<p>I am a senior at NU, and here are my 2 cents:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Academics vary a lot. Generally 300+ courses are very good (and this is what you really care about anyways), but it really depends. Professors at all research universities are hired solely for their research, but good researchers are often good teachers. Some classes are very easy some are really hard.</p></li>
<li><p>Do research with a professor. He/she will guide you into the best classes and mentor you throughout the experience. The benefits of this are immeasurable.</p></li>
<li><p>Social life is meh. Frats and sororities are huge here. I had many friends freshman year who stopped talking to me after they joined frats. I highly recommend joining one. Some of them are low key and without one you will have no social life.</p></li>
<li><p>On campus living and eating is horrible. Just put up with it for a year.</p></li>
<li><p>Social organizations are underfunded and politics rule funding. ASG, the student government gives out money but it doesn’t have much and fights result over who gets small sums of money. Most of it goes to the big organizations. This means that the only organizations that are really active are the “major” ones, like chess club, intermurals, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Unlike other posters, I think the campus is very safe. [crime</a> data](<a href=“http://www.northwestern.edu/up/jeanne/jeanne.html]crime”>http://www.northwestern.edu/up/jeanne/jeanne.html)</p></li>
</ol>