By Sarah Metcalf
Thousands of high school seniors apply to Northeastern every year, each submitting essays and personal information to help them “stand out” from the crowd. With the immense number of applications coming in to university officials, however, it can be a daunting task to differentiate each student by using anything other than grades and standardized test scores.
In addition to the standard application, Northeastern adds sections in the hopes it will provide a glimpse into each individual student’s life and provide them with the opportunity to make themselves stand out from the crowd.
Northeastern looks for students who “have earned strong grades in rigorous college preparatory programs, who have been involved in their home and school communities and who demonstrate creativity and leadership,” according to www.neu.-edu. This includes academic performance, performance on standardized tests, a personal statement/essay, involvements/special talents and recommendations.
“We look for leadership, creativity, innovation, commitment to school and their greater community through service,” said David Hautanen, the senior associate director of admissions. “We also take into account overcoming adversity, as well as steady improvement in grades.”
According to the admissions Web site, the personal statement and list of special talents is included on the application so the school may “learn more about you as an individual – how you spend your time, the things you enjoy doing and special talents or skills you may have developed, your values, goals and interests – in your own words.”
“Ultimately, academics are the priority when making an admissions decision, but a student’s personal qualities come second, and could play a role for students ‘on the bubble,'” Hautanen said.
Hautanen also said NU is looking into changing their application format in the future to not require SAT scores, but instead require a portfolio of some type.
The university’s efforts to get to know students through their application have resonated with several potential future students.
“[Northeastern] definitely tried to find out who I was, like they tried to ask a lot of questions about the things I’ve done,” said Kylie Parker, a high school senior from Long Island, NY. “I think there was more emphasis on achievement – not on a certain topic like SATs. They wanted to see how far you’ve come. It was very spread out; they asked a lot about extracurricular activities as well as test scores. It wasn’t like focused on one thing.”
With the number of people that apply, many applicants said that the university takes every realistic step possible to get to know those who wish to come here.
“I felt that [Northeastern] wanted to get to know me more than a lot of the other colleges I applied to,” said Meaghan Callahan, a high school senior who was just recently accepted to NU. “Other colleges asked more basic stuff than Northeastern – [NU] actually wanted to know who I was.”
Many colleges implement a one-on-one personal interview so a face and personality may be matched with an application. Northeastern chooses not to exercise this option.
“The application is very up-front, and students can use the essay as a vehicle to express anything they would in an interview,” Hautanen said. “I would love to do personal interviews, but the reality is we have 23,000 applications. If we were a small institution, it would be a whole different story, but for large schools across the country, the policy is pretty consistent.”
Some applicants felt at a disadvantage because of the lack of an interview.
“Going on a interview to find out what kind of person you are probably would have helped – [the admissions board] would have been able to see what kind of person I am, what kind of knowledge I have and how well I come off as a person,” Parker said.
Not all students, however, feel an interview is necessary.
“I was satisfied with the process,” Callahan said. “I had to do an interview with Syracuse [University] – if you’re nervous around people, that comes through. An interview is more of your people skills.”
Last year, over 21,000 people applied for the 2,800 slots in the class of 2008, and over 3,000 students applied for the 750 transfer student openings, according to the Northeastern Web site. This year, Northeastern has had over 23,000 applications, Hautanen said, and plans to accept 9,000 to fill a freshman class of 2,802.
“Each of our applications is fully reviewed by an admissions counselor, and it includes a transcript, quality of courses relative to what’s offered at their school, standardized test scores, guidance and teacher recommendations, essays and any other materials the student chooses to submit,” Hautanen said. “We evaluate everything — we want a full understanding of the student’s personal qualities.”
