<p>I just got notified that I’m a semi-finalist, and I have to choose a top-choice college. My top school’s (Duke, Stanford, and Michigan) aren’t sponsors whereas my other two colleges (NU and Iowa) are. If I put NU as my #1 choice, will it improve my chances at all with admission?</p>
<p>If I get NMF and attend the school, Iowa gives me $3000 a year whereas NU gives $500.</p>
<p>Congrats.</p>
<p>Northwestern claims that an applicant’s level of interest is “considered”. Common Data Set – C7</p>
<p>[2009-10</a> First-time, first-year (freshman) admission, Common Data Set - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/commondata/2009-10/c.htm]2009-10”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/commondata/2009-10/c.htm)</p>
<p>So, it might help, and couldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>I don’t know where you got $500 a year from NU. I got $2k a year.</p>
<p>It says that on the website I think.</p>
<p>Learn better research skills:</p>
<p>[First-Time</a> Application Procedure FAQs: Undergraduate Financial Aid - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://ug-finaid.northwestern.edu/tools/prospective/application_FAQ.html#general4]First-Time”>http://ug-finaid.northwestern.edu/tools/prospective/application_FAQ.html#general4)</p>
<p>Also, you can change your first choice designation as late as June.</p>
<p>Oh. Why would someone get 500 compared to someone else who gets 2000?</p>
<p>I think it’s need based.</p>
<p>Financial aid as a whole is need based, but I don’t think that scholarship is</p>
<p>I think a number of schools use a need test for the amount of NM $ awarded. My older son received $500 a year; we would have had to submit full financial aid forms to be considered for more (he would not have been eligible).</p>
<p>^ The above is correct.</p>
<p>So I’m slightly confused about the process – I know you can change up until May 31, but what happens if you only get a $500 award? If I put NU down as the first choice, am I still eligible for the $2500 NMSC scholarship, and would it override the $500 NU award?</p>
<p>If you get the NMSC scholarship, it overrides anything you would get from NU. If you don’t get it, you get the NU one no matter what (in some amount).</p>
<p>I currently attend Northwestern, and I had the same issue when applying to universities. I eventually decided to just leave my first choice blank until I found out from all the schools I applied to. I think Northwestern cares more about the essay you write about why you want to attend their school than whether they are your top choice university. They definitely seem to really like having NMF/SF’s because they brag a lot about the amount that they have, but I don’t think they really take into account the first choice school too much. Then when I got accepted and decided to attend, I just listed them as my first choice school to receive the Northwestern scholarship for NMFs.</p>
<p>^You can actually change it at any time before the deadline (in like June or July) so it really doesn’t matter.</p>