<p>It’s an exciting choice to have! A single year at the amazing place that is Northwestern has forever changed our D. I can’t wait to see what 4 years will do for her!</p>
<p>Good luck with his choice, and once again congrats for getting to make it!</p>
<p>Btw… D is in the School of Communication, as are some others here, so if he has questions feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Has he visited NU?</p>
<p>This is very exciting news- what are the odds! Congratulations again.</p>
<p>MomCares, my son has some reservations about attending NU, one of which is the social life. He’s read in multiple places that if you don’t make friends in the first few weeks, your social life is doomed and that the frat parties can be somewhat exclusive. I’d real;ly appreciate you and your D’s take on this aspect of NU life. Thanks!</p>
<p>I thought the purpose of the pre-Wildcat Welcome programs before move-in day, i.e. Project Wildcat, Freshman Urban Program, etc. are set up so you can meet other freshmen & make new friends.</p>
<p>I was worried about the social transition, too, before D left for school. Our D is somewhat quiet, but she has NEVER had even the slightest problem meeting people and making great friends at NU. Even when she was a bit sick over the first month everyone was really friendly and helpful, and the school has a fantastic process for welcoming/acclimating all the freshman! Remember that ALL of the freshman arrive a little nervous about making new friends, and the school is totally prepared to facilitate that. </p>
<p>During the summer the kids are contacted by an upperclassman who will lead a small group of freshman (I think it’s called their PA group) throughout the year, and they all get acquainted via e-mail. I think the PA group is all kids from your major, so on the day she arrived she already knew a group of maybe 10 kids quite well. I think they did most of the orientation activities (of which there are a week’s worth) together, and D’s PA group still meets at least monthly for dinners and parties. The PA group is your first social “anchor” at NU, which seems to be a great system. </p>
<p>She didn’t do one of the pre-Wildcat-Welcome programs, but Wildcat Welcome week itself is JAMMED with fun social events for all freshman where they quickly get to know each other. Second City was on campus with an NU-centric show, they rented out Six Flags for NU students only, and there were endless performances and activities that the freshman (who have the first week on campus to themselves) participate in. In addition, the dorms host lots of social gatherings during the first week (and throughout the year). By the end of the first week, even though she was sick, D had already met a lot of great people. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what your S’s high school was like, but D has been SO thrilled to be surrounded by so many amazing peers at NU. In fact, I now realize that even if Northwestern didn’t have a single good professor (of course the place is crawling with them) D would learn more there from her NU peers in a year than many people learn during 4 years of college. She says that literally every kid she has met has some amazing skill and/or accomplishment and she has already made friends there that I know she’ll have for life.</p>
<p>When we went to visit during Family Weekend (which is just over a month in) wherever we went in Evanston D would see people she knew who would run over and introduce themselves to us, and we knew without question that she’d found a great “home” at Northwestern.</p>
<p>I’m going to stop before I lose all this, but there’s so much more I could say about what an amazing environment NU is. Honestly, every NU parent I’ve met wants to be a student there. ;-D</p>
<p>Two quick additions;</p>
<p>1) I don’t know much about the fraternities, but D did join a sorority and really likes it. She is NOT your typical sorority girl, but she said there are houses that suit virtually every personality and she also says that NU Greek life is NOTHING like the wild party scene that’s portrayed in the movies. We happened to be at Second City one night when the house included a large group of NU sorority girls, and in spite of my anti-sorority bias I found them to be among the nicest, best behaved, most genuine and yes, most beautiful, group of women I’ve even shared a theatre with. ;-D </p>
<p>2) Another unexpected social benefit at NU is that since Chicago is such an awesome city and is so centrally located, D has had LOTS of friends from other schools (as far away as NYC) come to visit her at NU throughout the school year. Plus since it’s a huge airline hub, cheap fares make it easier for us to visit than we’d imagined.</p>
<p>pcaz - I sent you a pm</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, MomCares. I really appreciate your detailed response. It’s going to be a difficult decision for him, but honestly, I don’t think he can go wrong no matter what he decides. </p>
<p>I’ll post his decision once he makes it, probably on Monday.</p>
<p>@pcaz - I guess the good news is that it’s a difficult decision that most kids would be THRILLED to get to make. I’m sure you’re right that he can’t go wrong, and hope you all can enjoy the weekend while considering his exciting choices. D has been sending me photos today from the beautiful beach by her dorm, and they’re reminding me how lucky these kids are… but I know they have these opportunities as a result of years of hard work in high school. </p>
<p>Again, congratulations!</p>
<p>He should look into the residential learning communities and residential colleges. They typically have more structured activities than dorms to help create a sense of community. I think it’s in his best interest to try to break out of his shell, to prepare him for the real world and the brutal job market where communication/socialization skills are extremely important to have. I’m confident Northwestern will provide him a nurturing environment in which to do that. I am confident he will find a community of friends, esp. if he chooses a residential college/LC. Those who live in the dorms tend to be more socially proactive.</p>
<p>FYI, I came into Northwestern as an introvert and graduated an ambivert. I certainly did not force myself to come out of my shell, though I did make conscious decisions to slowly break out of it in ways I was comfortable with. The transition just naturally happened as I became more immersed in campus life and as part of the maturity process. </p>
<p>I also think he should join one of the frats, not the rowdy ones but the more tame, gentlemanly ones. The guys there get along really well despite the diversity in their personal style. Whether you are a hippie, hipster, nerd, jock and/or prep, you will fit in. It’s good to have a brotherhood of friends like that who will have your back not only through college but also through life. The connections you will develop (at NU and with brothers in other chapters nationwide) will benefit him for life professionally, academically or socially. In some of the frats, I can actually see somebody who’s painfully shy fitting in and developing more self-confidence over time. </p>
<p>Northwestern obviously desires your son since he was among a few taken off out of 1,000+ who elected to remain on the wait list. Remember that whether you got in off the wait list or through the regular process doesn’t matter one bit. The quality of the students are the same. Actually, even thousands of denied applicants are just as competitive but just did not quite make it for space reasons.</p>
<p>Well, my son has made his decision…</p>
<p>(Drum roll, please)</p>
<p>He has verbally committed to attend Northwestern this fall. It was a very difficult decision for him, but when it came down to it, he went with his gut. It really was a leap of faith considering he hasn’t actually visited the school. He’s gone to several school events, though, and has talked with several alumni.</p>
<p>The next order of business is to plan a long weekend in Chicago to give him the comfort level that he made the right choice. This should be happening in the coming weeks.</p>
<p>Congratulations! If D’s experience is any indication, your S is in for what someone here aptly described as “a rollercoaster of awesome”. ;-D</p>
<p>If you have time during his upcoming visit, in addition to touring the campus also spend a bit of time exploring lovely Chicago. We enjoyed an architecture cruise on the river, a nighttime trip to Navy Pier (ride the ferris wheel), a visit to the Art Institute and a comedy performance at Second City. </p>
<p>Again, congratulations and WELCOME to the wildcat family. I’d forgotten to mention earlier that our whole family now feels a part of Northwestern. In addition to fantastic email, newsletters and magazines, the family is often invited to local alumni events which are fun and interesting. Northwestern is truly a special and welcoming community.</p>
<p>Go cats!!</p>
<p>And here is wishing your son the very best as he embarks on a wonderful and fulfilling journey at NU for the next 4 years. He cannot go wrong with NU!</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the warm welcome, MomCares and NorthwesternDad. </p>
<p>I actually spent several years living in the Chicago area (Oak Park and Lake Forest) and his older sister was born there. So I’m already completely sold on the city of Chicago…I loved it when I was there and I went into the city as often as I could.</p>
<p>It’s comforting to know there are so many supportive parents around to call on as he begins his journey as a Northwestern Wildcat. It’s been a lot of years since I was last there and I’m sure things have changed quite a bit. Looking forward to catching up and enjoying everything the city – and the university – has to offer.</p>
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<p>I don’t have firsthand data about this, but based on what I’ve heard Northwestern just keeps getting better over the years (and the amazing new Music/Communications building they broke ground on last Friday is certainly a HUGE step in this direction) and Chicago looks better than I’ve ever seen it. </p>
<p>Hope you get to join him for his visit?</p>
<p>Congrats to your son on making A decision. NU is a fantastic school, and he should do well there.</p>
<p>Yeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh buddy. Another '16er right here. Congratulations!</p>