<p>Kathy, if you really want to get in, you can’t look at someone else’s results, think, “hey, I’m doing better than that” and expect to get admitted. The kids who get in with low stats are usually athletes or did something amazing outside of school you don’t know about, or are 25% Hispanic/AA (or perhaps even lied about it). These candidates are held to a lower academic standard.</p>
<p>Yes, being in a Chicago Public School gives you an edge over the national acceptance rate. On the other hand, having a lot of kids from your school apply to NW could hurt your chances – the top students and the URMs will be cherry-picked off first and if you lie between those two groups you may well find you’re rejected or perhaps waitlisted.</p>
<p>You can get in with stellar grades and stellar test scores, or you can try to game the system. But in either case showing obsessive interest isn’t going to make much of a difference. Want to get in for sure? Write a great “Why NU?” essay, check the Hispanic box on your application along with white, and declare you want to major in engineering (females in engineering are in short supply). Change your mind later, once you get in.</p>
<p>Now, mind you, I am not advocating such an approach, but if your desire exceeds your conscience, consider this your “backup plan” – then stop obsessing about finding an angle and focus instead on improving your stats, so you won’t need to actually use it when application time arrives.</p>