Sam Lee

I did not have a single teacher that's constantly late, not even 1 or 2 minutes when I was at Northwestern. I was in chemE and took a few classes in econ departments. Most of the teachers were pretty good.

In this case, however, it's more than just bad teaching. Bad teaching doesn't get you fired but this kind of thing does. It's probably even *illegal* to do that--getting paid while showing up for just half the time. Based on what you described, you were literally getting ripped off by half the tuition for that class. You should have demanded your money back and I really don't understand why none of you didn't come forward for something this serious. It's a moot point whether it's 300-level or 100-level. In fact, the teacher thought she/he could get away with it because there's only 25 students and the chance of anyone of you going to complain would be smaller.

arbiter213

Before I read this entire thread, I just want to say flat out that I disagree with the facts of pretty much everything the original poster said.

Its all the mainstream stereotypes you hear the sheep in the student body spouting. This thread is false.

arbiter213

To elaborate somewhat-

As far as the sexual assault issue, I can't say whether its true or not, but I've never heard of any sexual assaults at all. Maybe I run in the wrong circles?

And since it's been well addressed, I just want to voice that 1) I believe, honestly, that even WITH all the actual flaws that NU has, it is one of the best possible college experiences available. 2) I have had nearly the opposite experience of almost everything you've listed, including a) quality of teaching b) advising c) timeliness of teaching, just to name a few.

I'll note, however, that I've been in a small special program almost every quarter I've been here.

Apply to NU. Getting rejected from Princeton was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it led me to NU.

CCCollegiate

I am a freshman in Medill, and I wish to stand up slightly for my school.

After fall quarter, dealing with the petty nonsense from Medill's staff (particularly Dean Lavine), I was convinced I was going to switch to another school. Northwestern is, above all, renowned for a good number of programs, and I knew I could find something else to suit my interests.

After lengthy discussions with both my parents and my adviser (who, might I add, is entirely accessible, knowledge and overall very helpful), I decided to give Medill another chance. I enrolled in two classes winter quarter-- the alleged weed-out courses-- and found that Medill was, despite my initial reactions to Medill 2020, exactly what I was looking for.

The change in Medill's curriculum is not merely focused on marketing. While that is a large part of what is emphasized at Medill, we as students are afforded numerous opportunities to discover what aspect of journalism we are interested in. Print journalism is dying rapidly (just look at the Tribune), and Medill had to make changes to prepare its students for the professional shift. I, personally, will be likely focusing on print journalism in its most innovative form: online. Medill's change in curriculum is truly to better suit the students in a changing environment. Lavine's absolutely despicable failures aside, Medill remains a top-tier journalism school. I do not regret my choice to enroll, nor do I resent my choice to remain in the program.

I am a Yale reject, and I, like arbiter213 before me, cannot possibly express just how grateful I am that I did not receive acceptance there. NU was undoubtedly the right fit for me, and coming here was the best decision I ever made. I could have enrolled in state school for a small chunk of change, studying journalism in a similarly regarded program, but I chose Northwestern in part because of name and in part because of the opportunities coming here allowed me. I am a sorority girl, I write for multiple student publications, I am involved in film, and I still find time to enjoy my classes.

Northwestern was the best place in the world for me. I dedicated so much of myself to the college search, and, when I found myself rejected from my dream, I nearly just apathetically chose NU. I absolutely cannot, however, imagine myself feeling better adjusted or generally happier elsewhere.

To the OP, I am sorry you have had such a negative experience at Northwestern. It is not, however, universal. I am usually happy, though my winter quarter grades did leave much to be desired. I only blame myself.

I encourage you to apply to NU if you have the interest. Potential students or applicants, please feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

As to the sexual assault issues, I have yet to feel threatened or unsafe on Northwestern's campus. Again, I am a member of a sorority, and I've not breached the issue of sexual assault.

Additionally, we may like to add the occasional post to the trashy CollegeACB. I don't find it threatening or even surprising. Gossip, in its own way, is fun. I don't think that should be taken as a sign that NU students are, on the whole, petty and conniving. Sure, we have some terrible people who inhabit our ranks, and no one is perfect, but you can certainly find some gems at NU, too. There truly is a place for everyone.

warywildcat

"I'll note, however, that I've been in a small special program almost every quarter I've been here."

Unfortunately, most people at NU are not in small special programs. Talk to literally ANYONE in WCAS/McCormick about their advising. It's pitiful.

And furthermore, how is my post false? It's my experience, and my feelings, which are just as valid as yours, like it or not.

I believe that, given how much we pay, and the experience that the AVERAGE student gets here, NU is a rip off, and the majority of people would be better off attending their state university. Maybe this isn't so for ISP/MMSS/other special programs, but for your run of the mill Weinberg/McCormick student, I feel this is the case. These are my beliefs, and I simply wish to share them with potential applicants, who hear nothing but excellent things about the school, because when I applied, I heard nothing but excellent things about it too, and I wish I hadn't.

warywildcat

Also, another thing to consider. I went to bars with the kid that I "prospied" with last night. He's an econ major with a 3.75, and 4 years of banking internship experience. He applied to over 200 jobs in finance and consulting, all over the country, and has not gotten a single job. He will be leaving this "top-tier" institution to go live at home with his parents and do nothing. Now, I'm as aware as anyone that the economy reeks to the high heavens, and that not a lot of people are hiring right now, especially in finance. Still, if NU really carried the prestige that you all claim, it would be kind of ridiculous for a well-prepared, successful individual such as this to go 0 for 200 in his job search. He's not alone either; one of my best friends is a senior who got a 3.8 as a philosphy/psych double, killed his LSAT, and has an exhaustive bevy of internship and leadership experience, and he hasn't gotten a paralegal position yet. Out of all the seniors I know (including ones in Medill, which is supposed to do really well with job placement), I can name three (3) that have gotten jobs. One of them is working as a foreman at a steel mill back home in Minnesota. Bottom line: status or not, NU does a poor job helping you to get where you want to go after you graduate.

Sam Lee

Okay, no problem there. But then you start to speak for others:
No, I didn't have that experience. I was happy with my teachers. In my engineering firm, I was considered one of the few with great technical skill (aka, the skill more related to what you got from school). I went to Stanford for grad school and I didn't notice any significant difference in terms of the way the professors teach and how much you feel they care about you.
It find it interesting that you don't give any credit to the positive--the 4 years of banking internship while focusing on the negative--he got no job offer. You also totally underestimated how tough the job market is these days. I talked to a friend in LA last week and he said he met a guy whom my friend called "very smart, very bright, HARVARD MBA". That guy is looking and looking and he's telling my friend that it's a very tough market right now. He got no job yet even with a HARVARD MBA!

arbiter213

Wary- it's false because you stated opinions as fact, and anecdotes as universal judgments.

joelyam2

You guys, he is giving his opinion. This is America and he is entitled to it. I was recently waitlisted by Northwestern and don't feel to bitter about it because I had heard about the things that warywildcat is trying to warn people of. I know quite a few kids that go there and they like it, but they also have told me about the MANY flaws dealing with the school. The teachers are not dedicated to the students in the least. I have heard this from EVERY person I have talked to about the school. The school would not be so "prestigious" though if it was not actually a good school. It is. But like everyone else on this site, you guys(include myself) get offended by people saying one bad thing about your school. Everything will be ok. He brings up legitament points and supports them with evidence. Give the man a break. He is not speaking out of his ass....

arbiter213

See, I'm going to just say this flat out and bluntly- you don't know, because you're not here. ALL of my teachers have been incredibly dedicated to teaching. While many of those are from the special programs I'm in, many others are because I actually pick my classes well. Don't expect your big intro class teachers to be your best friends- they don't care anywhere. There are many problems at NU, but not caring about teaching is NOT one of them. Tell your friends to pick their classes better. And personal anecdotes barely count as "evidence."

And enough with the "this is America" crap. You're right, he's entitled to his, and he's entitled to voice it. And he did. And we're entitled to ours. In fact, we're allowed to discourage him from voicing his, so long as we don't explicitly block it. Are you in 5th grade? Because that was the last time I heard "it's a free country, I can do what I want!"

CCCollegiate

Northwestern is not perfect. It is flawed, but, for many students, such as myself, those problems are minuscule in comparison to the opportunities and experiences allowed by our time at Northwestern. If it were truly so terrible, our retention rate would be substantially lower, and students would enroll in smaller and smaller numbers. The truth is, Northwestern is a great school, and the majority of students (with the exception, it seems, of the OP and his misanthropic friends) really enjoy their time here.

aabbcc1789

haha sigh...every CC thread that talks about pros/cons of a college seems to turn into a violent "vs. thread"...why can't we all be friends?

CoffeeAddict9716

I'm actually kind of disappointed about Medill changing the whole journalism program. I feel like it would be better for aspiring journalists like myself to go to a school better known for what we are interested in (whether that be english, polysci, etc) and get the hands on training from working on the student paper, and journalism courses, internships, etc. I have talked to many journalists whom I have met through my parents connections or touring j-schools around the country, and all of them have echoed similar advice on how to break into the disappearing journalism field. I feel like I'll end up choosing a better school than Northwestern and still get the training I need without having to put up with Medill's new crap...and if journalism falls through, I at least have a degree in something else I enjoy and can fall back on...anyone with me? Medill is making me upset...ugh...

Sam Lee

CoffeeAddict,
Your concern is valid perhaps at schools like Missouri or Syracuase. Northwestern is highly ranked in english and polysic...etc and you can easily double-major at WCAS. Or if you really dislike what's going on at Medill, you can just forget about it and major in, say, english which is a top-20 department. Unless your other choices are schools like Harvard or Columbia, you are not choosing a school better known for those fields, regardless whether Medill fails to meet your expectation.

helloerica

warywildcat, im a potential freshman (i got admitted and & working on making my decision), and i appreciate that you decided to tell us about your experience at nu.

but i have to address what you said about sexual assault. i live by one of the UCs (UCR), and about a month ago at a meeting we had two officers from their police dept. come talk to us about safety on college campuses and specifically about sexual assault. unfortunately, sexual assault is something that just happens at college campuses, and while there are ways to prevent and avoid it, sometimes it simply happens. while it is an unfortunate fact of life, sexual assault simply happens, at all colleges and everywhere else. i have a friend who (while still in high school) was rufeed last year when she was at a party with friends from her really nice all-girls catholic school in orange county and their brother school. things just happen; so for you to say that because three girls got sexually assaulted means that nu is not safe and you should go somewhere else just doesn't work. also, if they wanted to press charges, they needed to go to the police, not the dean of students.