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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am directly copy-pasting this reply to a thread that I found extremely helpful, honest, and positive (nice change of pace for DCUM, lol!). So, thank you, whoever wrote this!

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I'm the recent alum commenting again - apologies in advance for the very long answer ahead.

Quarter system: Granted, I didn't have a true point of comparison since I never attended a semester school (though my high school was on the semester system), I really loved the quarter system. I loved that each quarter had a very distinct vibe (fall, winter, spring), with different things to look forward to each quarter. It almost felt like I was getting more out of college, if that makes sense. The obvious upside is that you have so much more leeway to take classes, double major, minor, dabble in certificates, etc. The downside is that midterms start up at around week 3-4. For most students, it'll require above-average time management skills.

Registration for Classes: Very easy and straightforward. Sometimes you might have to, say, wake up early to register for a specific class, or get on the waitlist and email the professor directly, but I didn't know anyone for whom registration was a problem. In fact, I honestly didn't even know class registration could be such a huge issue until I heard horror stories from friends at places like Berkeley or other larger schools like NYU.

Research: Again, really easy, and the university goes out of its way to make research opps for undergrads as accessible as possible. I knew kids who had landed research positions within the first few weeks of freshman year if they were looking for it. Super easy to work directly with a professor, land a lab position, do an independent study (and get funding for said research), etc.

Internship opportunities: Most students will put in the legwork here on their own, but again, the university puts out a lot of opportunities for students to pursue internships. Two schools, Medill and SESP, require their students to do an internship during one quarter, usually their junior year, and connect you with a site (called "journalism residency" and "practicum" respectively). Medill, especially, has some fantastic opportunities through JR - major media companies and places like Instagram and LinkedIn. Anecdotally, there's also a great program called Chicago Field Studies which connects students with companies in Chicago to intern during the off-season. Had a friend my sophomore year who interned with Goldman during her winter quarter through CFS.

All in all, I loved my time at Northwestern and have such fond memories. Now that I'm a few years out, I also have a newfound appreciation for the particular brand of... down-to-earthiness/relative lack of pretense of my friends from NU. All are smart and have that Midwestern work ethic down pat, but they tend to wear their learning lightly, if that makes sense. Due to the structure of the university, there's also a true diversity of academic/career interests at NU, and I count engineers, journalists, working artists, doctors, academics, and (of course) legions of consultants/reformed consultants among my close circle of friends from college.

That said, I know how privileged I was to attend a school like Northwestern, and how lucky I was to be in a position where I was able to enjoy it and take advantage of its opportunities so fully, so I don't want to be too effusive. Northwestern was the perfect school for me, and it's an amazing place for many, many kids, but it can be difficult, and it certainly isn't utopia for 4 years. Northwestern leans pre-professional, and there can be a buzz of "busy-ness" around campus, with students always trying to figure out their next move. Winters can be brutal, but the fall and spring are truly beautiful (and I always encourage students to spend one summer term on campus/in Evanston - they call it Heavenston for a reason).

Again, I apologize for the very, very long response (probably way more than you asked for... kudos if you actually read this), but best of luck to your kid if they end up applying, and to all other applicants![/quote]

Drats, I meant to clarify - it's a recent alum's thoughts on Northwestern.[/quote]

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