cherrycrush021

How hard is it to get into a residential college?
& can you do one college one year, and other the next?
I am really interested in either Jones for fine art or the Communications Residential College (since I am in R/TV/Film at the School of Communications) but I don't know how hard it is to get into these colleges. They seem really fun and offer a lot in terms of the facilities.
Does anyone have any experience with the residential colleges?
Positive and negative things are welcome.

arbiter213

How hard? Easy, except for Willard and Jones. You can switch colleges, but it takes some effort, and is highly unusual. CRC will be easy-ish to get in.

CRC it should be noted, is somewhat run-down, comparatively.

deskgnome

Arbiter, have you lived in CRC? Because I'm interested in the communications residential college as well. Do you recommend it for Freshman year?

stacym

^ wondering the same thing

CCCollegiate

I currently live in CRC. I can offer advice/ answer questions.

Arbiter, I have to disagree. I don't find it run down. It has a certain charm to it, and the amenities are numerous.

Feel free to respond. I'd be happy to answer your questions.

stacym

cccollegiate:

well, essentially, how much would you recommend it? What is the social atmosphere like and does it help that much to have certain facilities geared towards SoC studies?

i know there's the one computer available for video-editting-- is that a good, accessable resource for rtvf kids living in CRC, or is it just neglected by most?

CCCollegiate

@ stacym:

I am a huge proponent of CRC. I will be serving on the executive board for the coming year, despite the fact that I will be living elsewhere, and I am both grateful and happy that I asked to live here. We are a smaller dorm, and we are thus not well-known across campus, except, often, as being exceptionally weird and anti-social. I can entirely dismiss the latter part of that myth, as most--if not all-- of us are well-involved around campus, as well as entirely social. A large majority loves living in CRC, as I do.

With that in mind-- CRC is not perfect. It is, as arbiter suggests, an older housing structure, built in the early 1980s. The rooms are generally smaller and lack air conditioning, but those are the worst parts. We offer a great deal of facilities, such as a state of the art screening room with a brand new Blu-Ray player and projector, a radio station, a small gym, a game room with an X-Box 360 and a computer lab with a very pretty new Apple! All of this is, of course, available on our Web site, crcwhat.com.

My biggest complaint about CRC is that, because we are small and, generally, interested in communications, journalism or theater, we become kind of an insular unit by the end of the first quarter. It's almost like an exclusive club, where you're either entirely in or entirely out. I love my peers and my dormmates, as they were the first people I met on campus, and many remain my close friends. I did, however, begin to feel stifled, as I realized that I was spending time with only a small portion of the entirety of the campus. This, however, can be said for any of the smaller residential colleges, and this should not dissuade you from applying to live there. Choosing to live in CRC was one of the best decisions I made regarding Northwestern, and I'm very pleased with the result.

It does require a certain sort of person to live in the CRC. Not everyone will enjoy the experience, and not everyone will find their niche within East Fairchild (the official name of CRC). I would generalize that the personalities which mesh well are quirky and fun-loving, very interested in popular culture and discussions of such (see: indie music, art cinema, Planet Earth), and usually easy to get along with. I would recommend, also, that if you choose to step outside every now and again. I have made friends outside of CRC while maintaining my friendships within, and that has made my experience all the better.

As to the computer for video editing:
I had to ask my roommate this question, as I'm only an RTVF minor (journalism major), and I'm not well-versed in the equipment aspect. The equipment is brand new and easily accessible. It is a great resource, one that you will certainly find useful if you take 290 in winter quarter, when the frozen tundra will prevent even the short walk to Fisk. Most people are unaware that it is there, but it is a fantastic resource. I would say that the amenities offered in CRC are one of the biggest draws regarding the residence. While having a screening room may not necessarily enhance your academic experience in terms of SOC, it is really nice to have.

I hope that was helpful. Please feel free to keep asking any questions you have. I love talking about CRC, and if you choose to live there next year, you'll have direct interactions with me!

arbiter213

To clarify, I didn't mean to knock CRC- they're a great dorm and my friends who lived there loved it. I just was commenting on the present state of some of the facilities. Likely, the dorm is next on the renovation list for this summer.

hellostranger

Wow thanks for such great comments on the RC. You've really convinced me to have interest in it.
I've been in Jones but not in CRC. and i thought Jones was pretty run-down and cramped.. How does CRC compare to Jones?

Phoenix121

Sorry to interject in this thread, but how is Willard as well? And would engineering students be welcome at residential colleges besides Slivka?

CCCollegiate

hellostranger, I actually can't offer a comparison, as I've never stepped foot in Jones. I won't lie and tell you CRC is beautiful. It is, however, quite manageable and even charming. I really enjoyed living here, and I wish I were living here again. It's a wonderful place. Truly.

As to Willard, I know it's well-loved, and engineering students are welcome everywhere. You don't have to be in a particular major to live in a residential college. We have science majors and engineers in CRC, too.

stacym

thanks for the extensive info about CRC; it's really helpful.

i've heard that allison is pretty popular; would it be a good freshman experience?

redbird5

What is Chapin Hall like? I'm planning on double majoring in English and RTVF and I found the CRC a bit clique-y and insular. I was, however, only exposed to one group of people. ANyway, does anyone know about Chapin Hall? How does it compare?

imntdedyt

So I posted this same thing in the general NU forum but I'm putting it here too because there seems to be some different people here and its always nice to get more feedback!

Hey people, So I'm still trying to decide exaclty which college (of Syracuse and NU for tv/film/radio) to go to but I'm having fun entertaining the idea of choosing NU... SO, I have some dorm related questions.

I really like the idea of the Res. Colleges. They seem like good ways to be close to lots of people and have some fun times. I'm also not really interested in going greek and I'm worried that if I do a normal dorm NU's greekiness will bother me a bit.. I'm not really a drinking party person but I do like to have fun and hang with friendly, entertaining people. So to help me choose which Res. College would be a best fit I was wondering if anyone (current NU student or otherwise) could give me a rundown on the the life and types of people in these different Res. Colleges. Also does anyone know if they typically house the Freshmen in these dorms together? (in rooms/suites)

Communications Residential College
Jones Fine and performing Arts Res. College
Public affairs Res. College
Shepard Res. College
Willard Res College

Also If anyone has any other tips about my predicament that would be greatly appreciated too.
Thanks!

APOL

You might also consider the new GREEN dorm-it just started this year:
http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.c...en.House.Debut.