Northwestern University Review

Summary 
I think Northwestern University is a great choice for a strong academic performer that is seeking a "work hard, play hard" college experience. Northwestern has a nice balance of the two. As a former student (okay, over 10 years ago), and now a parent, I think it is important for all kids to have a balanced approach to college life. It is not all about the fun or the education. So, when you have a school like Northwestern, you have the distinct advantage of experiencing both-- if you seek it out.

Northwestern Admission.
Admission at Northwestern is challenging. They require very high SATs and ACTs, a strong academic record (GPA) and lots of extracurricular activities. If I have my numbers correct, I think they receive about 30,000 applications per year and ultimately admit and enroll 2,000 students. I think Medill accepts around 350 students per year. The nice thing about this is that the "floor" skills are quite high. Everyone has a high level of interest in learning.

Northwestern Classes
Since I was in Medill, I can speak most intelligibly about those classes. Medill tends to have very small class sizes. My average classes were less than 20 students. This made it very easy to form relationships with your professors and get lots of individualized help. I was also an Art History major and I found that those class sizes were quite small as well. When you are in mainstream classes like Intro to Sociology, your class size could be much larger-- perhaps 100 students and I found the relationship was less with the professor and more with your TA.

Northwestern- Social outlets
At the heart of the social scene at Northwestern is the fraternity and sorority system. I think about 40% of the students rush and ultimately join. It is important to note that rush does not start until January-- so that it doesnt interfere with your initial integration into school. (they like to delay a quarter) There are many parties both on and off campus. There is also a ton of great theater, intramural sports, clubs and events. It also helps that you are just a short ride to downtown Chicago.

A few other tips on Northwestern:

• Northwestern is on Trimeseters
• South Side is closer to Medill classes
• North side is close to Tech classes
• Fraternities are on the North Side; sororities on the South Side
• Placement office attracts strong employers (how I got my first job)
• Evanston is a diverse community of professionals that care about the University
• Football, football, football (its fun even when you lose)
• I found Medill students to be among the more serious students
• Medill requires a "teaching" program- intern program for a quarter
• Most Medill friends have been incredibly successful in the J-field