Are you preparing for the college application? Perhaps, you have made your choice of school. The process of a college application can be stressful. Hence, the application takes a lot of things. Sometimes, most students will be doing this together with the stress of work, school, and their personal life.
Hence, students will need to consider the necessary factors as they take on the challenge of their academic journey.
The challenge will range from deciding which application needs to be filled out to the best way to complete letters of recommendation. Not only that, students will face the problem of being organized, having clear communication, and doing plenty of examinations. Therefore, if any of the aforementioned is lacking, it becomes a problem.
Similarly, the timeframe is very much important if students are looking forward to attending a more selective university. The reason is that these schools often come with deadlines that require more consideration and risk. Of course, even if students attend a university that has a rolling deadline or a one-size-fits-all decision date, they will still need to be conscious of time. Hence, stricter deadlines like Early Decisions require a special kind of time management.
So, the Early Decision (ED) application deadline requires an agreement called a “binding” decision. Hence, to agree to a binding decision means that a student agrees to attend the university upon acceptance. Therefore, they will withdraw any other applications they’ve sent out to other schools.
On the other hand, applying this way may seem like too much of a commitment. However, Early Decision applicants often have higher acceptance rates than Regular Decision applicants.
However, this doesn’t mean that it is easier to apply through ED. It simply means that the overall quality of applications submitted at this level of commitment is higher in general.
In spite of Early Decision or Regular Decision, a selective university like Northwestern, which has a regular acceptance rate of 7%, requires a competitive application.
So, the university looks for applicants who agree with the values of the university. Not just that, the applicants must show an academic record that suggests a successful academic posterity.
Making an Early Decision is all about making a decision. Therefore, a student who takes the time to know their needs and what a university wants will discover that Early Decision won’t be stressful.
Applicants should take their time to get the basic information students will need as they consider Early Decision at Northwestern.
Northwestern Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Hence, North western’s Early Decision acceptance rate is 7%. Meanwhile, about half of Northwestern students come in through the ED application route.
On the other hand, the ED acceptance rate is slightly higher than the regular decision rate. However, the university will let the students know that this higher rate doesn’t mean an easier path to acceptance.
So, an Early Decision implies that students will have to withdraw all other applications upon an offer of acceptance. In another word, they can’t apply for Early Decision at any other school. However, students can still apply for the Regular Decision deadline at other schools as a backup in case they aren’t accepted at Northwestern.
For, more information about the position of the college on the competitive advantages of pursuing Early Decision, students should talk to the university admission counselors.
Generally, ED applicants are strong contenders. Hence, they often show high academic accomplishments. So, the Early Decision option can be approached with confidence by students who know that Northwestern is their first choice.
For one to determine what a competitive applicant looks like at Northwestern, one should visit the university’s “Fit” Factors website.
In this regard, applicants will ask themselves many questions to determine their personal “fit” factor. They can also use the answers they generate from this to create a more thoughtful application.
Additionally, the university advises students to find out who current students are and start to make connections. Students can do this by going through the university’s YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook social media pages.
Northwestern Early Decision Deadline
Applicants should know that the deadline for Early Decision in Northwestern is November 1st. It takes a complete two months before the Regular Decision deadline. Hence, an Early Decision is a binding decision. Therefore, it requires students to know that Northwestern is indeed a school made for them.
A strong conviction like this may seem stressful, but with research, help from staff and students, and touring around the campus and city, students can gain full confidence that Northwestern is the perfect fit.
Similarly, a few important resources can help students to determine if Northwestern is really a school for them. At the same time, it will help them determine what they can bring to Northwestern.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest resources students can take advantage of is the university’s admission blog. Hence, by reading through the blog, applicants will get detailed information from current Northwestern students about what it takes to apply to Northwestern.
In the same vein, another great resource applicants can find out is the university’s Experience Northwestern page.
As has been stated, learning about campus and city is an essential way of determining if a school is right for a student or not.
Again, Northwestern offers different kinds of campus experiences. This includes all campus tours, an Indigenous campus tour, a Black student experience campus tour, and a historical campus tour.
On the other hand, traveling has become more difficult since Covid-19. As a result of that, Northwestern knows that online access to information is an important part of the new world students are living in.
So, the Experience Northwestern page has information for students to connect to online admissions counselors. Also, they can attend live information sessions where they can ask staff and students questions via this page.
Northwestern ED Decision Date
In this regard, students will get feedback from Northwestern in Mid-December. If they are accepted, they will need to submit their tuition and housing deposit by February 1st.
Again, tuition is also an area of concern when making Early Decisions. The reason is that students may feel insecure that they won’t know beforehand what their financial aid package will be.
Notwithstanding, Northwestern is committed to alleviating this concern. They do this by ensuring they will cover students’ financial needs. However, they usually allow for an out-of-school arrangement if a student’s financial needs cannot be met.
On the other hand, if a student finds that the financial aid package they are offered isn’t sufficient to meet their needs, and they are unable to change it via appeal, they can apply elsewhere.
Hence, students who may like to do further investigation into what their potential financial aid package will be should use the Net Price Calculator to get an approximate calculation. So, the university offers a tool called MyinTuition for prospective applicants to use. This tool will help students to picture better what need-based aid they might be qualified for.
Does Northwestern Have Early Decision 2?
No, they don’t have. Hence, Northwestern only offers students the chance to apply for Early Decision or Regular Decision.
In case if you are not familiar with what Early Decision 2 is, it is usually a date that lands in between the first Early Decision deadline and the Regular Decision deadline.
Hence, it can be helpful for students who are late to the application process. On the other hand, it is also helpful to those who know they would like to pursue an Early Decision. Like Early Decision I, Early Decision 2 is also binding.
Meanwhile, the Early Decision II is another option that students should talk to the university’s admission counselor about to know if they stand any chance.
On the other hand, whether a student applies to Early Decision I or II, the most important thing to be considered is for the student to produce a strong application.
For more information about Early Decision 2, find out from this article whether to apply for Early Decision 2 or not.
Northwestern ED Deferral Rate
Are you an applicant? This is to inform you that Northwestern doesn’t provide information on their ED deferral rate. On the other hand, students who aren’t accepted for ED will have the opportunity of being deferred to the Regular Decision instead of being denied completely.
In the same manner, if a student is deferred to Regular Decision, the student will no longer be held to Early Decision’s binding requirement.
In that case, students can find out their admissions status by signing into the Applicant Status Portal. Similarly, applicants can also expect to receive an email from admissions as soon as their final decision has been made.
How to Apply to Northwestern for Early Decision
Looking for a way to apply? The process to apply for an Early Decision is mostly the same as the Regular Decision. However, the main difference lies in the submission date and the Early Decision Agreement.
So, to apply to Northwestern, students should complete either the Coalition Application or the Common Application and pay or waive the $75 application fee.
Again, students need to include the required documents: transcript(s), a school report, a counselor recommendation, and a teacher recommendation.
On the other hand, SAT/ACT scores have been waived for the near future at Northwestern. The reason for this is because of covid-19. However, students who applied after the 2022-2023 academic year should find out from the admissions office to see if this will continue.
Again, there is an optional Northwestern essay that students can opt out of but which students are highly encouraged to fill out.
Similarly, other areas that need more documentation concern students who didn’t attend a school where English was the primary language and students who apply to one of the four schools with extra application requirements.
In the same vein, ESL students need to show proof of English proficiency with one of several English proficiency exams. Hence, the university accepts the Duolingo English Test, the IELTS, and the TOEFL.
Also, students who are interested in applying for music, theater, integrated science, or mathematics schools should try to include a variety of different extra documentation with their application.
