<p>Hi, I'm currently trying to decide between Northwestern and Brown...I know that the discussion has come up before...but while I was able to visit Brown, I couldn't visit Northwestern. </p>
<p>-One of the things that really drew me to Northwestern was the super nice campus and the awesome facilities (at least, from pictures I've seen). Their dorms and facilities are incredibly nice when compared to Brown's dorms (I thought so, anyway), and I think that this would make college life a lot more enjoyable...but on the other hand, Northwestern doesn't guarantee housing for four years, and that kind of put me off about the school. </p>
<p>-I don't think that location is much of an issue...generally, I would be satisfied at either location. </p>
<p>-Also, how intense are the academics at Northwestern? I know that Northwestern emphasizes academics and grades a great deal more than Brown does, and that I will probably go into economics (which is better at Northwestern)...and I think that I prefer this atmosphere, but I think that the open curriculum at Brown is a huge plus. </p>
<p>-I'm also a little apprehensive to go to Northwestern because I haven't visited the campus, and I would hate to matriculate only to find that I don't enjoy the school. They also gave a significantly smaller financial package than Brown, and a more loans (more than a $10,000 difference)...is this negotiable? </p>
<p>What a dilemma! I think I'm at a standstill between the schools. Is there anything specific that I should know about Northwestern or life at Northwestern in general?</p>
<p>Definitely don't worry about not getting housing for all 4 years. If you actually want to live on campus that long (most people don't), you'll have no problem.</p>
<p>I thought housing WAS guaranteed for 4 years. Most people don't live on campus their senior year anyway, but if you want to, you will get a priority housing number, meaning you could basically live anywhere you wanted... so I wouldn't worry about housing at all.</p>
<p>You should REALLY try to visit Northwestern's campus by any means possible. If you can't do this by May 1, maybe consider sending your deposits into both Brown and Northwestern with the understanding that you will lose one of them. Visiting makes such a huge difference in your perception of a school; I can't fathom enrollling at a college a without visiting it first, unless you were international.</p>
<p>I do like Northwestern a whole lot more than Brown, but in this case, I don't know if I would go for the unknown quantity. You may end up severely burned by that choice. It's a huge risk, which could pay off very well or leave you very dejected. Good luck!</p>
<p>Don't double-deposit! If either college finds out, they will pull your admission and inform the other college, as well. Plus, it's just plain wrong to do it.</p>
<p>Izo, I was in the same situation as you last year. I chose Northwestern over Brown and some other ivies. </p>
<p>Northwestern is an amazing school and the more time I spend here, the more I love it. The campus is amazing, and it has some of the greatest people you'll ever meet. </p>
<p>Don't worry about housing, a lot of people study abroad, live off campus, etc. I don't know of anyone who has been denied housing. And also, your housing priority number only gets better year after year so you will be able to getter better and better housing each year.</p>
<p>Academics are a big factor at Northwestern. This is great, however, because recruiters and job selectors recognize this fact and you will be greatly helped when you graduate. </p>
<p>The financial Aid is flexible, but it shouldn't be the only factor in you decision. </p>
<p>Hope This helps and that you make the right decision! :)</p>
<p>It's a shame you didn't get to visit NU. Is there absolutely no chance you could get a cheap last minute flight this weekend? Beg borrow or steal? Well... maybe don't steal, but NU is worth the extra effort. </p>
<p>Academics certanly are intense at NU, make no mistake about that. However, NU students also seem to have a healthy commitment to enjoying life as well. </p>
<p>I don't know how it is for economics, but one of the things I like best about NU as a parent, is the flexiblity of their programs. From what I understand, they make it easy for students to change and add majors, to major across across school, and to create their own majors. I don't know how that compares with Brown's open curriculum, but it's certainly not as rigid as some schools.</p>
<p>You should go to Northwestern. It sounds like your only draw-backs are the distribution requirements and housing. Like others have said, as a freshman you're guaranteed housing, and every year you get a priority number and it gets better each year so no matter what you'll be able to live in housing all four years. Pretty much everyone moves off campus by senior year though.</p>
<p>If you want to get a decent job, you're going to want to come to northwestern, northwestern's econ dept is much more highly regarded and all chicago-based firms come directly to northwestern to recruit for both summer internships and jobs after college. At brown, you're not going to get that since its not as well-known for econ/business, and its not conveniently close to any major powerhouse. My friend who's a soph econ major is having two interviews this week with JP Morgan and Goldman-Sachs. Also the distribution requirements look better to future employers because it shows you had a better undergraduate curriculum. Open curriculum isn't appealing to anyone but students who hate a particular area of study.</p>
<p>One thing I love about the Northwestern student body is what a healthy outlook on life they tend to have. There are, of course, the crazy engineers and pre-med kids who freak out about grades, but for the most part it's just a case of everyone striving to do their best. I've never felt any sort of overly-competitive atmosphere here, it's all on a very personal level. Yes, grades are important, but I've never really had to worry about it too much...do I worry about doing my best on an assignment? You bet. But do I do the assignment a certain way just to get the grade? No way.</p>
<p>Also, the distribution requirements aren't that bad, and are relatively easy to fulfill...I haven't yet taken a class I didn't like, and I'm almost finished will all my gen ed requirements.</p>
<p>Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I thought about it a lot...but in the end the financial aid ended up not being negotiable at Northwestern...and that kind of tipped the scales toward Brown. I really wish I could have visited Northwestern and gotten a feel for the place, though...it really sounds like an awesome school =).</p>