<p>I'm a rising senior who'll be applying to Northwestern this fall. I wanted to know if any current or past students were willing to discuss their experience at Northwestern- academic, non-academic, etc. Also, I'm considering Cornell, Penn and Duke along with Northwestern and have been debating whether to apply early to one of them. If anyone had any comments regarding similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses among these schools that would be really helpful (e.g. why you chose Northwestern over Penn/Duke/Cornell, vice versa).</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You’ve listed four great schools. It’s a win for you if you get into any one of them, and an embarrassment of riches if you get into two or more.
Academically speaking, they are all superb - among the very finest universities in the country.
I would recommend that you consider whether, and to what degree, location matters to you. I know that some people hate Ithaca, while others think it’s a pretty good college town. I know some Duke alums who think (understandably) that Duke has one of the most beautiful campuses in America, but that the town it’s in leaves much to be desired (one friend has referred to it as “a dump”). Penn is the largest of the four schools, and Philadelphia is a great city, but it’s not located in a very appealing part of Philly. Northwestern (and, I confess my bias) is beautifully situated on the shore of Lake Michigan; Evanston is a great town with lots to do; and the wonderful city of Chicago is right at NU’s doorstep. The only negative I’ve ever heard, geographically speaking, concerns the cold.</p>