Northwestern University Top Questions

It depends on the professor whether he knows your name. My second quarter organic chemistry professor had at least 200 students in his class and knew everyone's name a week after class started. Then again, I had an anthro professor for two straight quarters with about 15 other people in each class and he still doesn't know my name. Pre-meds are extremely cutthroat, but most others are really willing to help out. Northwestern is both about getting a job and learning for learning's sake. The quick terms make the students work extremely hard and prepare them for jobs with a great work ethic. The terms also allow a student to take really interesting classes (such as Intro to Islam) just to try something new.

I make an effort to know my professors, so they know my name. If you don't try, they wont either. I have a few favorite classes. These include: Sociology the Problems of Cities, History The Development of the Modern American City, and Music the Anatomy of a Performance. Least favorite is Civil Engineering Traffic Studies and Biology Diversity of Life. Some students study a lot and some never study. Classes are awkward if you have a disinterested group. My favorite classes have been very discussion-oriented. Students are somewhat competitive. I am an Urban Studies major, which is only a secondary major because the University will not support it with a full department. I'm very disappointed that a prestigious university so close to Chicago can't manage to have a decent urban studies program. I am also an Art History major and so far the department is fine. I usually talk to my professors in their offices. The academic requirements, such as distribution classes, are a waste of time and money. Many of them are not interesting and difficult.

Of the four classes I am in right now, two of the classes have professors which know my name. The other two classes are simply too big for a professor to know each student by name as they are basic, pre-requisite classes. Obviously, students study a fair amount here. But I think Northwestern is at the level academically where some students don't study very much and just cram right before a midterm or final and still manage to do well, while other have a very good work ethic that allows them to be successful. It just depends on the type of student. The most unique, and interesting, class I've taken so far is Human Sexuality. It is a very large class, 600 students, because it is in such high demand. It is a psychology class that focuses on things like evolution, sex and culture, homosexuality, transsexuality, sexual abuse and more. We've watched clips in class individuals partaking in M & S activities. It's actually a very informative class, too. Every teacher has office hours and TA's with office hours as well. Plus, I always feel comfortable e-mailing a teacher or staying after class to talk. They all seem genuinely concerned and eager to help. I think, as in every school, the education is geared towards both. I have heard many teachers say things like "You guys are mature enough now to get over the idea of a letter grade. It's about learning now. About taking in knowledge." But many students also come in very preoccupied with the idea of getting good grades so that you can get a good job or get into a good graduate school simply because they're used to getting good letter grades in high school.

If you take smaller classes, which is really easy and just depends on your preference, the professor will know your name. Also, if you are in a big class but go to the professor's office hours, your professor will know your name. It's kinda cool. I like a lot of my classes I have taken here. I think the classes I like depend completely on my professor. A lot of them are genuinely interested in sharing their knowledge and helping students learn, that makes for a good discussion and a good class. Students study pretty much everyday. Probably more than other univiersities but on par with other universities of Northwestern's caliber. class participation is really common in the college of arts and sciences, even in lecture classes. Many classes focus on class discussions. However, I took an engineering class, and it was uncomfortable how the professor had to wrench class participation out of people. If you are on south campus, people are all about intellectual conversations. That's why you're at school, so you can expand your knowledge outside of class too. But on north campus it's more about Greek life and partying. There is definitely a presence of really driven competitive people at Northwestern. I think it also depends on your major. Most sciences are competitive because they are all premeds-notorious for being super competitive to make the grade. But otherwise people are pretty chill. The most unique class I've taken was Modern history of Islamic Middle East. Great professor, really quirky and fun stories that were very relevant to Islamic Middle East. The cool thing was, he has lived in/travelled around the Middle East a lot and he is kind of old so he has a lot of first hand experience to illustrate the situation of different regions during specific more modern time periods. I am a physics major. The department is really small but all the faculty there are extremely chill. Really nice and easily accessible. Classes are small and not very formal so there is a lot of discussion going on in the upper level courses. The department is also basically begging you to get involved in research right away so if that is something you are interested in, the Northwestern physics department is a good place to be. I do go to office hours for my trickier classes. That's about the only time I spend with professors outside of class. Northwestern's college of arts and sciences degree is geared toward learning for the sake of learning, not for getting a job. That is what grad school is for. Undergrad is a time to try out new things and see what you like.

All my professors know my name, but that has to do with the intimate kinds of classes I take. My friends who are interested in sciences and psychology feel distant from their professors. As a theater major, I find the distribution requirements just right. They make sure that I take some things that I wouldn't have thought to take otherwise, but there's not so many that it becomes frustrating or just a bunch of requirements to "get out of the way." It's not always like that for people in the College of Arts and Sciences, though, from what I understand. Some people have intellectual conversations, and others aren't interested. You just have to find your niche. Theater is the best. It's not a conservatory, so you can learn about all sorts of things, within and without theater, and the student theater presence on campus is really where you learn the most.

Classes at NU are wonderful. People are usually really interested in the subject and you can see the professors' passion for the material they teach. I've never had a professor who didn't want to form a relationship with his or her students...they are very accessible and friendly. I have loved almost all of my classes here. Even the ones in which the subject matter didn't thrill me to begin with became interesting by the end because of the fabulous faculty!

going down the list: some do, some dont, the famous classes are larger, and so they dont Global history with derluguian rocked, Caucasian in the old USSR sense this guy shows you how the world works. there are some requirements that arent great sometimes there is, depends on the format All the time, although usually they are apolitical intellectual discussions. We have our ron paul fanatics and this close to chicago, some obamaniacs, but for a college, politics strangely ( and perhaps, refreshingly) isnt discussed often Engineering Design and Communication: parter with a disabled patient downtown at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to help them perform a daily task that they otherwise couldnt Engineering is interesting, THe teaching is away from the Human calculator types, but theres a fare share of those too. Essentially, half of the engineers are the coolest people you will ever meet, and the others I wouldnt touch with a ten foot pole. My big critique is that you're expected to pick a specialty before you realy understand what it intales I speak with some professors over lnches about nothing at all, others at office hours, and some I never see. reqs arent hard to acquire Both. although about 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the class gets upset if the Prof gets philosophical

Most professors know my name and pretty much want to know my life story, particularly in Medill. Like most students, I have a huge love-hate relationship with Medill. It is a ton of work, and if you don't love journalism, it will break you; on the other hand, you learn a ton of valuable information and skills and when the assignments are good, they're great. Don't think that you're just going to be writing as a journalism student - oh no, with the school's new incorporation of multimedia, expect to become great enemies with video cameras, audio recorders and Flash programs. Students study a lot around midterms and finals, but many of us (me me me) are slackers and procrastinators who put off work until the last minute. Some Northwestern students have intellectual conversations outside of class - I have debated religion, politics, and ethics with my friends on numerous occassions. We've iChatted while watching the presidential debates in our dorm rooms and referrenced things from philosophy class in every day conversation. I haven't come across many overly competitive students; most are competitive with themselves but let others do their own thing.

Most professors don't know my name but thats because I've taken large lecture classes. TAs know my name. My favorite class was Religion, Medicine, and Suffering in the West with Professor Robert Orsi. He was the man. Always encouraged class discussions and being open with people's opinions.

My professors are great but I since I don't take the initiative to get to know them I don't know them very well. However, if you you take the initiative, you can definitely foster a relationship.

Well, I should be writing a paper right now, seeing as I have to write six this week. But I'm filling out a survey. I don't know what that says about NU academics. I think it says more about my tendency to procrastinate.

Not in my lecture classes. My favorite class is spanish. My least favorite class is modern cosmology. Students study alot and have their priorities pretty well set. Yes, yes, yes very competitive, scandals and reputations, I want to be a spanish major and im premed but still kinda undecided. No, they're fine, geared towards both.

Hah! I am an Economics major and am usually in huge classes where most, if any, personal interaction is with a TA during office hours. My favorite classes are ones that are more intimate and discussion oriented, however they don't really offer those for Econ majors. It depends- some people like to cram while others will study everyday. NU students are pretty good on keeping up with their work. Another benefit of being surrounded by intelligent people is that the conversation even outside of class is more substantial. I constantly engage in in-depth conversations and debates- and I know the people I am discussing with will also provide valuable arguments to the table.

All my professors know my name, even if it's a 300-student lecture. I think in general professors are very well qualified and personable, esp. in the French and Econ departments, if you get to know them. I had a poor experience with a class in the International Studies dept because the professor was so boring, but for the most part, they are very interesting and enthusiastic.

If I wanted to, the professors would know my name. I prefer not to go to office hours, etc, but the possibility is there. There are a lot of good classes available at Northwestern, but it completely depends on the person taking the classes. I'd like to take more classes about Poland, for example, but since nobody else does they're not available. NU students definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class, if they want to. It all depends on who you decide to spend your time with. Students can be competitive, but not too intimidating. It's actually kind of humorous when there's a person in your class who makes a visible effort to get the professor to remember their name, especially when no one else cares. I think all of my classes have been unique, especially compared to other schools. I feel like whatever happens in the class somehow makes me learn more. I think NU's academic requirements are pretty good. If I wanted to, I would be done with both of my majors by the end of my fall quarter senior year. As far as my departments are concerned, Poli Sci is pretty huge. I only really interact with them in regards to my major requirements getting done or getting study abroad classes to count (I would definitely recommend study abroad - best experience of my life) and even though Intl Stud is a bit smaller, I don't really interact with them either. Then again, if I wanted to, I definitely could. I think that it all depends on what your major is, if its leaning towards getting a job or learning for its own sake. If your major is more humanities oriented its kind of obvious that its geared towards learning. But if you're a business person or in a pre-professional program, it can definitely get you ready for a job.

Northwestern students are generally very intellectual, holding political and philosophical discussions quite often outside of class (along with many superficial ones as well - but hey, it's college). They are competitive, but often not as competitive as high school. Some schools are definitely more competitive than others - especially the smaller schools where everyone knows each other and accomplishments are very transparent (ex. journalism, theater). In a large lecture, like at most schools, professors don't usually know your name. If you make an effort to go to their office hours, however, many are happy to get to know you on a more intimate basis. In smaller classes professors almost always know your name. Some more than others, but in general, professors are invested in their students' success. Class participation is usually encouraged and common. My favorite classes thus far have been my psychology classes. The psych department has some amazing (though often controversial) professors. Human sexuality is one of the most popular classes at the whole university. In the first lecture, the entire class takes a very detailed sex survey. The professor then refers back to the results of this survey as the class goes on, referencing the number of students who are homosexual, who have had anal sex or been abused (to name a few). It is really interesting to learn about yourself and your community in such a way that you are able to relate to often sensational information. The journalism school is currently experiencing many changes. The new dean wants to modernize the program, but many think it is at the expense of good reporting. Many students are extremely dissatisfied with the school - some hate the professors (brilliant but often arrogant and unsympathetic to the time constraints of a college student's life) and others - especially those who have decided against journalism as a career - hate the demanding classes. It is an extremely job-oriented curriculum and this can be frustrating for thus who are unsure of their futures. Still, its reputation alone is enough to keep most pushing onward toward their degrees. Even in the most career-focused curriculum (like journalism), there is still great importance placed on a well-rounded education. Students are required to take classes in all areas.

Academics at Northwestern are world class. There are a lot of big introduction classes but also a lot of small intimate classes as well. Professors are usually very approachable and encourage going to office hours. A lot of professors love knowing their students. I had an English class once with about 120 students enrolled and by the second day of class, the professor had already memorized everyone's names by their school id picture! I have made good friends with a lot of my professors and some I am just in awe of. I have never taken a class and afterwards thought it was useless. I have learned something valuable in every class thus far. The students here also take academics seriously but are not cut-throat about it. The library sometimes becomes the place to be seen! Everyone is really smart but not obnoxious about it. Yesterday while shopping for groceries at Whole Foods in Evanston, I heard two students talking about Italian language and literature in the produce section ... only at Northwestern!

Professors at Northwestern are so much more approachable than I ever thought they would be. While classes are actually as difficult as you would think--which means most of us spend a significant portion of our lives studying--professors are always available to help you out. While they have posted office hours, I haven't yet met a professor who wasn't willing to schedule a private meeting to discuss anything from the calculus derivation of the theory of relativity (Cosmology) to exactly how to conjugate a past tense verb in Arabic.

Distro classes are usually not bigger than 150 students, so professors will remember your name if you talk to them a couple times. If you get a good TA you've hit a gold mine. I had one TA who wrote outlines of everything we read in my poli sci class, and she gave us extra credit (which pretty much never happens). If you are pre-med or an engineer, I hope you do not value your friends, because you will not see them until next summer. Students are all overachievers, but they are not terribly competitive...unless, that is, if you're taking a class where grades are distributed on a bell curve. In that particular case, no one will lend you their notes if you miss class, even if you really were sick. Northwestern students love, love, LOVE to have intellectual conversations. Though they may care little about the subject at hand, students care deeply about impressing their peers with their vast stores of knowledge. In every class there's always that ONE KID who always asks 'insightful questions' every single lecture. Don't be this kid. No one likes you. There are definitely some outstanding and diverse professors here. I have had professors from South Africa, Nicaragua and Tel Aviv. Quite a few professors are highly entertaining...such as sociology great Dr. Charles Moskos (AKA "Charlie") who once started a lecture by saying, "Girls give sex to get love, but boys give love to get sex."

Some- The best class I ever took was Tolstoy in which you read War & Peace, the worst was Diversity of Life where you memorize living organisms, enough said- students only really study during midterms and finals but they are intense about it then- Class participation varies- Very little intellectual conversation happens outside of class- Students are extremely competitive- Writing the Horror Screenplay- I'm primarily a RTVF major and I can't say I've been thrilled with the selection of courses or the professors I've had although I do like the general curriculum- I rarely spend time with professors out of class- The academic requirments are good, they encourage students to be well rounded- I would say learning for it's own sake, I'm rather nervous about my job prospects.