I am choosing between Northwestern and Stanford. I’m having a really tough time with deciding. I’m interested in Manufacturing and Design Engineering and Product Design, maybe Mechanical Engineering too. I am also very interested in Music Technology/Sound Design and the arts in general.
I really absolutely love Northwestern and the campus but everyone tells me I should choose Stanford.
I was wondering if anyone could share their thoughts, pros/cons of either school, any suggestions of ideas… really appreciate your input
P.s. The weather is not a factor from me, I’m from the Northeast and have never been bothered by the wind or cold
Go against the crowd. Northwestern is an excellent school and will give you all you need from a college experience. The fact that you really love NW is very telling and something not everybody finds.
@mikeny17 you said “I really absolutely love Northwestern and the campus”
Since you love Northwestern please go there - it is a fantastic school! Great programs and opportunities. I am not sure who everyone is,but if there is no compelling reason for Stanford, do not feel compelled to go there. Go where you really want to and feel very proud about Northwestern!
Go with fit. Since you prefer Northwestern, go there.
If you were interested in computer science i would suggest Stanford, because it’s tops in the world (top-3 anyway…) for CS and all the jobs are right there. But Northwestern is comparably good overall elsewhere and is probably as good or better overall in the humanities; they certainly emphasize the humanities to a greater degree. In Engineering both are good enough for your purposes. (or anyone else’s…)
NU may not have the international prestige, but at the undergrad level lines become blurred. So yeah, go where you feel led, where you fit best. (assuming there’s no big cost difference…)
I’d say the same if the other option were Harvard, Princeton, MIT, etc. – Northwestern is an academic powerhouse, too, so superior fit is all the reason you need to choose it. (assuming cost is ok…)
I think NU’s engineering programs are phenomenal. Freshmen have a group project with real companies. You really get off the ground running. If your gut feeling is to go with Northwestern, you should go with that. Good Luck!
Out here it’s famous. As an example, Stanford students and professors came to our local middle school and went about redesigning local education at the K-12 level. And local students and teachers get to visit and learn at “d” school on campus. This is just one aspect of the “d” school.
To me, this isn’t even close. Hands down Stanford.
Oh to add that Stanford’s “d” school, along with the Chan-Zuckerberg and the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation, helped start and design a new public high school here locally called the Design Tech High School. The resources and collaborations that the “d” school have access to are obviously considerable. Again, this only represents just the educational part of the “d” school.
No school is for everyone, including Stanford. One of mine chose not to attend Stanford, it happens. The people telling you Stanford aren’t the ones spending four years there. This is your life, your decision. Own it.
I think it’s fine to pick NU. The things you listed are offered at NU specificly but not at Stanford, at least not at the undergraduate level as far as I know. Northwestern puts s lot of emphasis on on design thinking in its curriculum. Design for America was founded there.
You also mention being interested in music technology and sound design. In that case, developing Cali contacts may be more valuable to you. A college’s value is not just in the years you spend within their walls but in what resources and contacts you gain through the experience.
If you have visited both universities and you are totally sure that you prefer NW much more then sure go for it. Sure Stanford is more prestigious and a stronger school, but NW is really strong and elite too.
Just make sure you are honest with yourself and you have no regrets whatever you choose.
