Northwestern University is a private school in Evanston, Illinois about 30 minutes outside of Chicago. Known for a healthy mix between academics and social life, it’s part of the Big 10. With an acceptance rate of 9%, it’s a tough school to get into. The undergrad population is about 8,300. In this post, we’ll give you some tips on how to ace the supplement:
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.
Do you plan to complete the ''Why Northwestern'' Statement?
(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.)
Anytime there’s a “why x school” prompt, we encourage our students to answer with their academic aspirations. Northwestern said it for you: they’d like for you to “connect the dots” between them and you to see what kind of fit you’d be. We advise our students to hone in on an academic area of expertise throughout high school and develop it over time through coursework and extracurriculars. The more specific, the better.
The first thing you should do in your response is to write about how you came to be interested in that subject, an origin story if you will. This doesn’t need to be a big, life-changing moment. It shouldn’t be anything grandiose. Maybe you visited the state Supreme Court on a field trip in 8th grade, heard a case and became fascinated by American law. Then, identify the major at Northwestern that most closely mirrors the academic niche you’ve been pursuing throughout high school. Talk about upper-level courses in that major you’d want to take and maybe mention a professor and their research. Next, discuss the relevant extracurriculars at Northwestern. Conclude by discussing the location and why it appeals to you.
The key to the “why Northwestern” application is to position yourself as an expert in a particular academic field and show the school why you think that university is the best place for you to further develop your learning in the area. The fun thing to keep in mind is that you can always change your major when you get to school or even wait a few years to declare one. You’re not stuck studying the same thing you did in high school, but if you want to get into a top school like Northwestern, we recommend showing them why you’ll be an asset. And the reality is, you’re not as much of an asset as a generalist who’s going in undecided. You’re a huge asset as an expert in a niche who’s going to win Nobel Prizes or hear Supreme Court cases one day.
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