Vanderbilt or NU?

<p>Hello! I need advice in choosing the right school.
I got into NU, Vandy, and Cornell. I want to pick out of NU and Vandy (Arts and Science). Both cost the same. </p>

<p>My passion has been primarily science/math and I CONSIDER doing PhD in physics. YET, I am also interested in and want to explore, in college, many different areas including psycology, social justice, and even economy/business a little. I forecast that my intersets will probably change.</p>

<p>I am an Asian male (US citizen) and serious about academics but also enjoy socializing, sports, and music. Have lived in big cities all my life. Any advice, pls?</p>

<p>Hi, congrats on getting into such great schools. I also ended up choosing between NU and Vanderbilt last year, and it was a tough decision.</p>

<p>I ultimately chose NU for a few reasons. For one, I felt more at ease in the campus atmosphere. Vanderbilt had a very “traditional Southern” feel that was strange to me. Also, I just love the city of Chicago – you can’t beat NU’s location. Nashville is a cool place but I just felt like Chicago would be a better city for looking for a job/internship in the future. NU is also closer to home for me, which made it a more sensible choice financially. Plus, though it shouldn’t probably be the deciding factor, the fact that NU’s academic reputation is generally better than Vanderbilt’s played a role in my decision. While they’re both stellar schools, I just found Northwestern to be the better fit. Really, though, you can’t go wrong – you’ve got great options here!</p>

<p>^Thank you!
I have a question: I know that freshemn are not assigned singles, but which building provides the greatest privacy? There are perhaps buildings where beds/desks are laid in different directions and farther apart? </p>

<p>I am not a loner at all, but I would rather study alone in dead-silence (a total night person) and sleep without anyone around me. I happen to be an only child and have never shared my room. Really concerned that I might have difficulty having someone in sight 24/7…</p>

<p>According to this guide, Foster-Walker, which is all-singles, is now open to incoming freshmen:</p>

<p>[Freshman</a> housing guide 2010 » North by Northwestern](<a href=“http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2010/05/81000/freshman-housing-guide-2010/]Freshman”>http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2010/05/81000/freshman-housing-guide-2010/)</p>

<p>Additionally, most dorms at NU (and I imagine at Vanderbilt as well?) have study lounges on each floor. NU has private cubicles (enclosed rooms) in the main library (in the lower level of North Tower or “the Core”), but they’re always taken at night. </p>

<p>I had a roommate once and I got around any distractions by going to the library to study. I’ve lived in a single since, but ironically, I got my highest grades when I had a roommate even though the rigor of my courses stayed the same (lots of papers/reading).</p>

<p>If you are not into country music, you may feel kinda out of place with the whole country music scene in downtown Nashville; I imagine it’d be hard to try to blend in as an Asian too but I can’t be sure. Country music seems to be pretty much what the whole main strip is about (which is about only 3 blocks anyway). I knew Nashville wasn’t Chicago, LA or even Wash DC but it was even smaller than I expected. I have lived in major cities most of my life.</p>

<p>I’m not sure about the layouts of rooms in specific buildings, but you can absolutely get assigned to a single as a freshman – and in fact, if you want one, they’re probably easy to get. Lots of freshmen who get assigned to singles do not want them and switch out – I was one of those. Foster-Walker is all singles, as previously mentioned, and there are other smaller dorms that have singles as well (Rogers House, for example).</p>

<p>@mildcat: Thank you!
@Sam: Country music does not agree with me in the least…
^: I am glad to know I have choices for a single room. Will check out. :)</p>

<p>^^^I cannot seem to find ‘Rogers House’. Does it have another name? </p>

<p>More questions:

  1. Which building would you recommend to a Weinberg(CAS) freshman? I want to live close to my classrooms. </p>

<ol>
<li>If I choose to live in a single, does that mean I will live far away from my freshmen friends? Is there a building where I can find enough freshmen? From the website, I sense that Foster Walker is mostly occupied by upper-class students. Is F/W a good choice for a freshman?</li>
</ol>

<p>So, I want a single room in a building where I can find many freshmen and is close to my classrooms (CAS). Any suggestions?</p>

<p>CAS classrooms are all over campus. It really depends what you want to study, and even then, you’ll invariably have classes on the opposite end from where you live. Just a fact of life. In general though: Science, north side. Humanities, south side. Social Sciences, Mid campus.</p>

<p>North for me, then.
Which dorm? Any suggestions?</p>