Northwestern Support System

<p>Hey guys,
I'm currently considering what college to attend next fall, and a big factor is the support system for students- AKA tutoring, deans being available for 1on1 work, and professors genuinely caring about the success of students. Northwestern is pretty high on my list, but I haven't been able to visit yet, so I'm wondering if y'all might be able to elaborate on some of the things NU has to offer.</p>

<p>I’m not a student (yet) so I can’t really say, but I was extremely impressed on my tour. Everyone on campus was almost ridiculously considerate - it was great! My mom and I were starving after our tour and couldn’t remember where the student union was, so we asked a few girls for directions; they stopped, walked us halfway there, and asked me all about my tour experience and my hometown. We got lost again on our way to the car (it’s a big campus, okay!) and a couple happily pointed us in the right direction. Profs have office hours (like most universities) where you’re encouraged to ask questions that they don’t answer in class. Tutoring is available and the trimester system allows for plenty of time to earn all of your credits in four years. Good luck!</p>

<p>As a parent of a freshman, I am very happy with the support system in place. When you arrive on campus, you are assigned a Peer Advisor (someone from your school) and you spend most of the first week with your PA group. They are there for ANY questions you have. You will meet an advisor that first week and they will help you through course selection and considerations about majors. You will have an Resident Advisor in the dorm. NU wants you to succeed and will support you all the way. </p>

<p>The support systems at NU are terrific. Better yet, the professors are accessible and genuinely care about and respect the students. This is not the case at all colleges. I am a parent of children who have attended four different highly ranked colleges and Northwestern gets the highest grades in this department.</p>

<p>After four quarters at NU, I’ve only had one professor (out of 18) who didn’t care about the students in the class. The majority of the remaining 17 were - and have been - extremely helpful and caring, and are just great people.</p>

<p>I’ve never met with a dean, but advisers are glad to meet with you and help you out with pretty much anything, at least in first quarter freshman seminars in Weinberg, McCormick, and Weinberg departments (from my personal experience). Not sure about general Weinberg advising or that for other schools.</p>

<p>Additionally, many of the introductory math and science courses have excellent tutoring programs where you get to work one-on-one with undergraduate and/or graduate students and professors to get through difficult material, if you’re into that kind of thing; I learned a lot from the math ones. I think intro Econ classes have that as well, but I’m not sure.</p>