Anonymous wrote:Isn't crime/safety a big difference between the two?

Yes. Chicago is in a crime-ridden neighborhood. It's a huge concern IMO.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

There really is no sports scene at all at Chicago. There sometimes is at Northwestern for both football and basketball. But students check out in a heartbeat if it's going to be another desultory losing season. It's not Michigan or Notre Dame. These days the vibes have kind of shifted at the two schools. Northwestern is traditionally the fun school. Chicago was where "fun went to die." But the roles seem to have reversed. Northwestern is now the lonely grinder school. And Chicago is the more fun one. From what I'm hearing in recent years, that seems to be generally true. Chicago has really picked it up. And Northwestern has dropped the ball. In terms of vibe and fun and cheerfulness. But these are just feelings. Experiences will vary.

This is certainly the narrative Chicago boosters are driving.

I have no connection to either. But we did tours of both with DC. Applied to neither. I know you can't take too much from a tour, but Northwestern did seem surprisingly... grim? And Chicago for being notoriously the high stress, fun-less school, was surprisingly... warm?

It was surprising. I thought Northwestern would be perfect, but ended up liking Chicago much more. But DC wasn't feeling it at either, and applied and got in ED elsewhere. But I do think Chicago is the more lively school these days.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

There really is no sports scene at all at Chicago. There sometimes is at Northwestern for both football and basketball. But students check out in a heartbeat if it's going to be another desultory losing season. It's not Michigan or Notre Dame. These days the vibes have kind of shifted at the two schools. Northwestern is traditionally the fun school. Chicago was where "fun went to die." But the roles seem to have reversed. Northwestern is now the lonely grinder school. And Chicago is the more fun one. From what I'm hearing in recent years, that seems to be generally true. Chicago has really picked it up. And Northwestern has dropped the ball. In terms of vibe and fun and cheerfulness. But these are just feelings. Experiences will vary.

This is certainly the narrative Chicago boosters are driving.

Isn't crime/safety a big difference between the two?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Northwestern is in the Big 10. Chicago is D3.

But this doesn’t match what I hear about on campus? Fraternity parties are dead or dying. Everyone goes downtown now to go out on Friday and Saturday nights and it’s basically a quiet campus Monday through Thursday. Is that what you hear as well?

My kid has a very active social life there. It’s not Tulane though. There are not parties every night of the week. But most weekends there is something. Occasionally on a Thur night there might be a party or something. My kid goes down to Chicago maybe three times a quarter and is on or around campus the rest of the time. Sometimes smaller parties or get togethers and sometimes bigger fraternity parties.
There is definitely a mix of kids. Some are less social and don’t go to parties. But they are there for those who want them. I would recommend your kid spending some time visiting both and talking to students if they can. We found Northwestern to be a happier place than UChicago, but others disagree. It comes down to the kid, their personality, and what they are looking for.

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?

There really is no sports scene at all at Chicago. There sometimes is at Northwestern for both football and basketball. But students check out in a heartbeat if it's going to be another desultory losing season. It's not Michigan or Notre Dame. These days the vibes have kind of shifted at the two schools. Northwestern is traditionally the fun school. Chicago was where "fun went to die." But the roles seem to have reversed. Northwestern is now the lonely grinder school. And Chicago is the more fun one. From what I'm hearing in recent years, that seems to be generally true. Chicago has really picked it up. And Northwestern has dropped the ball. In terms of vibe and fun and cheerfulness. But these are just feelings. Experiences will vary.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Northwestern is in the Big 10. Chicago is D3.

But this doesn’t match what I hear about on campus? Fraternity parties are dead or dying. Everyone goes downtown now to go out on Friday and Saturday nights and it’s basically a quiet campus Monday through Thursday. Is that what you hear as well?

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?

Northwestern is in the Big 10. Chicago is D3.

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?

Nobody goes to the UChicago games and UChicago students will visit and go to NU games.

Yes to what the last person said. They both appeal to kids with great academic credentials who prefer an urban or quasi-urban campus, so a visit is essential. Mine had a clear preference (UChicago). On the weekend we visited, Chicago’s campus was lively and Northwestern’s was completely dead. When asked if what we were seeing was a typical weekend day on campus, both guides said that it was. Easy choice for our kid. Yours may want a different vibe.

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?

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.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. It would be best for your child to visit and have them decide.

Northwestern. How is this even a question.

For a social extroverted humanities kid….
Greek life is fine.
Which is the better fit?