Currently I am a student at Mather High School, and as of September of 2011, I wish to be a student at Northwestern University. I am an honors student who has done nothing but push myself time and time again to further my education and the institution I wish to pursue that knowledge in is Northwestern University.
There are so many qualities that attract me to northwestern and specifically, the Weinberg College of arts and sciences. Weinberg is a leading liberal arts college with more than 2000 courses of study available to its students. I am incredibly interested in being not only able to take classes within this college, but also enrolling in courses in Northwestern's schools of Communication, Education, and Social Policy, Engineering, Journalism and Music. Further, Northwestern is a large university, but 75% of the classes have a class size of 25 or fewer so I definitely will not feel like just another number. Sure, I'll have the classes where I'll barely be able to get a word in, but that will just push me to make sure the words I get in are that much more impacting.
Weinberg also offers a lot of opportunities for internships. I currently have an internship at the Northwestern University Bluhm Legal Clinic, so I will most definitely taking advantage of the prospect. Since October of 2010, I have been working directly with the operations manager on several cases, and gaining knowledge about court reporting, the appeals process, and exoneration. Part of my internship experience was attending a Family Law class taught by Professor Shapo at the Northwestern School of Law. The experience was invaluable, to say the least. The apparent motivation and eagerness in every student's eyes as the professor lectured was amazing; it really spoke to the University's curriculum and standards. Northwestern University, including its Law, Medical, and Business school, is prestigious, selective, and they set the standard for all other top universities when it comes to academics. The professors and staff are second-to-none and this is apparent in their students' successes.
Northwestern University operates on the ever-so-familiar quarter system which I am greatly interested in. Having the quarter system would allow me the option of pursuing a double major, something I previously thought impossible, but am now genuinely considering. Middle Eastern Studies has posed a great interest of mine, a passion if you will. Studying legacies, rivalries, and the ancient origins of today's pressing issues would be captivating. Economics has also been an area of study that I have been fascinated by from a young age. In perusing the university website and degree requirements, I came to find not only a plain list of necessary classes, but a unique description of the various options one may take with said degree and how one may apply it to graduate school options. I was told Northwestern had an excellent advising system and this proved it. If there were so many options available to me on the website alone, I can only imagine how helpful my advisors and counselors would be to me.
My prospective major is Economics. I believe Economics is the basis of all things business and consists of the very principles that govern our daily lives. As I began my internship at Northwestern, I came across an article about a Northwestern Professor of Economics. Professor Dale Mortensen was recently recognized with the award of a Nobel Prize for his analysis of markets with search friction; incredible. It would be an honor and a privilege to study under such an amazing professor and an entire staff that truly strives for greatness. "Professor Dale Mortensen won the Nobel Prize in economics for his work explaining how unemployment, job vacancies and wages are affected by regulation and economic policy." This was the quote below Professor Mortensen's picture in the article entitled: "Dale Mortensen Wins Nobel Prize" I began to look into Professor Mortensen's works and was captivated by his advanced knowledge and grasp of Economics. "This is a great honor for Professor Mortensen and for Northwestern and a recognition of the important research that is being done at the University," said Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro.
Attending Northwestern University would mean my dreams, aspirations, and goals would be realized. I would be enrolled at the very school that not only wants me to receive the best education possible, by the best professors possible, and have the best opportunities possible, but it wants me to succeed. There is a reason that Northwestern is doing some of the most advanced research in all fields and housing some of the greatest minds out there; Northwestern wants its students to be the difference and be the generation that makes that difference known. The experience I would have at Northwestern would not only be academically amazing, but traditionally enjoyable. What could be more interesting than attending a football game at one of the founding universities of the Big Ten Conference? The answer to that would be going to a Profess Mortensen lecture of course! Gathering in the courtyard for the Primal Scream, witnessing my feet swell up like balloons at the Dance Marathon, and painting The Rock are all quirky traditions that go on at Northwestern, and I want to be a part of each and every one of them. I want to discover, discuss, and have the determination to do. Without discovery there is no discussion of information. And without discussion, there is no determination to act upon the information. These three essentials of education encompass all of what I want to experience at Northwestern University. A degree in Economics, or Middle Eastern Studies, or even Political Science would all be amazing to receive, but the determination to do something with that degree, and do something great, is exactly what I have.
Holy eyes, Batman! There is a lot of that in the first paragraph. If you can find some kind of catchy preface, that'd help keep the admissions staff interested enough to keep reading.
"Attending Northwestern University would mean my dreams, aspirations, and goals would be realized." Avoid saying vagaries like this when possible. They want to know you're an individual with their own path in life. Every applicant and their dog will have their nose painted brown while kissing the school's ass. Rise above them and you'll get noticed. Treat them with respect, but equals none-the-less.
Keep these in mind, and always take a step back to make sure your essay is coming at them from a different angle. Blind siding the reader with unconventional trains of thought could pay off big in an essay like this!
Good luck!
