<p>Nan: I'm so sorry, but I think you misread my original post. I was not disinclined to like NU -- in fact, two of my best friends went there, and I was inclined to really like it. And I did like it, and so did my daughter. She will probably apply there, and I would be thrilled if she went. </p>
<p>I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. NU is not the most attractive campus I've ever seen, but neither is it the ugliest -- and few places are attractive in winter. I wrote that it must be beautiful in the fall and spring. </p>
<p>No my daughter did not stay in a sorority. And she wasn't looking for snobbery, and she felt quite confident that NU was a diverse campus and that she could find her niche there. And she didn't say the students were snobs, just that they were rich. At a school where 43% of the students get financial aid (as per US News), that means there are a fair number of students whose parents are able to write a pretty large check without wincing (I'm not saying that all of the non-financial aid students are wealthy, but I'm sure a certain percentage of them are). I think that's a fact of life at many colleges, not just NU -- certainly that's the situation where I went to college. </p>
<p>I thought I gave a pretty positive report of NU, and I'm sorry if you read it differently. My biggest complaint was that the tour didn't take us inside any buildings! After reading what Sam Lee wrote, I regret not going inside the journalism school.</p>
<p>barrons, that does sound a bit snobby, but that cheer is not unique to NU, or so I've been told. Anyway, my daughter sure hasn't suffered from any snobbery as a student at NU. On the contrary, she feels extremely supported by her classmates.</p>
<p>sly_vt, my apologies too. I didn't need to be so defensive. We are just so happy with NU, it felt odd to hear somebody not exactly raving about it. Silly, I know.</p>
<p>You can't take cheer seriously. It's all just trash-talk. Don't think we actually believe in it. But NU does have teams with very high graduation rate. That's unusual for most Div-1 teams and we take pride of that.</p>
<p>I'm sorry your commute to Downtown Chicago was not pleasant. I usually take a break halfway through the commute (usually in Belmont) just to take a breath of fresh air, otherwise I get nauseated. DePaul kids seem to brighten up the commute when they get on at Fullerton. Watch out for them next time.</p>
<p>The commute on Purple Line Express should take 30 minutes at the most from Davis St. to the nearest Downtown location. </p>
<p>NU is the kind of school where the students sing while crossing the street. Maybe I just came across some drama people, I don't know. My impression of the University is similar to yours, except I didn't think the Lakefront was impressive.</p>
<p>That cheer reminds me of one by Yale to Brown: "What's the color of horse s**t?? Brown! Brown!" Condescending but all in good fun, I hope.</p>
<p>I have my doubts. Face facts, lots of NU kids are Ivy rejects and intent on asserting their superior abilities. I'd expect this to much less so in drama and journalism where NU is a first choice school with a great record.</p>
<p>barrons, Yes, our daughter at NU is a Harvard reject (as are so many others!), but I can assure you that she is not intent on "asserting [her] superior abilities". During each of our visits, we have commented on the down-to-earth attitude and friendliness of the students. NU is a wonderful university and I can honestly say that our daughter is extremely happy to be there.</p>
<p>No, Wisc is the only Big10 that is in front of NU. Congratulations on your alma mater being first in that category. :P Among all the fellow Big10 schools, NU seems to be the one you got problem with for some reason. I thought Wisc's rival is Minn. ;)</p>
I agree with liland, the down-to-earth attitude among NU students is remarkable. They seem much more interested in exploring and developing their abilities than in asserting them over someone else. </p>
<p>There may be quite a few students attending NU, who would have chosen an ivy had they been accepted, but I'm not convinced they make up the bulk of the population. There are students who get accepted at ivies but choose NU instead. Also NU takes something like one quarter of each class from ED applicants. They also strongly take into consideration sustained interest over time. My daughter, who had a good shot at some ivies, applied ED at NU because it was far and away her first choice.</p>
<p>I have to agree with sly's first impressions about the NU campus and the campus tour. We were favorably disposed to NU--our daughter didn't want to leave the Chicago area to attend school. But our first impressions of the campus--on a clear October day--were underwhelming! The campus tour guide did not take us inside any buildings and covered only a small fraction of the school's extensive grounds. It is true that some of the buildings have modern, unimaginative architecture (we spent a lot of time outside the library--ugh--not a smart move for those who plan those tours).</p>
<p>So why did my daughter apply ED? The school's size--about 8000 undergrads, which she viewed as perfect. She loved Evanston, which is a five minute walk from most of the south campus. She was taken with the view of Chicago's skyline while standing near Lake Michigan. She was thrilled when she was accepted last year and has loved every minute of her freshman year. Some posters mentioned that there are ivy-covered walls on the south campus (if that is important :) ). The quad area on south campus does have a traditional collegiate appearance with plenty of ivy. The campus shows off very nicely in every season except winter.</p>
<p>We weren't very impressed with the information sessions that the administration had put together, either. But my daughter went with a gut impression, I suppose, that NU would be right for her. She loves the geographic diversity of the student population--she's made friends from both coasts, the south, and everywhere in between. </p>
<p>Just wanted to chime in with my agreement that the official intro to NU isn't very representative of the campus experience. That may be true at most schools, come to think of it.</p>