<p>I'll pop in only to add that I agree with everyone else that there's some benefit in getting out of your comfort zone. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I am very close to a current Amherst student who is majoring in LJST and also taking various economics courses, and she could not love it more. It has really delivered on what she wanted: closeness with her classmates and teachers, lots of opportunities to participate and to lead (she has done stuff there she would never have tried at a large university), and help with networking career opportunities. Also, she is a complete teetotaller, and has never felt socially isolated in the least, which (to me) speaks volumes for what a great place Amherst is, no matter what your party preferences are. (Abstaining is NOT the majority approach there, needless to say.)</p>
<p>Also, at least for the moment, Southwestern still has pretty good Hartford-Midway fares, so travel may be less expensive than you imagine.</p>
<p>All your choices are great. Dartmouth is really a lot like Amherst, but bigger (and more isolated). Northwestern is great, the University of Chicago better than great (and also has a Law and Society program that's a little -- but only a little -- like Amherst's). You really can't go terribly wrong with any of them, given your interests (which are pretty mainstream).</p>
<p>I sense a tangible climate difference in the two schools between which you are deciding. I am an NU alum, and my daughter will be attending one of the five colleges in the consortium of which Amherst is a participant. </p>
<p>Though not everyone at NU is Greek, it has that decided feel to it. It is also heavy with pre-professionals, some of whom are very competitive and less collaborative than you might like. Evanston is a nice town, but it is not as safe as Northampton, for example. NU doesn't like to broadcast the fact, but there is a bit of crime on campus, and more off campus. Professors are oftentimes more involved with their research and grad students than you would find at a college like Amherst, and make (or made) little effort to reach out to undergraduates. I had several professors who pawned off their responsibilities to TAs. In general, I found the students were mostly there to get good grades and not to expand their intellectual horizons; NU was viewed as a stepping stone to their ultimate graduate or professional program. </p>
<p>At Amherst you would have the best of all worlds. I agree with Pizzagirl who encourages you to move away from your comfort zone. At Amherst you will grow in ways you probably could not if you stayed where all is familiar. </p>
<p>I live in your neck of the woods (Chicago suburbs) and I attended New Trier High School. I can tell you NU is (was) more of the same, if that means anything to you. PM me if you like.</p>
<p>So here is another NU alum making a case for Amherst. Either way, it looks like you'll be wearing purple!</p>
<p>I'd agree that Amherst trumps NU for undergrad experience. I did my grad work at NU and loved it but it never seemed to me like a welcoming environment for an undergrad--too big, too many TAs vs. engagement with prof's like you can find as an undergrad in a liberal arts college. Evanston will be there for later.</p>
<p>Was thinking that if you consider yourself "indecisive" you might simply be one of those people who considers many options, has intellectual curiosity, and needs guidance at key moments. That indicates an experience at a close-knit LAC where everybody knows your name (Amherst) might help you grow dynamically, unlike a larger university where you're expected to know what you're doing much of the time. </p>
<p>Certainly my S's most formative conversations were with faculty, who knew him inside-out, advised him to take more courses outside their own departments to broaden his horizons and get beyond his comfort zone, learn to tap into his own intuition more. They assume all their students are extremely intelligent and self-motivated, so work upon some of the other aspects an intelligent person might need for greater success, for example: confidence, nuance, collaboration. He was really in relationship with a dozen professors whose names I still know because they meant that much to him. When he had a problem regarding housing or any administrative issue, he could find humane people to talk things over. He said there was always someone there to hear out his concern. Problems got solved because, with less bureaucracy, there would just be two people on either end of a phone (speaking administratively). This was important at the levels of housing, financial aid, and registration. He did not lose a lot of time or sleep awaiting decisions in these areas. He's now confident enough to take on any situation, but this was not so at age l8. I guess I'm describing the difference between a fine LAC v. a fine university, not specifically AMherst v. Northwestern, although all of these anecdotes come from his experience at Amherst specifically. Still, it may apply to your thinking.</p>
<p>It seems like most of you focus on the positives of LACs. LACs and research Us both have their pros and cons. NU isn't huge like public U and MMSS is a close-knit program for which you take twelves classes with the same 30-40 people over a 2-yr span. While I generally advise people to pick the school further away, I don't know if I'd want to give up MMSS if I were you.</p>
<p>million$baby-
To answer your previous question about internship opportunities at Northwestern. Northwestern is a member of the internship network (iNET) that consists of Stanford, Yale, MIT, Penn, Rice, Georgetown and NYU to give shared opportunities regionally available to these prestigious institutions so that opportunities from other regions become available to their students. More info from an article in the Northwestern Daily: The</a> Daily Northwestern - NU's University Career Services teams with top schools to widen student opportunities</p>
<p>Weighing in as an Amherst parent. It is indeed a place where professors do get to know their students, and it has a strong track record sending their students to top law schools.</p>
<p>Wow everyone, you have honestly been so helpful! There are definitely some things that you mentioned that I hadn't thought of, and your additional insight put several other factors in perspective for me. :) </p>
<p>One more question: I definitely want an intellectually stimulating education, but I'd also like to know how the grading system works at NU and Amherst. Is there a lot of grade inflation? A little? I don't want to be handed A's without putting in any effort, but at the same time, if it's monstrously hard to maintain good grades, I might find myself burnt out sooner rather than later, and working more for the grade than for the actual knowledge.</p>
<p>Again, thanks for all of your advice. I'm definitely taking all of the factors you have discussed into consideration.</p>
<p>One more thing I thought of: Can you offer me any advice on comparing the quarter system at NU versus the semester system at Amherst? From what I've heard, it seems like I'd prefer a quarter system, but I doubt that I know everything there is to know about either schedule.</p>
<p>Do not know about the specifics at NYU or Amherst, but my undergrad school was on a semester schedule and my grad school had a quarter one. I liked the former better - the pace was not as frenetic.</p>
<p>I hate the quarter system, but some people like changing classes a lot. I prefer more depth. Anyhow, are you planning to live in Chicago? The midwest? If so then Northwestern is the choice. I also wonder if the city girl in you might be get a little bored in the middle of Massachusetts. It might have been great on the 2 day trip where it is a love fest and everyone is trying to recruit you, BUT 4 yrs where everyone knows all your business might not be so appealing after one semester. That said, you can't go wrong, but I think Northwestern carries more name recognition weight outside of the east coast that does Amherst, except maybe among the highly educated elite or those of us who write blurbs on cc. haha. Good Luck.</p>
<p>I went to undergrad and grad school on the quarter system and I've taught and went to law school on semesters so I've experienced both. Personally, I liked the quarter system better. Quarters move swiftly and because I'm a bit of a procrastinator, it kept me motivated and working. If I had a bad class, it was over sooner. I found semesters often dragged for me, especially weeks 12-16 (Will it ever end????) </p>
<p>BUT, I know people who swear by semesters. SO it's an individual preference thing, like so much in your college decision. </p>
<p>As a NU grad, I loved it there. I've never been at Amherst but I have friends who were students there (loved it!) and I have colleagues who teach there in the program you are thinking about. (Excellent people/program).</p>
<p>The good news is you can't go wrong. Go with your gut!</p>
<p>After much deliberation and re-reading of all of your posts, I decided that in terms of academics and classroom learning (or at least the impression I got from both colleges), I felt more comfortable with Amherst. It's also true that stepping out of my comfort zone will probably allow me to grow in many ways. My family and friends are very supportive of my decision, and though I'm rather apprehensive about living in such a new environment, I am definitely excited for what is sure to be a great college education. Thank you so much to everyone for all of your helpful responses! :)</p>