has always admired me despite my up and downs; I'm pretty sure she included some heartfelt anecdotes (10)
Additional Rec: A director I worked with last year and this year in three professional shows. She is a fantastic writer, so I think she made my achievements and qualities very vivid in her letter (9.5)
Interview: I requested one but was unable to schedule one due to an overcapacity in my area. I ended up sending admissions a creative narrative I thought really brought a new side to me and I also updated them on other leadership positions I have taken on.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Theatre (concentration in stage management)
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Rural Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Would rather not say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Dual citizenship (from the UK)
Reflection
Strengths: ACT score, extracurriculars are interesting and related to my major, took time to reach out to admissions
Weaknesses: Community service could've been more service oriented, two B's in high school (reason for low GPA), no Subject tests
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I HAVE NO IDEA!!! It’s been almost a week and I’m still in complete shock I got in. I remember just deciding to submit my app in three hours before the deadline even though people thought I wouldn’t get in.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Pitt (Honors and Dean Scholarship), Fordham (Dean Scholarship), Northeastern (Dean Scholarship), UMich (SMTD for Theatre Arts), Barnard, Wesleyan.
Waitlisted: Vassar
Waiting on: NYU
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn't take
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (35 E, 35 M, 32 R, 36 S)
SAT II: Didn't take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 94.39/100
Weighted GPA: 98.39/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 15% of 220
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, US History, Language and Comp, World History (I got good scores on all, but decided not to send them in)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at my school
Senior Year Course Load: Dual-enrollment English course w/ Syracuse U, AP Calc AB, AP Chemistry, AP Govt and Politics, Symphonic Chorus, History Through Film, Personal Wellness
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Recognized by my school for receiving the most community service hours in my grade; "Excellent" rating at local music competitions
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Student Association (Student Body President, 12; Class Advisor, 11+12; Prom Committee, 11); I also have to do announcements every day because of my role as President.
National Honor Society and World Language Honors Society for French
Children's theatre since I was in fourth grade, did seven shows during high school and had supporting roles in all
Professional actor in a local theatre troupe that focuses on female stories. All shows are original works and are very dance-focused and take place in nontraditional areas (such as outside in the freezing cold)
Performed in the ensemble of my school musical (9); stage managing the musical this year (12)
High school chorus all four years
School female chamber choir all four years
Weekly voice lessons
Job/Work Experience:
Packaged vegetables at a local farmstand summer after my freshman year
Worked at a local lingerie and children's boutique summer after sophomore year; managed the register
Worked at a local specialty deli at the end of my junior year, into that summer and in the beginning of senior year.
Volunteer/Community service:
Club that honors students who have received 100 hours of Community Service; organizes annual fundraising events for local charities (11,12; Treasurer, 12); In charge of managing donations
Assistant costume designer and head dresser for a professional theatre production (11)
Volunteer at local film festival every year
Organized data at local historical society
Volunteer clerk at gift shop at local arts center
Summer Activities: Besides my jobs, I took a three-week urban studies class at Columbia after sophomore year and did one professional production after junior year.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: I talked about being misdiagnosed as nonverbal as a toddler and how conquering that disability helped me discover my passions in theatre; used vivid examples and phonetics, and included how I improvise and have fun with doing the morning announcements (9.5)
Activity: Wrote about my job at a local specialty deli and how my coworkers and I support each other during the many pitfalls we face; used some vivid details (8)
Why NU: Choppy due to the word limit, but was able to jam a lot of info in. I talked about specific courses and co-curricular offerings. Stated the message as clearly as possible (8.5)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: My APUSH teacher who is now my AP Gov teacher. We had a rocky relationship at the beginning of my junior year (personality conflicts; I'm very rigid while he is more go-with-the-flow) but after we started talking more we formed an amazing relationship. He also enjoyed my love for theatre and the connections I made with different shows to what we were learning. (8.5)
Teacher Rec #2: My AP Bio teacher from last year. During sophomore year he went up to me in the hall and said how he loved that I always smiled in the halls and how bubbly I was. He enjoyed my humor and the theatre references and recommendations I shared with him. Told me I was one of his most vibrant students that year (9)
Counselor Rec: She has known me since I was a little girl and has always admired me despite my up and downs; I'm pretty sure she included some heartfelt anecdotes (10)
Additional Rec: A director I worked with last year and this year in three professional shows. She is a fantastic writer, so I think she made my achievements and qualities very vivid in her letter (9.5)
Interview: Did not receive an interview due to overcapacity, but I sent in a creative narrative that highlighted my hopes for my future and an update on things I had done since submitting my app (9)
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Theatre
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Rural Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Rather not say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Dual Citizen (UK)
Reflection
Strengths: ACT score, most rigorous course load at my high school, extracurriculars are interesting and related to major
Weaknesses: Community service could've been more service oriented, two B's in high school, didn't take subject tests
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I GOT IN!!!! I literally decided three hours before the deadline to submit my app even though everyone thought I had no chance of getting in. Still in complete denial.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Pitt (Honors College), Fordham (Dean Scholarship), Northeastern (Dean Scholarship), UMich (SMTD), Barnard, Wesleyan, NYU
Waitlisted: Vassar
General Comments: My advice for anyone who hasn't applied yet is to NOT worry about the rankings!!! They don't tell you what schools are the best because these schools could be schools you don't belong in. And only apply to schools you are passionate about - it makes the whole process less exhausting and more fulfilling.
Objective:
SAT I (Comp, Essay, CR/W, M): 1530, 14, 790, 740
ACT (Comp, Essay, Eng, Math, Read, Sci): n/a
SAT II (Type, Score): Math 1 (660), US History (660), English Lit (790)
Weighted GPA (out of ??): n/a (school only uses uw GPAs)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a (homeschooled, will graduate from a homeschool group with a class of... 6)
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a (no classes available, and I wasn't aware I could take the tests)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Pre-calc/Trig, Ancient Lit, World History, Theology, Physics, Spanish 3, Latin 4, Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Gold Medal (10th) and Silver Medal (11th), National Latin Exam Silver Medal (11th), National Merit Finalist, got published in some poetry anthology
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): yearbook (9th-10th), local theatre group (10th-12th), Beta Club (9th-12th; secretary, 11th, and president, 12th), weekly Bible study
Job/Work Experience: swim instructor/lifeguard since summer after sophomore year; work 10-35 hours a week
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered as swim instructor aide (9th; 100ish hours), volunteered weekly at animal shelter (10th-11th; 140ish hours), campaign volunteer (10th-12th; 115 hours), in addition to 150ish hours through Beta Club
Summer Activities: work, and I attended a 5-week college program at Savannah College of Art & Design (and got credit for acting and film production classes, go figure)
Essays:
Common App (6.5/10): wrote about my favorite movie (Breakfast at Tiffany's), and how it inspired me to learn more about my neighbors (yes, it was really, really dumb)
NU Supplement (9/10): wrote about my dream of being a journalist and how Medill would get me there
Teacher Recommendations (8/10): honestly have no idea, but they both liked me and one really pushed me to apply to highly-ranked colleges so I would guess they were pretty good
Counselor Rec (9/10): my mom, so she knows me pretty well I guess
Interview: (10/10): I loved my interviewer, and she was really interested in my unique education and how it's shaped me; I was also able to talk about all of my interests, including the ones that didn't quite make it into the application
Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: homeschooled, part of a PSP if that means anything to you
Ethnicity: Asian/white
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $80,000
Assets: none
Property: $300,000
Extenuating Circumstances: none
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Why you think you were accepted/not accepted and general comments:
After being waitlisted at a number of less-competitive schools, I was genuinely shocked when I was accepted (had to refresh the page several times and still wasn't convinced until the admission materials arrived in the mail... even now, I'm constantly waiting for someone to call me and say it's all a mistake). My scores are fine, below-average at times (yes, I actually sent that 660 US History score), but I think my essay definitely helped me stand out (I had a very clear vision of myself at the school, and how I would take my NU education to life beyond college). Not sure how much the interview plays into the admissions process, but my interviewer was very enthusiastic about my homeschool education (I've been largely independent since freshman year, able to choose my own hours and focus on subjects that I find interesting) and seemed to think I'd be a good fit. Also, I chose Northwestern as my first-choice school for NMS and I did receive the scholarship through the school, so I assume that demonstrated interest was also a factor.
Decisions for other schools (A for Accept, D for Denied, W for Waitlisted):
Earlham (A)
Centre (A)
Cedarville (A)
Beloit (A)
Fordham (A)
Reed (A)
UChicago (W)
Kenyon (W)
Oberlin (W)
Syracuse (W to dual-degree program between the arts and sciences and journalism schools)
Georgetown (W)
ADVICE: In your "Why NU" essay, explain why you want to attend the school you've selected (for me, it was Medill) using specific details. Talk about your intended major, classes, programs, extracurriculars. Show that you did your research. Be genuine and straightforward. Do an interview if you can, and if you're good at interviewing. As for the admissions process in general... only apply to schools you can see yourself at, and don't waste time applying to a huge number of schools that you just kind of like. Remember, you only need one acceptance.
Also accepted at UCLA, UC Berkeley, Santa Barbara
Sophomore transfer option at USC- Trojan Legacy Transfer- Hard to believe I did not get in from the get go!
GPA 4.66
GPA 4.0 unweighted
(Top high school in Northern CA) No grades give away!
SAT 1540 second time
ACT 35 First time
AP History 4
AP English
2-AP Calculus 5
2-AP Physics 4, 5
AP computer science
AP Psychology 5
AP economics and Government
A few more and honors
Bilingual, extensive international community service
Financial Aid, Yes!
National High School Honors band- Clarinet
Member of the Diablo wind symphony. ( Northern California)
Looking forward to audition and playing with the NU Wind ensemble.
Work hard all summers as a Lifeguard and Lifeguard Manager at a local Club $6k- 9k per season.
It will help to cover the party times in Chicago!