What exactly is so great about Northwestern?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>Yes, I understand that Northwestern is a great school with high rankings, but what about its social scenes?</p>

<p>I am from California and I am really worried about not getting use to the weather.</p>

<p>Also, I understand that NW has a great campus life. What are the "fun stuff" that the typical student gets involve in? What about off campus? Chicago is not that far away, so what is there to do in Chicago that is unique?</p>

<p>Also, what is the best thing that you hold Northwestern in the highest regard (whether it be the classes, the people, the social scene, etc.)</p>

2

<p>SX, I've never been a student at NU, but I did used to spend a LOT of time in the Chicago area on business, and one of my best friends has a PhD from NU.</p>

<p>If you are a native Californian, expect to be cold in winter. Colder than you've ever been before. You will be dressed like an Inuit seal hunter when natives are wearing jeans and windbreakers. As long as you understand that, you'll be fine. Also, you will find that midwesterners go outside when it is mind-boggling cold and windy, but they heat all their buildings to 84 in the winter. They are a strange bunch.</p>

<p>Evanston used to be a quiet suburban town with a university. I haven't been there in a long time, so I can't claim to be an expert. When I was last there, they had nothing like "the Ave" at UnivWashington or the area around UCLA in Westwood. The train to Chicago would be your path to urban partying, if that's your thing. It's also -- to take a higher path -- a route to the more sophisticated charms of Chicago's arts and entertainment areas. If you like the charms of urban life, I can't imagine that you won't find what you want in the Chicago area. The biggest weakness the area has for a westerner is the lack of mountains and oceans. If you like skiing, surfing, backpacking, mountain biking, etc., NU is probably not your first choice.</p>

<p>I'll leave the academic discussion for those who know what they are talking about. (I do know that the Kellogg school is very good -- and very well respected. But that's MBA time...)</p>

3

<p>"You will be dressed like an Inuit seal hunter when natives are wearing jeans and windbreakers."</p>

<p>hahahaha</p>

4

<p>Well, I'm a parent of a new freshman so I can't give you a first-hand student perspective but I have three older children so I've seen a lot of different colleges/universities along the way. Just remember there's no perfect school. As you go through the college search, the best thing you can do for yourself is come up with a list of schools that you like and feel positive about.</p>

<p>As for NU- well, let's get the weather thing out of the way. The reason is it's so cold is because of the wind off Lake Michigan. The temperatures in Chicago are no worse than Maine, Minnesota, Colorado -as a matter of fact, Chicago's been relatively mild for the last couple of winters. But the wind is fierce and that's why you bundle up. That being said, Lake Michigan is beautiful. Astonishingly beautiful. The color is amazing and it changes constantly. Being right on the Lake is one of the nicest features of the campus. </p>

<p>From what I see so far, the strength of the university lies in its diversity of students, the wide range of majors and strong undergrad schools (like engineering and music), and that the kids tend to be doers. Most of the students I've met or talked to are involved in a lot of different things so they drink to let off steam on the weekends, not because they don't have anything else to do on the weekdays. </p>

<p>The quarter system also means you have to keep up with your work. Unlike most of his high school friends, my son didn't have a fall break where he could come home and sleep and play video games for three days. Midterms were sandwiched between Parents Weekend and Homecoming so the pace keeps up all fall. The good part of this is that you take 12 or more courses a year instead of the usual 8. So a lot of students double-major, which is easier to complete when you're taking more classes anyway. </p>

<p>Chicago is a fabulous city but it's not right around the corner. It's a 40 minute ride away on public transportation. If you're someone who's comfortable reading a mass transit map, you 'll probably go into the city 2-3 times a quarter. On the academic side, the university offers a lot of internships with a number of various Chicago businesses (ad agencies, banks, the art institute and symphony) so if hands-on internships are important to you, you can't do any better than Chicago. Evanston doesnt' really offer much of a social alternative to campus life because it's really a suburban small town but it's got the requisite coffee bars, pizza joints, drugstores, clothing stores, Whole Foods market, etc. to make daily life easier.</p>

<p>Having 2 kids who went to small liberal arts colleges and 1 who went to a big state university, I would say Northwestern is kind of between those two extremes. There are some small departments/majors where you can have a more personal relationship with your professors and a more "intellectual" grasp of the material. And there are the kind of outstanding research facilities and projects that you find in big schools like Berkley and Cornell.<br>
It kind of depends what you want.</p>

5

<p>^^ one thing to point out, the usual courseload is 10 at a semester school</p>

<p>Also the LOOP might be 40 minutes away if you take the el; loyola university, which is on the northern edge of chicago, is four miles, or about ten minutes away on public transportation (the el)</p>

<p>but the balance between liberal arts school and huge research university is pretty accurate, although i'd say the campus leans more towards the research university feel (partially to do with the architecture and layout, partially to do with the ~8,000 students) however the SIDE of campus you live on will effect that impression. North side will make you feel more like you're at a big university, because you walk by tech campus every day, and south side will make you feel more like you're at a liberal arts school, it's more landscaped and old-world architecture, and the social environments also reflect these descriptions</p>

6

<p>Yes, Northwestern is a great school becoming greater. It continues to expand in resources and affiliations. As you'd expect, the acadmeic scene is pretty intense and that's one reason you'd want to go there. There's also no end of activities to get involved with.</p>

<p>The social scene is mostly on campus inasmuch as Evanston doesn't offer a lot. The sorority/fraternity scene is relatively popular, but dorms are also active with social things. Chicago's a great city, but not many students frequent it due to $ and time opportunity cost factors. But, it's at one's fingertips for the doing: tremendous theatre, music, restaurants, culture, architecture ....</p>

<p>The weather can be, um, challenging in midwinter. The wind off the lake finds its way around the buildings. Spring and fall are nice (though shorter by what you're used to). For students who stay and study or work there over the summer, it's like the proverbial "having your cake and eating it, too."</p>

<p>Best things -- bright, energetic minds at work studying and creating. The school can provide one many opportunities to learn and make valuable connections for one's life's network.</p>

7

<p>^^ chicago area summers might be the best weather you could possibly imagine</p>

8

<p>Ricky Tyler,</p>

<p>I am taking some classes at UCLA so I know both areas well. There have been quite a lot of development over the past several years in Evanston and it's no less happening than Westwood. </p>

<p>There are just about as many, if not more, restaurants/cafes in downtown Evanston: <a href="http://restaurant.asg.northwestern.edu/googlemapped.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://restaurant.asg.northwestern.edu/googlemapped.php&lt;/a> or
<a href="http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/intl/campuslife/eating-out.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/intl/campuslife/eating-out.htm&lt;/a> There are also Borders, B&N, and an 18-screen Century Theatre (whereas Westwood has only small ones) in the middle of downtown area. Clubs are lacking however, but that's the case for Westwood too.</p>

9

<p>I'm only a freshman, so obviously my experiences are limited, but they might still be helpful. </p>

<p>First of all, I've found that your social life varies heavily depending on where you live. North campus (where I live) is considered more of the party end of campus--my dorm is literally in the middle of the frat quads, so much of my going out is going to frats/off campus houses/bars. My best friend from home, however, lives way down south, and has had completely different experiences. He hangs out a lot more within the dorms, in Evanston, and some off campus parties. The Greek scene, where I live anyway, is really popular, and even if you don't think you're into that type of thing, don't write it off completely.</p>

<p>Partying aside, if you're as into music as I am, definitely take advantage of all the shows in Chicago. There was a three week strech where I went to an amazing concert once a week. There's also stuff going on on campus--Jeremy Piven gave a talk here a couple weeks ago. It actually ended up being kind of lame, but still cool to see. Take advantage of the El and go to places like Belmont and Lincoln Park. You can also take the intercampus shuttle as an easy way to get downtown.</p>

<p>I absolutely love it here. I applied ED and it was the best decision I ever made. I don't know if I could really narrow down everything to that one best thing...really all of the elements of NU as a whole make it one of the best campuses, in my opinion.</p>