<p>I am an NU grad and decided between NU and Emory (w some merit money). I had a painstakingly detailed post on this a year or two ago, and I encourage to rummage through my profile to find it.</p>
<p>I’ll sum it up like this because I know have the benefit of hindsight - NU is a better, more complete school.</p>
<p>For the 4 years you will be in college, the differences will be relatively small. Both are good schools located outside of major cities (for the record: Chicago > Atlanta, and Evanston is a hell of a lot more fun than the glorified strip mall that is 1 block from Emory’s campus). Having D1 sports (and Big 10, no less) is awesome. It galvanizes the student body. One of the key deciders for me was that people at NU wear purple - a lot of it. Espeically when the football team is racking up wins and the basketball team is on a hot streak. We are proud to be NU. </p>
<p>My question is this - when are you truly “proud” to be an Emory Eagle? Certainly its a great school, but what events would stir those emotions? Northwestern is on tv with its sports teams. It is far more renowned as a top-flight institution across the country and the world. NU alumni have gone on to be pioneers in assorted areas (Charlton Heston, Cindy Crawford, Dick Gephardt, William Jennings Bryan, Zach Braff, John Paul Stevens etc.)</p>
<p>That brings me to my current thoughts on NU v Emory. I think NU is a great place for undergraduates. I think the difference that NU brings is more important in retrospect and context. NU has top 10 programs in myriad endeavors. I have friends that are going to the best med schools in the country, the best law schools in the country, premier banking/consulting firms, and as professional actors/actresses/filmmakers. Though I try, I doubt I can ever fully appreciate how socializing with brilliant scientists-to-be and great actors has affected me as a Political Scientist. I am better because my peers forced me to elevate my game in the most noncompetitive way. In the immortal paraphrase of 2010 Commencement Speaker (and, of course, NU alum) Michael Wilbon, “you enter the world with the most powerful weapon of them all - a damn good education”.</p>
<p>With regular frequency, NU is in the news for this accomplishment or an alumni’s newest contribution. Being linked in to a world class law school, med school, and business school is just frosting on the cake. Though you likely will not use any of these resources, they are a part of who you are and what Northwestern is. </p>
<p>Another thing that should be considered for all would-be NU applicants - having Morty Schapiro as president is phenomenal. I encourage everyone to find a top-flight research university where the undergraduate population has so immediately and universally embraced a university president. I have talked to Morty on a few occasions and he is fantastic. I have not heard of presidents of such large, prestigious universities taking time out to invite students to his house for dinner. Rare is the president who freely discusses NU kids’ penchant for late nights on the town when acknowledging any strained town-gown relations. This is someone who cares. It is difficult to quantify what that means because there is no telling what he will do for the student body by the time these applicants graduate. In less than one year, he has rallied the students, diplomatically handled a living wage campaign, began the search for a sustainability chair, met with multiple student groups, taught at the undergraduate level, been a lightning rod for school spirit after his antics at football games (he yelled at the ref after a bad call at the Outback Bowl - no joke), and pushed for the construction of a new late-night dining option in a dorm quad on the southern side of campus.</p>
<p>I had a few different leadership roles this past year, so I heard quite a bit about Morty from those who interacted with him daily. The scoop is this - Morty wants to maintain NU’s research element while tightening the student body as a true community. Moreover, he is going through all levels of NU staff and determining who is working for the students and who is lazy/indifferent/ignorant/short-sighted. Without naming names, he has pushed for the resignation of a few administrators who were known for being less than student friendly.</p>
<p>It’s a great time to be a Wildcat. The university is most definitely on the upswing.</p>
<p>Go Cats, baby. Go Cats.</p>