‘A crazy moment’: NU’s Class of 2027 reacts to college acceptances
First-year regular decision applicants opened their NU admissions letters last Friday, and they’re excited to show their Wildcat pride.
March 28, 2023
Northwestern extended a warm welcome to its newest batch of Wildcats as hopefuls across the country opened their acceptance letters Friday.
Ay Taiwo, a high schooler from Fort Worth, Texas, is one of about 3,640 prospective Wildcats accepted this year. Taiwo said receiving the letter was a “crazy moment” for her.
Taiwo opened her letter in a parking lot with her boyfriend. When she saw the virtual confetti, she started screaming — without even reading the letter — she said.
“Getting into Northwestern shook my world completely,” Taiwo said. “We’ll see how it goes, but I’m most likely going to be in Chicago (next year).”
Taiwo applied to the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences as a chemistry major and plans to go into the medical field. For her “Why Northwestern” essay, she wrote about how she wants to improve current medications.
NU’s chemistry research program will allow her to try new things, Taiwo said. She said she was drawn to the one-of-a-kind technology available to NU’s chemistry students..
Annabelle Sweet, who is from Kansas City, Missouri, said she was “literally shaking” when she saw a status update to her NU admissions portal.
“Northwestern is one of my top picks. I clicked (the status update), and it had the confetti and everything,” Sweet said. “Not going to lie, I cried a little, because I was so happy.”
Sweet applied for the Bienen School of Music as a voice and opera major. Bienen offers conservatory-level training within a university, which differs from the other music schools Sweet applied for.
While conservatories mostly focus on music, NU offers more, Sweet said. Students can take classes beyond music to broaden their learning experience, which appealed to her.
“There’s sports. There’s a larger community. There’s sororities and fraternities,” Sweet said. “My dad always told me, ‘You’re a sorority girl. You don’t even know it.’ We’ll see.”
Jessie Dong, who is from Roslyn, New York, applied to Weinberg as a global health studies major. Dong opened her acceptance letter after a club meeting at school. She screamed.
“I screamed forever after opening my decision. I was so shocked,” Dong said. “One of the janitors came up to me and asked me if I was okay.”
Dong said she’s looking for a change of pace after living in New York for a while. People from all over come to NU, and she said she’s excited to build connections with a greater variety of people.
She said she’s also excited to see the campus in person –– rather than online. The campus reminds her of an island, especially with NU’s beaches, she said.
Taiwo plans to visit the campus in April as part of Wildcat Days, a welcome program for newly admitted Wildcats. Like Dong, she said she looks forward to seeing the campus in person and possibly attending a class that weekend.
As for Dong, she already knows where she’s heading to celebrate her acceptance this weekend — the local mall.
“I want to get some merchandise to wear and show Northwestern pride,” Dong said.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @JessicaMa2025
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