Northwestern University
StudentsReview ::
Northwestern University - Extra Detail about the Comment | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Educational Quality | A- | Faculty Accessibility | B |
Useful Schoolwork | B+ | Excess Competition | C+ |
Academic Success | A- | Creativity/ Innovation | B+ |
Individual Value | B | University Resource Use | C |
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty | A | Friendliness | B |
Campus Maintenance | A | Social Life | B- |
Surrounding City | A | Extra Curriculars | B- |
Safety | A | ||
Describes the student body as: Friendly, Approachable, Snooty, ClosemindedDescribes the faculty as: Friendly, Helpful |
Lowest Rating University Resource Use | C |
Highest Rating Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty | A |
How would an Asian, Muslim, Hijabi, dark-skinned girl planning to apply to the engineering department fare in this university? |
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
Like many others, I made quite a few mistakes in regards to my college experience. Out of all the schools I got into, UChicago was probably the best fit for me. I did not go though, because I was naive and fixated on going for a film degree, despite my parents' well-intentioned warnings that young people are fickle and can lose interest in things quickly. Moreover, the prevailing reputation of UChicago as a place where fun goes to die and where the squirrels are cuter than the girls also steered me away. So I went to Northwestern, seduced by its talk of a Northwestern Mafia and the lakefront. That was one mistake. (I was really heartbroken when I visited some friends at UChicago as a junior and instantly felt at home in the presence of oddballs. By that point, I had lost interest in film and realized I could care less about pre-professionalism.) I started out pre-med, math, and RTVF. At the end of freshman year, I switched to pre-med, bio, and RTVF, because the stress of juggling three entirely separate tracks was just too much for my immature time management abilities. That was another mistake—I'll now have to make up all that math in grad school. And social life—that was a whole series of small mistakes. For three years, I did not socially feel at home at Northwestern. Yes, as others have said, the Greek scene dominates. Yes, you can avoid it and still have a great social life, but it takes some experience, confidence, and initiative. I found myself having to aggressively check in with, almost court people who I thought I clicked with in clubs or classes. The aggressiveness led to some embarrassing situations with people who did not want to reciprocate, but especially in the sciences, I remember student culture being cold enough that no introductions would happen unless someone broke the ice first.(Future NU pre-meds with no intention of going Greek, definitely shake hands with those around you. Without access to a test bank, you will need study buddies.) Being an arts major did help. In fact, I'd argue that the RTVF and theater communities share many qualities with frats with their cliquishness. I am glad I resisted peer pressure and did not go Greek. However, I was not secure enough to resist other elements of peer pressure. In my experience, there was a big emphasis on drinking and smoking weed to be cool. Waking up with my head throbbing from being so drunk, so cross-faded, missing all my money from my wallet, angry texts on my phone from people I had hurt while in an altered state of consciousness, I am ashamed of those memories. On the academic side, some will brag about being smart enough that they can skip class, party four nights a week, while still landing on the top of the curve, and they will be praised for this. I tried that, and my grades tanked for a little while. Do not listen to those guys. They study while no one is looking. I did finally find "my circle" as a senior, and while those friendships were cultivated late in the game, they have developed into deeply fulfilling relationships. It is worthwhile to keep in mind that with an undergrad population of 8000+, you will eventually find people who float your boat. Ultimately, do I regret coming here? No. A few other random points: