<p>Hi guys,</p>
<p>I'm a current freshman at Northwestern in the School of Education and Social Policy (but I started out in Weinberg). I'd love to answer your questions about why you should go here, what dorm you should live in, or whatever else. </p>
<p>If you'd rather use Facebook to ask questions, my name's Amy Pooley, so find me and send me a message if you want.</p>
<p>Go!</p>
<p>I have a few questions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are you able to take classes that are in other schools within NU? Like though you are in the school of education and social policy, would you still be able to do a course in Weinberg should you so choose?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the largest lecture you have ever been in/heard of someone being in?</p></li>
<li><p>What is your general opinion of the quarter system?</p></li>
<li><p>Overall, are you satisfied with your advisor/the advising system?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I can't remember the rest, but I will eventually, so I'll get back to you.
Thank you!!</p>
<p>Amy, I am dissapointed in you! Chapin kids are supposed to be anti-social!</p>
<p>Thank you liketotally!</p>
<p>here're the questions:
1. How IS the RTVF major in the schools of communication? I know that you're not major in it, but in case you have anything to say about it, and the people in that program.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If i'm studying RTVF, which residential college should i live in? I don't want to be surrounded by people of engineering and pre-med and stuff.</p></li>
<li><p>how do you feel about the greek system at large? are you in it?</p></li>
<li><p>i've heard comments about that "people in northwestern are socially inept" - while i certainly don't think it's true and i'm not really fond of "wild games" and such, how do you feel about the social scene in northwestern?</p></li>
<li><p>yeah, and how is the quarter system?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you again liketotally!</p>
<p>Hey ohhhradio,</p>
<ol>
<li>Are you able to take classes that are in other schools within NU? Like though you are in the school of education and social policy, would you still be able to do a course in Weinberg should you so choose?</li>
</ol>
<p>Definitely. I'm actually not taking any SESP courses at all right now -- I'm taking economics, math, psychology, and biology. Last quarter, I took two SESP courses. All students in the specialized schools (SESP, Medill, Communication, etc.) take classes in Weinberg. The other way around (taking classes in other schools if you're in Weinberg) is tougher, but often possible. </p>
<ol>
<li>What is the largest lecture you have ever been in/heard of someone being in?</li>
</ol>
<p>Right now I'm in a lecture that is probably two or three hundred people, and that's pretty common for big intro courses (like intro to psychology or sociology). To be perfectly honest, though, big lecture courses don't ENTIRELY deserve the bad reputation they get -- for sure, you'll probably get more out of a small class with twenty or fewer students, but you can still have awesome professors and learn interesting material in a big class. Also, big classes are WAY less stressful -- haven't done all your reading before class because you were busy studying for another class's midterm the night before? No problem, you can do it later. It's tougher to get away with that in a really small class. </p>
<p>Once you get into non-intro courses, though, your classes will probably be pretty small.</p>
<ol>
<li>What is your general opinion of the quarter system?</li>
</ol>
<p>I like the quarter system overall. You get to take more classes, and the classes don't drag on painfully the way they did in high school because they're over in 10 weeks. Sometimes it does feel like you always have a midterm around the corner, but I personally like that because it keeps me from procrastinating too much -- you've got to stay on your **** to keep up with the quarter system. </p>
<ol>
<li>Overall, are you satisfied with your advisor/the advising system?</li>
</ol>
<p>My advisor is da bomb. Seriously. In SESP, each major (I'm Social Policy) has its own advisor, all of whom are awesome, from what I hear. Mine sends out emails once every week or two telling us about events and opportunities we might want to know about, and he once sent me an email out of the blue asking how I was doing and about how my classes were going.</p>
<p>Weinberg's a little different. Your freshman seminar professor will be your freshman advisor, and that'll probably be great, because you'll talk with them a lot about your plans and whatnot. Once you get an adviser in your major, you will most likely have to seek them out to see them. That doesn't mean it'll be impossible; it means you'll have to make the effort to make appointments. I think in general though, the advising system here is pretty good.</p>
<p>Hey karlawang,</p>
<ol>
<li>How IS the RTVF major in the schools of communication? I know that you're not major in it, but in case you have anything to say about it, and the people in that program.</li>
</ol>
<p>Unfortunately, I don't know all that much about RTVF. I have a friend in my dorm who's in the major, though, and he seems to like it, and I've only ever heard positive things about it, really. </p>
<ol>
<li>If i'm studying RTVF, which residential college should i live in? I don't want to be surrounded by people of engineering and pre-med and stuff.</li>
</ol>
<p>You'll probably want to live on south campus, where you'll tend to find a lot of the people in Comm/Medill/Music/arts majors. North tends to be science-y people. Of course, there are always exceptions to that, and if it's really important to be right next to the frats, or something, you might want to live north, but otherwise I'd definitely say south. Dorm recommendations: If you want to live in a big dorm, Willard is great and I also like Hinman a lot. For smaller dorms, you could live in CRC (Communications Residential College), which I would imagine has a lot of RTVF people, or even my dorm, Chapin! Chapin's the Humanities Residential College, and it's awesome. Basically though, I would consider all of the south campus dorms are good places to live. </p>
<p>One more thing: If you're really into partying, Willard and Allison are the biggest party dorms on south campus. If partying's not that important to you, or you're only looking to party on the weekends and are okay with walking to a frat instead of living in a party dorm, any of the other south campus dorms will work for you. I can say from my personal experience that Chapin has a reputation for being quiet but that groups of people often go up north to the frats on the weekends, so if you want to do that in a small dorm, you can. We just get to live someplace that's quiet, which is nice. </p>
<ol>
<li>how do you feel about the greek system at large? are you in it?
I'm not in the Greek system, but overall I don't have huge problems with it. I think a lot of people like it because it helps them to meet people, which is obviously a good thing. The main thing I don't like about the Greek system is that it is by nature exclusive, but that's true everywhere, not just at Northwestern. </li>
</ol>
<p>A lot of people join fraternities and sororities, and if that's your thing, power to you, but if it's not, don't feel pressure to join, because there'll be other ways to meet people and have fun. </p>
<ol>
<li>i've heard comments about that "people in northwestern are socially inept" - while i certainly don't think it's true and i'm not really fond of "wild games" and such, how do you feel about the social scene in northwestern?</li>
</ol>
<p>It's true that Northwestern is a pretty clique-y school in the sense that people get really involved in their activities and tend to associate mainly with people they know from their activities, but different groups of people tend to at least be friendly with each other, even if they don't interact as much as you would hope. People at Northwestern are as a whole very friendly. I would just suggest that you try to get involved with clubs or other activities where you can meet people early on here, because that'll make a big difference in how much you enjoy your freshman year.</p>
<ol>
<li>yeah, and how is the quarter system?
See above. :)</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>If I'm planning on majoring in Engineering, it sounds like the north campus is where more science people are? Is this true?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you know what is generally considered to be the nicest dorm on the north campus?</p></li>
<li><p>I'm not sure if you would know this since I believe it's Engineering-specific, but it appears that in McCormick school there's a way to get Bachelor's and Master's in four years - do you know if it's possible to do that at the same time as the Co-op program? Presumably, it would be extended to five years as with the Co-op program.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>you're really kind liketotally :)</p>
<p>oh yeah, and btw, i don't mind the dorm is small at all....i'm from china, in which people like us environmentalists think big house is ridiculous :)</p>
<p>If I go to NU I will be in WCAS</p>
<ol>
<li><p>how many people study abroad? Is it difficult to for an entire year?</p></li>
<li><p>It is possible for freshman to be involved in research? Or do only upperclassmen get to?</p></li>
<li><p>How hard is it to get the classes you want? (do they fill up fast/early?)</p></li>
<li><p>How are the libraries? are any of them 24 hours?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for this thread!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is is possible to graduate early, esp. from Medill?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a significant amount of financial diversity or is evryone pretty much upper middle class?</p></li>
<li><p>How accessible is Chicago?</p></li>
<li><p>On a superficial note, how attractive are the people at Northwestern? Is their more dating going on or more hookups?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hey Jarn,</p>
<ol>
<li>If I'm planning on majoring in Engineering, it sounds like the north campus is where more science people are? Is this true?</li>
</ol>
<p>There are definitely more engineering people north campus, but there are some who live south. If the south campus culture appeals to you a lot more than the north campus culture, I'd say go south, but otherwise you can count on meeting a lot of engineers up north.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do you know what is generally considered to be the nicest dorm on the north campus?</li>
</ol>
<p>Unfortunately, I'm not all that knowledgeable about north campus dorms. I know Slivka's supposed to be really nice, and I'm fairly certain freshmen can live there, because it's a residential college. I eat at Sargent's dining hall sometimes, and I think it's pretty nice. Elder, also, is supposed to be a good place to live. Bobb's the dorm that has the reputation for having suffered abuse from a lot of partying, but I don't know how true that is because I've only been in there once.</p>
<ol>
<li>I'm not sure if you would know this since I believe it's Engineering-specific, but it appears that in McCormick school there's a way to get Bachelor's and Master's in four years - do you know if it's possible to do that at the same time as the Co-op program? Presumably, it would be extended to five years as with the Co-op program.</li>
</ol>
<p>I have absolutely no idea, but that's definitely something you can ask your adviser about, or you can even email someone in the engineering department about it over the summer if you're really wondering. I do know someone who does the Co-op program, though, and she seems to really like it and like all the experience she's getting from it.</p>
<p>Howdy dweezer,</p>
<ol>
<li>how many people study abroad? Is it difficult to for an entire year?</li>
</ol>
<p>A lot of people study abroad, and most people seem to do it during the fall of their junior year, but I also know that there are a lot of programs where you can go for a whole school year, and I know of a couple of people who've done that. Also, you should know that if you get financial aid, your aid is applicable to study abroad as long as it's a Northwestern-affiliated program. Which is way cool.</p>
<ol>
<li>It is possible for freshman to be involved in research? Or do only upperclassmen get to?</li>
</ol>
<p>This isn't something I've looked at yet. Research is generally something people don't really do until sophomore, junior, and senior years, but I don't think there's a rule somewhere that says you can't. This is something I'd suggest talking with your adviser about when you get here. I imagine that if you seek these opportunities out, you'll have a pretty good shot of finding them. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>How hard is it to get the classes you want? (do they fill up fast/early?)
Depends. Big intro classes are pretty easy to get into, but if you're a freshman, there'll sometimes be smaller classes you want to take that will fill up, because we get the last registration slots. That becomes less of a problem in later years. The good news is that many classes are offered the same quarter every year, so if you don't get one one year you'll probably be able to get it the next. Also, once you declare a major you get to pre-register in that major, so no worries about not being able to fill requirements or anything.</p></li>
<li><p>How are the libraries? are any of them 24 hours?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The libraries are good and big with lots of places to study. I don't think there are any open 24 hours, but the main library is always open until like, 2 or something. But I hope you don't plan on studying all night, anyway. Sleep is a good thing! :)</p>
<p>what exactly is the Northwestern MMSS? i hear ppl talk about it alot!</p>
<p>hi amy!! thanks so much for doing this!! all of these questions have been really helpful.
Here are a few of mine:
1. How is the nightlife in Chicago? How often do people go into the city to party or see shows, etc?
2. How doable is a 3.0 GPA? Is it easy or do you have to study 24/7?
3. Are the current Medill students happy with the curriculum?
Thanks so much!!!! <3333333333</p>
<p>Hey mo_running,</p>
<ol>
<li>Is is possible to graduate early, esp. from Medill?</li>
</ol>
<p>(My roommate's in Medill, so I'm asking her.) She thinks it's possible, but she doesn't advise it. She says you shouldn't take more than one journalism writing class per quarter because of how much work they are, and graduating early would require you to. You'll also miss out on a lot of opportunities at Northwestern if you graduate early. But it also depends how early you're talking: A quarter early: totally feasible. A year early: really tough.</p>
<ol>
<li>Is there a significant amount of financial diversity or is evryone pretty much upper middle class?</li>
</ol>
<p>Northwestern kids tend to be at least upper-middle class, but there are also a lot of people on financial aid (including me). If you come from a working- or middle- class background, you'll probably be kind of surprised by the number of wealthy and connected people you meet, but it's also not a bad thing, because people don't tend to be showy about their money or anything. </p>
<ol>
<li>How accessible is Chicago?</li>
</ol>
<p>It's a half-hour to one-hour train or shuttle ride away. Which might sound bad to you, but if you bring an Ipod it passes really quickly. Seriously, seriously, seriously, if you come to Northwestern, don't forget about Chicago. It's one of the best cities in the world. Make time in your schedule to visit. Research places you'd like to see and then go. It'll make your time at Northwestern much more rewarding.</p>
<ol>
<li>On a superficial note, how attractive are the people at Northwestern? Is their more dating going on or more hookups?</li>
</ol>
<p>Haha. Northwestern's more of a hook-up place, I'd say. I hear a lot about weekend hook-ups and not all that much about people going on planned dates. I'm gay though, and so I don't have any experience with the straight dating scene.</p>
<p>Though we're not really known for being a particularly hot school, I think people at Northwestern are pretty attractive -- people tend to care about how they look (to the extent that they want to look clean and presentable, not that everyone's really into fashion or anything), and a lot of people exercise and eat pretty healthily. Also, the girls here, as a whole, tend to be more attractive than the guys.</p>
<p>what exactly is the Northwestern MMSS? i hear ppl talk about it alot!</p>
<p>I actually almost applied to MMSS this spring, but decided against it. MMSS (Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences) is a program where you double-major in MMSS and another subject, usually a social sciences like economics or political science. In your first two years of the program, two courses each quarter are MMSS courses, in which you'll learn **** from the fields of math, statistics, economics, and political science. Also, in your senior year you do a capstone research project. It's a really prestigious program and from what I hear tough to get into, but it's not too competitive within the program as far as I know (meaning people tend to work together and aren't cutthroat). It's a lot of work though, so if you do it be prepared to do a lot of really difficult problem sets, and from what I hear it's tough on your GPA. But all the people I've talked to who have done it say it's great for internship and job opportunities and are glad they've done it.</p>
<ol>
<li>How is the nightlife in Chicago? How often do people go into the city to party or see shows, etc?</li>
</ol>
<p>I don't really go to Chicago to party, but I know people who go dancing and whatnot and they seem to be able to find a good time. I'm really into going to concerts, so I do that pretty often. </p>
<p>I go into the city once at least once every week or two and often more, but I'd say a lot of people go every month or so. But how often you go into Chicago is seriously up to you -- it depends a lot on what you prioritize.</p>
<ol>
<li>How doable is a 3.0 GPA? Is it easy or do you have to study 24/7?</li>
</ol>
<p>I take it you're in Medill. GPA depends a lot on what you study -- science-y people tend to have lower GPA's. In Medill, you'll be taking lots of arts classes, where you will in all likelihood be able to keep a 3.0 without going nuts studying. I'm definitely not someone who studies all the time, and I'm fine with my GPA. Of course, I'm still taking a lot of intro courses, and you are bound to have lots of reading to do all the time, but decent grades should be manageable. </p>
<ol>
<li>Are the current Medill students happy with the curriculum? </li>
</ol>
<p>A lot of Medill kids are frustrated with the new curriculum -- I'll ask my roommate, if you want, if I can give you her contact information, and she'll be the person to ask about it.</p>
<p>Even with the changes and some frustrations, though, Medill is still an excellent school, and Northwestern is a great place to be a journalist.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for answering my questions!</p>
<p>To everyone who said thank you: You're welcome!</p>
<p>Bump?</p>