nu vs wash u

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
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<p>How would you compare Northwestern to Washington University of St. Louis? My son would be a business major. I know there's no actual business major at Northwestern but it seems like you could put something together with a major in Economics and minors in other departments.</p>

<p>He likes the Big 10 aspect of Northwestern and the Chicago location but he's a legacy at Wash U so would probably have a better shot at getting in there.</p>

<p>Do you have to be in a fraternity to have a good social life at NU?</p>

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<p>[Certificate</a> Program for Undergraduates - Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/Certificate.aspx]Certificate”>Certificate Program for Undergraduates | Kellogg School of Management)
Note: the courses in the certificate programs are graduate level courses. That’s why the pre-reqs are much more demanding than pre-reqs for all (as far as I know) other undergrad business programs.</p>

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<p>[Mathematical</a> Methods in the Social Sciences Program – Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/]Mathematical”>http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/)</p>

<p>Read around to learn more about the program as well.</p>

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<p>Those are two wonderful schools.
My kid also had it down to those two, and picked NU, in part because of the appeal of Chicago (especially as compared to St. Louis), the Big 10, the waterfront location, and the general excitement of everything going on on the NU campus (including tons of organizations, Greek Life, Dance Marathon, etc.) and nearby (Evanston is great, and Chicago has just about everything you could want in a city).
I love both schools, with a slight preference for NU (which also enjoys higher academic ratings, if you buy/care about them), although I think that in terms of just the campus itself, Wash U is more attractive. It’s unbelievably subjective, so the obvious answer is that your son should shoot for wherever he thinks he’d be happiest.
You can’t lose either way!</p>

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<p>I was thinking more of the businesss institutions minor. It seems like you can take just about anything that would be in an undergraduate business curriculum. Accounting, marketing, organizational behavior, finance.</p>

<p>Is the quarter system a drawback? 3 weeks in December and 1 week in March. Do they offer a lot of classes in the summer?</p>

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<p>My D was accepted at both NU and Wash U (engineering). She accepted NU, and for her it was a clear choice. I suspect some in a similar situation would prefer Wash U.</p>

<p>In any event – maybe your S should apply to both, and visit both. If he’s fortunate enough to have a choice – well, he can’t go wrong either way.</p>

<p>IMHO, things like the quarter system vs semester system really aren’t that important in the long run. Let’s say there are plusses and minuses to each.</p>

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<p>I think they’re both reaches for him and he wouldn’t get into either unless he applies ED. The alumni thing is only good ED too. So if he applies ED to Wash U and gets in then he can’t apply to Northwestern. If he doesn’t get in to Wash U ED then he probably has no chance of getting into NU regular decision.</p>

<p>How much do kids get to take advantage of the lake, etc.? Isn’t it really, really cold there?</p>

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<p>I’m a PhD student in business at Northwestern and was accepted to WashU last year.</p>

<p>Both schools are amazing. Northwestern/Kellogg doesn’t have a formal undergrad business program (just a certificate, not a major), but boasts an MMSS (alluded to earlier in this thread) that seems to draw a lot of corporate recruiters.</p>

<p>WashU/Olin does have a Bachelors in Business and I don’t think it’s anywhere near as competitive to get into the major as it is for students to get into the certificate program at Kellogg. The facilities at Olin are fantastic. </p>

<p>In terms of living, I can’t really speak much about climate since I’ve only been here at Northwestern for half a year (during the mildest winter … ever?), but I can speak to the cities. Evanston is much like the Forest Park area in St. Louis. Safe, has food, but closes early. Chicago is a much bigger city with more things to do than Downtown St. Louis. Besides Central West End (which is comprised of a few blocks), there aren’t too many things for a 20-something to do.</p>

<p>I also realize you’re a parent. Take the nightlife thing as you will.</p>

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<p>

You’re forgetting the Loop, which is in University City, MO (~5-10 minutes from Wash U depending on your mode of transportation). That’s got retail, nightlife, food, and local culture. (Also, the grammar ninja in me is compelled to point out that “comprised of” is incorrect!)</p>

<p>Chicago is much bigger than St. Louis, but I have always gotten a sort of warm vibe from St. Louis, while I feel that it’s easy to get lost or be more anonymous in Chicago. Wash U is sort of in between the city and the suburbs of St. Louis, which I think offers more flexibility than does Evanston to Chicago. IIRC, it’s about 15-20 miles from NU to downtown Chicago, but from Wash U to downtown St. Louis, it’s around 7-8 miles. The fact that Wash U is also adjacent to Forest Park, which includes the science museum, history museum, art museum, zoo, etc. - all of which is free, which I think is unique about St. Louis. (I don’t know if NU students get free access to the Chicago museum campus area attractions.)</p>

<p>However, compared to St. Louis’ institutions, Chicago’s are infinitely superior. The Art Institute Chicago, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium (St. Louis doesn’t have a major aquarium), etc. And Millennium Park is so much bigger and more interesting than any comparable St. Louis public space (although they have Citygarden, which is tiny but cool).</p>

<p>St. Louis, I think, will appeal more to those interested to promoting city development; St. Louis has plenty of potential and there are plenty of groups working to elevate it to the “status” of Chicago or NYC or a more dynamic city like that. Chicago is already very well established and isn’t still searching for that combination of factors that makes it a top destination for companies, tourists, and students(!).</p>

<p>Yes, St. Louis is usually warmer than Chicago, and certainly less windy. It also gets more tornados, wacky weather (a bucketload of snow one year and very mild winters the next), and sticky humid summers.</p>

<p>I don’t know about NU’s facilities that much, but Wash U has very nice (pretty new) dorms, good food, nice and many newer facilities in general.</p>

<p>Back to the original topic: I think both schools have strong opportunities for business-oriented students; the question is mainly do they want an undergrad business degree, or a different degree + certificate? I would investigate the course offerings, the professors, and campus to determine what might be a better “fit” apart from the city.</p>

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<p>I would have ruled out Northwestern as not having an undergraduate b-school but I decided to investigate and they have a minor in business institutions. You can major in economics and do the business institutions minor and basically take every class that you would take for an undergraduate BBA - accounting, many finance classes, several marketing classes, a couple of organizational behavior classes, statistics, calc, and of course economics. My son is a very serious high school debater although Northwestern does a different kind of debate. That could possibly impress them.</p>

<p>But do you think it’s less impressive in the business world to have a degree in economics and the business minor than a BBA? Those certificate programs don’t really seem like they’d be good for him. He’s not a total quant. He probably wouldn’t get into them or do well in them. I could see him in a more well-rounded program with some classes like marketing and OB that also involve verbal skills.</p>

<p>I’m from New York myself and I think I’d rather be 20 miles from Chicago then 7 miles from St. Louis, but that’s me…</p>

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<p>I think a better metric to evaluate whether or not your son - who wants to do business -should go to a school hoping to come out doing business is look at recruitment and school reputation in the industry and not necessarily whether or not there’s an undergraduate business major. Northwestern is probably one of his best choices in that regard.</p>

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<p>Here is a pragmatic answer. Both are great schools, but if they are both reaches and your son does not want to go to a quality school with an easier admissions standard (U of M), then I would use your legacy hook at Wash U and try to get every possible advantage in the admissions process.</p>

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<p>He would like U of M but they only accept 40% of kids into their B-school. Seems too risky. Also, not a safety school.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Not at all. If anything, it’s the other way around.</p>

<p>Econ can get pretty hard even at the undergrad level, depending on schools of course. To me, econ is more abstract and theoretical while the core courses in BBA are usually fairly superficial and intuitive.</p>

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<p>This interests me because let’s just say I know students at both schools.
btw isn’t Evanston only 12 miles from Chicago, not 20, as was posted here? I know you can see it from the campus…</p>

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<p>To add to what Sam said, the stereotype is that business majors don’t have to do anything while at school, and that perception flows over to the industry. Most of the individuals in the industry I spoke to before I chose Econ told me that an undergrad business major doesn’t mean anything to them (with one or two exceptions - i.e., Wharton’s BBA… which is also very quantitative, like the Kellogg certificate) because it doesn’t teach you anything that you couldn’t figure out yourself in a week. </p>

<p>Admittedly, I’m sure there is merit to a business major. I’m just not sure if they’re as big of a deal in that you’d rule out NU (or any school, for that matter) solely because there is no way you could graduate with a BBA as your degree.</p>

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Depends on what route you take, and where you start, I guess - Google Maps offers several routes ranging from 14 to 19 miles. About 30 minutes each way, though, I think.</p>

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<p>I ran from Evanston to downtown Chicago (law/med campus) along the lake-- 12 miles. It was such a beautiful run… I miss Chicago!</p>

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<p>Does Northwestern take more than one kid from a school?</p>

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<p>Absolutely</p>