<p>i'm trying to narrow down my list of what colleges to apply to.</p>
<p>so can you tell me 5 things i need to know before deciding whether or not to apply to northwestern? like the most important 5 things i'd need to "be" or "like" to be happy there? (i.e. big sports culture or liberal or outgoing or greek life, etc)</p>
<p>be intelligent but not pretentious and showy, be nice, be thick-skinned/not overly sensitive, be a little outgoing (though there’s really no pressure if you want to stay in on weekends), be willing to take initiative (not letting opportunities pass), be at least committed to your health and well-being, be willing to do a lot of work.</p>
<p>to sum it up, NU kids are intelligent, ambitious, and high-achieving but have a “chill” personality at the same time. we do have a big party culture but it’s not overbearing by any means. in fact, partyers are so disciplined they leave around 1 or 2 so they can wake up early the next morning to do homework haha. non-partyers/drinkers will not be turned off by this scene i think and might actually find it appealing in a way.</p>
<p>oh yea, our stereotype as preps is totally false. people here wear mostly jeans and t-shirts. if anything, the urban hipster look is getting a bigger following, and even that is generally considered pretentious. in the end though, it’s only pretentious if you overthink what it means i guess.</p>
<p>about girls… they’re pretty edgy. a lot of sorority girls have that New York City swagger going on and then there are those sweet Midwestern girls haha. guys can be very fluid. i’ve seen nerds transformed into “bros” and vice versa and some are both at the same time. they get all get along with each other for the most part.</p>
<p>Here’s my advice/comments for someone considering NU
<p>I am an NU alum who is now attending graduate school at Michigan. Here is my advice:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Take advantage of the different undergraduate schools at NU. Take electives that will enrich your personal and educational experience.</p></li>
<li><p>Pursue a minor or adjunct major. There are so many interdisciplinary majors at NU that the quarter system makes it really simple for students to take a lot of courses.</p></li>
<li><p>Attend student-run campus shows and events. Don’t study all day – do have a well-rounded experience! Join a sport or club. For example, I took tennis classes at SPAC.</p></li>
<li><p>Establish relationships with your professors. Take advantage of the undergraduate research opportunities. Believe me, you will need them when it’s time to find good recommendations for graduate and professional school.</p></li>
<li><p>Definitely visit and hang out in Chicago. It is one of the most cosmopolitan and pedestrian-friendly major cities in America. Eat Chicago-style pizza, attend a Broadway musical, visit the museums, shop in the Magnificent Mile, etc…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Michigan > Northwestern tenisghs? =D</p>
<p>^ Ha, I have fond memories of my Northwestern undergraduate experience. I am a proud Northwestern alum ;)</p>
<p>Most Northwestern kids are UChicago rejects…keep that in mind.</p>
<p>lesdiablesbleus, I see you have dragged your negative and biased views to this board (people, he consistently ridicules University of Michigan):</p>
<p>Most NU kids could care less about UChicago. I never applied to UChicago, and that school is not for everyone. NU provides the more well-rounded undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>I had a specific career path in mind, and NU provided that foundation. I am on an accelerated graduate track because my undergraduate courses exempted me out of most advanced foundation courses.</p>
<p>Sigh. </p>
<p>Why would any Northwestern student want to go to the social-life and sport deprived, south-side ivory tower of University of Chicago? </p>
<p>Because we have the best social life of any top 15 university, an extremely attractive campus, and a football team that just upset Wisconsin for its 8th win and has a chance to go to a New Years day bowl game. </p>
<p>Oh, I forgot academics? Lets not forget that Northwestern dominates in its specialized schools (Journalism, Education, Theatre, for example) and Chicago’s precious little economics program, which may be better at the graduate level but the undergrads lost once again this year in the fed challenge to the wildcats.</p>
<p>Theres probably also 5 things I like in there as well.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is consistent with the pattern of UChicago people putting down Northwestern. Why? Because they’re insecure about their own school. Harvard students do not do this. Yale students do not do this. Columbia students do not do this, only UChicago. Why? UChicago students hate the fact that we’re so good at not only academics but pretty much every area of life as well. Creating a screenname just to bash the school? And with no facts to back up your claim? Wow, you must think we’re so special. Please stop being jealous haha. Or actually don’t, because your bitter rants actually do make us look better.</p>
<p>For the record, NU has historically been more selective. If you look at past results threads posted in the College Admissions section, it’s clear that among those who applied to both, people who got into NU also got into UChicago but not necessarily the other way around.</p>
<p>^Kind of reminds me of UCLA/USC rivalry. UCLA students seem to bash USC students a lot more than USC students bash UCLA students, even though USC is the more selective school. I agree it probably stems from insecurity or something.</p>
<p>Anyway, I was wondering: when you say NU has a lot of social life, does this mean it’s a big party/drinking school?</p>
<p>NU has a noticeable Greek scene (40% join sororities and fraternities). But there are other activities such as the huge theater scene, museums, athletic opportunities, etc…</p>
<p>Oh, okay. Would it be comparable to say, USC then?</p>
<p>
What’s a “top 15” university? There are the top 10 schools and the top 25 schools…no one cares that Northwestern is ranked in the top 15.</p>
<p>Why is a “well-rounded” college experience necessarily better? That’s your value judgment. UChicago is a much more intellectual school than Northwestern and is a powerhouse in academia. In addition to being a stronger undergraduate school, it has much better graduate and professional programs(business, law and medicine). It is quite simply the more prestigious institution.</p>
<p>Michigan is also essentially as good as Northwestern, so you might as well save your money and go there.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt and Duke offer the best social lives in the top 25 schools by the way, not Northwestern.</p>
<p>UChicago might be better in certain ways, but that’s not the point. What’s puzzling is why would you bring up UChicago out-of-context and start out with a very biased, bitter, and unfounded comment to diss NU. Clearly, you have a vendetta against the school. Perhaps you were rejected.</p>
<p>Also, a lot of us chose Northwestern and declined UChicago’s offer for a bunch of reasons already mentioned. I personally wanted to be around people who are not only smarter but are less pretentious about their intelligence and can socialize to boot. Honestly, I only applied to UChicago because it was nearby. I really shouldn’t have. </p>
<p>We are not less intellectual, just less traditionally intellectual. There’s a difference, and it’s definitely a good thing.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Nope, ours is just as good, if not better. We have all kinds of scenes that flourish here, from the Greek scene to the off-campus party scene to Evanston bars to all kinds of Chicago bars. We have athletics, we have amazing theater and arts, we have the Chicago cultural scene if you want it. Best of all, the communities here are pretty cohesive and socialize together at all the major events.</p>
<p>Thanks for spending so much of your time on our board btw. Shows how much you care. You only make UChicago people look like pathetic, insecure losers.</p>
<p>So, 40% of people go Greek…that’s one of the highest numbers I’ve come across in my college search. Does it heavily impact the social life then? Is it hard to avoid the drinking/partying scene?</p>
<p>No, Northwestern’s party scene is not all-consuming. Easily accessible and Greek-dominated (though sports teams - club and varsity – pwild, and theatre make up a strong share), but not hard to avoid. And not being a partier does not preclude being greek, especially if you are female/join a sorority. Joining a fraternity or sorority is far, far, more than just partying, and I’d encourage you to check it out. </p>
<p>Northwestern is clearly made up of people who finished top of their class and often weren’t huge drinkers in high school. As a result, many of them keep their habits and instead choose to spend their Saturday nights enjoying Chicago, at a student production/concert/comedy show/etc., or playing Apples to Apples (well, maybe thats just me…).</p>
<p>Okay; thanks for the info! :)</p>
<p>haha Apples to Apples? hell yes. but yeah, the beauty of the Greek scene here is that most people in it weren’t huge partyers in high school so when they get here, they create a pretty unique culture of their own. Most people aren’t turned off by it. The ones who are are usually those who flat-out refuse to experience it thinking it will be like the Greek scenes at state schools. The truth is there really is no noticeable difference between Greeks and non-Greeks because the Greek system is made up of all kinds of people, from hipsters to nerds to jocks to jock wannabes and everything in between.</p>