schools like Northwestern minus greek life?

College Search & Selection
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It's not like Northwestern is full of beautiful jockish people, haha. You're going to find average-smart people in the greek system, and you'll definitely fit in somewhere, even if you don't think you will.

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I also heard that the frats at Northwestern are some of the geekiest/tamest anywhere.

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<p>OK - let's not go overboard here. </p>

<p>While it's likely the avg. fraternity member at NU is more intelligent than the avg. greek in the US, it's not like the fraternities at NU is full of tech geeks.</p>

<p>The fraternities at NU, like elsewhere, are highly diversified - you have your "rich boy" fraternities, your "jock/meathead" houses, your "druggie" houses, your all-arounders, and yes, a couple of fraternities which tend more to the "geeky" side (but every school has that).</p>

<p>As for being tame - NU's fraternities are likely tamer when it comes to hazing (it still happens, but it tends to be more of a mind-f than physical stuff), but they can party just as hard as anyone else (and I'm saying this as someone who has partied at some of the top "partying" schools - Wisconsin, Indiana, Penn State, etc.).</p>

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However, Notre Dame has a phenomenal dorm system. (and a nicer campus as well IMO)

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<p>Depends on what you mean by "nicer campus".</p>

<p>Some people will like ND's campus due its more classical and uniform architecture; others will prefer NU's due to its lakefront location.</p>

<p>As stated prior, one can go to NU and have little/nothing to do w/ the Greek system - so that shouldn't be a factor.</p>

<p>And out of all the schools mentioned - Stanford is probably the most similar in terms of student make-up/campus life.</p>

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<p>rj -- what league is that? I do see ND's SAT 25/75 is 1345 vs. NU's 1410, not a huge spread... I also see ND is slightly more selective and ND has a 58% yield, both better than NU (Class of 2010 data). I have also heard ND offers tremendous individual support to students, in the classroom as well as the job placement office.</p>

<p>P.S. I don't know many students who go to a university based on academic quality....I know that sounds like an odd statement, but if you really consider the motivations of posters here, you will see that the reasons people choose X university is a tossup between prestige, and job or professional school positioning (same thing really). I rarely see academics per se discussed.</p>

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<p>well first of all that difference in SATs is noticeable. </p>

<p>I agree with you on the other point that it is not academic quality but prestige and... that are big factors. However Northwestern has better overall prestige and better job placement for business, what im interested in.</p>

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<p>Seriously, I don't understand your logic here. </p>

<p>So if Notre Dame is not good enough for you, then, according to US News, you have about 20 schools that are good enough for you. Besides </p>

<p>None of the schools mentioned that have little to no greek life have been better than Notre Dame academically (except HYPS). </p>

<p>Seriously the difference in prestige between NW and Notre Dame is so minute. Not to mention, if you want to look at SAT scores, you'd probably be better off job placement wise at Notre Dame since you'd maybe be higher up in your class. Furthermore, what Notre Dame lacks in prestige it more than makes up for with it's massive alumni network. Not to mention Notre Dame has the 3rd best undergraduate business program in the nation while NW doesn't have one. So at NW you'd probably have to major in economics which means you'll be in a huge department and you'd most likely have much less personal attention.</p>

<p>If you are looking for schools on the same platform as NW but above, you are talking about a very, very small platform. Really, if you think that you need Northwestern to get a good job and going to Notre Dame wouldn't be prestigious enough to get a good job, then I think you must be pretty weak. A good job candidate doesn't need to go to a school with an average SAT score of 40 points higher to get a job. </p>

<p>PS: Rice doesn't count. It might be more prestigious, but only in some areas of the country, and you'd be way better off job placement-wise in the business world coming from Notre Dame.</p>

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<p>Seriously, I don't understand your logic here.</p>

<p>So if Notre Dame is not good enough for you, then, according to US News, you have about 20 schools that are good enough for you.</p>

<p>Also, None of the schools mentioned that have little to no greek life have been better than Notre Dame academically (except HYPS).</p>

<p>Seriously, the difference in prestige between NW and Notre Dame is so minute. Not to mention, if you want to look at SAT scores, you'd probably be better off job placement wise at Notre Dame since you'd maybe be higher up in your class. Furthermore, what Notre Dame lacks in prestige it more than makes up for with it's massive alumni network. Not to mention Notre Dame has the 3rd best undergraduate business program in the nation while NW doesn't have one. So at NW you'd probably have to major in economics which means you'll be in a huge department and you'd most likely have much less personal attention.</p>

<p>If you are looking for schools on the same platform as NW but above ND, you are talking about a very, very small platform. Really, if you think that you need Northwestern to get a good job and going to Notre Dame wouldn't be prestigious enough to get a good job, then I think you must be pretty weak. A good job candidate doesn't need to go to a school with an average SAT score of 40 points higher to get a job.</p>

<p>PS: Rice doesn't count. It might be more prestigious, but only in some areas of the country, and you'd be way better off job placement-wise in the business world coming from Notre Dame.</p>

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<p>^Notre Dame's prestige is somewhat regional as well. Similar schools to Northwestern's prestige level include Hopkins and Duke.</p>

<p>Emory, Rice, and Notre Dame are mostly popular/well-known in their areas.</p>

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<p>Academically IMO means quality of faculty and course offerings. The quality of the student body at ND is as good, if not better, than all but a handful of schools in this county. This is not a prestige issue.</p>

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<p>Hope2getrice, Notre Dame's reputation is NOT regional. I would not usually defend Notre Dame...I am a Wolverine afterall. But Notre Dame's reputation is national...even international. It is one of the most well respected names in education, partly thanks to its football program and partly thanks to the mystic associated with its Catholic affiliation. Of course, having as loyal an alumni network as it has does not hurt its cause. Is Notre Dame was prestigious as Northwestern? Maybe not, particularly in academic circles. But to say its reputation is regional is not accurate. Notre Dame is very highly regarded in most corners of the US.</p>

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<p>It sounds like we're discussing a school ranked 35 or 40 or something... ND is ranked, what.. .19 or 20? NU 12? That is essentially a tie for most employers and adcoms. </p>

<p>I get the idea high school juniors and seniors think "dropping" from a school ranked 12 to one ranked 19 has a practical impact on their future plans. Or rising from 19 to 12 is a thing to celebrate.</p>

<p>How silly.</p>

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<p>I made a big mistake in the above post... living in CA, and having gone to college here, I forget that in the midwest the ACT is a more popular college entrance test than the SAT.</p>

<p>Notre Dame's ACT 25/75 ave. is 32. Northwestern's is 31.</p>

<p>So there you have it... ND students score higher than NU students on one of the two entrance tests...</p>

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<p>Notre Dame's football program is recognized nationally. Its academics? Not so much.</p>

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<p>nyccard -- that's because it doesn't have strong graduate programs... however, for undergrad education, it is extremely well regarded by employers.</p>

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<p>I'm a Bates graduate, and proud to say that the school has never had fraternities in its 100+ year history. The reason: There were African Americans in the first classes there, right after the Civil War, and they didn't want anybody to be excluded from anything socially. So out went the frats. It remains a remarkably open campus, with the academic excellence to boot. Check it out.</p>

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<p>i definitely agree with NYccard.
When you are talking about how well known a school is, of course, Notre Dame football is pretty respected. However, academically, it does not reach Northwestern's levels. In just a lot of academic circles, Notre Dame is though of as a good, but not "great" school.
Its sports are "great" though.</p>

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<p>DunninLA,</p>

<p>By Midwestern employers, maybe. The Notre Dame degree just doesn't carry a lot of weight on either coasts. In NYC, at least, Georgetown is considered much more prestigious and Fordham not much worse. Back in the day in California, I don't remember ever meeting a Notre Dame grad in Silicon Valley, unless you count during their biennial invasions on our campus for football games.</p>

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<p>Those weren't necessarily ND grads nyccard that you met. Notre Dame has the largest following of any college football team in this country.</p>

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<p>nyccard- Fortunately, your generalizations of what everyone in the country believes are false. I am curious about your background, since a quick review of your posts would indicate that you really have no basis for your statements.</p>

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<p>MOWC and NYC --</p>

<p>you made me curious enough to look up prior posts... now now, the sandbox is big enough for all of us.</p>

<p>we can agree to disagree, as I do with NYC about Notre Dame's universal (not regional) regard as a fine undergraduate instituion.</p>

<p>NYC... what is primarily to be found in Lake Lagunita?</p>

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<p>I think some people are getting "academic prestige" and quality of student body/quality of education mixed up.</p>

<p>Based on academic rankings (for what they are worth), ND falls short since it doesn't have as big of a focus on graduate studies, but w/ regard to the quality of the student body, ND is very similar to NU, Stanford, UChic, Duke, etc. and the non-HYP Ivies.</p>

<p>Basically, ND is more like a very large LAC.</p>

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<p>DunninLA,</p>

<p>Haven't you already asked where I went to school? And haven't I already suggested that we're fellow alums? (That is, if I think you really went where I think you went.) Either you believe me or not. Asking silly questions which anyone can quickly <em>google</em> is pointless. Now as for your question, I'm not sure what you mean by "primarily." But I can tell you that the endangered species about which many students are concerned is the tiger salamander.</p>