Why Do People Choose Northwestern Over

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>There was a thread on CC’s regular Northwestern board (under “CC Top Universities”) that posed the question “Why do people choose Northwestern over schools where they were offered full-ride scholarships?”</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/1263836-why-do-people-choose-go-nu.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/1263836-why-do-people-choose-go-nu.html</a></p>

<p>I thought some of the responses to that thread might be interesting to some of you on the MT Forum. The whole thread is here (see link above), but I thought my answer, which could also be an answer to the question “Why do people choose Northwestern over auditioned BFA programs?”, might be of interest to some people here, so I’ll re-post it below.</p>

2

<p>In D’s case, she passed up full-ride options (and auditioned BFA programs) at other schools for several reasons – all good enough to convince her parents that it was a worthwhile use of a lot of $.</p>

<p>First, NU has one of the top programs in her field, and the training and connections will have lifelong value. Also, many Theatre programs are highly vocational, and she felt that NU’s broader education will put her in a better position for lifelong employment options, rather than simply training her to kick her face for that first Broadway audition.</p>

<p>Second, she has the option of earning a double major in 4 years. Students in many underfunded/overcrowded State schools are having a hard time completing a single degree in 4 years, let alone a double major. Plus in her field very few schools even allow for a double major.</p>

<p>Third, she wanted to spend 4 years among incredible, talented and intellectual people and was willing to work hard during her time at NU rather than coasting academically at a state school. In my experience, pushing yourself is rarely a bad thing.</p>

<p>Forth, her aunt (who is a HS counselor) urged us to make this choice as she’s seen too many kids who opted for the cheaper education end up dropping out or making transfers that forced an extra year of school.</p>

<p>Fifth, college is not only an investment of tuition, but also of TIME! Most people only get spend 4 years as an undergraduate once in their lives, so we thought it was worth making the absolute most of this time investment. NU has already offered several unexpected opportunities (including overseas travel), and it’s only her first quarter!</p>

<p>Now that she’s there, we’ve all discovered many more reasons to consider it worth every penny (living near Chicago, a dorm right on the beach, getting to know lovely Evanston, etc.). Life is short, and she’s already had so many amazing experiences in her few months at NU that we couldn’t be happier that she made the choice she did!</p>

<p>Oh - and an unexpected fringe benefit for us is that since we’re paying full tuition we’re learning to be perfectly happy on far less income, which can only make us feel that much wealthier in retirement, true? ;-D</p>

3

<p>There are more reasons that I didn’t include in the OP above that relate more directly to her observations of BFA options, so I’ll list them here as well.</p>

<p>A) D really wanted the full traditional college experience (ala Gilmore Girls?). She wanted a gorgeous ivy-covered campus with lovely old buildings. She wanted A Cappella groups, fall football games, the opportunity to experience sorority rush (whether or not she wants to join a sorority), formal dances… the whole university enchilada.</p>

<p>B) She wanted to meet people who will later be prominent in ALL professions and not limit herself to mostly theatre people.</p>

<p>C) She wanted to have classes with theatre people who weren’t all MTs. She wanted to meet future Playwrights, Directors, Designers, Straight Theatre actors, Producers, Casting Agents, etc.</p>

<p>D) She didn’t want to spend 4 years in a class of 20.</p>

<p>E) She wanted the best acting training and connections she could find, as she’s heard that over the fulness of a career there is more work for straight actors than MTs.</p>

<p>F) She fell completely in love with NU when she visited. Here’s a walk through of part of the campus in Google in case you’ve never been. You don’t get a sense of the fact that the entire campus is bordered by magnificent white sand beaches from this but it does give a feel for campus…</p>

<p>[Northwestern</a> University, Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL - Google Maps](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>

<p>G) She didn’t want to “use up” her tolerance for NYC as a student. Her dad went to Columbia and he thinks she couldn’t take NYC forever, and knowing D I tend to agree with him.</p>

<p>H) She wanted to be in a beautiful small town, but have easy access to all the benefits of a major cosmopolitan city, including making contacts with a large and thriving professional Theatre community.</p>

<p>For D, Northwestern offered a combination of factors unmatched by any other school, which was why she applied binding ED. She has met many Theatre kids who made the same choice – for example, this year ~40% of the incoming class was admitted ED – plus many more apply RD with NU as their top choice. Also - virtually all of the serious MT kids at NU who did not apply ED (and many who did) had very strong auditioned BFA offers in their basket of school choices.</p>

<p>Sorry this was long, but we’ve been asked about it often enough that I thought it was worth sharing. ;-D</p>

4

<p>@raysfan1 - Thanks for sharing the “College of the Day!” post… I hadn’t seen it. Here’s a snip for those who can’t follow the link…</p>

<p>"It Seems Like All Elite Colleges are Hot Right Now . . . Northwestern is Sizzling Hot!</p>

<p>… snip</p>

<p>“Many of America’s elite colleges have seen a recent jump in popularity and applications but what’s happening on the “Wildcat” campus along Lake Michigan is extraordinary even by those standards.”</p>

<p>… snip</p>

<p>“Well, maybe the rest of the world has finally discovered what the top students in America’s “heartland” have known for generations; Northwestern is a very special place! In fact, it’s difficult to find something not to like. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most attractive features of Northwestern. The dream of most students is to have a beautiful campus with broad sweeping lawns and towering trees in a safe neighborhood with cute shopping areas. On the other hand, students also want the hustle and bustle of being downtown in a major city with the sports events, concerts, museums, shopping, eating, and internship opportunities. Of course it’s pretty hard to have both! Northwestern has found the answer. With the main campus located along the shores of Lake Michigan about 15 minutes from downtown, the university also maintains a 25 acre “city” campus in Chicago’s “Streeterville” neighborhood which is also home to tourist favorites, the Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile. A private shuttle, free to Northwestern students, continuously runs between the two campuses.”</p>

<p>… cont’d</p>

<p>“One surprising feature of Northwestern is the number of Wildcat alumni who have made it big in Hollywood and on Broadway. Steven Colbert (Colbert Report), Julia Louis Dreyfus (Seinfeld), Megan Mullally (Will and Grace), David Schwimmer (Friends), Laura Linney and more than a hundred other entertainment celebrities attended Northwestern at one time or another.”</p>

5

<p>For what it’s worth, here’s another list of some well-know NU Theatre alumni (and even the older ones matter as many have left legacy gifts), though this list doesn’t begin to paint the picture of the thousands of NU folk currently working throughout the industry.</p>

<p>Warren Beatty
Zach Braff
Stephen Colbert
Cindy Crawford
Jane Curtain
Zooey Deschanel
Anne Dudek
Ira Glass
Heather Headley
Julie Louis-Dryfus
Charlton Heston
Jennifer Jones
Stacy Keach
Cloris Leachman
Laura Linney
Paul Lynde
Ann Margaret
Seth Meyers
Garry Marshall
Megan Mullally
Denis O’Hare – Take Me Out, Sweet Charity, True Blood
Jerry Orbach
David Schwimmer
Jerry Springer
Lydia R. Diamond – author of “Stick Fly” on Broadway
Tracy Letts - author of “August Osage County”
D of Meryl Streep
S of Tom Hanks
D of Mikhail Baryshnikov</p>

<p>Not to mention some of those other types of semi-performer grads like;</p>

<p>Arthur Anderson
Hugh Hefner
Rod Blagojevich
Rahm Emmanuel
Dick Gephardt
George McGovern
William Jennings Bryan
Adlai Stevenson</p>

<p>;-D</p>

6

<p>I just heard via pm that this statement might have been offensive to some.</p>

<p>“Third, she wanted to spend 4 years among incredible, talented and intellectual people and was willing to work hard during her time at NU rather than coasting academically at a state school. In my experience, pushing yourself is rarely a bad thing.”</p>

<p>I have two degrees from great State schools and by no means meant to dis them, or to imply that all students at State schools can coast! </p>

<p>However, it’s been my observation (comparing DH going through Columbia to my experiences at State schools and comparing D’s start at Northwestern to her friends’ experiences at top State schools) that people in schools where the average incoming ACT scores are 27-31 to schools where incoming students average 31-34, the students in the more academically selective school will ON AVERAGE have to work much harder to maintain a high GPA in academic courses. </p>

<p>Keep in mind that for many MT students this need to work hard in academic classes is an absolute deal-killer and makes NU an unacceptable alternative, but D was willing to put in the extra work and/or accept a lower GPA so it was a real factor in her choice.</p>

<p>Sorry if I offended anyone and understand that was not my intent.</p>

7

<p>Oops… just realized that my terrible proofreading skills (NOT the fault of State schools :slight_smile: may interfere with my ability to communicate… </p>

<p>… that *** comparing *** people in schools where the average incoming ACT scores are 27-31 to *** students in*** schools where incoming students average 31-34…</p>

<p>I should also add that these posts are NOT intended to imply that this would be the best choice for everyone, but only to explain the thinking behind Ds choice – a choice which surprised almost everyone, including mom, when she made it. </p>

<p>Of course D knows many kids at NU who chose it over other top programs, but she also knows two guys who chose another top program over NU and are very happy where they are. She also knows some unhappy kids trying to transfer into NU from other MT programs.</p>

<p>I chose a top Conservatory back when I was a performer so, to be very clear, I in no way think that a school like Northwestern is right for everyone. </p>

<p>vive la diff</p>