Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. The school is known for stellar academic programs, and over 70% of students combine two or more areas of study. The acceptance rate for the class of 2024 was 8.5%.
While other parts of your application give us a sense of who you are, we are also excited to hear more about how you see yourself engaging with the larger Northwestern community.
In 300 words or less, help us understand how you might engage specific resources, opportunities, and/or communities here. We are curious about what these specifics are, as well as how they may enrich your time at Northwestern and beyond. (We strongly encourage a response, as your answer will help us connect the dots across your application to imagine what kind of college student you might become.) 300 Word Maximum
Well, well, well. Another “optional” supplement. Northwestern takes it one shady step further by “strongly encouraging” students to submit it. It’s clear that Northwestern would like to increase their number of applicants, and optional supplements are one of the easiest ways to ensure that more students will apply. But understand this: if you want to attend Northwestern, you absolutely must submit a response.
300 words is an ideal length that gives you enough room to cover the necessities without filling space with a bunch of vague fluff. Before you start writing, revisit your common app essay. What does Northwestern know about you thus far? Go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Make a list of qualities that Northwestern will be able to discern from the rest of your application so that you can figure out what still needs to be expressed. Here’s what you should include:
An origin story
An origin story is an anecdote about how your academic interests came to be. Your origin story should seamlessly tie into the major that you plan to pursue at Northwestern, which you’ll write about next. The mention of an origin story often overwhelms our TKG clients, but trust us when we say that you don’t need to have everything all figured out. Interested in Biology? You might mention an in-class lab you did that stuck with you over the years and spurred your passion. Math? There might be a problem or equation that you came across, then dropped everything to solve. Your goal is to provide a bit of background as to why you plan to study X major.
Northwestern Major Specifics
The next paragraph is all about why you want to study X major specifically at Northwestern. You will not be held to the major that you write about in your supplement, but you do need to declare one in writing. Think about the classes that you’ve done well in and your favorite academic disciplines. Choose something that aligns with the courses that you’ve gotten A’s in. To explain why Northwestern is the best place for you to attend, do research on their class offerings. Find two upper-level classes in the course catalogue of your major and write about why you want to take them. And we don’t mean “because it sounds cool lol.” Relate the materials back to school work and independent studies that you’ve done. After you’re done looking at the classes, find a professor whose research aligns with your interests. Pitch yourself as their research assistant, and explain why you’d be a valuable asset to their team by writing about how you can help them out.
Before you start working on your conclusion, think about a few things you’d like to do outside of the classroom. Look through this list of student organizations and find something that is an extension of the activities that you did in high school. You can change things up once you get in, but for now, you’re looking for something that aligns with the “brand” you’ve cultivated thus far. Explain why you want to join the club and how you plan to contribute.
We suggest going through multiple rounds of edits before you move on to the conclusion. This is because you shouldn’t have many words leftover! Go into as much depth as the word count will allow, and avoid repeated information and throw away sentences and phrases. If you have any other truly specific reasons for wanting to apply to Northwestern, you should include those as well. But there’s no need to allocate any of your word count to comments about how much you loved your tour, or your childhood dreams of wanting to attend the school.
With an acceptance rate in the single digits, being admitted to Northwestern is as difficult as most Ivy League schools. Be thoughtful in your execution of their supplement and be as specific as possible.
If you’d like to work with someone, contact us here.