From: Student Admissions Council
To: sdujari@juno.com (Sonia)
Subject: Re: sdujari: a few questions
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 15:42:12 -0500
Dear Sonia:
I am currently an undergraduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences and I received your questions regarding admission. I passed on your third and fourth question pertaining directly to admission to an assistant director of admission, but I am going to answer your first two questions.
Campus life at Northwestern varies depending on what your interests are. The student body is very diverse so there are generally a variety of different activities going on here that appeal to a variety of people. There are theatre productions, music productions, volunteering opportunities, as well as a variety of sport and social activities. I would encourage you to come and visit our campus. We offer overnight programs to high school seniors, but any student can come visit the campus, attend classes, and talk to current students.
What sets Northwestern apart from other competitive schools, in my opinion, is its diversity. Because of our six undergraduate schools Northwestern attracts students with a variety of interests. We offer very unique programs like our five year double degree program that combines engineering and music. As an undergraduate you have the opportunity to take classes in all six of our undergraduate schools. There are also many opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in research as well as participate in internships and even study abroad.
Thank you for your interest in Northwestern. Please feel free to e-mail me back or call this office at 847-491-8733 if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Joy Anderson
CAS '99
Student Admission Associate
Student Admission Council
Office of Undergraduate Admission
sac@tbird.ugadm.nwu.edu
847-467-2786
From: Charles Cogan
To: Sonia
Subject: Re: a few questions
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 10:39:08 -0600
Dear Sonia:
I just returned this Monday from a month in Africa and found your message from early July awaiting a response in my email box. Sorry for the delay.
In response to your question #3: We do not have any quotas. We do not reserve a certain number of spots for any ethnic groups. We do not have any cap or limit on the number of Asian-American students we admit.
You also ask whether Northwestern gives "special consideration" to minorities (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans)? In choosing our incoming class, we certainly want to encourage diversity. However, it is important to remember that diversity is not solely a racial or ethnic issue. Our admission committee considers other factors that add to the diversity of our students: academic interest, extracurricular accomplishments, personal experiences, socio-economic background, etc. We do not have any fixed number of spots reserved for any one ethnic or racial group, but since the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of available spaces in the incoming class by about three to one, we are able to select an incoming class which reflects the realities of a diverse nation.
These answers may or may not fully respond to your concerns. Please feel free to follow up if you want to discuss anything. As for your earlier questions about campus life, I am including the email address of our summer tour guides. Perhaps they can do a better job than I can of discussing campus life issues: sac@tbird.ugadm.nwu.edu. You might give them a bit more guidance as to what your own special interests are, so that they can address things that are relevant to you.
Sincerely,
Charles Cogan