Ask Me Questions about Northwestern

<p>I'm not sure Journalism + Econ is "common" but it's certainly do-able. Arbiter, are you in Medill? I am and I can say that it is not that hard. Honestly, it is a lot of work, but it's not hard just tedious. I don't want to say that Medill doesn't live up to its name, but I'd be happy to tell anyone about my experience in Medill if they want to know.</p>

<p>I'm not, but my friends who are lovvvve to complain or are constantly busy. Now again, the "how smart are you" effect comes into play, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt when they're my friends. If you say its not that hard, it may not be. But that may just mean its not that "hard for you.</p>

<p>Well, it was 15 degrees outside today with the wind chill it was below 0. I know something about windchill.</p>

<p>@ Sachmoney</p>

<p>One of m most memorable moments is just learning the geography of the region. Chicago is a very large metropolitan area (3rd largest in the nation) and I enjoyed learning how to get around whether by bus, the L, the Metra, car, or the campus shuttle buses. I also enjoyed watching the Chicago skyline at night from campus on Lake Michigan. Chicago also has a rich and significant history.</p>

<p>well sachman,</p>

<p>boston isn't exactly known for its windchill as chicago is, but if you say so.</p>

<p>i guess you're ready for the cold man. if the cold isn't an issue, i don't see why you wouldn't love northwestern ;)</p>

<p>I'm most likely going to major in econ and statistics. what are good dorms that i can live in that will be close to my classes?</p>

<p>^^ that's tough because your classes are probably going to be spread out north and south (especially when you're doing distros)</p>

<p>If there's anything I've learned last quarter, it is that you should never choose your dorm based on where you THINK you might have your classes. If you must choose your dorm based on your prospective majors, oddsmaker90, go north; I had my first econ class in Harris but my this quarter I have it at Tech and a lot of the other ones take place in Kellogg which is closer from north campus dorms like Sargent or CCI, if you can. Most of your stats class will probably be up north too. But truth be told, our campus isn't even that big to begin with so I really don't think you want to pick your dorm based on where you might have classes and walking distance.</p>

<p>Elder, by the way, is a no-no for ANYONE. It's like living off campus, only on the north-end of campus where there is nothing. The food is also horrible from what I hear.</p>

<p>Except its super fun being in an all Freshman dorm. Elder is really nice if its the sort of dorm you think you might like.</p>

<p>Personaly I love my tiny little dorm on South Campus that no one has heard of!</p>

<p>elder is up there with bobb-mcculloch for dorms you want to live in if you are a) very social and b) want to be rushed by fraternities</p>

<p>What is the dorm situation at Northwestern? Are there adequate dorms for students to live on campus all four years should they choose to do so?</p>

<p>@ KeyofH</p>

<p>It is possible to live on campus all four years. I lived in on-campus housing all four years. One of the most popular dorms for upperclassmen are NMQ/SMQ, Foster-Walker, 1835 Hinman, and Kemper Halls.</p>

<p>So atardecer0 (or anyone else), whats it like in Medill? I'd like to know.</p>

<p>'tis the reason why NU is my top choice.</p>

<p>Well, I'm in Cleveland right now. Boston doesn't get nearly as cold as it does here.</p>

<p>Sainclaire,</p>

<p>I am a freshman in Medill, currently in the middle of my second quarter of journalism classes. I'm your fairly typical Medill kid - did newspaper work in high school, have aspirations to work for a certain publication, etc.</p>

<p>Almost all of the Medill '11 people, myself included, definitely have a love/hate relationship with the journalism program.</p>

<p>Classes are challenging and will push you to really get out onto campus and into downtown Evanston to report. That sort of difficultly is expected, though, because Medill wants to maintain its reputation.</p>

<p>What bothers me is the new required class they have for freshmen, starting this year, called Multimedia Storytelling. It's part of Medill's plan to make sure that we all graduate with diverse reporting skills that make us more marketable as journalists. But since this is its first year, it's a highly disorganized class with irrelevant lectures and unrealistic assignments that you're allowed a very short time to complete. We're the guinea pigs.</p>

<p>One kid actually got frostbite on his hand from our video project from last week - we had to go into downtown Evanston while the temperature was about -2 and attempt to flag strangers down for on-the-street video interviews. The poor guy got rejected 9 times and eventually went home with nothing.</p>

<p>Despite all the crap you have to put up with in freshman year, from what I hear, the upper-level classes are amazing and truly show you why Medill is the #1 journalism school. Once you're allowed to pursue your specialization (print/magazine/broadcast), you really feel in your element and start to have a lot of fun.</p>

<p>So I hear, anyway.</p>

<p>So far, I would give Medill a B+ . . . it's difficult and stressful at times, but that stress is lessened by the fact that 150 kids are going through the exact same thing with you. And after just 10 weeks of class, you look back and realize that they were hard on you for a reason - they wanted you to learn the skills and grow as a journalist, and that is exactly what happens in such a short amount of time. It's actually really cool.</p>

<p>The first year of Medill isn't easy - it's the weed-out year. But it's well worth it. :)</p>

<p>is it a good school?</p>

<p>If by "it" you mean Medill, (althought the answer is pretty much the same for Northwestern in general), then yes, it's fantastic! It's just theraputic to complain about it sometimes. :) But personally, I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.</p>

<p>Of course NU is a good school ;)</p>

<p><em>taryn</em>, technically speaking, Medill isn't the #1 j-school. that destinction belongs to UM-Columbia. Medill's emphasis on liberal arts education and the amazingly strong academics throughout NU's other schools, however, makes it the most desirable and advantageous j-school in the country.</p>

<p>sainclaire, as taryn said, the first year of Medill isn't easy. a lot of people figure out that they do not want to be a journalist (for whatever reason) and A LOT of people get frustrated with the curriculum. i have voiced my concerns about the changing curricula to Dean Levine and other administrators, but it's really all for the best. in order to get better, Medill must change its methods of teaching and such changes will inevitably lead to logistical problems about which students will complain to no end. </p>

<p>the bottom line is that you really have to be motivated and have a strong desire to dig deep on stories and work through problems, like the -2-degree temps in winter quarter, for all four years. you just have to put a little faith into the system and know that you're getting as much out of it as -- if not more than -- you put in. i cannot give a definitive answer about whether Medill is the right place for you. if you want to chat about your interests and goals, i'd be more than happy to help and give you some advice. PM, email or AIM works fine for me.</p>

<p>What did you major in, and what do you do now? How was NU's career/grad school placement services for your field(s)?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>