Hello! My name is André, and I’m a 19-year-old student from São Paulo, Brazil. Currently, I am pursuing a degree in Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. In this article, I’ll share my application journey and what life has been like since I arrived on campus!

My background

I studied at Colégio Etapa, a renowned school in São Paulo. I attended the school from middle to high school! I was part of a special class called "Advanced Placement", which is outside the traditional Brazilian curriculum that the normal classes follow. In this class, we focused on the AP curriculum and the process of applying to universities in the USA.

As much as I loved the idea of studying abroad, during my elementary years, I followed the traditional Brazilian curriculum, which made me lose a little bit of that want. However, my mom (thankfully!) reminded me that I had entered my school with the goal of joining the AP class, and I wasn’t going to give up on that ambition.

Why USA

My interest in studying abroad began when I was a child, watching videos of design students from MIT. I was amazed by their work and dreamed of following a similar path.

As I grew older, I discovered the interdisciplinary curriculum of universities in the USA. I was a kid with many interests—while I loved the humanities, I also had a passion for STEM and I realized that traditional universities wouldn’t give me the opportunity to explore multiple fields before choosing one, but studying abroad would offer that flexibility.

Along with that, the opportunity for a global education really caught my attention. Northwestern offers a program called Global Journalism Residency, which allow journalism students to spend a year abroad studying international journalism. I was amazed by the incredible opportunities I would have acess.

My Stats

I graduated with a GPA of 9.0/10 and was ranked 4th out of 402 students in my class. I achieved an SAT score of 1490 and a Duolingo English Test (DET) score of 150/160.

Extracurriculars and Honors

My top two extracurricular activities were both significant in my application process. First, I worked as a journalist at Jovens Cientistas Brasil, an organization dedicated to democratizing scientific language and knowledge. During my time there, I contributed to over 50 articles, with three of them being published in Revista Exame, one of the largest magazines in Brazil, reaching over 600k readers per month. Second, I developed a strong passion for international relations by participating in 11 Model United Nations (MUN) conferences. I was awarded at 7 of them, which highlighted my leadership, oratory, and debating skills. These experiences helped me build confidence and a deeper understanding of global issues.

My greatest honor was being one of the top 5 winners in the LATAM category of the Harvard Crimson Essay Competition. This showcased my writing and linguistics abilities.

Why Northwestern

The first reason I chose Northwestern was its university ranking. Northwestern is consistently ranked among the top, and Medill is a prestigious school. I wanted to study at a renowned university—not just for its prestige, but because it offers the unique opportunity to study journalism in a way that deviates from the traditional path of communications followed by journalism school.

The second reason was the opportunity to participate in the Global Journalism Residency. As an international student, I was excited about the chance to experience a second country through my university.

Another important factor was the numerous scholarships available for international students. Given the high cost of attendance, Northwestern offers substantial financial aid.

The icing on the cake of my decision to choose NU was the Brazilian community here. It’s an active and engaged group, and they’ve truly become my friends. The sense of belonging they provide is invaluable, and we do many things together. Having people from my country is incredibly important, as they offer the closest connection to home while studying abroad. It’s refreshing to speak my native language when immersed in English all day.

Financial Aid

I have a need-based scholarship that covers 98% of my cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, and a meal plan.

Adapting to a new environment

The first few weeks were composed of a mix of International Wildcat Welcome, an orientation week specifically for international students, and Wildcat Welcome, which is for all students, both U.S. residents and internationals.

I found my transition to be smooth, as during my first week, I was mostly surrounded by people who, like me, were not speaking their first language. It created a sense of unity, as we all felt like we were in the same boat. We also had a dedicated session for students receiving financial aid, which was important for me. Being at an elite school surrounded by wealthier students can sometimes make you feel out of place, but this moment helped me realize that I wasn’t alone in facing these challenges.

During the general orientation week, we were grouped with other Journalism School students, which helped create a strong sense of community from the very start.

These weeks really highlighted how diverse Northwestern is, which was something I was looking for in a university. It was incredibly welcoming to feel that sense of diversity right from the start.

Balancing life and academics

At first, it was very challenging to find a balance. One of the main reasons was that I wasn’t used to having classes entirely in English. Although I had some English classes at Etapa, I knew that if I didn’t understand something, I could switch to Portuguese. However, at Northwestern, I didn’t have that option.

The second challenge was the preparation before class. At my old school, we didn’t have any "pre-class assignments," but there, we had lectures and other assignments to prepare for before the class.

But as you get used to it, it becomes easier to understand your tasks and what you truly need to focus on.

Friends

Although most of my friends are Brazilian, I would say the biggest tip is to put yourself out there. Join clubs, accept invitations, and be yourself! It’s the best way to meet new people.

I joined the MUN club, and it was a lovely experience. This last week we had a pizza night together and I really liked it.