<p>I recently visited and it basically made me realize how much I would thrive at Northwestern.
I’d really appreciate some guidance on how to address my grades on my app and also an assessment of what kind of chance I have. Please help!! I really want to optimize my very small chance. </p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<pre><code>* SAT: I don’t know how NU does this so two test dates:
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<p>The other one sitting: 2090 (680M, 750CR, 660W)
Highest in one sitting: 2120 (570M, 750CR, 800W)
Highest each section: 2230 (680M, 750CR, 800W)
Best CR+M: 1430</p>
<pre><code>* SAT IIs: I majorly regret blowing these off: WH 580, Chem 570, Lit 680
- ACT: not sending (29)
- GPA: 3.63 UW
- Rank: it’s terrible and embarrassing… I’m in the top 25% (118 out of 498… I know it’s awful.)
- Other stats: By the end of high school, I will have taken 10 APs. I’m an AP Scholar with Distinction with two 4’s [Micro and WH] and three 5’s [english lang, bio, psych]
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<p>Subjective:</p>
<pre><code>* Essays: This one really effective one about seeing the world through the eyes of a child and going back to India when I was 10. I’m still unsure about the supplement essay, but I’m sure by the time I’m done with it, it will be strong.
- Teacher Recs: I hope these are really good. I’m close to the teachers who wrote them.
- Counselor Rec: My counselor adores me, but I don’t know if she’s like a fantastic writer. But I’m sure she probably is. She’s really pulling for me.
- Hook (if any): Um, I care? I’m a National Merit Semifinalist… and um… I went to India to teach people how to speak English. I doubt that really counts for much to them.
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<p>Location/Person:</p>
<pre><code>* State or Country: Wisconsin
- School Type: Public (But it’s like super well off smart-people wise which probably hurts me in the long run.)
- Ethnicity: Indian (This also probably hurts me.)
- Gender: Female
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<p>Other stuff: I’ve been very involved all 4 years with extra-curriculars such as Drama, Debate and Forensics. I get poems published in our school’s literary magazine. I’m the Copy Editor and Managing editor for two publications at school. I’ve done advanced choir for my whole life and I’m on student government, and a bunch of other little clubs like Yearbook, Sci O, Math team and stuff. I do a lot but I really care about everything I do, I don’t want to cut myself off from anything. </p>
<p>Here is what I think: My GPA isn’t stellar, but the damage was all done freshman year when I got 2 Cs and something like 4 or 5 B’s, and since then I have taken really difficult classes and done much better. My GPA for my sophomore and junior years is a 3.75, which is still not fantastic, but I’ve always been the type of person who looks better in writing and in person than on paper. I’ve struggled a lot with test anxiety and panic attacks, but I have still managed to do well in a rigorous schedule.
I really want to do journalism at Medill more than pretty much anything because writing is what I love and what I am good at. I have a lot of potential and a really unique writing style (and not unique in the fact that it’s different to be different, I’ve been told that I have a very thoughtful way of expressing my views). Despite what my grades and test scores may reflect, I am really intelligent and I retain information very well. My peers who have very high GPAs come to me for help, even in the subjects I get bad grades in. I’m just not great at tests and I’ve had a lot of tough setbacks over the years.
What I want to know is how I can address this in my application. I do not want to sound whiny and I don’t want them to look at me and be like “Tough.” I have a lot of excuses for why I got poor grades [homelife problems freshman year, moving to a new school, getting injuries, having an illness] but I don’t want to take precious wordtime away from expressing my enthusiasm and desire to go to Northwestern. </p>
<p>Help?</p>