Northwestern University Top Questions

Not a lot of African American diversity on campus. There is a fair amount of socio-economic diversity. The type of student who wears high boots, leggings, and carries an over-size bag would feel right at home at Northwestern. Many students dress up to class (nice shoes, nice shirt) in special outfits. Different racial groups of students don't interact very well. Asians, unfortunate looking boys, theta girls, and people who live on the same floor of the dorm. Lots are from the Chicago area/ midwest. A bunch from New York (accountable for the leggings and boots), and quite a few from China. Predominantly center.

I went to a private, Catholic high school so compared to our very homogeneous student body, I think northwestern is quite diverse in terms of race, religion and socio-economic status. Most students wear a typical outfit to class, jeans and a shirt. Some girls look very cute for class everyday, and some students wear sweatpants. I think you would feel uncomfortable though if you got too dressed up for class. Most students are from either the Chicago area, California or the East coast. There are a lot of students with a lot of money at Northwestern. It may be the people I surround myself with (i.e. a specific sorority) but there is definitely a lot of affluence among the families that send their children to Northwestern. Students don't seem particularly politically aware/active. Some definitely are. But right now presidential primaries are occurring and I rarely hear them being discussed. I think most students are left and pretty politically liberal/open. Yes, a lot of students, specifically the male students, discuss a major they're picking and how much success it will bring them in the future. I have never heard the terms "investment banking" and "hedge fund" used more frequently.

Really liberal students would feel a bit out of place at Northwestern. I only say this because Greek life does have an effect and slightly dictate people's personality so people tend to be more conservative. However, everyone is really accepting of LGBT people, they do Greek life too.

There's a big gay presence on campus that's really accepted, but race relations seem a little strained sometimes mostly just because it's such a white community. There are really strong Christian and Jewish communities on campus. People don't dress as casually to NU classes as they do at other schools... you'd almost never see somebody wearing sweats to class; most people try to be trendy or at least well put-together. Most NU students seem to be from the Midwest or California, a lot of people from Texas, not too many from the Northeast. Most people come from privileged backgrounds. There's a lot of variety in people's politics, although it seems to be a mostly liberal or moderate campus. Some are politically aware, especially upperclassmen. At least in the theater program, not many students seem all that concerned about "how much they'll earn one day."

I'd say if anyone is really alternative (emo, gothic, punk, etc) they stand out like a sore thumb and people notice them. You can just say "you know, the kid with the tight emo pants." But if you said "the girl with North Face jacket who wears pashminas and leggings" you'd be describing about 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the female population.

I would describe the Northwestern student body as extremely diverse. You have the whole gammet of religions (orthodox Jews to Muslims to Evangelical Christians, etc.), sexual orientations (there is a large LGBT community), political affiliations, etc. Students range from ultra-preppy, wearing lacoste polos everyday, to punk, wearing chains and mohawks. One thing almost all NU student have in common is that they're very motivated (some by money, many by the drive to make a difference and help others) and hardworking.

There are 4 black people on campus (ok, maybe 400). Every other minority is decently represented, and theres no real racial tension. In every subset, there are those who cling to race as a clique and those that find their own other groups of friends. Its up to you. um, lots of midwesterners, but tons from everywhere. I think the reason is, talking to friends from the midwest, they apply here, their state school and maybe where their parents went. none of this 9-10 applications you see on the east coast. Just means you get more smart people to talk to I already said politics is lacking

As a black student, I have not come across any racial issues at Northwestern. However, I have noticed that the black community tends to function as a kind of exclusive unit (I'm just not a part of it). The school seems tolerant of different religions and there's a very prominent LGBT community that is perfectly accepted. Most of these characterizations stem from the extremely liberal leanings of most students on campus - I suppose conservatives would feel most out of place. Some students dress in cute clothes for class, and others (particularly athletes) exist in their sweats. There are different cliques on campus - for example, there's a very tight and exclusive athlete community. Greek life is very inclusive of others, and among freshman, students get very tight with their floors and tend to move in packs. The most students come from middle- to upper-class backgrounds and many students are politically aware/active. Students also discuss their classes a lot - depending on the course, they are very interested and invested in what they learn.

I find the religious groups on campus kind of annoying; it seems like they are always trying to recruit me and don't respect my wishes to not join their religion. A student who is bad at keeping up with their work would feel out of place at Northwestern, as would someone who is undecided in their major (like me...most of my friends seem to know exactly what they want). A lot of students here have tunnel vision when it comes to their futures. The four tables of students in the dining hall could be athletes, engineers, and then tables separated by floor. Most students are from wealthy families because Northwestern is so stringent about financial aid. Student body seems to be both liberal and conservative. I've never heard someone talking seriously about how much they'll earn one day.

Many of my friends at other colleges roll out of bed and roll into class in sweats and a t-shirt--not here. People get ready to go to class in the morning, like they did in high school. There is a large gay male population here! Of course, I am in theatre, so I probably have a slightly skewed perception. But I have many gay friends, some of whom "came out" after coming to school here. In my experience, NU is an accepting environment. Most students here are from Illinois, California (WOO!), New York, Texas, or Florida. Or so it seems. I don't know why all of us Cali-folk (or Texas-folk or Florida-folk, for that matter) came to the cold. Oh, well. We're all gonna go back after we graduate anyway.