<p>Really? Are Northwestern students exclusive? I would hate to be shut out of parties.</p>
<p>Like I said, it probably gets better the longer you’re on campus as you get to know more people. All I can speak from is experience. At UChicago at least, the parties are very welcoming; it doesn’t matter if you don’t know any of the frat bros or apartment owners (apartment parties are pretty big after the first year), they’ll let you in and have a good time.</p>
<p>afkatm: "Right now, I’m leaning towards Northwestern because of … its beaches… Its strange that I haven’t heard from any Northwestern supporters. Northwestern is pretty chill right? "</p>
<pre><code>That’s why you have not heard from any Northwesterners. They’re all down on the beaches, and so Chill they’re rigid…
</code></pre>
<p>Lol, I’m now considering UChicago and Dartmouth more than Northwestern. I initially leaned towards Northwestern, but I get the impression that its campus life isn’t as inclusive or close-knit.</p>
<p>What led you to apply to UChicago initially?</p>
<p>My D was accepted to UChicago and really wants to go. But…as her parent, I’m worried about all I’ve heard about how competitive and intense the academic environment is. (She’s very smart…and a great student…but I don’t want her to feel stressed all of the time.) Is it really as bad as the rumors say? And…she has never read Plato or any philosophy before. Will she survive the Core classes? They sound intense and scary… Any advice would really be appreciated… thanks.</p>
<p>She needs to go to the admitted student weekend. I just came back and the university and ppl are amazing. Fun lives here.</p>
<p>Sent from my HTC EVO 4G CC App</p>
<p>Dunbar–
Sorry for my late response. I am an English major, but I have played around in biology and economics. Like you, I am considering law school.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m wondering this as well. It seems to me that very few would apply to Chicago and Northwestern.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you’re in Illinois and don’t want to go too far away, those two are going to be your choices for elite colleges. All of the people who applied to Northwestern from my high school also applied to Chicago (only one was accepted 
).</p>
<p>I used to think that no one would apply to both Northwestern and Chicago, too. That was certainly my kids’ attitude; neither so much as bothered to visit Northwestern. Part of their attitude was based on the experience of a cousin, who turned down Harvard to study filmmaking at Northwestern and basically hated it, and the child of a friend of mine who was really disappointed in the intellectual environment there.</p>
<p>My attitude has changed a lot, though. First, I have met numerous kids who applied both places, both Midwestern types like Rny2 describes, and kids from around here, all of whom had perfectly good reasons to apply both places. Second, I have met some Northwestern grads who are indistinguishable from Chicago students – intellectual, engaged – who didn’t feel like odd-people-out at Northwestern at all, even if they knew that not everyone there was like them. (And they tended to appreciate, not dislike, the fact that Northwestern has very diverse attitudes among its students.) Finally, I’ve learned more about programs at Northwestern like Mathematical Models for the Social Sciences (MMSS), which is way cool and ought to be attractive to lots of the econ majors and math/specialization in econ majors at Chicago.</p>
<p>In my still somewhat biased view Northwestern : Chicago :: Penn : Yale. Plenty of people apply to Penn and Yale, and no one gives them crap about it. The two universities have very different vibes, but Penn is a great university and no one is deprived by being a student there. 90% of the students at each would do fine at the other. I’m not certain that the overlap between Chicago and Northwestern is quite that large, but it’s not tiny, either.</p>
<p>In response to mom333: I’m a first year at Chicago right now. I had never read Plato or philosophy before coming here, and I have been fine. A lot of people have never read Plato before coming here and it all works out. </p>
<p>Yes, the work load is a lot - but it really all comes down to time management. I’m involved in a sorority and multiple clubs on campus that take up a significant portion of my time. So, when I have free time I head over to the library and get serious work done for a few hours. That way at the end of the day I can relax with friends or watch TV or just chill for a while. Yes, there are some weeks that are crazy - during midterms and finals - but that is expected at any top university. I think if your daughter got into UChicago, then she must have worked hard in high school, and is probably well-prepared for academics here. </p>
<p>Also, the rumors about UChicago being “where fun goes to die” are absolutely false. Yes, there are some people who choose to sit in their dorm rooms all day and study - I’m totally serious about that. But the majority of the people that I’ve met here are not like that. They spend a good amount of time studying during the week, but everyone is also involved in other things. As I mentioned before, I’m in a sorority, which is a ton of fun. Also, there are plenty of parties on the weekends - both at frats and elsewhere - that are always a lot of fun. I’ve found UChicago to be a good balance of intellectual work and a fun college experience. Hope this helps!</p>