https://undergradresearch.northwestern.edu/funding/urap/urapjobs/
16!
My online friend here thinks I am trying to badmouth what is in many ways a wonderful school. That is not the case at all, as I pointed out above. But when we were researching schools, I promised myself that I would provide feedback once I was able to. Most here have probably come across the same write-ups I did and the question - pay for the top schools, or take a different approach and look for aid (the northwestern versus univ of pittsburgh article) for example). This is a very expensive school. Before anyone starts saying - they give great aid - that is not true. Many of us who fall int the middle class range who just make " a little too much" or have "saved a little too much’ have had aid taken away from us collectively over the last decade to be put towards other groups This school is very expensive for us. As I have shown above (with links showing that I am not the only one who thinks so) - clubs are a problem. If you don’t get in the popular ones Freshman year, yeah, it is pretty much over. I think it was said above, there are kids who are super busy. That is because for many of them keep themselves in these clubs and others out - it is the same kids in the clubs with leadership positions. I think part of the issue is that there is a very different experience for kids who come knowing what they are going to do and those exploring. If you are in the sciences, computers, etc… the clubs and research may be more available and open. My friend above may be such a person (or it could be someone in administration). If you are in other areas of the school, it is not so easy. Academically, it is an amazing place to explore - can’t be beat. But, I’ll refer back to URAP It starts off with Lots of faculty mentors are running job searches for students with no prior research experience! -* again 16 positions for the summer. This is often aimed at kids who are not sure (or at all) what they want to do and it is meant to give them ideas. My friend above discusses research - 1 in 10 - I don’t think that’s great, but whatever. But that is based on having some idea of what you want to do. Urap is meant to stimulate ideas. It is not necessarily meant for kids who don’t know their direction. So, I will leave it with this. It is a great place for kids who come in knowing what they want to do. It can be a great place for students who did lots and lots in high school and come in running full blast freshman year. For others, while academically being amazing, the difficulty with access to top clubs and organizations, especially after Freshman year (Morty says in one of the articles “It makes me cry” - you had the power to do something about it Morty), advising not being great, and research/jobs not being as great as advertised (at least outside of the sciences, should be considered. Just considered. Read (reddit ) with a grain of salt) to get a sense of what kids are saying. All I have said has been based on the experiences of a bunch of kids over there last few years. I think the feel is that this is based on the experiences of nerdy or unpopular kids. Not at all Some have been nerdy, but I wouldn’t say unpopular. Actually, a girl we know has had one of the toughest experiences. At school, we met her parents and her mom was saying she petitioned for about 13 clubs - she got into none. Me met her at some point and she was absolutely beautiful -there was another mom there who whispered to me - well,of course she didn’t get in to anything - she is too pretty. I have no idea if that is true, but as I said in the beginning, leaving admissions decisions to children for these top organizations is ridiculous.