Northwestern v UChicago

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If safety is a concern, then Northwestern is the wiser choice.

Best to visit both schools, but do not visit South Chicago after dark.

This. As a parent of a UChicago student, I sure wish he picked the safer campus. Just this weekend 2 students were robbed at gunpoint on campus.

Ugh, that's very scary. My kid ED'd Chicago but I have been getting more and more tempted to pull the plug. I don't want to spend 4 years being terrified for his safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is at one and has friends at the other. Both kids are very happy, but they are different. Just check out the crow at at Northwestern football game vs a UChicago game. UChicago has a lot of frat parties if your kid wants that. Schools are also different in that UChicagohas one liberal arts school with a shared core curriculum experience. Northwestern has kids studying different things in different colleges like engineering vs journalism vs music vs liberal arts. What’s great about NU is that they let you have majors across the different schools so you’re not “stuck”. My kid loved both but they’re different enough that yiur kid will like one more than the other. The friends at these schools can meet up easily at clubs downtown.

How does the crowd at a sporting event differ? Is one nerdier?

One is a D3 school and one is big 10 school. Seriously U Chicago is a very serious school, where fun goes to die.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If safety is a concern, then Northwestern is the wiser choice.

Best to visit both schools, but do not visit South Chicago after dark.

This. As a parent of a UChicago student, I sure wish he picked the safer campus. Just this weekend 2 students were robbed at gunpoint on campus.

Ugh, that's very scary. My kid ED'd Chicago but I have been getting more and more tempted to pull the plug. I don't want to spend 4 years being terrified for his safety.

PP here.

But you also don't want to make that decision for your child. Ultimately it is their life and they have to go to the school where they have a complete buy-in. My son had his choice of schools, some with a "higher ranking" than UChicago, but after visiting campuses, he knew where his people were and he knew where he belonged. I just trust and hope that he will do the best that he can in order to be safe.

[Anonymous]

Mine is at northwestern and really liked the social vibe. It’s not a big party school but is very social, if that makes sense. Lots of kids going to school events, theater, small mixers, lots of club activity, etc. When weather is nice, lots of kids out on the beach. Kids go to the less popular sports as well as football and basketball.

we just visited I of C with her sibling and he thought the whole campus seemed grim. I was surprised how not cohesive the u of C campus seemed. I thought it was more like hopkks where it was all sort of together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
If safety is a concern, then Northwestern is the wiser choice.

Best to visit both schools, but do not visit South Chicago after dark.

This. As a parent of a UChicago student, I sure wish he picked the safer campus. Just this weekend 2 students were robbed at gunpoint on campus.

Ugh, that's very scary. My kid ED'd Chicago but I have been getting more and more tempted to pull the plug. I don't want to spend 4 years being terrified for his safety.

PP here.

But you also don't want to make that decision for your child. Ultimately it is their life and they have to go to the school where they have a complete buy-in. My son had his choice of schools, some with a "higher ranking" than UChicago, but after visiting campuses, he knew where his people were and he knew where he belonged. I just trust and hope that he will do the best that he can in order to be safe.

I don't know...isn't it kind of a parents job to make that decision? They're only 17/18. Babies, really. Also, it's one thing if there are places off campus that are off limits (we live in NYC so my kid is well aware of where he can and can't walk esp after dark). But if kids are literally getting held up at gunpoint walking to their dorm, I feel like it's a hard no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern. How is this even a question.

My kid is at NU. It is awesome!

I agree.

We walked around campus after dark Saturday night over parents weekend.

There were groups of students everywhere (without parents) appearing to be having a great time.

We actually were in the library later in the evening, and it was mostly empty. Most of the kids seemed to be outside hanging out.

[Anonymous]

NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

[Anonymous]

Northwestern without a doubt. UChicago has been mired in financial issues for years, and they continue. Admin has been very keen to keep it under wraps, but you can find news about it online.

There are UChicago boosters on here who keep trying to push the narrative that Northwestern is less fun than UChicago, but that is patently ridiculous. There are very serious, very smart students at both schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

I’ve heard this too. Know someone who transferred to Stanford from NU bc the overall social environment & climate was lacking.

Where else - besides Michigan - have these ordinary smart/social/fun kids gone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

Michigan alum with a current NU student and I agree with the above. For what it is worth, the NU admin is aware that there needs to be more social opportunities on campus since Evanston is not like Ann Arbor and doesn’t offer much in the way of the sports bars and student centric restaurants etc. They are currently building a really nice outdoor space on the back of Norris (student center) that will have a pub/restaurant for the students to go to as well as fire pits, etc all taking advantage of their amazing lakefront property. The whole campus is stunning and they clearly have a lot of money and are financially sound. My DC not a huge partier but they do have Greek life for those who want it. I think UChicago and NU both attract similar types of students nowadays so vibes are likely pretty similar but NU location can’t be beat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

Michigan alum with a current NU student and I agree with the above. For what it is worth, the NU admin is aware that there needs to be more social opportunities on campus since Evanston is not like Ann Arbor and doesn’t offer much in the way of the sports bars and student centric restaurants etc. They are currently building a really nice outdoor space on the back of Norris (student center) that will have a pub/restaurant for the students to go to as well as fire pits, etc all taking advantage of their amazing lakefront property. The whole campus is stunning and they clearly have a lot of money and are financially sound. My DC not a huge partier but they do have Greek life for those who want it. I think UChicago and NU both attract similar types of students nowadays so vibes are likely pretty similar but NU location can’t be beat!

The new campus pub area on the lakeffont is going to be a huge draw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

Michigan alum with a current NU student and I agree with the above. For what it is worth, the NU admin is aware that there needs to be more social opportunities on campus since Evanston is not like Ann Arbor and doesn’t offer much in the way of the sports bars and student centric restaurants etc. They are currently building a really nice outdoor space on the back of Norris (student center) that will have a pub/restaurant for the students to go to as well as fire pits, etc all taking advantage of their amazing lakefront property. The whole campus is stunning and they clearly have a lot of money and are financially sound. My DC not a huge partier but they do have Greek life for those who want it. I think UChicago and NU both attract similar types of students nowadays so vibes are likely pretty similar but NU location can’t be beat!

The new campus pub area on the lakeffont is going to be a huge draw.

NP. Also NU parent. I hope it will have an indoor area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

Michigan alum with a current NU student and I agree with the above. For what it is worth, the NU admin is aware that there needs to be more social opportunities on campus since Evanston is not like Ann Arbor and doesn’t offer much in the way of the sports bars and student centric restaurants etc. They are currently building a really nice outdoor space on the back of Norris (student center) that will have a pub/restaurant for the students to go to as well as fire pits, etc all taking advantage of their amazing lakefront property. The whole campus is stunning and they clearly have a lot of money and are financially sound. My DC not a huge partier but they do have Greek life for those who want it. I think UChicago and NU both attract similar types of students nowadays so vibes are likely pretty similar but NU location can’t be beat!

It's not about having more fire pits. it's about admitting students who aren't grinders!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

Michigan alum with a current NU student and I agree with the above. For what it is worth, the NU admin is aware that there needs to be more social opportunities on campus since Evanston is not like Ann Arbor and doesn’t offer much in the way of the sports bars and student centric restaurants etc. They are currently building a really nice outdoor space on the back of Norris (student center) that will have a pub/restaurant for the students to go to as well as fire pits, etc all taking advantage of their amazing lakefront property. The whole campus is stunning and they clearly have a lot of money and are financially sound. My DC not a huge partier but they do have Greek life for those who want it. I think UChicago and NU both attract similar types of students nowadays so vibes are likely pretty similar but NU location can’t be beat!

The new campus pub area on the lakeffont is going to be a huge draw.

NP. Also NU parent. I hope it will have an indoor area.

They will definitely need an indoor area in the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NU parent here. NU used to be a place with a lot of really smart/serious students but also quite a few “ordinary” smart/social/athletic kids mixed in. As the acceptance rate has dwindled down to single digits, it seems like there are more of the former & fewer of the latter.

It’s much closer to the U of Chicago stereotype (serious academics, little fun) than it was 10+ years ago.

A lot of NU students have high school friends at U of Mich, & when they visit them in Ann Arbor they reportedly find a balanced mixture of brains & fun that they had hoped to find at NU.

Michigan alum with a current NU student and I agree with the above. For what it is worth, the NU admin is aware that there needs to be more social opportunities on campus since Evanston is not like Ann Arbor and doesn’t offer much in the way of the sports bars and student centric restaurants etc. They are currently building a really nice outdoor space on the back of Norris (student center) that will have a pub/restaurant for the students to go to as well as fire pits, etc all taking advantage of their amazing lakefront property. The whole campus is stunning and they clearly have a lot of money and are financially sound. My DC not a huge partier but they do have Greek life for those who want it. I think UChicago and NU both attract similar types of students nowadays so vibes are likely pretty similar but NU location can’t be beat!

It's not about having more fire pits. it's about admitting students who aren't grinders!!!

It really is major specific.

The engineering kids study all the time. But isn't that engineering everywhere?

The communication kids don't. They are out there living their best college life.