Northwestern University Top Questions

Im so sick of this survey

Greek life is huge on campus but not vital to having fun. A lot of students are involved in Dance Marathon. I'm involved in varsity soccer, and as mentioned before, athletes function as a huge clique. We're awesome. Students in Elder (all freshman dorm) are extremely social, especially with members of their own floor. They tend to have a lot of floor pride and move in packs. Performances (ranging from a cappella groups, sketch comics, plays, guest speakers and A&O events) are very popular and tend to sell out quickly. Athletic events don't tend to draw a large or very spirited crowd - we're too busy studying and none of our teams (with the exception of girls' lacrosse - WOMEN'S SOCCER - have very good records). I met my closest friends through my sorority and sports team. People tend to party on Monday and Thursday (bar nights), usually Friday, and generally (but not always) on Saturday. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I'm usually doing homework or watching TV/hanging out in the common room.

Popular groups are Hillel, boomshaka, fusion, dance groups, sailing team, singing groups like Purple Haze...some students in dorms leave their doors open, but antisocial people certainly dont. Athletic events can be popular but usually aren't, guest speakers are pretty popular, and I have yet to go to a theater event though I'd like to. The dating scene is terrible...often what happens is "Northwesternization of the Ego," which is when, because of the lack of attractive people, those who would usually be a 6 or 7 immediately see themselves as 10s and become shallow, egotistical, lose their personalities, and become jerks. So its tough to find someone you're compatible with, or who is attractive and not a total player. Frat/sorority life is one of the only social scenes here so I'd say its pretty important. On a saturday night you can study or drink, or hang out with your friends.

Not a lot of people really date here, it's kind of like a bigger version on high school, there is definitely still gossip about who is hooking up with who, and what stupid stuff people did over the weekend.

Theatre here is wonderful. It's executed wonderfully, and it's very popular. Many, if not most, shows sell out to people outside of the theater community. There are shows pretty much all the time, so there's always something to do! Greek life is a big part of the NU social scene. More that a third of the campus has "gone greek". I definitely recommend it! The girls I have met through my sorority are wonderful, intelligent, strong women. I was against sororities before coming here--I couldn't be happier that I joined. A warning, however: DON'T BELIEVE THE STEREOTYPES! I almost didn't join my sorority because of the stereotype associated with it, and that would have been a horrible mistake. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday (or Wednesday morning, I suppose), I'm either writing a paper, in my hall-mates' rooms, or on the phone (or Skype) with my boyfriend. I have rehearsal with my a cappella group until midnight on Tuesdays, and have a lot of work after that usually.

lots of volunteering, large greek involvement, im in greek life and volunteering, lots of theatrical things, it depends where you live, some athletic events are very popular, some are not at all, not sure, very popular, people either are in serious relationships or just hooking up, my roommate and who lives in my dorm, im studying on tuesday at 2am, not sure of traditions, people that party usually go out about three days a week, frats and sororities are very popular, i went to a formal for a fraternity, not sure, go downtown somewhat often

I don't know how to measure popularity. Socially the greeks and athletes go out the most, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they represent most of the student body. School pride lacks at this school- football games are okay but not many people made it a point to go to them. My sophomore year I went to five football games and was invited to 'meet the coach' because I had shown significant school spirit. This is sad. If I'm awake on Tuesday at 2am, I am in my friends room talking about random shit. Dillo day happens each year and if this might be the day where the entire school finally unites together! As they should considering it is amazing. Last weekend I went to a free open bar downtown and went to a fraternity formal. Hmmmmm if you don't want to drink on a Saturday night you could go to a NU play or a movie in Evanston. There are lots of activities in Evanston you could do. But don't try bowling since its outlawed. You could always study on a Saturday night and feed NU's wonderful reputation.

Clubs and organizations are great on campus. If you want to go out every night of the week, you could, and you could find someone to go with you. Greek life is pretty big on campus, but I don't feel left out for not being part of it. There are tons of shows, events, lectures, seminars, etc. that don't involve drinking. Of you can go to parties and not drink.

I'm the president of the Polish American Student Alliance. We have about 15 members, even though there are probably more Polish Americans at NU. The biggest cultural groups are probably the Indian and Chinese student groups like SASA and CSA. I think most events on campus are pretty popular and get a pretty good turnout, from athletic events to theater events, etc. I personally have not dated anyone from NU during my time here, but that's my choice by staying away from the "scene". The option is definitely there, and I know many people that date other NU students. In the dorms, more social ones definitely leave their doors open (places like res colleges, or ones with a huge social reputation) while smaller ones are more private. If I'm awake at 2am on Tuesday, I'm either talking to someone, watching tv, or doing my homework that's due at 9 am and I haven't started yet. Sororities/fraternities can be pretty important, if you choose for them to be. I'm in a sorority but I don't like frat parties and my involvement is pretty limited. I'd rather spend time with my friends that aren't involved in Greek life. Saturday night activities that don't involve drinking are seriously limited. There's restaurants and movie theaters,and maybe some on campus events. Of course there might be some dorm events going on, but these may or may not include drinking. People who party do so on different levels. Some people go out consistently every night, or on random days during the week. Others only go out on weekends, and some never go out. I think the beauty of NU is that you have a choice to do what you want to do.

Probably the most visible groups on campus are fraternities and sororities. Because Northwestern is small and (somewhat) nerdy, they are an important part of a lot of people's social lives. I'm a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. Each year, rush is an intense competition between houses to get the best girls or guys, and there are definitely preconceived notions about each chapter (which is most popular, hottest, richest, etc). I met most of my closest friends at Northwestern through Theta. Almost all are members of my pledge class. They are also girls that lived in my dorm freshman year. At the start of college this is an especially important consideration. Proximity almost assuredly determines your first friends at school. In the more social dorms (Bobb-McCullough, Allison), students do tend to leave their doors open and mingle often with each other. The dating scene at Northwestern doesn't really exist. It's mostly a get-drunk,-hook-up-consistently-until-you-have-the-"exclusivity"-talk,-and-then-be-exclusive -long-enough-that-it's-pretty-obvious-you're-dating scene. Athletic events are not incredibly popular. Students wake up bright and early for "kegs and eggs" before Saturday afternoon football games, but many don't make it to the second half. The football stadium is notorious for having more fans from nearby Big Ten schools than Northwestern. That said, club sports at NU are actually quite popular. Each year, lots of students participate in club lacrosse, rugby, crew and sailing. A lot of these teams (especially rugby and sailing) are known to focus just as heavily on partying as athletics. Theater is huge at Northwestern. There are constantly shows of all sizes going on - and the bigger ones usually get great turn outs. The biggest tradition on campus is definitely Dance Marathon. Students dance for thirty hours straight to raise money for charity. It's the largest student-run philanthropy in the country and Northwestern's pride and joy. It is definitely something that all students should be involved in at least once in their college career. Dillo Day is another beloved campus tradition. Each spring on the last Saturday before Reading Week, Northwestern students "go Berkeley" with outdoor concerts on the lake and off-campus barbecues and parties lasting all day long. It is undoubtedly my favorite day all year. This weekend was pretty typical. Thursday, I went to that night's most popular hotspot, the Deuce, otherwise known as the Mark II Lounge in Rogers Park. Friday night I went to a club downtown because a friend was promoting there. Saturday, I spent the day playing in the snow and ice along the lakefill and visiting (for the first time ever) the Norris Game Room for some ping pong. Afterward, my boyfriend and I went downtown to his brother's apartment for dinner and a movie. Sunday, I spent studying!

You name it, we got it! Northwestern is brimming with students groups,teams,and organizations. There is a lot of opportunity to get involved with a capella groups, on campus publications, and clubs. Also people are very receptive to new groups, if you don't find what you want. Greek life is very big on campus, but some believe the administration want to eradicate the Greek scene altogether from NU in 10 years or so (but that is a rumor!). Being in a frat or sorority is a lot of fun and I assure you, it is nothing like Animal House here. There are always fun events but they are not intimidating! You have to remember that these are all Northwestern students. There isn't weird hazing or anything here. The dating scene at Northwestern is notoriously bad. People complain that it is either hooking up or serious relationships... nothing in-between. I think, though, that this is the deal wherever you go -not just NU. I have made the best friends here! Everyone is so encouraging and understands where you are coming from. Doors are usually open if people are at home and some of my favorite memories are just hanging out in other peoples' rooms. People usually party 2-3 nights a week. Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are usually big nights to go out. A typical weekend is dinner out with friends, go out to a party later that Friday night, go to downtown Chicago during the next day, see a play on campus that night and maybe go out afterward, and brunch + a couple of hours in the library on Sunday when you tell each other your weekend stories. If you don't drink, you can always go to a play or performance, do downtown Chicago, catch a movie, or just hang out with friends.

NorthByNorthwestern.com and North by Northwestern the Magazine are some of the most rewarding things that I have ever done. I spend the majority of my time writing, editing, or shooting pictures for them. While it also helps with getting myself published, what I love is that I can do journalism in a group that isn't just journalism students. We have Econ majors and Poli Sci majors and anything else you can think of. NBN is one of the best things on campus.

The Greek scene is huge on campus...40 percent of the student body is Greek. So think about it, if you have a school of lots of really smart kids, and a lot of them are probably really awkward and don't party, your options are either: 1. Go Greek, or 2. Find some good Greek friends who will get you in to frat parties. The frats take turns having themed parties all throughout the year (Athletes and Mathletes, CEOs and Corporate H**s, 80s Party). A good weekend starts on a Thursday and ends on Monday...Monday is a huge bar night, for unknown reasons. Evanston has a couple bars that are completely dominated by Northwestern students. Recently a group of kids were caught with fake ID's, but that has done absolutely nothing to stop underage bar-hopping. One of the most amazing things about Northwestern is that it was a school-sponsored event completely dedicated to the great sport of drinking: Dillo Day. The school usually gets a big-name musician or band (Lupe Fiasco came last year) and everyone eats, drinks, and is merry. However, people definitely don't think you're weird if you don't drink, and there are always lots of sober events going on. Football is huge on campus, though we lose most games. Basketball is not as big, but the student section of games can get tight if we're playing someone we particularly don't like. Northwestern students have a lot of school pride, and people really support each others' groups and interests. A capella shows and dance performances usually get a good turnout, and tickets for speakers and musicians(BJ Novak or Girl Talk, anyone?) are often sold out almost immediately (The current record is BJ Novak, sold out in 45 minutes). Theater is huge, and lots of non-theater people go to theater shows. Evanston has a lot of coffee shops that are open late. A campus favorite is Kaefin, which has open karaoke most weekends. If none of those options work for you, downtown Chicago is only 20 minutes away via 'the El'.

Dance Marathon- I'm involved with Stuid 22, which is a student run production company that makes three to four grant projects every quarter and gives students an opportunity to learn about the business, learn the equipment and showcase their creativity- I don't know, I never left my door unlocked- A&O Events generally get a big turn out, and home football games, but other than that Northwestern students aren't a very active student body in terms of attending events- The dating scene sucks. non-existant- I met my closest friends through my job at SPAC and through a sorority.- If it's a Tuesday and i'm up that late I'm probably doing work, nobody really goes on on tuesdays- Homecoming, Dillo Day- Three to five nights a week- I would say the Greek scene is very important. I'm not in a frat, but almost all of my friends are in a sorority and those are the people I go out with, and see out all the time- Friday night I went to a movie because I wasn't feeling well, Saturday night I went to dinner and then out downtown, Sunday night i went to Hundo.- See a movie, chill with friends, go to the library- I really enjoy going to the Lyric Opera, and shopping downtown.