<p>Collegebound/NewJerseyMom,</p>
<p>What I’d tell (and have told) anyone applying to Northwestern is that “what you see is what you get.” The school is probably the most transparent of any elite in releasing data regarding admissions. With regard to standardized test scores, they provide medians AND means. They provide data for both admitted (i.e. accepted) AND enrolling students. They provide data for both early AND regular decision acceptances. There are still schools out that won’t even publish a Common Data Set. </p>
<p>In general, a holistic look and ECs become most important for applicants to the sub-specialized schools (Medill, Music, Education, Communications). Grades and standardized test scores will still reign supreme for Arts and Science and Engineering. The surge in applications to Northwestern these last few years has certainly increased the uncertainty of application outcomes. Best of luck to you both.</p>