<p>Every college has a stereotype, and while I know that the stereotype cannot be 100% true, it still stems from somewhere. Is the stereotype that Northwestern is composed of many socially awkward, "nerd" type people true?</p>
<p>I've heard/read a lot of mixed reviews on the social life and general student happiness at Northwestern, so what are your two cents?</p>
<p>LOL - No! Not even close! Your stereotype may have been correct 20-30 years ago, but with few exceptions everyone at NU now has not only top grades, but also top-line ECs. You don’t get those ECs from just sitting in the library. You might have the HS Chess Champ at NU…but that same Chess Champ was also the top QB, Pitcher, or Debater at their HS. </p>
<p>The current meme now for NU is : Hitting The Books, Nightlife, Sleep - Pick 2.</p>
<p>I’ve been here for almost a month now, and I can tell you that even if that was the stereotype, it’s not true. Northwestern students are all over. There’s a champion golfer, a jeopardy contest, and many other people just within the Class of 2017. We’ve got some football players who could potentially go pro, kids who party almost all week, kids who live in the library, there are all types. The only generalization you can make is that everyone here is smart. Pretty much everyone loves Northwestern other than a few inevitable people who belong somewhere else, but I believe our retention rate is 97%, which means that only 3% of kids drop out/transfer. People love it here (except maybe all the work we do, you know, Northwestern being such a great school and all 
and the weather), and there are all sorts of people.</p>
<p>And as for NUgraddad, he’s right about studying, nightlife, and sleep - pick 2, but only in that phrasing. Some people say studying, social life, and sleep - pick 2, but you can have a social life depending on what you consider a social life, while still doing well and sleeping.</p>