I have 3.95 unweighted GPA//4.6 Weighted.
I got a 1430 on SAT, but if I take it again, I think I can easily get 1480 or higher super scored.
Clubs: Leader in Model UN, Econ Club, History Fair Club
Involved in NHS, BPA, Peer Tutors
Paid tutor for economics, math
Interned at a company to make presentations about financial analysis and improving based on past performance
Did a Ted Talk at my school(one of the 10 people out of 4000)
Outside of school, I have also programmed a local database that helps me keep track of stocks I have invested in
Letters of recommendation:
I have one planned from my calc bc teacher who definitely will write positive attributes about me
One from my english teacher from sophomore year who believed that I brought a new idea onto the table each time I spoke and will assuredly spend her time to write a good rec letter
Essay: A great story about how I did not know how to speak English when I first came here to how I moved away in 5th grade with a lack of English knowledge. Came back in 8th with redemption and was one of the few people selected for a Ted Talk and a leader for a club where your performance depends on speaking (MUN)
What are my chances to get into Northwestern Weinberg for Econ(ED) with these qualities?
@Yankeefan20 No I will not be fencing for Northwestern. Honestly I donât really remember the scholarship amounts exactly. I think for Juniata it was around 160,000 dollars total, RPI 120,000 dollars total, UPitt 40,000 dollars total, Baylor 80,000 total, Fordham 100,000 total, and Robert Morris 60,000 total.
Answer 1: I wonât lie the fact that Northwestern was higher ranking was a plus. But I put a lot of thought into it and even wrote a pros and cons list to which is the better fit. Northwestern just had more of what I wanted. I majoring in CS but also like Drama. In NYU you werenât allowed Double Major in Drama and it was really hard to move in between colleges. In Northwestern they have so many ways for you to pursue your other interests as Major, Minor, or Certificate. The NYU(Tandon) engineering campus was also different the rest of main campus, and NYU already didnât have a campus feel but I would have been even more isolated from the university. When I looked at all these various factors, Northwestern won for me.
Answer 2: The other universities I got waitlisted from are Tulane and Scripps. Theyâre both great schools, but I still think I like Northwestern more. Plus I already signed Northwesternâs housing contract so Iâll just stay.
@bozo2k20
Iâm no expert, but you already seem to be on the right track. Your stats are good, and you have a great list of extracurricular activities. I think you already have a good chance of getting in, and applying ED just raises those chances. Since youâre applying ED, I would try to cater your essays toward Northwestern. When you write the why Northwestern essay make sure to include specific details that are not common knowledge(like how they have a startup lab called Garage, certain study abroad programs, etc.). If you continue the way youâre going then I think youâre likely to get in.
Also make sure that youâre taking challenging classes(AP/Honors/Accelerated etc.), because they also look at that.
@Doodoo27 I really appreciate the optimism and I am taking a lot of AP classes. But do u think my SAT is bringing my chances down or should I take it again?
@bozo2k20 I would take it again because you want to make sure you get over 1450, and if you do better thatâs even better. Even if you have to send that SAT score though, I think Northwestern will be understanding since many others might not even be taking the test.
Is your private high school known for tough grading among admissions officers? In some private schools that donât practice grade inflation, a 3.6 unweighted GPA is a good GPA, whereas in others that do have significant grade inflation itâs a really low GPA. I would think that might be a factor in your success compared to typical American high schools.
@ccprofandmomof2, Iâm not really sure, since I donât go to a big name private school. I do think the fact that I took AP/Honor courses though make my GPA not look as bad. I think if I didnât take as many as I did, I wonât have gotten into any of these schools with my GPA.
I feel so much more motivated after seeing this article! What do you think overall helped you the most get into these school? I just got a couple Bâs and am feeling devastated.
Like Iâve said before I donât think grades are everything. My Gpa might not have been high but I still took challenging classes(and didnât completely fail out of them) which shows I can handle a university work load. Also my extracurriculars and essays prove that theirâs more to me and show that while I was juggling all my ap/honors classes I still did other things like being student council president and having a job. The best way to show make up for âbadâ grades is to show that there are other great qualities about you to take into consideration.
As a general point: thereâs a million factors that can help any applicant for college. Sometimes people are helped because they are instate at a school with a strong instate bias. Sometimes men are helped because at their school they donât have the right gender ratio, and sometimes women at other institutions are helped for exactly the same reason. Some people are helped because they happen to play an instrument the school needs in its orchestra, or they are a legacy, or they are an athlete, etc.
Everyone uses every tool at their disposal to get accepted into the best college they can. They would be a fool not to. I donât see anyone voluntarily turning down their instate advantage at UT Austin just because they donât think its fair to the out-of-staters that might apply.
I an tell you that for my kids Iâm trying to âpunch above their weightâ by playing every card they hold in their hand. If some university needs a more diverse set voices, and that happens to be something you can bring to the table, you are wise to use it, just like my kids are going to use all of their advantages, some of which you might not have.
Congrats again on your great outcome, youâre gonna kill it.
Hi! I donât have a question but I wanted to say enjoy Northwestern and congratulations. I am actually an NU student myself going into my junior year, feel free to reach out if you have any questions about anything at all!
There is such a kind vibe from your posts â any college would be lucky to have you.
I am curious what field of CS interests you the most? And what do you see yourself doing after graduating college â research, regular job, startup, teaching?
As the parent of a rising junior who plans to major in CS, Iâd also be interested in what you thought was the most stressful part of the application process? And what would you do differently if you had to do it again?