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Are separate schools isolated from each other?

gohawks13gohawks13 Registered User Posts: 2 New Member
edited October 2015 in Northwestern University
I am interested in math but I am unsure about entering an engineering school that focuses heavily on just math and science. I would rather have a more liberal arts education with a concentration in math. I am really interested in the applied math major within the school of engineering, but at this point I am hesitant to enter a school that is purely engineering only to find that I don't like it.

Does anyone know how the engineering school fits in with the rest of Northwestern? Is it easy to take any class you want within schools? Are you isolated by your major? And is it easy to transfer between schools?

Thanks so much for your help!
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Replies to: Are separate schools isolated from each other?

  • Ksty1098Ksty1098 Registered User Posts: 280 Junior Member
    When I visited they made it a point to show the ease of cross registering schools. They consider it one university, and it is super easy to transfer schools. But you may want a current students opinion. But it did seem to me that everyone commingled, and there was not a lot of isolation.
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  • osuprofosuprof Registered User Posts: 424 Member
    Not a current student, but seems like cross college double majors or minors are common. For example, IEMS and Economics.

    Northwestern policies also make it easier to pick up minors or certificates w/o taking too many classes in a term or extra time. They do not limit the number of AP credits, so you can finish a lot of their breadth requirements and open electives in high school. McCormick' requires 7 classes in social sciences, but 5 of them can be in a theme (think a minor like Economics).
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  • CaliCashCaliCash Registered User Posts: 2,828 Senior Member
    If you are in McCormick, you can take classes in any of the other colleges to fulfill your major requirements. There are classes you will have to take South Campus in University Hall or next to Tech in Annenberg or even in Fisk. As a journalism major, I am taking a class in Tech which is the engineering building, Annenberg which is the SESP building, Uni Hall which is the WCAS building and of course McTrib which is the journalism building. So you will most definitely take a lot of non major classes.
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  • WCASParentWCASParent Registered User Posts: 2,102 Senior Member
    Agreed; you wont't have a problem.
    By the way, if you're interested in math but not necessarily engineering, have you looked at the MMSS program?
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  • gohawks13gohawks13 Registered User Posts: 2 New Member
    Yes and it sounds very interesting...thanks for the suggestion!
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  • thatrunnerkidthatrunnerkid Registered User Posts: 534 Member
    You can easily take three math/science/engineering classes and one non-STEM class as a McCormick student per quarter, and even do some quarters with 2 and 2, and still graduate on time. And you are certainly not isolated in your major in McCormick, or in McCormick at NU.

    And its super easy to transfer between schools too (source: personal experience).
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  • imogeneasaimogeneasa Registered User Posts: 8 New Member
    A lot of the classes you will initially take for McCormick or a STEM Weinberg major will be the same so for your freshman year it doesn't really matter what school you are technically in. For example all of the freshman Chem classes have a mix of Weinberg and McCormick students and you can use the credit for a degree from either college. Also regardless of what college you are in most of the classes are open to anyone, like you can be a McCormick major taking music classes. I have a friend in McCormick who is currently taking 3 STEM classes and a class in Greek philosophy, and is switching over to Weinberg next quarter.
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  • orcinus2orcinus2 Registered User Posts: 10 New Member
    Apply to MMSS.

    We have a lounge with free Keurigs.

    Also a super strong alumni network, incredible exclusive classes and access to Kellogg profs, and the best program director in the nation, but do it for the Keurigs.
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