Northwestern University Reviews

Chicago weather. enough said

Pre-Professional

Classes are rigorous but not necessarily pertinent to what I feel students should know. Then again, a lot of the programs here are pre-professional and I was hoping for more of a traditional broad liberal arts education.

Transportation Is Excellent

There are shuttles running throughout campus all day long. When trying to get into Chicago, no need to take Chicago public transportation and pay, the school has a shuttle that runs to the Chicago Northwestern campus, which stops 2 blocks from the heart of Michigan Avenue.

Parking

Unless you really need it, don't bring it. It's expensive and tickets are no joke. Tickets can be based off the number of inches of snowfall. You could be in class, it snows two inches, and you come outside to find a ticket on your car because your car is now illegally parked. Worse- your car would be towed. so i feel like it's not worth it.

DON'T BRING A CAR

Evanston has towed my car twice for parking in front of my own apartment, and I've gotten four tickets from NU for parking in front of my own dorm. There is no leniency here. Only seniors are allowed to park on campus, and you have to pay a lot of money if you want a legal parking spot anywhere. Bottom line - don't bring your car.

Find the Right People

Bars are 21+ in Evanston, so you need a fake ID if you're not 21. Since that's a felony, I don't recommend doing that. Instead, find some people you really like hanging out with and you can have an awesome time drinking at the dorms or house parties, or maybe even the frats if you find someone who's in. Find some upperclassmen to show you around. The key is just to meet a lot of people and you'll find somewhere where the party is hopping. Don't listen to the people who say that NU sucks for partying, because they're the ones who just sit and study all day every day...

Crime

I feel very safe on campus. I usually don't walk alone at night, well not any where too far. We have SafeRide and shuttles that run through out the night so there really is no reason too. There have been some crimes on campus, but the most dangerous robbery that occurs daily on campus is bike theft.

Majoring in Journalism at Northwestern

One thing about majoring in journalism at Northwestern: You have to be committed. The workload is heavy, no doubt about it. But you will learn so much and if you want a career in journalism, this is the place to be. For curriculum, you need 12-14 journalism credits (most classes equal one credit at NU), 14 distribution credits--it IS a liberal arts school, and they want you to get a well-rounded liberal arts education--a year of a language, 3 social science credits, a 6-credit concentration in the school of arts and sciences, and 8-10 electives. Plus there's an 11-credit Diverse Cultures requirement, but you can double electives for that. If you double major/minor then you will be set on the 6-credit concentration and some of your electives. Medill and NU really want to help you get jobs--the Career Services Offices are pretty helpful and there's a program called Medillink where employers post jobs/internships for journalism students.

Overall Experience

So far, I've had a great time: I've made lots of friends, been exposed to many new and diverse situations that have challenged me to become a better student, person, athlete, and adult.

Food in Dining Halls

I use nearly every dining hall or other café food options on campus. I like how each dining hall offers varieties of food, Lisa's is good if you need a quick sandwich, while Norris is good if you have a little more time to sit and eat. The dining halls offer omelettes, sandwiches, salads, etc, as well as soups and burgers. They are a great place to meet up and shoot the breeze with friends.

Good Enough

You may not see many shiny, brand new buildings in your everyday routine at NU, but overall the facilities are perfectly adequate and some are particularly cool- Deering Library and Ford Engineering Design Center come to mind.

Evanston's Pretty Cool.

Evanston's a nice town to be situated in. It's not always the most price-friendly as a student, but there are TONS of restaurants and shops. And of course, Chicago is accessible by free shuttle, L train, and Metra train. My only complaints are that some local residents are less than friendly to students, and I wish more restaurants were open late.

It's a Mix...

Friday nights aren't that great, but Saturdays are usually a lot of fun. Students often call an NU Saturday to be like a state school Thursday, but hey, it works for our lifestyle. Frat parties (both on and off campus) are popular for freshmen and sophomores and upper classmen usually frequent local and Chicago bars and house parties.

Very Good Overall

I'm been very happy here. I have a great group of friends who I've had many great memories with. That being said, many people here look the same (white, upper class), so I feel like college hasn't completely opened my horizons to all the amazing things life has to offer. Still, I've had some fantastic/crazy experiences and the amount of options (but still maximum safety) afforded to NU students with our proximity to Evanston is great. Be careful if you're not into the whole Greek life thing. Basically January is ruled by Greek life and can get a little ugly.

Surprisingly Good

I came to campus thinking that sports were 1.) not important at NU and 2.) not very good. Both assumptions were proved incorrect. NU's football team was actually decent this year and the student section was fairly active at most games. I, albeit, only stay for an a quarter or two of each game.

Northwestern: a Melting Pot of Culture?

Northwestern is extremely diverse in nearly every area; however, NU has an EXTREME dearth of African-American students. Coming from a Memphis high school that was about half African-American, it was rather shocking to me that a first-rate institution like Northwestern had so few black students. Otherwise, it seems that Northwestern has a very diverse student body. In terms of political beliefs, I would say that Northwestern is definitely liberal-leaning. Most people here are well-informed about politics and current events, and they are usually liberal.

They Exist but Aren't That Useful

It rarely takes more than 10 minutes to walk from one side of campus to the other so waiting for a bus is not usually worth it. But they do go up and down Sheridan avenue fairly regularly if you need them.

Solid Facilities but Not All Are World Class

For the most part Northwestern has very good facilities. Most buildings (academic and dorms) are on the older side, but they are all kept clean and functioning well. Tech, the engineering building(s) is old, but there are some beautiful new extensions to it although the majority of the new wings are used for research.

Large Percentage, but Not Necessary

40% of undergrads are in the Greek System, but I don't feel like I'm missing much not being in the system. There are some parties in the houses although not that many.

Professors

Most professors are amazing here! Almost every prof I've had here has cared so much for the students, for their future success, and for their work in the class. They don't care so much about their pay check, it's about the student.

I Don't Have a Car, but It Seems Rather Restrictive

Permits, permits, permits, nowhere to park before five if you're a student. They love to give out tickets.

Not for Me

I'm no great fan of the Greek system, but it seems to be very fun and very rewarding for those who choose to enter Greek life.

Overall Good, Accessible Transportation

On campus, I pretty much have to walk everywhere, which isn't too inconvenient since everything is fairly close by. I think that having a car while living on campus isn't really plausible or convenient. The buses are reliable and helpful when you need them, however, especially to get to and from the mall and sports games. Transportation into the city is also very accessible, with the buses and the el very close by. I do wish that the university would provide us with CTA passes so that the cost of going into Chicago wouldn't add up as much; I think if I had a CTA pass paid for by the university I would be more inclined to use the el/go into the city more often and make use of this valuable resource.

Food Is Pretty Good

I like the food here for the most part, but I do get tired of it and wish I could eat out more, since Evanston has a lot of really great restaurants just around the corner from my dorm. I find certain dining halls have very consistent quality, for better or for worse. A lot of times I find myself eating the same things because new introductions to the menus aren't usually very good, so the food I eat can get fairly repetitive/boring. Still, there is variety to choose from, and I always feel satisfied after meals.

Skip the Frats and Party Off Campus

Frats can be fun, but partying off campus is way better. f you can get into the Keg (everyone can), than go, but don't burn yourself out so you are bored of it by second quarter.