Hello, I am a senior from MN and during my college search, I have fallen in love with Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. The campus is beautiful, it is very prestigious, it’s located in the Midwest and the atmosphere is amazing. I’ve visited campus twice and NU has solidified itself as my dream school. However, Northwestern is very expensive and does not offer any merit aid (as do many highly selective colleges, since all of their students would be deserving). I love the feel of NU, but I don’t love the idea of spending all of my savings (and then some) on my undergraduate education, especially since I’d love to go on to a prestigious law school. I’m very hopeful that I can find a similar vibe at a more affordable cost (hopefully with merit aid available) and would be very appreciative of any suggestions of schools to look into.
What I loved about NU and would like to find elsewhere:
the size, (Northwestern has about 8,000 undergrads): it’s big enough to meet new people but small enough that my tour guides ran into friends around campus multiple times during the tour
school spirit!!! Everyone at NU seemed to have a ton of pride in their school and the students were supportive of school traditions, sports teams, etc. Everyone was wearing the school colors and seemed so happy to be where they were
student involvement: students are active members of the school community and the majority live on or very near campus. The students appeared very multi-dimensional; not only were they passionate about academics, but many were also involved in athletics and the arts (just like I am)
diversity: NU had students from different places and socioeconomic backgrounds.
I understand that NU is a highly selective and prestigious school and that no school can be exactly like another. I’m hoping to find a slightly less exclusive college where I could find merit aid, but still a school that has this positive atmosphere and a good reputation. If you have any recommendations of colleges or universities that might share this vibe of school pride, involvement, etc., please let me know! Being from MN, schools in the Midwest are the most accessible and appealing, but I’d be very grateful for any suggestions. Thank you so much for your time!
You mentioned prestige and reputation numerous times. Calm down the steam train; academic quality is not synonymous with making it on the Top 35 list of USNWR. There are plenty of wonderful schools out there that don’t drain your bank account; they don’t have to impress your neighbors at barbecues. So get that aspect out of your head first so you can be open to other schools.
What are your scores/stats? What major are you looking for? Obviously, Northwestern is a reach but we need to have an idea of where you CAN get in with good merit.
I recommend you look at Marquette, Case Western, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Ball State.
Nevertheless, these awards are not likely to make the school affordable.
Many colleges in the midwest offer merit aid, but it can be very difficult to win at the most elite schools (U of Chicago, Notre Dame, WUSTL, etc.) What are your stats (GPA, SAT or ACT, PSAT)? Those will be a guide to where you can get merit aid. And how much can you pay? That will tell how much merit aid you will need.
Do you know for certain that you need to be looking for merit aid rather than need-based aid? Have you run the Net Price Calculator for Northwestern to see how much need-based aid you would get?
The University of Wisconsin has relatively low costs for out-of-state students (< $40K) compared to other top state flagships (like Michigan). It is less selective than NU but seems to have many of the same qualities you’re after. You are unlikely to get enough merit aid from the highly-selective midwestern private schools that offer it (UChicago, WUSTL, ND) to bring the costs down to Wisconsin’s full OOS sticker price level. Besides, don’t Minnesota and Wisconsin have tuition reciprocity deals? UW-Madison would be a tremendous bargain at Minnesota in-state rates.
However, if you want to toss a Hail Mary pass to a super selective college that offers big merit scholarships, then consider Duke. Location aside, it seems to offer everything you like about NU. If you’d consider a smaller (but also excellent) North Carolina college with a more realistic shot at merit aid, check out Davidson College. Bigger and less selective? Consider the University of Alabama (which guarantees full tuition merit scholarships for students with 3.5 GPAs and SAT CR+M scores of 1400, or better).
Then of course there’s UofM-Twin Cities, at less than $25K for MN residents.
TheDidactic is correct…prestigious is not a reason to spend 4 years at a school. it falls under the same category that a rock star or nba player becomes very attractive because of their status but if they were a regular working joe there “looks” would be average or below average. get past the smoke and mirrors in your mind. NW is a fine school but I would not obsess over it.
“You mentioned prestige and reputation numerous times. Calm down the steam train; academic quality is not synonymous with making it on the Top 35 list of USNWR. There are plenty of wonderful schools out there that don’t drain your bank account”
“I recommend you look at Marquette, Case Western, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Ball State.”
Michigan is a top 35 school, is considered prestigious, and WILL drain your bank account.
I recommend you look at Marquette, Case Western, University of Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Ball State.
Being a Minnesota resident, the University of Wisconsin ought to be a no-brainer for you. In my opinion it has the beauty, prestige and the sticker price through the Wisconsin-Minnesota reciprocity that you are looking for. No brainer.