@SkepticalOfMost, haha.
Well, the rest of the world was poorer back then, so in comparison, it probably was.
I think the turning point was under Strotz.
Strotz was a U of C alum and wanted to turn NU from a regionally-respected country club U (a lot like what the other university I visited currently is now) in to a global research powerhouse on par with the U of C and true Ivy-equivalent in every way (which NU is now by alumni achievements: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1893105-ivy-equivalents-ranking-based-on-alumni-outcomes-take-2-1.html ).
The persistently low rating is still a big mystery to us. I doubt that weather would be a significant factor, both because U of Chicago and DePaul have good QoL ratings, and because the surveys are done year-round, not just in winter: “Our student survey is also now a continuous process. Students submit surveys online from all schools in the book and can submit their surveys at any time (though our site will accept only one survey from a student per academic year per school (it’s not possible to “stuff” the ballot box, as it were).” http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/how-it-works
Any further thoughts from people here would be appreciated. My son was accepted as a transfer but is waiting to hear from 2 more colleges he applied to.
@sysdawg, please refer to my post #18.
NU is concerned foremost with being a global academic powerhouse, not with being a country club. So the student union is dated, some of the dorms are old and dated too (though there is a push to upgrade there and there are some nice new dorms), and some of the buildings were built in the '70’s with frankly ugly Brutalist design (quite an unfortunate mistake). Now, there are Ivy-equivalents that are pretty too, but there are other privates that prefer to spend money on looks so that they are charming rather than getting their academics and alumni achievements to an Ivy level. NU would always rather spend money on academic and career development rather than aesthetics.
Note that MIT has a quality of life score of 71 and Duke a quality of life score of 67.
I think what else may be happening with NU and Duke is that, because these are highly ranked schools with big time athletics programs comparable to SEC schools, some of the kids went for that, and they didn’t realize that the rigor of the academics is more comparable to MIT’s (and the Ivies’) than to any SEC school’s.
So if you want challenging academics and to learn (and to have better prospects than from any SEC school), go to NU. If you want a pretty campus and easy grades, NU is not for you.
“Getting the Lake Effect - colder weather and more snow in the winter - might have some small effect though.” Not to be That Guy, but I can’t let this go.
- "Lake effect" refers to snow, not temperatures.
- Because it's on the western side of Lake Michigan, Evanston actually gets very little lake effect snow, . Places that consistently get lake effect snow from the Great Lakes are Traverse City, Buffalo, Syracuse, and so forth. If the prevailing weather patterns shift and lake effect snow does fall on Evanston, it's big news because (a) it's rare and (b) Chicago is a big city.
- Lake Michigan moderates temperatures. In the summer, Evanston is cooler than suburbs to the west because of Lake Michigan; in the winter, it's warmer. Anecdotally, I do think there are micro-climates where wind off the lake can make a particular spot seem colder, but that's not true of Evanston or Northwestern's campuses in general. I do think you'll feel a bit more of a wind chill standing on the Lakefill or outside the Rubloff Building on the Chicago campus than you would standing outside, say, Allison or Elder.
Thanks everyone for the input…my son will be going to Northwestern!
Thanks Featherston, I didn’t know that and look forward to being able to correctly talk about the lake effect in the future.
Students who come here want elite academics and a B1G environment. The sports are usually a let down.
“How many out-of-class hours do you spend studying each day?”
Northwestern students tend to stretch themselves by double-majoring, adding minors/certificates, etc. That’s why most of them actually like the quarter system. “And is our DNA”. This translates to more out-of-class hours spent studying and perhaps a bit more stress.
“How do you rate your campus food?”
How you answer this depends a lot on your frame of reference. With more than 170 restaurants, Evanston has earned its title “The Dining Capital of the North Shore”. When you got lots of great restaurants within walking distance, campus food is going to be rated more harshly.