<p>I’m a sophomore in college. Hispanic American from NJ.
I spent my 1st year of college at a tier 1, liberal arts school. Had a 3.6 GPA
Couldn’t go back cause it was too expensive, went to my local community college for this year.
Had a 3.7 GPA last semester cause I took a general chemistry class that was really hard. (I’m an English major)
This semester, we’re on break right now. Have straight A’s in all 5 classes through the mid-term.
Got excellent recommendations from 2 professors at my CC. They filled out the form with all “Top 1% I’ve ever encountered” boxes checked</p>
<p>I really really want to get into Northwestern, but I fear my HS SAT scores will forever hold me back (1900, Critical Reading- 600, Math- 580, Writing- 720) and I only had a 3.4 GPA unweighted in a crappy HS because I wasn’t as disciplined back then. And my mom’s had a drug addiction since I was a freshman in HS so maybe since I wrote about that in my essay it’ll make me a little different from the normal applicant.</p>
<p>So what are my chances??? Northwestern’s got like a 22% transfer acceptance rate right? I don’t mind going to Vanderbilt or Boston College if they accept me, but Northwestern is really THE SCHOOL for me.</p>
<p>And what’s this? They don’t even notify you of their decision until May/June?</p>
<p>“How can I transfer into Northwestern”…Short answer:Apply.</p>
<p>“So what are my chances?”…A/As you have completed your sophomore year with an upward trend, a solid Maybe. It really is going to depend on the major you wish to study. Is it one with a lot of slots open, or impacted?..B/Northwestern is also a college that is expensive. As you had to drop the other school due to expenses, how would NU be different?</p>
<p>That’s what worries me immensely. Northwestern supposedly meets 100% of demonstrated financial need but they’re unable to offer grant assistance for your first year there as a transfer. Does this mean that if I somehow did get accepted I’d be adding $40,000-$50,000 in loans to what I already owe to my first college ($29,000 as of right now) just to be able to go there for my first year? </p>
<p>The difference is that I think Northwestern will at least make it possible for me to attend the school, unlike my first school which simply did not give me enough financial aid to return. (During my first year, I took out a $20,000 loan to attend… It was a terrible mistake, I should have gone to Fairleigh Dickinson on full scholarship)</p>
<p>But like I said, I’m really concerned because I want to immediately go to grad school after I receive my bachelor’s in English, but I foresee a future with $150,000-$200,000 in loans by the time I’ve finished school. I’m confident that I’ll be able to get a great job and pay off the loans quickly, but the thought of that much financial burden is upsetting.</p>
<p>As money is an issue, as is the time necessary to fashion a strong application, I would encourage you to get clarification from the financial aid office.</p>
<p>I transferred this quarter (yay end of Winter quarter!), and the gist of what I got from talking to admissions was that if you really need financial aid, they’ll see what they can do, but there’s not a whole lot available. There’s no harm in applying (especially if you can get a fee waiver), but you should probably call financial aid to see if they can give you a more accurate picture.</p>