<p>Now that ED results are out, there are a lot of kids who know where they will be next year (like me!). I was hoping some current students could help us all out. Like what dorms should we try to get? And just any info you wish you would have known before and would like to help us out with.</p>
<p>By the way, I hope this thread doesn't sit here unanswered forever</p>
<p>Just make sure you keep your claws nice and sharp; you will be trained to pound on wolverines, hawks, badgers…</p>
<p>Things:
Most people overthink the whole “What do you wish you’ve brought” concept. Really, amazon.com will get you whatever you find you need in 2 days. Cat5 cable if you want to watch TV – its through the internet at NU and you need to be wired.</p>
<p>That being said, of things that are hard to ship, memory foam matress pad topper was probably the best thing I brought to school. You will probably have everything else. If you want to negotiate with your roommate (You’ll find that out in like August, so you have a while) about bringing TV/Video Game/Microwave, great, but not necessary.</p>
<p>Other targeted questions will be answered upon request :).</p>
<p>Sleep. Never underestimate sleep.</p>
<p>Congrats all incoming Wildcats!</p>
<p>What was the financial aid thing that was December 1st:</p>
<p>[Aid</a> Application Instructions :: Office of Undergraduate Admission - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://ugadm.northwestern.edu/financial-aid/aid-application-instructions.html]Aid”>Applying for Aid: Undergraduate Admissions - Northwestern University)</p>
<p>Don’t bring videogames that you need a tv for. If you need videogames, you’re doing it wrong.</p>
<p>And this is coming from a former hardcore gamer.</p>
<p>Also, I can’t do the thing with the activation. It has crashed, I think.</p>
<p>sooo video games you don’t need a tv for are what? hahaha</p>
<p>Join [Northwestern</a> University Class of 2015 | Facebook](<a href=“Facebook Public Group | Facebook”>Facebook Public Group | Facebook)</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Awesome, obviously. SC2 4 eva.</p>
<p>No seriously, videogames are for frat houses and apartments.</p>
<p>Don’t play WoW.</p>
<p>^Funny stuff. Great advice about Wow. Making me laugh pretty hard</p>
<p>@tkim11 -.- [Facebook</a> Freshmen Welcome Groups Altered to Look Less Official - NYTimes.com](<a href=“Facebook Freshmen Welcome Groups Altered to Look Less Official - The New York Times”>Facebook Freshmen Welcome Groups Altered to Look Less Official - The New York Times)</p>
<p>I e-mailed the lady who interviewed me to tell her I got in, and she mentioned something about a picnic/party thing in August for incoming freshmen. Did any of you go to that? Wil we know who our roommates are by then?</p>
<p>It’s a regional thing. And yes, you would probably know by then.</p>
<p>Also seriously, don’t play WoW.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate your peers. These kids are just as smart, if not smarter than you. Even the stupid-seeming kids are smart, they are probably just putting on a facade. </p>
<p>Take autonomy of what you want to do, leave every stone unturned, take risks, do something out of your comfort zone.</p>
<p>Don’t make too many enemies, NU isn’t large enough to avoid them completely.</p>
<p>Get involved in NU sports: go to games and get excited.</p>
<p>This was my random collection of thoughts…</p>
<p>I agree with NURaider’s points, though I must say: Some of the kids ARE dumber than you. Some are just as dumb as they seem. Just don’t underestimate them, and don’t assume that that’ll keep them from doing better than you.</p>
<p>Every quarter, get to know 1 or 2 professors. It’s part of their job to talk to you so don’t feel you’re bothering them. NU professors love it when students pursue them outside of class. Hopefully over the 4 years, you will have developed strong relationships with a few who can write you a strong recommendation letter when you need it. Don’t think if you do this, professors will think you’re only doing it for the rec letter. First of all, they will understand that is part of the deal and that is certainly a part of their job description (aka they’re getting paid to do it). Second, they know that NU students are a curious lot and are genuinely interested in soaking in their wisdom anyway. Graduate admissions committees can tell if a professor feels particularly strongly about a student because they’ve seen thousands of rec letters before.</p>
<p>Consistent effort throughout the quarter is important but don’t burn out and neglect the last few weeks of the quarter. Needless to say, the final push during finals week is most critical and will be a strong determinant of your grade. If you have to, look at the exam schedule before hand (before the quarter starts, ideally when you’re signing up for classes) to make sure you don’t have back-to-back exams/finals if you’re one who likes things to be spread out. I don’t think larger classes would allow exam re-scheduling (I haven’t had a large class yet so I don’t know for sure but I’ve heard from other people that’s the case), but paper due dates can be re-arranged if the request is made well in advance. Also, you can just sign up for other classes that will allow you to create the finals schedule you want. Those all-nighters, if you have to pull them, are worth it but at the moment you might not realize that. In some cases, they were literally the key for me in securing an A in a class.</p>
<p>Trust your body when scheduling classes. If you’re really not a morning person, don’t take early classes unless you have to esp if attendance is required for that class. You might find yourself skipping class more than you’d like as the quarter goes on (even if you’re not the type to skip).</p>
<p>Take risks but definitely know what your limits are. Don’t take some insanely hard physics course if you have a history of doing poorly in physics or pre-requisite classes just because you want to challenge yourself or whatever. Instead, buy the book and read it ON YOUR OWN. That is, unless you don’t care about the GPA. I’m on the camp that believes you still have to pay attention to your GPA because it really can affect your future. You might not need something later on that requires a high GPA, but at least you will have OPTIONS. That’s not to say be a slave to it, but definitely keep it in mind and try to do well. In the world we’re living in now, if you want to get into a competitive graduate program, you really can’t afford not to. A low GPA might open up different life paths though but it might be a struggle to get yourself established when you first get out of college. I’m applying to jobs now and many of them have strict 3.5 cutoffs, though many others have it at 3.2 and 3.0.</p>
<p>To have strong chances at getting a job, you must a) do extracurriculars and have leadership positions and/or b) have internships every summer. If you can, work during the year as well at a job you think will give you the skills for the positions you will be applying for after college. Some might say doing leadership stuff without the official title will be looked at just as well as if you had the official title, but unfortunately, I don’t think many companies will be so forgiving, especially in this economy. Some might take issue with this “pre-professional” mindset but honestly, if you want a job afterwards, how can you afford not to? You can still do the liberal artsy stuff AND do internships. The two are not mutually exclusive. If you got into NU, you have the intelligence to do both (and honestly, they don’t even conflict, internships are in the summer).</p>
<p>Going into your senior year, your job search should start that summer. You must have references, cover letters, and resumes ready before the start of school because the job fair (the business one anyway, the non-profit is in the winter) is usually held within 2 weeks of the start of school in the fall. But you should already have all of those things anyway if you’ve been doing internships throughout the years.</p>
<p>Wow. It’s like applying to college on steroids.</p>
<p>Yes, if you think the college app process is stressful, wait until the job search process. At that point, you’re worried about being self-sufficient after graduation and paying off loans if you have them. You will come to terms with the fact that the competition in this world never ends but you will also realize at least you’re better off than most people.</p>