Northwestern University Top Questions

I'm not sure. I know the nerd thing is true--everyone is very intelligent. But the party thing--yeah, people definitely party here and get drunk (or "shwasted"), but I'm not sure if that's a "Northwestern's a PAR-TAY school! WOO!" thing or a college thing.

its true that everyone is really smart, its true that there is only a small percentage of people who go out regularly on weekends, but its not true that the athletes aren't smart. This stereotype is pretty much everywhere but I don't think it necessarily applies to northwestern athletes

To a certain extent. There is a group of people who go out all of the time at Northwestern but compared to the student population I wouldn't say that it is a large percentage.

I don't think we're really below-average in attractiveness. I think people always think this about their community, no matter where they are. This is something everyone always complains about.

Some

They can be true depending on which "group" you belong to. I think there's a split between people who spend all their time focused on schoolwork, don't participate in extracurricular activities, have jobs, or anything like that and spend all their free time in the library (or playing video games) and the people who are more involved either with Greek life, extracurriculars, internships and jobs, or whatever. I think you have a choice when you get to Northwestern on which group you want to belong to and that the possibilities are endless.

There is some truth to every stereotype. As far as the Northwestern social scene is concerned, there is definitely a significant part of the student body that rarely, if ever, goes out. Many, however, have more of a "work hard, play hard" mentality. Lots of students spend endless hours studying during the day and on quieter nights so that they can party all weekend. Sometimes the campus may seem dead and house parties are not as frequent, but a large part of this is owed to the rich bar scene right at Northwestern's doorstep. Chicago nightlife is very popular, as are local bars right here in Evanston (and neighboring towns). Despite all this, however, academics still remain a top priority for most Northwestern students. There are definitely quite a few previous Ivy-League hopefuls at Northwestern, but this is absolutely not true of everyone. Northwestern has many programs that trump those of Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Our journalism school is widely recognized as the best in the country, and the theater program is definitely in the top five. In addition, Northwestern has a top-notch engineering program. For many students, Northwestern was undoubtedly their number one choice. The average income level of a Northwestern student's parents is very high. Most at this school are at least in the upper middle class, and many are unbelievably wealthy. Still there are definitely some students whose families fall in lower income brackets. Northwestern, while not known for is aid packages, is nonetheless a well-endowed private institution that can and has provided significant financial aid to students who might otherwise be unable to attend. Campus involvement is relatively slacking - though I would bet this trend is not unique to Northwestern. Political demonstrations are not widely attended and there is a sense of apathy among some students. It is something that is very upsetting for many more active students as well as many professors who remember well the hey-day of political activism in the 1970s.

Nope! The stereotypes paint a horrible picture of the school . Yes, the students are smart but they are not cut-throat. Yes, a lot of students are well-off, but most are very down to earth about it. Yes, it is not uncommon for a NU kid to stay in on a Friday night, but MOST people go out, party, and have fun! Yes, we don't always win football games, but that doesn't mean tailgates and games aren't tons of fun.

This is only partially true. We're all geeks, but only when compared to the rest of the population. In relation to the NU social scene, it is a completely unfair stereotype. We have parties and friends just like every other college campus.

To an extent. We really are the worst in the Big Ten, and you'll see lots of Marc Jacobs bags floating by...c'mon, this school costs $50,000 per year. And here's a secret: Northwestern kids know how to party. Who doesn't need to blow off some steam after an entire week spent in the library?