The topic is: What are the unique qualities of Northwestern - and of the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying - that make you want to attend the University? In what ways do you hope to take advantage of the qualities you have identified?
When it came time to choose the universities I'd be applying to, on account of hearing so much about it from my family, Northwestern was on the top of that list. Both my father and my great-uncle were members of the Northwestern community, my father as a graduate student, and my great-uncle as a teacher. Whenever the topic of university came up, my father would never be at a lack of words while discussing Northwestern. I heard all about the university's amazing professors that provide the most intimate of teaching experiences, it's beautiful Evanston campus, and it's outstanding library.
However, his fondest memory of Northwestern was the attitude and the dynamic of the student body. He told me how everyone there was always as committed and as fascinated with acquiring new knowledge and ideas as I am, with people discussing Nietzsche and market theory even in their free time. I believe that as a student, this would be the perfect surrounding for me, to be in an environment where I can learn from everyone, not just the teachers. My dad also spoke about the spirit of camaraderie among the students, with everyone working and socializing together, creating what looked like a big extended family. At the sports games, everyone would cry out with Wildcat pride, everyone as enthusiastic to be attending Northwestern as the next. When my parents came to the US they didn't really know that many people, but my dad always told me that at Northwestern he felt at home, and I want, more than anything, to be able to call Northwestern my home as well.
Another aspect of Northwestern that I love is the diversity of its student body. I've spent the last two years of my high school career studying abroad in an international school in the Czech Republic where the students come from all over. I've met people from Kurdistan, Chechnya, and Bosnia, and have learned more about their cultures from the short conversations I've had with them than I have in any class in the past. I really want to continue to be in such a diverse environment, and I believe that Northwestern, with such a diverse and international student body, would give me the best opportunity to continue to learn about different cultures and points of view.
My career goal is to become a lawyer, and what I love about being a pre-law student is that my goal is simply to learn as much as I can, to enrich my knowledge so as to be able to speak clearly and effectively, and I believe the breadth of courses available at the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences would be instrumental in achieving that goal. What I especially like about this school is the availability of legal studies, and the opportunity that gives me to delve straight into the world of Law by allowing me to work with professors from all over Northwestern, the Law School, and the professional world.
The flexibility of being a pre-law student would also allow me the opportunity to follow other passions of mine such as history and psychology. Another aspect of Northwestern that is really important to me in the availability of music courses to all students. I've been playing music for roughly six years now and want to be able to continue to improve myself.
Anyone who meets me will know that I love to talk. It's one of the many reasons that I want to go in to law. However, as I see it, anyone can talk; it takes someone who's truly educated and truly intelligent to speak, and I believe that Northwestern University would be the place where I could learn to speak exceptionally.
