<p>have any of you noticed the serious deficiency of quality NU campus photos? i've googled, tried yahoo image, searched the school website inside out, but all i've found are a few pictures of "half"-an-arch, a bunch of pictures of, just, flowers and plants that are maybe like 400 pixels wide at best and of terrible quality.</p>
<p>why is this so? does NU just not hire any photographers to take their pictures. or could it actually be that our campus is not as photogenic as we would like it to be :(</p>
<p>"I absolutely despise Northwestern's campus, i think it really is just not asthetically nice or logistically appealing."</p>
<p>i'd beg to differ, but honestly it's hard to find nice campus shots to back me up. not just online, but even on the documents they've sent me so far. can you believe there is not a "single" picture in the welcome package they sent us.</p>
<p>so let me get to my main question: objectively (it's actually a very subjective question, but leaving out the school pride) as students at NU, what do you guys think? do you think NU isn't aesthetically on par with the ivies or schools like chicago, cal or uva? a lot of people i've talked to mentioned the architecture being too modern for their taste, but if i remember correctly don't we have a good sector of gothic architectures too. and i always laugh when people say its small because it certainly does not feel that way when you have to walk across the campus from north to south. what do you all think?</p>
<p>and also, if any of you have got good pictures of NU or know where to find some, please share it for all of us! post some links if you've had luck finding campus shots in the past, because it'd be nice to be able to show my parents and friends back home some pictures of our campus and give 'em an idea of how beautiful midwestern schools can be.</p>
<p>Before I even wanted to go to Northwestern, I visited the campus without any biased views. I have to tell you, it was one of the most beautiful campuses i've ever seen, and trust me, i've seen a lot. You are correct that the architecture isn't "old-fashioned" gothic architecture like Princeton, Duke, etc., but the campus is still incredibly beautiful. You can stand next to the lake and see the skyline of Chicago from campus...enough said. There are a TON of pictures in the Northwestern groups on facebook that you could check out. Oh, and it took me a good 10 minutes walking at a fast pace to walk directly from North to the northernmost part of South campus (Elder to Norris for the NU ppl).</p>
<p>Norris isn't at all the most southern point on campus; it's the farthest east, but it's mid-campus as far as north/south goes. Walking from Elder to Willard (which is the farthest south dorm as well as almost the farthest west) takes a good 15 minutes, if not more, at a brisk pace.</p>
<p>I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly where on the website it is, but if you go on the alumni website, they have a section where you can download pictures of the campus to use as screen savers. And there are some gorgeous pictures. Having said that, as an alum, I think some parts of campus are starting to look a bit worn down. I don't have any real comparisons, but I don't think the dorms are all that great for the caliber of university NU is.</p>
<p>To beat a dead horse:
NU lacks the architecture grandeur or the consistency that other ivies have. NU also lacks a huuuuge quad, like those that you would find at state schools (most notably, UVA).
NU also suffers from a very cold climate that limits its beauty (or at least the apprecaition of it) in the winter.</p>
<p>however, i think that the campus certainly isn't ugly. I find the lake to be absolutely gorgeous. Between April and October, you will see many students out on the lakefill. I struggle to come up with any other college or university that rests directly on a major body of water. Not near one, but on one. NU has lakefront property. The ability to sit out on the rocks and in one direction see endless lake and in another to see the skyline of Chicago is absolutely breathtaking.
Also, there are some really nice walkways, particularly in center campus (by the library and Norris) that have trees and grassy areas.</p>
<p>In terms of having a collegiate feel aesthetically, NU falls way short, there's no doubt about it. I think that myriad other factors and the LAKE more than account for it.</p>
<p>Ditto Cerebral Assassin's comments and adding one - NU did not do a good job of integrating old and new architecture, which diminishes the cohesiveness of the campus. But...the position on the lake more than compensates.</p>
<p>I also want to add one to CerebralAssassin's comments. Architecture grandeur may make quite an impression on you upon your visit or initially, but from my experience, it gets old pretty quickly. I was definitely way more impressed by Stanford's campus (went there for grad school) but after a while, I got bored with it. On the other hand, I never get bored with the view at the lakefront. I kept hanging out at the lakefront over and over to look the lagoon, the Lake Michigan (feels like an ocean), the waves, the splash at the rocks, the seagulls, the sailboats, the skyline of Chicago..etc.</p>
<p>Haha, I seem to have a problem with reading posts. Sorry sorry sorry.</p>
<p>NU's campus is definitely beautiful and I agree w/ all the above comments. Some of the architectural mixing is jarring (*** is with our library? Book-themed or not, it's ugly and huge) but so much is awesome (sorority quads are so nice when it's nice out, and as everyone has said, THE LAKE...and the beaches).</p>
<p>NU campus is absolutely pretty but yeah I was so disappointed when I received a shabby admission package without any picture....maybe they just wanna make the campus mysterious lol</p>
<p>The campus definitely feels sperated from the city of Evanston- there is a clear delineation. And there's probably more green on Campus than at any other school that isn't in a rural setting (and more than Cornell anyway.)</p>
<p>
[quote]
but what about the arrangement of buildings and trees?
[/quote]
northwestern needs a quad, the buildings are not arranged geometrically</p>
<p>
[quote]
is there enough green on campus or does it look empty with run-down buildings?
[/quote]
definitely enough green on campus, you feel like you're in a landscaped forest when you walk around</p>
<p>
[quote]
overall, does the campus give off a collegiate feel when you walk through it?
[/quote]
unfortunately, i would say no. but it is nonetheless a very nice campus to be on</p>
<p>
[quote]
can you tell when you've stepped into the university from evanston or does the campus feel integrated with the community at evanston?
[/quote]
yes, you can tell very clearly when you've entered the part of the university east of sheridan, but the other half of the university (the part of it that's west of sheridan) is full of houses for departments, etc. and is somewhat less distinct. the sorority quads you can tell are part of the university.</p>
<p>i know what you are thinking though (you mean like harvard, with its distinct gates... you KNOW you're at harvard) and the answer is: it's not quite as distinct as when you step onto harvard's campus, but not as integrated as say... university of michigan, indiana university, or ucla.</p>
<p>quite a few of my friends who did tours this summer tell me the campus looks pretty amazing, especially this time of the year. and wow, that picture is really good!</p>
