Chicago is cool! How is the quarter system? what are my chances?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Northwestern University
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<p>Northwestern is quickly climbing up my list and figured now was a good time to ask a few questions:</p>

<p>How hard is it to see friends who go to schools that follow a trimester system?
-This is probably my biggest question as I live on the east coast and all east coast schools really follow the other system so will I only be seeing them over the summer?</p>

<p>How is the social life?
-Not as big of a deal but I am the kind of person who works hard at everything I do and I enjoy blowing off the steam. School will always come first but I enjoy partying/chilling out/going into the city (I live near NY so I love spending time in big cities).</p>

<p>How prevelant is Chicago in the social life?
-Is it hard to get into the city/is the city expensive/how often do kids typically take advantage of the city???</p>

<p>Now for the question I know you've all been waiting for: What are my chances RD?</p>

<p>SAT: M:740 CR: 720 W: 700 = 2160 (going to retake)
SAT II: US: 780 Physics: 770 Math IC: 740 Bio: 720 Chem: 710
ACT: Math:36 Reading:36 Sci:35 Eng:26 = 33 Essay:11 (most likely going to retake)</p>

<p>Freshman and Sophmore Weighted (all school provides) GPA =94.5
Junior year GPA =99+
Major upward trend that looks something like Freshmen:92ish Soph:96ish Junior:very close to 100
My course load also intensified each year
School doesnt rank (Top 100 School on Long Island, typically sends 30+ out 500 to Ivy's)
AP's: Euro (3...ouch), Physics B (4), US (5)
Senior Year schedule: AP Micro/Macro/Lit/Calc AB/Physics C/Comparitve Government
All honors/AP</p>

<p>EC's:
Student Government: class treasurer (all years)
Spanish club: president
DECA: vice president
Baseball
Teens As Leaders: officer
Led a peer education seminar on AIDS</p>

<p>Awards/Honors Societies:
National Merit commended
National Honors Society
Russian Honors Society
Spanish Honors Society
4th place in a Long Island business competition</p>

<p>Work Experience:
This summer I am Interning at a Financial publishing firm/hedge fund (seperate businesses)</p>

<p>This internship has helped to reinforce my thinking that I want to work on wall street after I graduate. The man I interned for really showed me alot, he brought me into the city for meetings and conferences and really showed me the business. </p>

<p>Intended Major: Economics</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>I loathe chances threads so I can't be of much help there (just apply and hope for the best), but I can help with other questions.</p>

<p>The ONLY thing I find wrong with quarter system (which is the same as a trimester system essentially- I think you confused trimester with semester) is our wacky calendar. We start late and end late. You can see friends over thanksgiving, and you should get a 1-2 week overlap during xmas break (we start early Dec, they start mid or end of Dec). Spring break is a bit tougher to work out, but I had a few friends home last year during spring break. I don't mind ending later- friends are at home for the summer, working or missing school, and you're just starting spring quarter. We get great weather that time of year and personally I'd rather be at school than at home. </p>

<p>The benefits outweigh the downsides, in my opinion. You get to take more classes in less time, classes don't last for entire semesters, and there is plenty of opportunity to create wonderful flexible schedules (ie no friday classes). I really like the system.</p>

<p>The social life is fine... plenty of opportunities to have fun on and around campus. You have probably heard that the greek scene is fairly big at NU, and this is true. You'd be hard pressed to find a weekend without a party of some sort. Chicago as part of the social life is mixed- I know some who go in ALL THE TIME, and some like me who went in maybe 5 times freshman year. It's a wonderful city, and easily accessible by train ($2 ride, about 40 minutes away depending on where you go), but I was always fine with having fun on campus so I only went in to go to see a show, or for a special occasion or something. But it's definitely fun, exciting, and closeby.</p>

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<p>I'm going to just have to agree with everything dfleish just said...yep...</p>

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<p>haha I also agree with what dfleish said</p>

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<p>the adcoms should really pay us for the advertising we're doing for NU</p>

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<p>i agree...i love it....and i tell everyone i know. they should pay me.</p>

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<p>I love knowing that I can count on my fingers the number of weeks I have left in class, from start to finish. :)</p>

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<p>Although I have to say that it is excruciatingly boring right now for some of us incoming freshmen... the anticipation of school to start while all our friends have already begun is a little annoying :-P. But not that bad haha.</p>

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<p>It's nice for jobs though. Every other college kid goes back mid-late August and we can stay until as late as the middle of September.</p>

<p>The other nice thing about the system is having no work during vacation, since every extended break falls between quarters. So you're not cramming for tests or anything during spring break.</p>

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<p>It's amazing having no work during vacation, unlike high school where every break was ruined with projects and papers to be due after break.</p>

<p>It's nice to be able to work through September, but at the beginning of the summer, you have to remember to start job-hunting early. The semester college people will have taken all the jobs by May if you don't start looking for one early.</p>

<p>My mother just asked me, "are you going to hang out with friends today?" and I had to reply, "um...what friends?" haha they've ALL gone to college, both the ones that graduated with me and the ones that just graduated from high school. I hardly know anybody in the area anymore! But of course, you can always hang out with the NU ppl in your area, which I plan on doing until we go back to school in 2 weeks!</p>

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<p>"The semester college people will have taken all the jobs by May if you don't start looking for one early."</p>

<p>-Tell me about it..... :rolleyes:</p>

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<p>really...there are no friday classes for anyone?</p>

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<p>ummm...where did that come from? i have classes on friday like crazy</p>

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<p>Haha, that's not what I said. I said "there is plenty of opportunity to create wonderful flexible schedules (ie no friday classes)"...meaning it's possible to make schedules with no friday classes. I was able to schedule 2 quarters with that. But they do exist.</p>

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<p>yea that all depends on your major and when you get to register...with my major, some classes i have to take are on fridays</p>

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<p>I've managed two quarters without class on Fridays too... It's AMAZING.</p>

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<p>My schedules revolve around having the fewest TA sections per week as possible. I absolutely loathe TA sections. I can’t help but laugh to myself when TAs ask questions and get no answers from a room full of students. MY favorite, however, is having a section with a person who answers EVERYTHING….. the person who pretty much everyone else wants to shut up. Good times. :)</p>