<p>I am applying to Northwestern, possibly.</p>
<p>And here is my question. Why do you want to go to Northwestern? What's special about it?</p>
<p>I'd like to know a general school atmosphere and pros/cons besides academics(since I already know too well that NW is a great school academic wise. :) )
How big is fratssororities. Personally I am not a big fan of segregated school comunities represented by frats. </p>
<p>And please tell me, if you would like, what you wish NW has. </p>
<p>Thanks !!</p>
<p>As you will see on lots of posts, the Greek and athlete community is definitely the center of the drinking scene, which is different then the center of the social scene, of which there are many groups. And people in Greek houses will tend to be friends with other greeks – thats simply a natural result of combined events people do. Is the campus divided? Certainly not. We’re all too nerdy here to really care about the separation. I’m in a fraternity and my friends are 50/50 split in and out of Greek life. Major campus organizations – DM, A&O, A cappela groups – are similarly diverse as well. </p>
<p>This part of why I love NU, it has to be the most well-rounded school in the top 12. Intelligent, engaging students, Big Ten athletics, fantastic arts scene thanks to our great film and theater programs, Chicago’s nightlife and job market access. </p>
<p>What do I wish NU had? An In N’ Out and a Trader Joes within walking distance, with a healthy Dan Persa achille’s heel being a close second.</p>
<p>suppasonic-a 5 Guys doesn’t do it for you? 
But, I totally agree that a healthy Dan Persa would be the first thing on the list.</p>
<p>To the OP-My son is a freshman so with only the benefit of a few months at NU, I will say that his comment is that NU is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He’s big into theatre, loves the a cappella scene, totally into the Big 10 athletics and the ever improving teams and may pledge a frat.</p>
<p>suppasonic - My S hails from the land of In N’ Out and he’s now raving about 5 Guys. What he misses are more authentic Mexican restaurants (he eats Chiptole but of course that’s not a true representation of Mexican cuisine.) I’m not sure he misses Trader Joes since we did most of the shopping there. I would sure miss it!</p>
<p>To the OP - My S is also a freshman at NU. He’s on the STEM side of the house in the Integrated Science Program. He is loving college life at NU. The ISP is pretty rigorous but it focuses on the areas he loves so this college is a wonderful fit for him. </p>
<p>He’s living in a dorm right now and has a friend who’s with a frat, so he sometimes attends their events. Last week, he tagged along to a frat event that was a date night at Millenium Park for ice skating. He’s not likely to pledge a frat since he said with this program he can’t dedicate that much time to patterned social life, plus he can’t see paying his fees that are partially used so other students can drink at frat sponsored parties.</p>
<p>He’s also enjoyed the football games, learning jujitsu, the various rituals (painting the rock.) Surprisingly (thus far, it’s still early) for a SoCal native, he’s not complaining about the cold weather just yet. He’s rather enjoying the change of seasons and his room provides a primo view of the lake, now that the trees have dropped their leaves.</p>
<p>He hasn’t availed himself too much yet of all there is to offer in Chicago, as he’s followed a good path for an ISPer in getting grounded in the program first. However, he’s found that when he does go, traveling on the CTA or the Metra trains is quite convenient. He told us he’s taking an NU provided shuttle to the airport, so that makes things easy, too.</p>
<p>Love me some chipotle. Haha</p>
<p>FindAPlace – As a grizzled SoCal vet, adequate, non-Chipotle Mexican food can be found if you are willing to travel into the city. And TJs only becomes relevant once you finally move off campus. And momof3, Five Guys is just not the same!</p>