Trip Report: Northwestern, Lake Forest, Univ. of Wisconsin, Beloit

Parents Forum
1

<p>This was a five-day trip our family took at the beginning of March. Since I gained so much from reading other trip reports, I wanted to give back. I’ll split this up into four entries; Northwestern first.</p>

<p>We flew into Midway (O’Hare would have been better) and took a taxi to Northwestern. Dire predictions of it taking forever were wrong – we arrived midday and it took 45 minutes via taxi (and about $50) to get to admissions. We got there in plenty of time for the info session and tour. Admissions is in a stately looking building on the very southend of campus.</p>

<p>The info session, in a conference room, was somewhat stilted – there was a power point presentation that guided the whole thing. Since NU has six schools, I felt it was an important session to attend. The tour started about 15 minutes late. The guide, a junior engineer, was good – my biggest problem with him was that he never took us inside anything. This was the first tour I took where we stood outside the library for 10 minutes and never went inside. Since it was quite cold out, this was a pain. (I especially felt bad for the woman who was wearing open-toed shoes. Of course, wearing sandals in the winter in Chicago is asking for trouble.)</p>

<p>We had to leave the tour early, since my daughter had an appointment with a professor. (And it wouldn’t have been early if the tour had started on time – and the tour did last a long time, more than 90 minutes.) We went into Kresge (?), the main humanities building – and was glad we did (the tour guide just pointed it out). It’s a bit rundown, almost looks like an inner-city high school, but I don’t mind that. College buildings don’t always have to look spanking new to me. But I realize this might matter to some people. Kresge is a large building that houses several departments (very different from my college, where each department has its own building).</p>

<p>This was where we said goodbye to my daughter. She was staying with the daughter of a friend, and we weren’t going to see her until the next day. My husband and I found the hotel (Best Western, the cheapest one of the 3 near campus – not great if you are into luxury, but perfectly adequate for us and within walking distance of everything), went to dinner at a Spanish restaurant, collapsed in front of the TV, and went into Chicago the next day. Evanston seems like an active place, lots of restaurants, stores that cater to students (Gap, Urban Outfitters). The trip into Chicago took between 45 minutes and an hour, which is a bit long. NU does have a shuttle into the city, to serve its Chicago campus, although our guide didn’t expand on how often that runs and whether the campus provides transportation on weekend nights. </p>

<p>My daughter had an OK time, except that she overslept the next morning and ended up not going to any classes. The campus is very long, since it stretches along the lake, and getting from one end to the other can take awhile. </p>

<p>This, her first college sleepover, also made her aware of wealth. She was astonished by the wealth of the students she saw – the TVs, refrig, microwaves, etc., and just general talk of money and shopping. She kept being told that NU is diverse, so she is confident she could meet other types of students there, but was definitely surprised by this crowd (“I thought college students were poor,” she said. It led to an interesting discussion.)</p>

<p>As for NU: it doesn’t look like a New England college; no ivy colored walls. I didn’t think it was a beautiful campus, but it was OK. The academic buildings are all inside a very large, multi-block area that is cut-off from street traffic. The student union building seemed good. Most impressive is the lake – NU is right on the water, and I’m sure in warmer months it is just gorgeous. Dorms are concentrated in two areas –south and north. There are frats, but curiously, they don’t provide a lot of housing. </p>

<p>Two interesting facts: NU is going to common ap next year. And it has an unusual ED program – if you don’t get in ED, you are out permanently. No bumping to the RD process.</p>

2

<p>Next stop was Lake Forest, a small LAC north of Chicago, an easy drive from NU. My daughter had a private tour and an interview with an admissions counselor. This was her first interview, and she seemed to do really well. It went much longer than usual (we were told that 30 minutes was the average time, and she was there for almost an hour). </p>

<p>My impressions of Lake Forest – small. Very few students around. Quiet. My daughter was unimpressed. Tiny bookstore (I’m just used to big bookstores). Sorry I can’t say too much more; there are better trip reports to read. I can say that in the admissions office there is a book with press clippings, including a column written by a student who had lots of negative things to say about social life and other things on campus. While I appreciate that they weren’t trying to sugarcoat things, this was not an encouraging thing to read as a visitor.</p>

3

<p>The drive to Madison took 2 ½ hours. We stayed at Memorial Union, the student union which has about five “hotel” rooms. That was a great idea – it’s right on campus, next door to admissions, a block away from State Street, overlooking the lake. A gorgeous site. I highly recommend it.</p>

<p>We ate on State Street, which is the main drag leading from campus to the capital. There are mainly inexpensive fast-food type places there. </p>

<p>Madison is a very diverse campus, in many ways. There’s a quiet, country-like section near the lake. There are traditional-looking academic buildings facing expansive lawns, that are very pretty. Then there are high-rise dorms and academic buildings on busy streets. It’s a bustling, active, lively campus, with tons of events and activities happening. My preference would be to live in the more rural, southern end of the campus, which is closer to the social science/humanities buildings. </p>

<p>My daughter went to an art history class, which she really liked, and then talked to a gender studies professor, and ate in a cafeteria. I’m not sure what else she did before the 3 p.m. tour. The tour, by a sophomore from Dallas who, strangely enough, had a thick Wisconsin accent, was quite good. We watched a short video first. Most of the people on the tour were not juniors looking at colleges – we had a few grad students who had already been accepted, who were just checking out the campus. The tour started very late and was very long, again, and we had to leave early. Again, we didn’t go inside any libraries – although we did go into more buildings than on the NU tour. The mock dorm room was locked, so we didn’t get to go into that. </p>

<p>I actually liked Madison more before the tour, and I think my daughter did too. The tour made the campus seem really big. My coworker, who went there, said he lived in the south, lakeshore dorms and had classes in just a handful of buildings – rarely ventured near the science ones and never saw the engineering or ag ones – so the campus never seemed too big to him.</p>

<p>The bookstore in Madison was awesome. Great merchandise, wonderful selection of books both academic and otherwise.</p>

4

<p>Final stop, another 180 degree difference, was a visit to Beloit. (The drive took about an hour.) We dropped her off and she was whisked away by three girls, who took her to dinner and a dorm meeting. My husband and I headed to the Beloit Inn (thanks to all the recommendations), which we enjoyed. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, the next morning was not successful – the class that admissions told her to go to was cancelled, the professor she was to meet with was gone, so she pretty much hung around and did nothing. It bothered me that admissions was unable to find another class for her to attend and that the substitute professor they found for her to talk to teaches weaving, something my daughter is not the least bit interested in.</p>

<p>(Update: it turns out that the professor had surgery that day. She sent my daughter a highly apologetic email, and so they are communicating online and will talk on the phone.)</p>

<p>Beloit has a nice campus, in a nice residential neighborhood. Downtown Beloit is small and not at all quaint, like the small New England town we live in. It certainly is not a college town. Since I went to a medium-sized school, it’s hard for me to feel comfortable at these small colleges with small bookstores. I can't give too many details, because I didn't spend a lot of time on campus.</p>

<p>My daughter’s reaction to Beloit was interesting. At first, she liked it. The students all convinced her what a wonderful place Beloit is, how tight the community is, etc. About a day later, though, after some reflection, she realized that Beloit is not what she wants. She feels that she could be happy there, and she will consider applying there, but that what she really wants is a medium-size school in or near a big city. Beloit, she says, is too much like her high school. </p>

<p>Madison is too large for her tastes, but she also says she will seriously consider applying there. My own reaction is that Beloit would be a safe place for her to go – I don’t think it would challenge her much (And I don’t mean academically). I’d rather see her at Madison, where she would be forced to take risks.</p>

<p>This visit confirmed for her that she wants to go to a midsized school near a city. She definitely liked Northwestern the best. I don’t think the trip was wasted, because I think visiting both Beloit and Madison were good experiences, and the interview at Lake Forest a definite positive. I could easily see her at Madison. </p>

<p>Onward in the search for medium-sized schools in an urban area for safeties.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for the trip reports. I have always appreciated the time and effort put into them. Son has Northwestern on his list this year and has received a likely from them but we have yet to visit. I will share with him your trip report and if you think of anything else, please post!!!</p>

<p>Thanks again,
Kat</p>

6

<p>Good take on NU, which was the first college D visited (in 9th grade). Yeah, the standing out in the cold was a bit annoying and we would have liked to have seen more inside.</p>

<p>Fwiw, if I were a student going into Chicago, I would take the El. Clark St. station is probably closest and you take it down to Howard St. and change to the Chicago line. Fast and no muss with parking, driving. (I lived in Evanston for seven years when I was a pre-teen/early teen.)</p>

7

<p>The only thing I would dispute is that State St. probably has as many good sit-down restaurants as fast food. Some are on the second levels where rent is lower and the atmosphere more quiet. There are several Italian, French, Nepalese, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and "American" spots in addition to all the pizza, gyros, and burger FF places.
Thanks.</p>

8

<p>We did take the El from Evanston into the city, even caught an express, and it took a very long time. The train just crawled. </p>

<p>Thanks for the correction on Madison restaurants. I was sure there must be more upscale places, but we were too hungry to look.</p>

9

<p>Next time skip the El, walk one more block and take the Metra. More expensive, nicer seating and much quicker.</p>

10

<p>I know we talked colleges earlier in the winter....am wondering if your D has looked into any of these suggestions:</p>

<p>Sarah Lawrence
Skidmore
Boston College
Macalester
Emory
Wheaton
Vassar
Villanova
UMich (isn't med. size but she liked UWisconsin)
Goucher
Johns Hopkins
Univ. of Rochester
Claremont-McKenna
Drew (safety)
Union College
College of William and Mary
George Washington
American
Georgetown
Smth
Reed
Tulane
Pomona
(I already know she liked Tufts, Brandeis and Brown which seem like good fits)</p>

11

<p>Would your D consider the South? Vanderbilt is mid-size, a beautiful campus that is separate from but right in the middle of Nashville.</p>

12

<p>sly_vt: Thanks for the NU report. I do wish they would update their info sessions and tours styles. In 1998, I'm sure my S saw the same PowerPoint that my D witnessed in 2003. Hope your D saw an updated version. In a room packed with people? The admissions rep really didn't talk much, just kinda read the slides (I hate that!). D had the exact same tour as S - not one building entered, nor a stop at a dorm room. The only buildings we were inside were the ones we picked ourselves to lurk around in (student center, math and journalism buildings).</p>

<p>My S is finishing grad school at UW Madison. Great college city. We've actually grown to like it more than Ann Arbor. There are lots of quirky places to live around campus, and everyone walks everywhere.</p>

13

<p>Yea the NW powerpoint was tedious, we went with a group of kids my S knows. The tour turned them off, which I thought was unfortunate since NW is quite a good school. The funniest part was that they showed us a dorm room that looked a lot like a jail cell, small, made of cinder block. The tour guide said she liked showing the worst so when the students got their dorm assignments they would likely be happy at how much better their rooms were. It was funny, but I don't think it had the intended effect.</p>

14

<p>The cold/wind coming off the lake at Northwestern can take your breath away.Easily the coldest place we visited,and that included a snowstorm in Ithaca.We were dissappointed in the condition of the buildings..not that they have to be new but they should be in good repair (must admit,maintenance or the lack thereof is a pet peeve of mine).D also did an overnight and complained about the girls she stayed with...lots of shopping talk...but thats the luck of the draw I guess.</p>

15

<p>Sly_vt
I would add my voice to check out Macalester. By size it might be little small for your D tastes but it is located in city and very vibrant community. By type of student it is somewhat close to Beloit. Excellent academics. My eldest D graduated from it couple years ago- it was perfect fit.</p>

16

<p>lindalana: I really like what I've heard of Macalester. I wanted to visit there instead of Beloit, but this was her trip, not mine. I'm pretty sure it will be on her list, even though she may not visit it ahead of time. It does sound like a cool place -- the sister of one of her friends goes there, and loves it.</p>

<p>cathymee: hmm, two overnights and two reports of shopping talk. Not good. </p>

<p>Bridie: the farthest south she's interested in is D.C. She actually doesn't mind cold weather. Go figure.</p>

<p>Soozie: Hi! Some of those schools she's considering. But others are either too small, too far away (she's just not interested in California, which is a shame because I'd like her to look at Occidental), or too rural.</p>

17

<p>Bucknell - gorgeous campus, quaint town, engineering and business strong.
Stunning new athletic center, elegant performing arts center, and the plans for expansion are in the works now that they bought the adjacent property.</p>

18

<p>Not all buildings at NU are in bad condition. For what I gather here, the tour guide showed couple buildings that house humanities depts and those happen to be the ones that need work. I also found the music school building disappointing, especially considering how good the program is known to be. The buildings for communication, engineering, business, and journalism school are in very good conditions and facilities inside are first-rate. The equipments/facilities inside the journalism school rival those in the industry and the Ford Design building is brand new. The interior of James Allen Center reminds me of executives' offices of some top company. In a way, I wish they were a little more balanced in terms of funds available for different schools/depts.</p>

19

<p>I have a S who is graduating Northwestern in June. He chose NU for its Film program and has been very pleased with it. He lived in dorms the first two years -- up north -- and he was fine with them but I personally feel they were like warehouses and similar to my dorms when I went to college in the late 60's. He's not in a fraternity and is not pleased with the large number of kids who go Greek. On the other hand, he's become a big Wildcat fan -- although they rarely do well -- and took a roadtrip to the Bowl game in El Paso. He's made wonderful friends and had great internships. The weather definitely is awful the
second quarter. But despite these dislikes he never considered transferring. Evanston is a cute little college town with decent restaurants, okay stores, and a great movie complex. It isn't always so easy to get into downtown Chicago and back to Evanston (especially late at night) but the kids manage and some have cars.</p>

20

<p>My daughter is at NU, and I just have to pipe in here. You didn't see ivy, because it's the dead of winter! All that ivy was one of the first things my daughter fell in love with at NU. It's all over the place, and will soon be gorgeous again like it was right up through November. </p>

<p>It's a beautiful campus, if you ask me, with some lovely architecture. Maybe some of the dorms are less than attractive, but I think the ones down on the south quads (where the sororities are) are charming.</p>

<p>We had some concerns about how it would be to live with so many affluent students, but my daughter has discovered it really doesn't matter. People at NU seem to be very supportive and accepting of all kinds of diversity. </p>

<p>Most students don't have TV's at all because they don't have cable in their rooms, and I believe small fridges are common in dorm rooms across the country. It's certainly cheaper than the extra meal tickets when it means you can eat breakfast in your room.</p>

<p>Did your daughter stay in a sorority during your visit? Or were you perhaps somewhat disinclined to like NU from the start? If you look for snobbery and most schools, you will find it, but NU is definitely not a snob school.</p>