Northwestern University Top Questions

Northwestern is very well-rounded. Many academic departments are strong on campus, though NU does suffer a bit from the "jack of all trades, master of none" syndrome. Chemistry, History, Psychology, Journalism, Film, Theatre and Economics seem especially strong however, along with Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering for the more technically inclined. NU requires most of its students to complete a very broad and extensive set of liberal arts distribution requirements. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as the undecided types are exposed to a variety of classes and styles of thinking, whereas many students with strong interests in one are often feel distro requirements impede them from specializing early on. Socially, there are many options at NU. Many students hit up frat parties on Friday and Saturday nights, however there are plenty of theatre and music events, guest speakers and just general dorm horseplay to keep those who don't want to party entertained. Chicago and Evanston also offer many diverse opportunities for fun, and Evanston provides many opportunities for students looking for a good meal with some friends after a week of dorm food. Most students aren't limited to "one" type of social activity, many will for instance go to a party then see a play, or eat dinner in Chicago but then come back and spend the night chatting with friends in a dorm hallway. People tend to be fairly friendly and most NU kids are rather social and open to many different forms of entertainment.

NU is everything I hoped it would be. I like that it is huge in numbers, but you still feel like you have your little family within the undergrad schools. College town, but not tooooo much. Very organized administration. Most of the people here are glad to be here, and work very hard.

The people are the best I'd change the adminsitration's relationship with the students, and the shuttle system. No wait, the quarter system sucks too. And I think there is a complete disconnect between the two. Moreover, the administration is very conservative in a lot of respects. NU sometimes seems very small; you see the same people are everywhere. People think you're smart when you say you're from Northwestern too. I spend most of my time in my sorority house or my boyfriend's apartment. I guess the Keg of Evanston and the 1800 Club constitute our college town. There's school pride that is not always attached to sports. Northwestern is unique in the fact that it has a great location near a big city with tons of opportunities, but it also has a campus and college atmosphere. It has some legit big time D1 sports and yet its a private school that does feel small at times. It also gets a mixture of students from around the country.

Northwestern is awesome. The size is perfect--big enough to have everything a university could want, but small enough to have small classes. People here love it. They complain about the cold, but it's because complaining about the cold brings us together. The best part about Northwestern is the teaching. I've had only amazing teachers. My Chinese teacher freshman year took me to the Chinese consulate in downtown Chicago one night to drink rice wine. I'll never forget it.

I LOVE the spring here, but the winter stinks! I can't get used to the wind, even though I come from a cold state (MA). The size is perfect, the town it's in is perfect, I just wish it was somewhere warmer. When I tell people I go to NU, they usually think I mean Northeastern in Boston or they think I'm really smart for going here. There's a lot of academic pride and people wear Northwestern gear all the time, but there's very little sports pride, for obvious reasons. The one major thing I'd change is the quarter system. I was told I would learn to love it, but I've been here over a year and a half and I still loathe it. There's at least a midterm or major paper every week, and I feel like everything is rushed because we have many weeks less than other schools.

The best things about Northwestern are the proximity to Chicago, the lakefront, and the great reputation of the school. I would make the entire campus wireless. The size is almost just right, could be a little bit larger though. People from home have no idea what Northwestern is. But many educated people are very impressed when they find out that I go to Northwestern. I spend most of my time around my res. college (Willard), in Dearing Library, and outside. Evanston is a college town, but too strict on alcohol and parties. Northwestern's sports aren't very good (except girl's lacrosse) yet most athletes act like they win all the championships. Interesting...

The best thing is the student body. It seems as though everyone is a very intelligent, involved, down-to-earth, passionate person. The school does a good job at picking a very well-rounded student body. Northwestern is the perfect size. It's small enough so that I don't feel as though I'm insignificant and large enough so that I feel there is a large variety of new people that I am constantly meeting. People usually react very positively when I tell them I go to Northwestern. Adults are always very impressed and make sure comment like "Oh! We've got a smart one over here!" However, I have noticed that some people don't know the school and it's reputation. When I was on the East coast some people confused it with Northeastern and others would ask where it was located in the United States. Evanston is a great college town. It has a very nice, upscale downtown with great restaurants and a few good clothing stores. Being on the lake s great too. The path that runs along the shore is perfect for runs, walks or bike rides. And in the fall and spring it's fun to study outside on the beach or lawns. There is a lot of school pride, as many people I talk to are very happy at the school. However, attendance at sporting events and knowledge of our athletic teams isn't great. The football games are still a lot of fun though. I think Northwestern's location is unusual. It is so perfectly situated. The campus runs right up to the lake and downtown Evanston and is close enough to Chicago so that we can reap the benefits of a large city but far enough away so that we don't feel overwhelmed by it. One experience I will always remember is during New Student Week when some new friends and I went and jumped in Lake Michigan and hung out on the beach. I already felt so comfortable and happy here, and we were already having so much fun together.

Best thing about Northwestern? Northwestern has a gorgeous campus. Whether it is snow covered trees or a playing frisbee on the beach or lakefill next to the mesh of old traditional buildings and modern scientific research labs the campus is bound to awe. One thing I'd change? Housinng. The system is terrible. If you are not a freshman and not in a res college, it is really a toss up if you will even be able to live on campus. Northwestern is just the right size. It is small enough where you can really get a feel for the different things going on around campus academically, socially, and administratively. But it is big enough where you know you can always find a new hidden treasure on campus. Whether it be the gated gardens by the library or the ESW(engineers for a sustainable world) group that has tons of cool projects going on internationally and locally or just a new person. When I tell people I go to Northwestern, people usually seem to be pretty impressed. Although, it depends on who you talk to, because if they are not in the academic world, they probably won't know what Northwestern even is. I spend most of my free time on campus either in my dorm with my friends or on the gorgeous lakefill just chillin. Evanston is not really a college town but it is great for college students. The part of Evanston Northwestern is in is kind of like a mini Chicago. Trendy and interesting stores but still navigable. However, things in Evanston are a bit pricy. Also, housing close to campus has a significant students presence. Northwestern's administration...iffy. In general, Northwestern students have a lot of school pride. They go to every football game and get really into it. Basketball is also pretty popular. Sometimes it is even kind of obscene. But overall it creates a nice atmosphere when you see that everyone else is proud to be at Northwestern.

It bothers me that most people don't realize that NU is actually an incredible school... people think I'm going someplace like Northeastern, as opposed to one of the absolute best schools in the country. Evanston is great, except that the sky is orange most nights from Chicago. Lots of people live off-campus after freshman year, because it's really easy to do here and not too expensive. A lot of complaints are about services not being what they should be--the school is so expensive, but the food at the student center isn't open nearly as much as most of us think it should be, and the student theater groups could use more support. The best thing about NU is its AMAZING theater program! The size of the school is just right, especially if you're in one of the colleges. Big enough to meet a new person every day, but small enough so that you can really stand out if you want to.

Best thing= IM SPORTS! It's a great system and brings together Greeks, Non-greeks, Res Life people, etc. Some people are like "Ohhh whoa smarty" when you tell them you go to Northwestern, and some have never heard of it. I like this reputation because it means that NU is respected among smart people, but not seen as a stuck-up Ivy League. One thing I could change= more school spirit! The turn-out at football games is okay, but if you've ever been to a basketball game you know that the student section is noticeably bare. It'd be easier to get people to come if we were good, of course, but if there was more pride about just being a Wildcat in general, attendance would be higher, fan participation would increase, and maybe the team would share some of our energy and actually win.