<p>Okay, so I realize all the colleges say they do a holistic review… But do they really??? like seriously, how important are GPA’s. Because frankly, my GPA sucks beyond belief but everything (including my SATs) are good. Im freaking out because I feel like this whole “holistic review” thing is only said to be used to ease our stress/tension levels! Am i wrong?!? lol Am i just being paranoid?! as always</p>
<p>haha! I have been wondering the same thing, annakimwta. But, to tell you the truth, a holistic review IS evident. For example (this is a prime one,) I applied to Tulane University, being in the same situation as you. My SATS were like 200-300 points below their standards (this is before I got my results a week later.) My gpa was higher than the average, class rank was ok, u know, blah blah, the story goes on. I figured my sats would NEVER allow me to get in (sort of like somebody applying to Northwestern, maybe like you and me, with an 1800 or something. ) it IS possible to override the sat dread since a week after i submitted my app, i got in. stared at the computer and just SAT there! I couldn’t understand. But, it was evident that my review was taken holistically, beause if each component of the application were to be different weights than one another, I probablyc ould have faced rejection. So, it’s hard to know. NU is a little harder than Tulane, but it still has been documented that things like my story can happen (if your essays are good and you show personality I think. I’m not a genius about admissions, but I hope that the example calmed your anxiety.)</p>
<p>ugh I sure hope so… 
except im the complete opposite of you! haha, i have 2100 SAT’s but a low GPA so yeah… But congrats on Tulane! and I wish you good luck w/ Northwestern 
hopefully we both get in and they look past our mediocre-low stats</p>
<p>haha! yes we should :P. what is your gpa like a 3.75? (i’m being extremely EXTREMELY sarcastic if you haven’t noticed b/c people with that gpa are always like omg it’s so bad.)</p>
<p>ahhaha no mine is actually like pretty bad… lol it sucks</p>
<p>mine too…</p>
<p>but my sat’s are good. gah</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat: 3.4 uw, 2310 on the SAT. I’m hoping they’ll look past the former, because every other part of my application is good, but I’m afraid it’ll sink me; guess I’ll have to wait and see. Good luck to all of you as well!</p>
<p>same boat-****ty gpa good SAT </p>
<p>we do uw scale only so im a 4.02 and ranked 104/1300 wich is decent but not good enuff for the bigname places like NW. plus im abt a B+ student in my classes (hardest classes)</p>
<p>The short answer is that hollistic review does exist. The long answer–which I won’t go completely into–is that it’s more difficult to make up for a crappy GPA than a low SAT, and you have to be careful that a disconnect between GPA and SAT doesn’t raise any suspicion of low motivation (high SAT/low GPA combos can sometimes be a red flag).</p>
<p>Also, NU is going to be particularly competitive this year, given the 20% increase in apps, so “wild card” candidates are going to have a much harder time getting in. You need to be able to support your credentials with solid leadership experience, which is one of the most important factors in hollistic review. This year, especially, you will need to stand out.</p>
<p>see, here’s what happened with me. I am ranked like top 12%, +/-, 3.8 UW gpa, 4.1 W gpa, and then…<em>dun dun dun</em>…i sucked at the sat and i meani SUCKED…1860 in total (1170 combo.) but, that’s after 3 times! It went from a 1530 up to an 1860, so it’s better ehehe. I wonder if that is better than the other cases. But, it is still interesting because some schools have much much harder grading scales than do others (which they WILL take into account if your schools send their profiles,) because, for instance: If you get 3 b+'s and 1 A-, or whatever, it could be a 3.5 UW . But, at another school it could be a 3.2 UW, or a 3.8 UW. Like, it’d be somewhere near a 3.7 at our school. gpa’s are not standard, do know that. However, if your grading system is lenient and yoru gpa slipped, that could serve as an issue. But, no worries b/c decisions come out VERYYYYY soon! Good luck to all:P</p>
<p>It is very true that a 3.6 and/or top 12% of one’s class from, say, Exeter is looked upon more favorably than similar numbers from an average public school (which I am assuming is what people attend unless they note otherwise). That being said, and assuming that the school is public or an average private, top 12% with an 1860 is not going to turn any heads at a top-15 adcom. Quite the opposite.</p>
<p>You need truly stellar essays and ECs to offset those kinds of numbers, and even if you have that, you’re looking at an uphill battle.</p>
<p>I know that I’ve posted a lot of gloom-and-doom here over the course of the past couple of days, and the last thing I want to do is strike more fear and uncertainty into your already stressful admission process, but reading people’s posts really leads me to believe that they are grossly underestimating the selectivity of these schools. </p>
<p>If you take a look at the literature that NU makes available to prospective students, you’ll see that when the SAT falls below 1400 (verbal and quant, not counting writing) and–far more importantly–when the class rank falls below the top 5%–the acceptance rate drops precipitously. Anything outside the top 10% is a long-shot, period.</p>
<p>That being said, I do hope that things work out favorbably for all!</p>
<p>great! i’ll be sure to frame that rejection…</p>
<p>Sorry–my post was probably a bit too blunt. Obviously, the numbers floating around on this thread aren’t completely out of the ballpark, and there are students every year who get into NU and similar schools with those credentials. Everybody here is likely going to end up at a top-20 or top-25 school, with slightly higher options being a real possibility, though obviously a not a certainty.</p>
<p>I sure hope so… If I dont get into NW, I atleast want to get into NYU :(</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, when I applied 6 years ago, I was admitted to NU and rejected by NYU. My good friend, who had SAT scores in the low 1100s and a GPA hovering just above 3.0 got into NYU. </p>
<p>Obviously, things have changed since then, but it’s an example of the randomness of the process. In the end, people generally end up where they’re supposed to be, and they make the best of the opportunities that they’re given.</p>
<p>I wish I had a better idea of my competition for Medill, because a lot of the people who post on this board probably applied for Arts & Sciences (although I know there are many who did not). Anyway, I know that my GPA probably would not get me in for A & S, but I don’t really know how the admissions for Medill works, because I’ve been an editor on the newspaper since my freshman year (editor in chief my sophomore year), and I’m hoping that will offset my GPA. My SAT score isn’t enough, in my opinion (2110), and like you guys said, that could be a red flag. I do think that my essay was unique (I haven’t let anyone read it, haha), and I tried to explain why my GPA is not as great as it should be, but you really never know until you open your mailbox.</p>
<p>I’m not sure that 2110 is a red flag. It won’t make you an auto-admit (test scores don’t work that way), but it certainly won’t keep you out. In fact, I think that’s right about at the average for NU (maybe only slightly lower).</p>
<p>Medill is one of those animals where factors such as writing quality and extracurriculars are of almost as high importance as GPA and class rank (which are still clearly the most important factors). It’s harder to quantify a Medill applicant and boil him/her down to his/her numerical chances for admission. Most Medill students were editors of their high school papers and had other factors to distinguish them, along with top academics, so be aware that it is hard to excuse away low grades, especially if you don’t have journalism-related ECs that are going to blow away the competition.</p>
<p>That being said, there is a random element to admissions, and you never know what might catch the eye of your readers. Sometimes, decent academics and an intriguing essay can be enough to tip the scales.</p>
<p>BachOnTheBench - I’m applying for Medill as well. I’m also EIC of my paper, although I’ve only been working on it for two years, but I have some other journalism and writing e/c’s as well. I’m going for print journalism - you?</p>
<p>Does anyone know if schools will look at rankings from mid-year reports as well as your original ones? I pulled myself up from top 12% to top 9% (this is at a fairly competitive magnet school, BTW - I think over a quarter of our senior class were national merit semi-finalists, hence the disconnect between my GPA and SAT).</p>
<p>Eh, I do understand that it’s a long-shot, but I’ve already gotten into some great schools, so I won’t be totally crushed if I’m rejected. I just really love the idea of going to Medill.</p>
<p>where did your friend end up going? NYU? Ahhh… :(</p>
<p>Haha…yeah, he applied there ED. :-)</p>
<p>Other than NU and NYU, what schools are on your radar screen?</p>