Northwestern University

A prestigious school known to vary a lot in terms of programs. There are lots of organizations and the overall student fine arts are superb. They make for great campus productions. Degrees and grades depend greatly on program. There is a mix of very social and anti-social which is largely defined by major. Social scene is mainly greek as many students are involved in the system. Grading in Engineering is NOTORIOUS for being very low, adhering to the mantra that a C is an average grade which in turn makes it difficult for NU grads to compete for internships/CoOp's. Chemistry also has a slight problem with this. Other programs like Communications are known for A average classes. This makes the overall school GPA look more balanced, but still lower than most. Students wear middle-end designer labels on nearly everything. People are middle/upper middle class for the most part, but some act above that. There are really two types of students who go to NU : those which it was their top choice, and those who it was there best choice. School pride is masked by designer labels and trends limited to the school. Most notable are the Northface fleece, Coach handbags, UGG Boots, and recently Vera Bradley totes. People may be very social, but never gain any new friends. Exceptions are usually only made if you include greek organizations. GDI's sometimes have to struggle to find a link to a traditional social scene without using the greek system. Those who have school spirit year round are very passionate and can easily be picked out of a crowd in a game or other event. The school spirit depends on how the sports teams do, which is usually not very well. The sports with the best teams are usually the sports least cared about. Professors can be accessed, but will not pursue you. Office hours indicate how much the prof. cares about his/her students. Much of a student's grade can be determined by interest shown by the student, but there is no hand holding here. Class size is middle of the road, but much smaller than State schools.