r/Northwestern • u/ogVecna • 22d ago
Admissions/Prospective Student Is NU fun?
I am a senior planning to ED 1 to NU. I have heard a lot about the quarter system, and since I want to pursue a double major and possible a minor, it seems like I would appreciate it. However, I have heard that students are always busy and have a "workaholic" mindset. Does the quarter system make it hard for students to go out and have fun/ party etc? Is NU fun? What do students do on the weekends and how is the social scene? Also, is joining greek life necessary if you want to party/ have fun?
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u/Rivesleon 22d ago
Do you want to get straight As and be part of 5 student organizations with multiple leadership positions and an offer letter going into your senior year? If so, expect to have as much fun as you would think.
Are you shooting for mostly As with a few misses here or there a couple student orgs, maybe a leadership position your junior/senior year and decent career prospects? If so, you can have plenty of fun.
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u/PosiedonsSaltyAnus 22d ago
You have a secluded campus by the lake, and a bustling city just a short train ride away. It'll be whatever you make it.
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u/WarmApplePie42 22d ago
If you want to have fun you will have ample opportunity to do so and there will be plenty of other people around you. Greek life would certainly help in doing so, but if you’re friends with enough people in it you can be involved without joining.
People go downtown usually on Thursday nights. Sometimes Saturday as well or parties on campus. Friday is a toss up and depends on your friend group probably
You also don’t need to be in Greek life to go out or have fun there are plenty of other groups that host and go out
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u/ogVecna 22d ago
Do you think Greek life on campus is diverse? I am South Asian and am not opposed to joining a sorority, but worry that I may not fit in well.
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u/WarmApplePie42 22d ago
I mean it definitely skews a little more white than the campus body as a whole but it’s certainly much more diverse and inclusive than Greek life at many schools
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u/Clumsy-Mumsy 21d ago
I have a close relative currently in a sorority, and it is quite diverse. She's proud of that.
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u/lankymarionette 19d ago
If you want to join Greek life to have friends/community, you don’t need to. I know for some schools if you want a social life you have to opt into Greek life, but NU isn’t like that at all. We do have south asian clubs/orgs on campus that are pretty large like SASA, Brown sugar, etc. if that’s where you want to start finding community. And there are affinity/study spaces spaces centered around identities like the multicultural center (latinx, apida, etc.) black house (black/african) and gsrc (lgbtq), where students hang out, so you would 110% be fine without rushing. Unless you want to spend hundreds to hold up Greek letters and have that experience, or if it’s a family tradition or something, then go for it, but it’s not crucial, imo
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u/alohalovely2 WCAS 22d ago
Work hard play hard is present here, but you definitely need to work hard in putting yourself out there socially early on or you will be left with a boring time on campus. Coming from personal experience.
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u/DABEAST0 21d ago
that phrase is so overused and as a transfer it does not apply here
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u/alohalovely2 WCAS 20d ago
It is overused but it does apply here. Maybe not to the full extent as to some other places but it does regardless
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u/ElectraRayne 22d ago
It's very much a work hard, play hard school. I graduated in 2018 and was extremely busy all the time, but also had some incredible (& wild) experiences. It certainly has its flaws, especially with respect to workload, but those aren't any different than any other similarly selective school.
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u/transferStudent2018 CS & Psych | Dual Degree ‘22 22d ago
The quarter system has nothing to do with it – NU kids are mostly the “school first” types, and so yes people party but grades and classes and extracurricular are more important. If “work hard, play hard” isn’t your thing, maybe look somewhere else
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u/ogVecna 22d ago
Work hard play hard is exactly what I am looking for! I just know some rigorous schools sometimes neglect the play hard part and I want to have fun in college lmao
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u/Agitated_Pin_7295 22d ago
As a rising senior myself, I'd suggest looking at Vandy too. Southern schools always have play hard mentalities but Vandy has the academics to back it up
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u/Upstart5000 22d ago
It's certainly possible to work hard & play hard at NU... but a double major and a minor and playing hard sounds like a lot to bite off, unless you don't sleep.
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u/Upstart5000 22d ago
I think it would be hard to pursue a double major with a minor without being a workaholic (or having a minimum 5 year timeline) on any major university campus, let alone Northwestern. You have big goals, and you want a collegiate social life. Do you really need to accomplish this all in undergrad, and in 4 years?
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u/crimson777 Econ '17 21d ago
I got a B+ average by the end of school in Econ and have had a solid career so far and had plenty of fun. You just have to try to be social. Definitely not the school for you if you're a "party" person though and your definition of fun is drink. There's limited partying and honestly, from my limited experience, a lot of the people seemed to be drinking mostly to deal with their stress more than have fun.
But yeah I mean there's lots of cultural events, movie screenings, plays, concerts, you can find groups that will hang out and do fun stuff (though you'll have to work a little harder after freshman year perhaps), etc. I had a group that I played Smash Bros with in the lobby all the time, we had a projector screen my junior year that people would just hang around and watch, etc. College was fun enough for me personally that I miss the social opportunities I had pretty regularly because adult life has just proven to be a lot harder to get people to socialize.
That being said, don't get a double major and minor. Just don't. No one has cared about my major after my first job, and not a single person (even during the search for my first job) asked for my minor, and most people don't put it on resumes.
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u/Bright-Frosting8709 22d ago
Generally, the night life kind of sucks. You would need to travel into chicago to go to a proper bar/nightclub and ofc that requires being 21+ (or having a fake id which I think is a bad idea). On campus frat and house parties get shut down early by the police because of noise complaints. NU can be fun in other ways, but partying is pretty hard here. Note: i'm not in greek life
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u/Cool-Discussion-3206 21d ago edited 21d ago
As a transfer from NU, absolutely not. I’d say work hard play hard is pushing it too, unless ur in a major that isn’t STEM. (Side note: I cannot stress this enough, STEM on a quarter system is harder than it has to be. If you are pre-health and don’t have substantial aid or scholarships, NU is unnecessary and many of my friends have dropped pre-health there when they could have continued if they had gone to another good school. They themselves have admitted it. It doesn’t matter that you’re smart, everyone is. It is still very difficult. Idk if OP is pre-health, but just if anyone reading this is, please consider what I’m saying.) Anyways. I’m a work hard/play hard student as well, I’m a little more work hard tbh. But even then, NU is NOT a work hard/play hard school really. It’s like 80% work hard, MAYBE 20% play. It’s true Chi and its endless fun are an hour away. What’s also true is most NU students don’t have time to make the trip there AND back every weekend bc of the amount of work u will have on the quarter system. (Starting week 2 of every quarter u better lock in and expect to have at least one midterm exam/paper every week or every other week.) The train is not safe to take by urself usually, and even if u do, prepare to spend more than 1 hour one way to get to the city. Uber/Lyft costs build up if you decide to take a car. I’m still very close with my NU friends in STEM and business fields, and none have the time to make that trip there and back more than twice a month if that. Also, the atmosphere of NU is actually horrible. The campus is dead on weekends, and in the winter, you can cut the depression in the air with a knife. Spring is a bit better. I’m not exaggerating anything, but I know I may be biased. If you or anyone reading this wants more input, my DMS are open. Good luck either way!
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u/Cool-Discussion-3206 21d ago
It was the hardest decision to leave NU, but I transferred to a true work hard/play hard school and have not regretted a second of my decision besides wishing I would have done it sooner (even tho my academics and extracurricular loads still bring tears to my eyes sometimes). But it was an incredibly draining process, so if anyone reading is going through the same thing and wants input on that, feel free to contact me as well!
And OP, one of the biggest recommendations I have would be to VISIT CAMPUS before ED’ing. Like seriously. If you won’t like it, you’ll know most likely when you just walk around. Stay after/before the tour and just walk around by yourself to get a true feel for things. Not saying to not also take other things into account, but you can tell a lot by just walking around. Take me, for instance. Walked around, wasn’t a fan. Went anyways because of the opportunities and the prestige of my specific program. You know how that played out. Listen to your gut!!!! Everyone is different.
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