<p>I am supposed to be starting NU as a junior transfer this fall, and I have become concerned that it's not the right choice. What can current or former students say about the student community, the political science department and its advising, the class workload with the quarter system etc? Any advice would be helpful.</p>
<p>i had the same doubts, and i dont think i a mgoing now</p>
<p>i think i am heading back to Cornell or going to Rice</p>
<p>Why do you think it won’t be the right school? No offense, but you have not experienced it yet, I’d hardly say you can judge how you will like it. </p>
<p>Anyway….I love the people whom I have met. To me, the political science dept. is ok, but not great. Poli. Sci. advising is not as good as it should be. I like the quarter system, but tests and such come too quickly sometimes. It is, however, nice to switch classes every 10 weeks, allowing a student to take many different classes and explore. Also, a class you hate won’t last that long – of course one you love won’t either, though. </p>
<p>From what school are you transferring? What did you like and not like about that school?</p>
<p>I don't know much about poli sci....but I can honestly say that I think Northwestern has such a variety in so many different ways that anybody can be happy there. It's in a suburb, but the city's just an el ride away, and there are two beaches on campus. It's a big 10 school, but also huge in the arts. Being a voice major, I didn't want to be surrounded by music/theater people ALL the time, and I wasn't at all. I just think there's such a balance that you can't pass it up because you think it's not for you</p>
<p>Haha, relatively same here guys. But why do you want to go back bball?
For me, Northwestern was pretty much the only school that allowed me to enroll in late August after I ultimately decided that the Naval Academy wasn't for me. Stupid me though, I stayed till almost the end of plebe summer and Georgetown SFS, my first choice told me they had already gone to the waitlist and such so my acceptance was no longer valid. Honestly, I think I'm sticking with Northwestern but I'm still debating whether I should go back to my old school and apply as a junior transfer instead to the ivies or something. AHHH!! Not really about the prestige, but NU was never really my first choice school and I feel guilty making my parents pay for their insane tuition (with barely any FA) when I'm not all into the school.</p>
<p>I am transferring from UC-Berkeley, I mainly did not like paying out-of-state tuition (equal to private tuition) without the resources of a private college like advising. I also was not a big fan of how big it is, it is hard to find a real community. But, at the same time at least its familiar and I guess I am just concerned that Northwestern will not be worth making the transition. I have nothing specific against NU, its just I have not felt really enthusiastic about it either.</p>
<p>If you really have a lack of enthusiasm for Northwestern, and come to the school as such, you probably won’t like it (especially when winter quarter rolls around). This, however, applies at all schools, as none is perfect. The trick is trying to find a school that will be the closest fit to what you like. Northwestern is by far not a perfect place, but it’s not the worse possible college in the world either. I say you give it a chance – I’m sure you applied for some reason.</p>
<p>Whats up with all this ragging on NU? Is it that awful? I am applying to NU, WashU, Oberlin and NYU for transfer, and NU is at the top of my list. Is there something I am missing here? Wwhat are the flaws of the institution everyone keeps referencing?</p>
<p>I have no idea, hopingtotransfer. I loved my first year, nothing really to complain about except perhaps the weather ;)</p>
<p>I’ve loved just about every minute I’ve spent in Evanston. I think the problem lies with the people who wanted to go to other schools, and had no business coming to Northwestern in the first place.</p>
<p>Doesn't Northwestern have a ridiculously high freshman return rate? Something like 97 percent? People can't dislike it that much!</p>
<p>I LOVE NU! I dont understand the ragging either...I seriously like just about everything about it.</p>
<p>yeah its retention rate is somewhere in the high 90s.</p>
<p>Beautiful campus too!</p>
<p>kk19131 said...</p>
<p>"Poli. Sci. advising is not as good as it should be."</p>
<p>Just curious -- what makes the advising good in some places and not others? Like, what kinds of qualities make dept. advising "good" or "not good"?</p>
<p>Any answer I give will be completely subjective. At any rate, to me, the political science dept. is not as focused as it could/should be on undergraduate advising. The university has been changing around schedules and classes and hiring new profs in the dept. for the past few years to rectify this problem, but I dont think its quite there yet. The dept. doesnt seem to be as focused on helping majors as it should be. The amount of opportunities/internships etc presented to me as a major dont seem up to par with other majors. Granted, every student has a responsibility for his own education, it just seems to me that the poli sci dept wants as little to do with helping poli sci undergraduates along as possible.</p>