Why NU?

<p>Hmm..great thread and going by the posts,my future classmates are going to be great too!
Anyways, I wanted to know more about the greek life at Nu-what actually is all the hype about?</p>

<p>There are other threads on Greek life here. You can watch the saga whereby students who actually weren't at NU tried to tell the current students and alumni what was so wrong with the Greek system, then got here and to their surprise it turned out to be just fine :-).</p>

<p>Don't sweat the Greek system. If you want to be Greek, great, have fun. If you don't, that's cool too -- no one <em>cares</em>. You'll have fun either way, and there is nothing elitist or snobby about the Greeks at NU. It appears to be very unlike other places where frat guys don't talk to anyone outside their frat, etc. It's just like the rest of NU -- so incredibly cool.</p>

<p>^thanks pizzagirl!</p>

<p>Remember that Greek life is just one slice of life on campus. About twice as many students choose to never join as choose to join up. For many, it's often more about housing options than anything else. So it's there if you want it a lot, it's there if you want it a little (hitting open parties, hanging with friends that are members), and if it's not your thing you've still got 2/3 of the student body to do endless other stuff with. It is certainly not the overriding social force on campus the way it can be in more isolated college locations. </p>

<p>Other slices of life on campus: NU not only has everything you could ever dream of getting involved with ON campus - especially with their incredible journalism, music and theater options - it also has Evanston joined at the hip and Chicago down the road (or El tracks). Wrigley, Lincoln Park, Old Town and 2nd City, Rush Street, and blues, jazz and rock clubs are minutes away. Your biggest problem will be choosing between an endless array of on and off campus things to do. When winter hits and outdoor options at most colleges are few, finding yourself at a school with so many places to have a great time AND stay warm really makes a difference.</p>

<p>i like northwestern because it has an awesome location, a really good social scene, and is a very good school. also, it's hard to describe but the students, to me, are the perfect type, to the point where i never thought i would say this but they make me question how i ever fit in so well with my friends from home.</p>

<p>whats the diff between living in a residential college and a regular dorm</p>

<p>res colleges have a theme to them and do dorm activities. i would encourage you to live in a res college if you prefer a smaller social circle mainly contained to your dorm.</p>

<p>What differentiates NU from most of its peer schools.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Lakefront w/ own beach and view of Chicago skyline</p></li>
<li><p>Suburban campus in Chicago's Northshore w/ own substantial downtown business district (including a no. of really good restaurants).</p></li>
<li><p>Easy access to a major city and the social activities (bars/clubs, street fairs, Cubs games, shopping, museums, etc.).</p></li>
<li><p>Size - big enough to keep meeting new people/groups, but not so big (i.e. - StateU) that one feels like a faceless #.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>
[quote]
A little off topic but are frats at NU extremely segregated.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Unless things have changed greatly - there were a fair % of minorities in the "white fraternities".</p>

<p>Would studying Economics give you a good chance to get into Kellogg?</p>

<p>I don't think you should be thinking that far out. I don't think it's wise to go into business school directly after undergrad, anyway. It appears that most people get a few years experience and then go back and get an MBA if they are so inclined. Plus, many companies will pay towards the MBA. </p>

<p>People get into Kellogg from all kinds of backgrounds. I myself went to Kellogg with an econ / MMSS background, but there were art history majors, engineering majors, English majors -- all types.</p>

<p>Wow, this thread is so helpful! Thank you for your responses! I wasn't even sure I was going to visit NU (I didn't get the chance before applying), but after hearing everyone's enthusiasm, I can't wait to visit!! </p>

<p>Does anyone have any feedback on the School of Education and Social Policy (I think I want to do Social Policy, with a focus on global health)? Also, are kids "normal"? I recently visited WUSTL and found kids to be very shy and somewhat socially awkward. I am a very outgoing person, and I want a college experience that is equal parts fun and work. I want a community-feel, a campus that is very 'alive,' and a student body with a ton of school spirit. I DON'T want a school where students are neurotic or are wealth-obsessed and are conspicuous consumers. Is NU any of these things? </p>

<p>Arbiter213 said, "The only thing I don't like is the fact that many students sort of wish the "other half" (think frats for theater majors) would just go away." Is this really the case? That turns me off...</p>

<p>Icy9ff8- Given the information provided above about what I'm looking for in a school, can you give me more tailored feedback on NU?</p>

<p>Thanks, everyone!</p>

<p>I have two more questions/concerns:</p>

<ul>
<li>I've heard "town-gown relations" are bad. Is it true that the people of Evanston really don't like NU's presence in their town?</li>
<li>Can anyone talk a little bit about the quarter system at NU? It sounds really intense...like you'll constantly be taking midterms and finals. I don't want to spend the next four years of my life stressed out all the time... Is the quarter system really that bad or actually not really an issue?</li>
</ul>

<p>bluesweetie: I am an adult and not a student at Northwestern University, although I have close connections to students at Northwestern & Chicago. My impression is that Northwestern students, as well as Chicago students, are brilliant, motivated and hardworking; and that probably is where the typicalization should stop. Journalists, theatre majors, engineers, pre-med students, musicians, highly talented SESP students and an outstanding liberal arts college combined with several of the best graduate schools in the country make up a diverse campus culture that seems to work for everybody. Town-gown relations are fine; Evanston constantly tries to get more money from incredibly wealthy Northwestern University and NU accurately points out the substantial amount of taxes it pays on a regular & proper basis. Evanston is one of the finest upscale "college towns" in the country. If you would be comfortable with the academic demands of Princeton, Harvard, Yale , Wellesley, Amherst or similiar schools, then consider Northwestern as it is not an easy undergraduate school. But Northwestern is not overly burdensome as the studentbody is highly intelligent and motivated. It is important to note that Northwestern has the third highest # of National Merit Scholars, behind Harvard & Texas, and has a current endowment that places it in the top ten in the nation.</p>

<p>I should qualify my statement, bluesweetie, in that very few people would ever agree openly they felt that way. Just some people are very entrenched with their groups and dont mix well with others. On the other hand, there are many people like myself who go all over the place and have interests everywhere. NU's students are generally very outgoing and social, and become a lot less awkward deeper into freshman year :P</p>

<p>And in terms of school spirit? We're a Big Ten School! Almost everyone on campus knows the fight song by heart. School Spirit at NU is really intense, I love it :P</p>

<p>The Nortwestern University quarter system is not for the academically timid soul. It does, however, offer a lot of variety and the enhanced ability to double major since students take more courses each year at NU than at other schools. If one's idea of college is to spend four years partying, then Northwestern University is not the right school. Again, it may help to think of Penn & Cornell as universities offering a somewhat similiar campus culture in less spectacular settings. Although I have a friend who reads applications for SESP, I really do not know much about this one-of-a-kind school except that the average SAT I scores soared last year for SESP admitted students.</p>

<p>town-gown relations are mostly fine. however if i'm correct, northwestern is a tax-free institution and there seem to be some qualms about this in evanston, as the town i believe is holding a meeting this summer to discuss finding a way to tax our tuition, though i'm not sure.</p>

<p>and arbiter213, i'd say school spirit is mixed, you can make of it what you wish, get really involved and go to all the games (there are people who do this), or never go to games</p>

<p>Close to home (which can be bad, since my mom can come whenever she wants). But they gave me an amazing financial aid package which will make it cheaper than UIUC. yay.</p>

<p>bluesweetie,
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/397873-northwestern-school-education.html?highlight=SESP%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/397873-northwestern-school-education.html?highlight=SESP&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/169804-anyone-into-sesp-nw.html?highlight=SESP%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/169804-anyone-into-sesp-nw.html?highlight=SESP&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/148420-school-education.html?highlight=SESP%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/148420-school-education.html?highlight=SESP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Thanks for the advice....</p>

<p>but would going to NU undergraduate give you a better chance of acceptance @ Kellogg?
Would it be better?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Arbiter213 said, "The only thing I don't like is the fact that many students sort of wish the "other half" (think frats for theater majors) would just go away." Is this really the case? That turns me off...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>i'm in a fraternity and i love hanging out with theatre kids, they are fun as hell</p>

<p>
[quote]
I want a community-feel, a campus that is very 'alive,' and a student body with a ton of school spirit. I DON'T want a school where students are neurotic or are wealth-obsessed and are conspicuous consumers. Is NU any of these things?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>SESP is a very community-oriented college so i think you will fit in well there, it also contains particularly outgoing people, so again i think you would enjoy it.</p>

<p>NU students are definitely not wealth-obsessed, i think 50% of the student body receives financial aid. Guys wear jeans and hoodies every day to class, girls wear sweatpants a lot of the time. I don't think i've ever seen in two years a girl wearing high heels or carrying a purse or anything like that to class. girls get dressed up to go out, but that's just part of socializing in a world-class city.</p>

<p>what people are though is success-conscious. everyone gets an internship, and it seems like everyone is pursuing ten things outside of school in order to get external experience and a post-graduation edge and lack of ambition is certainly something that's not encouraged. so in that way, northwestern students are status-conscious.</p>