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.

BEST: People. Hands down the best coolest brightest kids you will ever meet. Its not pretentious here, everyone is normal, but well rounded and ridiculously smart. The Professors are incredible too and get involved with their students. The Administration treats you like shit. You get nickeled and dimed for every last thing in the name of growing the all-mighty endowment. Printing costs, movies cost, any amenity up for consideration is always paired with the corresponding rise in tuition that would accompany it. Every residence doesnt have wireless. Every move is motivated by liability and not by interest in the students. During the first week this year when freshmen experimented with alcohol for the first time, some were scared to seek out authority when they were sick, unfortunately with reason. Evanston Rocks. The El is close for big city antics if you take the initiative to go out into the world. Theres also a free shuttle on weekdays. Evanston itself is a much more manageable livable city with plenty of food and a great movie theater. Once you move off campus for housing though its a little expensive because you're competing with Chicago young professionals for living space

Northwestern is a fantastic balance between a large and a small school. It gets to the point where you recognize a lot of faces, but it's impossible to know everyone on a campus this size. The school is also small enough that you don't get lost in the shuffle in terms of the administration, teachers, etc. Class sizes are good (especially for journalism), and most teachers I've come across are extremely knowledgeable and practically begging to be approached with questions. I spend most of my time on campus in Norris (especially at the Norbucks). There's great food, comfy chairs, and an excellent outlet for my caffeine addiction. I also spend a lot of time in Evanston. It feels like a college town - most restaurants and cafes offer WiFi so you can sit there all day studying, eating, and/or talking to friends (because you will see a ton of people if you spend a Saturday afternoon in town). There's also a good number of stores and tons of delicious food options. People who know Northwestern know its a great school, but in California, most people have never heard of it or get it confused with Northeastern. There is almost no school pride when it comes to athletics. Football and basketball games are very sad, especially when the opposing team has more fans in the stands than we do. My biggest complaint is that it is COLD. So damn cold.

Evanston really feels like a college town because of all the restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping. Housing is expensive, its nice to have a campus that feels knit together.

Best thing about Northwestern is that it's going to get me a good job (I hope!) and the students here are smart--no annoyingly stupid questions get asked in class. School's a little small for me, but at least its large enough so that you can meet new people often. Most people don't know Northwestern in New England, but when people recognize it they assume I'm smart. I spend most of my time in the dorm. College town. I think NU's administration has some problems to work out, like miscommunication between departments, and the advising system for freshman is terrible. Mary Desler needs to find something better to do than try to get the fraternities and sororities in trouble...she needs to realize that perusing facebook is a pretty lame thing to do for someone her age. Frequent complaints are that midterms are almost every other week...and the intro classes are just as hard as other classes, which makes very little sense.

I love the size of the school and love how big the Greek scene is here, but I really wish our football and basketball teams were better, it would help foster more school spirit. We already have a lot of school spirit, but it would be nice to see it represented at these games. Having Chicago so close but not being right in it is great. Evanston is a great town, but I wouldn't necesarily call it a college town. The experience I will always remember was ow much fun I had in the homecoming parade on the float that we made. The weather is really what makes parts of the school year tough. People have less insentive to go out, so the weeks are always great times to go out, but the weekends are really lame, which is tough for me since I can rarely go out during the week

I feel like NU is the perfect in-between school, meaning you can make it whatever you want it to be. It's mid-size--as big or as small as you want it. The more involved you become the smaller the campus feels. There are tons of activities available to students here. It is the perfect compromise between bubble school and urban--Evanston is a college town, and Chicago is close by. You can get anything you need. Sadly, however, NU isn't very politically involved. There are political groups on campus, but they aren't a huge presence. I always thought of college as these revolutionary places full of staged protests and people in search or political justice. That just doesn't happen. I think the last time Sheridan was blocked off was in the 70s.

It's got all the right things, its a good size, it has incredible academics, its in a great city, its a beautiful school, etc. I would change how difficult it can be to get a class you want when you're a freshman, especially when you want to take a class that you want to major in and aren't able to. People are like wow, you're smart. I spend most of my time around my dorm, in tech, and up north around the frats. I spend alot of time at CVS and small cafes in evanston. I dont know much about the administration, i dont know controversies on campus, There is school pride but we're kind of down on our athletics, im still making memories, bad dorms.

The best thing about NU is that you are constantly surrounded by intelligent people who like to be challenged. At the same time, I would change the students' attitude. There are a lot of people on this campus who believe that their way is the only right way. People need to be more open. It is definitely not a college town. Evanston is a typical suburban town. School pride is an issue. Since academics are the main focus, the athletics department could use some work. Maybe people would have more pride if the athletic teams were more successful. Even so, the lax team is amazing but doesn't have enough support. There should be organizations on campus to promote school pride.

I love the people at NU and the great academic programs and extracurriculars. Theater is awesome and seeing shows is a great opportunity we have. I like Evanston and NU's location. I'd change dining hall hours to make them open more. There's a decent amount of school pride, but I'm not really into that that much anyway. The dorm bathrooms should get cleaned on the weekends.

I love Northwestern and I cannot imagine going to school anywhere else (except maybe Europe, but that's a bit unrealistic). I'm pretty satisfied and I can't think of anything significant that'd I'd really change, besides maybe better food in the dining halls. I think it's just the right size, so that you can take a lecture with 100+ people or just 12, and walk around campus and occasionally run into someone you know. Most people are either really proud that I go to Northwestern, or they've never heard of it (in my hometown, most people go to community college). Evanston is definitely not a college town. It's kind of hard to go out and have "legal" fun, as the only real entertainment within walking distance is the movie theater. I think that Northwestern's administration, while it does some stupid things sometimes, actually cares about what the students think. For example, with setting the alarm on the side doors of dorms, eventually the administration changed their minds when the students presented their side of the problem. I think there definitely is a lot of school pride, from going to football games and seeing everyone decked out in purple to DM.