<p>I hate northwestern's campus! haha i'm totally kididng, in fact i'm going up this thursday to check it out. I'm seriously more excited than I am to visit McGill because it's a new university and supposedly, if rumors can be true sometimes, may be the nicest campus. What do people think? i know i know, i've LOOKED in the college visits things, but they're too general, I'm so curious to know what it looks like, and if it's really as magical as I've heard. Comments, input, etc. are all greatly appreciated! (So excited!) thanks.</p>
<p>oh come ON, somebody has to have seen the campus lol!</p>
<p>It's like a forest by a lake. That's the only way I can describe it...it's gorgeous, and right now it must be even more so with the snow.</p>
<p>the campus is sweet... i live a half hour away and had my interview today. just felt great walking to the undergrad admission office. the place is so cool and idk it just gives me a good feeling inside. it does give the collegial atmosphere (even in winter) even though ur minutes away from one of the best cities in the world.</p>
<p>My D was awestruck by the family nature of the campus and yet it is minutes away from a metrpolitan city. It is beautiful and must be with the snow, but I don't know how well I would like those ocld temps that come with snow:)</p>
<p>I dont think NU is just minutes away from Chicago. Close, but not minutes away.</p>
<p>It's about 20-30 minutes outside of Chicago on the El. Far enough to have that campus feel, but not far enough that it's impossible to get to it. I LOVED Northwestern's campus. Especially how the Theatre and Interpretation Center is right by the lake.</p>
<p>Cold cold cold cold cold -- Oh, and windy windy windy windy</p>
<p>But if your other option is McGill, I guess it doesn't matter to you.</p>
<p>well, if you're looking for a forest, here is definitly not the place. Trees have no leaves. Buildings are different; totally polar to stanford's spanish style buildings, yet still lacking the classic gothic princeton look. Theres a lot of really new high tech steel/concrete buildings as well as tech, the behemoth on campus. </p>
<p>and yes, cold cold cold and windy windy windy</p>
<p>if you like squirrels, theres a whole bunch that are ridiculously fat.</p>
<p>by the way, if you're visiting campus, make sure that you visit north and south. Honestly, the culture between the two halves is so different</p>
<p>how could there be different cultures on one campus? i mean diverse people yeah, but...</p>
<p>Yes - minutes is subjective! When one lives 20-30 minutes away from the city and has to drive to get anywhere, 30 minutes is no big deal! </p>
<p>Wind - yes and cold -whew wee. Those are trade offs to being 30 minutes froma a large metropolitan city. You have to weigh the odds for yourself though. 30 minutes for my D is 30 million possibilities that exist. It is all relative.</p>
<p>When I visited NU, I got the impression that NU students didn't venture out into Chicago a whole lot. It seemed as though students were pretty content to stay on campus and felt that Evanston provided everything they needed (in terms of entertainment etc..). </p>
<p>I also like the idea of making use of Chicago, but it seems quite inconvenient.</p>
<p>bver100, I have heard that the south campus is made up of mostly students who are majoring in the fine arts. Is that what you mean by the culture being different? What is north campus most noted for besides the frats?</p>
<p>its basically divided as engineers in north campus and everyone else in south. Since tech is basically where all engineers have class (its math, science, engineering classes), many engineers are in north campus. south campus, on the other hand, is home to music school, medill, and a good many wcas students. As it is, apparently since the music school/theater school people are there, they're a bit wackier than us engineers, and so it ends up with a differnet feeling. Don't forget too, RC's each have their own personal feeling in the dorm. Theres other threads here about the RCs, so you can look at those. Freshman quads are kind of an amalgm of everything, as freshmen living there are of all differnet kinds of majors. I've heard that elder (i think the biggest freshman dorm) is a big party dorm, people go out a lot.</p>
<p>Of course, Another reason south campus ends up being more lively is because its right by evanston, where you can get food and such. north campusers tend to dislike walking so far just for chipotle (even if it is good). Its easier for south campus kids to get there.</p>
<p>Also i would estimate it beign more than 30 minutes to chicago. Typically, if you want to go to the loop, it might take you 45mins to an hour. Unless my perception of time is horrible. There is an intercampus shuttle that goes from the evanston campus to feinberg, and it runs every weekday. That takes a little less time, although if you take it at night back to campus, theres a lot more stops.</p>
<p>If anyone has other questions, just let me know</p>
<p>Back in the olden days (late '60s) it was less than half an hour to Chicago on the El. Unless something has changed, it's not a big deal. I did it about twice a year my four years on campus.</p>
<p>Evanston is a very nice large suburb. One doesn't NEED to go to Chicago, but there are museums, performances, restaurants that might be attractive. But Evanston is a great college environment.</p>
<p>The number of times students go to Chicago depends on personal preference. Though there are some El stops up north, they are not nearly as close as Davis (the one in downtown Evanston) is to south campus. Most people I know on south campus go downtown once a quarter, if not more; but people up north, as far as I know from my friends, don't venture downtown quite as often. As for time, it depends how far you are going. For some concerts, you'll only go for about 20 mins. But to get to the loop, it's more like 40-45. Not a huge undertaking to go downtown to Mich. Ave, but it's more than a quick trip.</p>
<p>In terms of campus "culture", north campus is much more of a frat party scene and wicked smart engineers (and yes, those are not mutually exclusive!!), whereas south is more artsy and "creative". But that's just a HUGE generalization.</p>
<p>The lakefront and lagoon are gorgeous (see the Tom Hanks film "Nothing In Common") - esp. with the observatory, beach and view of Chicago's skyline, and Evanston is a picturesque North Shore suburb (see "Ferris Bueller" which was filmed nearby). </p>
<p>Architecture-wise, NU is somewhat eclectic - much of South campus has the "traditional" college architecture (except for the Rebecca Crown Center) while the North is dominated by the fortress-like Tech building and the middle is filled with modern buildings (main library, Norris Student Center) - however, Deering Library which is also located in the middle is in the Gothic style and is very nice.</p>
<p>The campus actually is only about a 10 min drive from the border of Chicago (great dive bar which used to have 10 cent pitchers on Tuesdays) - of course going to Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast and the Loop takes progressively longer</p>
<p>My friends and I actually went to Chicago quite a bit (both driving and taking the El) - going to bars (Halstead, DePaul area) or taking in a Cubs game.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Most people I know on south campus go downtown once a quarter, if not more; but people up north, as far as I know from my friends, don't venture downtown quite as often.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Actually the distances from Davis to south campus and from Noyes to north camus is not much different. The walk to Davis through downtown Evanston is more interesting and nicer which makes it feel shorter. I think the difference in workload is more of a factor. The engineers/science majors face harsher grading, seem to be more competitive, and have less time for fun. Engineers are required to have 48 courses, instead of 45, to graduate.</p>
<p>Not to mention, weather in general. Supposedly this winter is the coldest winter in evanston in 11 years. (just to guage, it was -6 degrees f on sunday. oh, a bit over 60 degrees colder than in my california hometown)</p>
<p>I wore just t-shirt and jeans today in LA. :D</p>