UVA vs. Northwestern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a UVA alum that grew up in FL - there are a lot of weird things I see on this board about the school that I truly don't understand/didn't encounter at all.

Some thoughts -

1) Yes, CVille is hard to get to. I used to fly into Dulles then take the train to CVille. There is an Amtrak station very close to Grounds so it was never a huge problem but definitely a pain in the ass.

2) It's not that huge. There are 11kish undergrads. That's solidly a medium sized school. Speaking as someone who went there, it seemed TINY. You always ran into people you knew, everyone seemed to know everyone, classes were for the most part small (or a lecture with a small discussion in years 1 and 2).

3) It is a lot of kids from Arlington and Westchester who are pretending to be southern. Seriously - almost everyone I met was from outside DC, Richmond, Westchester, or Greenwich. Your DD will not be "exotic" at all.

I absolutely loved UVA and studied International Affairs and Anthropology. Made wonderful friends, created wonderful contacts with professors, studied abroad, and it prepared me very well for a great career. I also got 4 years of a very, very "traditional" college experience which is great or horrible, depending on the person. You can't go wrong with either school.

Actually is it more like 18k undergrads which is twice the size as NU's. Add in their grads and it is a lot bigger than NU. NU counts med and law school in their overall enrollment but those grads are aren't on the Evanston campus, both of those have their own campuses downtown.

[Anonymous]

OOS public tuition rate makes absolutely no sense if your kid can get into a top tier private.

[Anonymous]

Current NU student, transferred from UVA after my first year. I can say quite a bit of good and bad about both, but I really have no particular bias. Mostly left UVA to get farther away from home. Ask me anything! Is there any certain program/activity/campus setting etc. she is looking for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a UVA alum that grew up in FL - there are a lot of weird things I see on this board about the school that I truly don't understand/didn't encounter at all.

Some thoughts -

1) Yes, CVille is hard to get to. I used to fly into Dulles then take the train to CVille. There is an Amtrak station very close to Grounds so it was never a huge problem but definitely a pain in the ass.

2) It's not that huge. There are 11kish undergrads. That's solidly a medium sized school. Speaking as someone who went there, it seemed TINY. You always ran into people you knew, everyone seemed to know everyone, classes were for the most part small (or a lecture with a small discussion in years 1 and 2).

3) It is a lot of kids from Arlington and Westchester who are pretending to be southern. Seriously - almost everyone I met was from outside DC, Richmond, Westchester, or Greenwich. Your DD will not be "exotic" at all.

I absolutely loved UVA and studied International Affairs and Anthropology. Made wonderful friends, created wonderful contacts with professors, studied abroad, and it prepared me very well for a great career. I also got 4 years of a very, very "traditional" college experience which is great or horrible, depending on the person. You can't go wrong with either school.

Um... The "exotic" comment was just a joke. Not to be taken seriously.

And as another PP note, UVA is big. That's not a criticism, just a fact. I've been on both campuses (UVA and NU) a lot and both in terms of numbers of students and campus layout, UVA's big. In fall 2019 there were 17,000 undergrads and 8,000 grad students listed as "on grounds" (present on campus). At NU in 2019 there were 8,000 undergrads and 13,000 grad students. The grad students include the dental and medical schools (both in Chicago, so not on the main undergrad campus). So NU for undergrads is smaller.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, meant medical and law above re: NU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly sure how you want to compare them since they couldn't be more different. From size to location there isn't much similar. Specific major?

-NU grad with one at NU and one at UVA

Wonderful! I'd love to hear your DC's experiences. DD likes them for different reasons - she's very interested in Politics.

Both kids are happy. I am biased towards NU since I loved it and did a poli sci concentration way back when. Both have great poli sci departments and impressive professors. One wanted a big state school so picked UVA. Great town and doesn't feel as big as it is. It is quite southern though, or at least for him and a lot of kids are from VA which is expected. NU is in a big "suburb" just north of Chicago and have a more urban feel with the ability to go into the city easily with the El. He is a theater kid and you can't beat NU for that. He wanted a smaller school but with sports so NU fit the bill for him. Kids are from all over. A lot of CA kids there. Both campuses are beautiful but NU wins (at least for me) though the weather can be tough. Being from CT that wouldn't matter though.

New poster. Also an NU alum like the PP and also did poli sci minor way back when. (Hmm, maybe our paths crossed....)

Agree on all that PP says about both UVA and NU (we have a lot of contacts at UVA and spend a fair amount of time in Charlottesville, plus have academic contacts at NU). Very different locations and vibes and both are great for the right kids.

OP, has your DD had any chance pre-pandemic to visit either school? Visiting makes a huge difference especially where locations are as different as Evanston and Charlottesville. Of course, visits are not very likely right now, but there are increasingly good virtual tours at many colleges and some feature tours of various dorm rooms etc. Some colleges are now connecting prospective students with current upperclassmen to talk about the colleges. See if UVA or NU is doing anything like that.

I do find the sheer gigantic size of UVA tough, and that was one factor that my own DD did not want. NU isn't a small college by any means but definitely feels smaller and more cohesive than UVA. I'm not referring just to physical size but to the size of the student bodies.

One thing I think is advantageous about NU is the fact, as PP notes, that students come from all over, whereas UVA is natually more VA-heavy and more Southern; I loved having friends from all over the country and learned a LOT by getting to know people from very different regions and backgrounds than my own. At UVA your DD will be the more, um, "exotic" student, though she won't be the only out-of-stater.

The other selling point to me for NU was the proximity to Chicago and the ease of getting into Chicago if you wanted; you could easily choose never to go into the city or you could pop in just a few times a year. Students were not dashing down there to drink and party but were more going to plays and museums, and that was terrific. You never felt you "had" to go into the city to have fun but it was there if you wanted it. NU does not feel like an urban school yet has access to urban activities as desired. Charlottesville is a very nice town in a lovely area but you do need a car to get beyond downtown Charlottesville to explore the countryside and the pretty country towns.

Academically both are great. Your DD might get smaller class sizes sooner at NU. A lot depends too on what courses she wants--both have very solid political science departments. She might want to delve into the specfic course sequences at each university and see which best fits her and which professors are doing work and research that most interests her. That kind of detail can be a deciding factor re: academics.

We you north campus or south campus?

South.
Medill.
Allison Hall, then off-campus near Foster-Walker. I am ancient since Allison was all-female when I lived there....And you?

[Anonymous]

I too was a political science major undergrad at Northwestern and then got a law degree at UVA a few years later. Honestly, if you're not instate (and even then), I would take NU for Undergrad over UVA. I think you'll have a lot more opportunities both in and coming out of NU. I did internships both on the Hill and at the State department while at NU - both through connections made at NU from visiting speakers, professors, etc. I hesitate slightly b/c UVA does have a great political science department and probably has good connections into DC, but you're competing with a lot of UVA grads here whose families probably have way more connections to get those jobs. Coming from NU to DC, gives you some geographical diversity in getting those internships and if you don't have built in family connections, NU wins hands down on getting those job/internship connections.

As for the place, I rarely went into downtown Chicago - except a few sorority events. There were a ton of things to do on campus, activities, volunteering, tons of summer work for professors in your earlier years. I even had one job where I drove all around Chicago and it's suburbs interviewing people from all walks of life for a Sociology professor's project on divorce and child custody issues. It was very eye opening as a college student.

The winters were definitely very cold - especially the wind off the lake. I still remember biking from south campus to north campus one winter trimester because my classes were back to back. Needless to say the bike was rusted out by the end of that class. But, if you're from Connecticut, it shouldn't be a problem. Of course, I also happened to be at UVA during the biggest snow storm they ever had at the time - so it can happen anywhere!

Both NU and UVA are very Greek oriented - or at least they were when I was there. I never thought I would join a Sorority - first person in my family to go to college, so didn't know anything about them really - but it was great to have a group of people to rely on and get involved in the community with. I would definitely do it again. I've heard there is a big drinking culture around them at UVA, but it seemed to be more related to the fraternities if that matters to you. Alcohol is not allowed in the sorority quad at NU, but there was definitely drinking at the fraternities - never seemed to be overboard though.

Good luck - in the end both are great choices - I loved both campuses. But, my choice would be to do NU for undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Winters are rough in Illinois.

As far as getting there, Bradley to Charlottesville Airport is a breeze because both airports are easy to get through. Switch plans in Newark, Phili, or Dulles (if you switch in Dulles, the flight to Charlottesville is 30 minutes).

[Anonymous]

Yeah, but flights are a connection. Not good. Tiny plane in Charlottesville.

[Anonymous]

Way back when, I spent my freshman and sophomore years at Northwestern before transferring to UVA for financial reasons. I'd pick Northwestern in a heartbeat. Smaller enrollment and campus, proximity to Lake Michigan and Chicago, stronger academics (IMO), Greek life was prevalent at NU but not as big as at UVA, more urban feel (I didn't like the Southern vibe at UVA at all), I actually liked the quarter system, etc. I wish I could afford to send my kids there...my senior is interested and I think would love it, but it's outside of our budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly sure how you want to compare them since they couldn't be more different. From size to location there isn't much similar. Specific major?

-NU grad with one at NU and one at UVA

Wonderful! I'd love to hear your DC's experiences. DD likes them for different reasons - she's very interested in Politics.

Both kids are happy. I am biased towards NU since I loved it and did a poli sci concentration way back when. Both have great poli sci departments and impressive professors. One wanted a big state school so picked UVA. Great town and doesn't feel as big as it is. It is quite southern though, or at least for him and a lot of kids are from VA which is expected. NU is in a big "suburb" just north of Chicago and have a more urban feel with the ability to go into the city easily with the El. He is a theater kid and you can't beat NU for that. He wanted a smaller school but with sports so NU fit the bill for him. Kids are from all over. A lot of CA kids there. Both campuses are beautiful but NU wins (at least for me) though the weather can be tough. Being from CT that wouldn't matter though.

New poster. Also an NU alum like the PP and also did poli sci minor way back when. (Hmm, maybe our paths crossed....)

Agree on all that PP says about both UVA and NU (we have a lot of contacts at UVA and spend a fair amount of time in Charlottesville, plus have academic contacts at NU). Very different locations and vibes and both are great for the right kids.

OP, has your DD had any chance pre-pandemic to visit either school? Visiting makes a huge difference especially where locations are as different as Evanston and Charlottesville. Of course, visits are not very likely right now, but there are increasingly good virtual tours at many colleges and some feature tours of various dorm rooms etc. Some colleges are now connecting prospective students with current upperclassmen to talk about the colleges. See if UVA or NU is doing anything like that.

I do find the sheer gigantic size of UVA tough, and that was one factor that my own DD did not want. NU isn't a small college by any means but definitely feels smaller and more cohesive than UVA. I'm not referring just to physical size but to the size of the student bodies.

One thing I think is advantageous about NU is the fact, as PP notes, that students come from all over, whereas UVA is natually more VA-heavy and more Southern; I loved having friends from all over the country and learned a LOT by getting to know people from very different regions and backgrounds than my own. At UVA your DD will be the more, um, "exotic" student, though she won't be the only out-of-stater.

The other selling point to me for NU was the proximity to Chicago and the ease of getting into Chicago if you wanted; you could easily choose never to go into the city or you could pop in just a few times a year. Students were not dashing down there to drink and party but were more going to plays and museums, and that was terrific. You never felt you "had" to go into the city to have fun but it was there if you wanted it. NU does not feel like an urban school yet has access to urban activities as desired. Charlottesville is a very nice town in a lovely area but you do need a car to get beyond downtown Charlottesville to explore the countryside and the pretty country towns.

Academically both are great. Your DD might get smaller class sizes sooner at NU. A lot depends too on what courses she wants--both have very solid political science departments. She might want to delve into the specfic course sequences at each university and see which best fits her and which professors are doing work and research that most interests her. That kind of detail can be a deciding factor re: academics.

We you north campus or south campus?

South.
Medill.
Allison Hall, then off-campus near Foster-Walker. I am ancient since Allison was all-female when I lived there....And you?

North. Bobb-McCulloch for 2 years. Then apartments off of Noyes.
CAS -- when it was just called that. I am old.

[Anonymous]

Other than weather, I can't imagine a reason to choose UVa over Northwestern with out-of-state tuition.

UVa is more than twice as large, located far from a large metro (although Charlottesville and surrounding areas are very picturesque), and as others have, is culturally the quintessential Southern school. Yes there are plenty of NoVa/New York kids but they all quickly try to fit in to the Southern vibe as quickly as possible.

[Anonymous]

i think its hard to puck Northwestern ED if you have never been there. You can apply to both regular decision and then let her pick when you can actually go there in the spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Way back when, I spent my freshman and sophomore years at Northwestern before transferring to UVA for financial reasons. I'd pick Northwestern in a heartbeat. Smaller enrollment and campus, proximity to Lake Michigan and Chicago, stronger academics (IMO), Greek life was prevalent at NU but not as big as at UVA, more urban feel (I didn't like the Southern vibe at UVA at all), I actually liked the quarter system, etc. I wish I could afford to send my kids there...my senior is interested and I think would love it, but it's outside of our budget.

Don’t understand why anyone would be interested in a redneck place like uva.

[Anonymous]

NP— NU alum here (Allison Hall alum but never knew it was all female at one point!).

If money is no object, NU in a heartbeat. I loved it but do not think it is worth the cost differential for in state UVA.

NU has shifted heavily to ED (I think this is unfair as it preferences rich people) and chances of admission are much higher in that round. UVA doesn’t give an admissions advantage to ED.

If interested in NU and able to afford it, your child should definitely apply ED.