<p>I do know of faculty who have gone back and forth (as of right now, I don't know of any couples that do Chicago/Northwestern... I know a Chicago/UIC and I knew a Chicago/UIUC... long commute there...) but I do know that both are very cross-admit happy from undergrad to grad. I do see a good deal of NU sweatshirts and bumperstickers on the U of C campus, and NU admissions reps for grad school come to the U of C and sit on U of C-hosted panels.</p>
<p>I'm also involved in some U of C campus programming, and we often go side-by-side to compare what we're doing to NU and vice-versa. Some of us have visited NU to see facilities and vice versa. All the NU people we've talked to have been really great and quite helpful.</p>
<p>The schools may compete with each other over some students, but that's about it.</p>
<p>Arbiter, I know this through a friend (NU alumni) who is in the development department at U of C, and was in the development department at NU prior to that.</p>
<p>Comparing NWU to the UC is like comparing bowling to ballet. UC is famous for its academic rigor, its nobel laureates and Rhodes scholars. Its School of Economics is a brand in itself. Its core curriculum is looked upon by many top schools. The Chicago Manual of Style is used by all serious English-language writers is the benchmark for serious writing standards. Need I go on?</p>
<p>Most of the comments here that favor NWU are about pretty people and sports and its suburban campus. If that is what you are going to college for, I pity your values. NWU’s School of Journalism pales in comparison to Columbia in NYC, which is far and away number 1 for Journalism. NWU does have a good Film, TV and Theater Department, but UC has no interest in such cute subjects. Kellogg at NWU is fine for marketing but the Booth School of Business at UC is tops for Finance, and no matter how hard Kellogg tries it can’t keep up. </p>
<p>In short, NWU is for well-prepared (not necessarily smart) rich kids who want a country club college experience. UC is a serious academic institution for any type of student who wants to participate in the spirit of inquir without any bells and whistles.</p>
<p>What is up with this unceasing vitriolic hatred for NU by UC students and its affiliates? Clearly, Northwestern is doing something right if its generating so much hatred and concealed envy. You actually feel the need to put another school down (and even resurrect a thread from years ago to do so)?</p>
<p>That is a curious one. A guy created an account just to post in one 5 year old thread that should have remained buried.
But wildcatum, I don’t think it ccrubi can be considered a UC student or affiliate, nor can his opinion be thought of as an accurate portrayal of UCs. The few UC’ans I know have nothing but respect for NU, and vice versa. Phiruki (or something) and ccrubi do seem to have an axe to grind, but most people I know at UC barely even compare themselves with other universities. I hope this doesnt change.</p>
<p>I think that those who spout hate are the UCers who wish they’d had a more normal college, and weren’t suited for the “Life of the Mind.” Now they are trying to defend their choice, because they themselves are insecure about it.</p>
<p>Didn’t really feel like responding to @ccrubi’s rant, but I was itching to correct a few things that you said:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Northwestern is always abbreviated as NU, and NEVER NWU. The fact that you use that abbreviation betrays the fact that you probably know much less about the school than you pretend to.</p></li>
<li><p>There’s the Radio, Television, and Film Department, and then there’s the Theater Department – both programs are highly regarded in their respective fields. Oh, and I dare you to tell the thousands of intelligent, successful, and immensely creative alums in those industries that their fields are nothing but “cute” subjects worthy of derision.</p></li>
<li><p>Northwestern and Mizzou are widely considered the best undergraduate journalism programs in the country. Columbia doesn’t even have an undergrad program. For graduate journalism programs, Columbia and Northwestern are considered tops. Medill in no way “pales in comparison” to Columbia’s program.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>@ccrubi, NU isn’t only good at “cute subjects”. Its R&D expenditure is one of the highest among all research universities (higher than UChicago by the way). Cute subjects don’t get that much R&D money.</p>
<p>In case it ever comes up in a game of NU Trivial Pursuit, Northwestern’s original internet domain name was “nwu.edu.” Transition to the current “northwestern.edu” started in early 2000.</p>
<p>I agree it is silly to resurrect an old thread to continue the argument, but had to add to wildcatalum that the ‘its’ was right the first time. It’s is the contraction of it is, its is the possessive. Hope you weren’t an English major!</p>
<p>“It is” is in reference to the second “it” obviously…“it is generating.” Before you correct other people’s writing, I suggest you think more carefully next time.</p>
<p>I went to NU, but will try to give a balanced view. Both schools are world class and I don’t think one can go wrong with either. </p>
<p>Northwestern has more of a pre-professional bent with schools in engineering, journalism, etc. while UChicago is essentially a liberal arts college at the undergraduate level. </p>
<p>I would say UChicago is more renowned and famous globally, and students are far more intellectual (that is, focused on learning for its own sake) than at NU. While bar fights erupt over claims to which Shakespeare play is best at UC, such an event would be laughable at NU.</p>
<p>Uchicago commands more respect; it’s a wonderful school that’s getting better every year. You’ll meet highly intellectual people, and UChicago is characterized by it’s “learning for the sake of learning” student body. Outstanding professors, and Hyde park is very good (though south side is not). Simple put, it’s an intellectual paradise.
NU is good, but UChicago has ivy league like prestige. It’s TOUGH, and your gpa may suffer, but northwestern is tough as well. I personally didn’t apply to uchicago, but that’s due to my specific career goals.
If you get into both, visit both. But Chicago is truly something special. (minus the aforementioned grade deflation)</p>
<p>If you’re more into the frat/drinking scene, northwestern is better; Nu also has the edge in that it offers big 10 athletics vs D III at uchicago.</p>
<p>^It’s naive to think just about everyone in UChicago is “learning for the sake of learning”. These days, UChicago admission is casting a very wide net and aggressively recruiting anybody with decent stats (mass mailings). They want a divese student body, instead of just narrowly focused and nerdy type. There may be higher fraction of those in UChicago and it’s all just a matter of extent.</p>