Transfer out of Dart

TeriKeller
Tue, 12 Oct 2021 18:06:20 +0000

OP - FWIW you sound like someone who’d fit in well with the NU social groups I see.

My D is an NU sophomore and loves it. She also toured Dartmouth and loved it. Like you, my D is academic, social, outdoorsy, plays outdoor sports, etc. She really loved the Dartmouth campus, the student bus to the ski slopes, and that program where all the students go to live in the woods to bond (whatever it’s called?). She ended up picking NU due to their engineering program, but really loved the outdoorsy vibe of Dartmouth.

We live in IL, so I’m at NU somewhat frequently. My D has lived in Evanston student housing (on & off campus) since starting college and as a “local parent” I’ve gotten to know quite a few students there (sophomore women/men). Here are some thoughts:

Greek life is really looked down upon. As a former “sorority girl,” I pointed out some of the possible benefits of Greek life to my D/her guy/girlfriends and encouraged them to maybe just look at it. They were not having it - for some of the same reasons you described in your posts: the meaningless social climbing mentality, frivolous conversations, stupid drunk social scenes, the exclusionist treatment of groups of people… Her few friends who did join Greek life are embarrassed to tell anyone AND they are trying to deactivate now. There are several houses whose majority members have voted to deactivate. IMO Greek life is over at NU and the underclassmen don’t support it’s resurrection.

No school is perfect, but the NU students I know are unbelievably intelligent, talented, creative, mature, welcoming, non-judgemental, worldly, adventurous, hardworking, deep-thinking, thoughtful AND kind. Our NU president has said these attitudes can be attributed to “the midwest mentality” permeating the school. I agree.

These students come from all over the world - NYC, LA, Miami, London, Rome, Brazil, Dubai, African villages, small Nebraska farms, etc. and adapt to the down-to-earth, Midwestern vibe. I see very little “flaunting” of wealth/prestige, etc. I just found out recently that D friends include children of Hollywood stars and billionaires. Other friends grew up poor in the streets of Chicago. This friend group is traveling together over Winter break and the billionaire’s son is not treated any differently from the scholarship kid.

At NU, I haven’t seen this sort of “secret handshaking,” social climbing/positioning to investment banking, etc. This kind of perception of “old clubbiness” (deserved or not) is why my D didn’t want to apply to Princeton. I believe NU students strive to not fit this mold. E.g., my D and her class peers have been repeatedly emailed by the BIG hedge fund/IB recruiters and they are just not impressed by that lifestyle. I don’t know if this is a generational thing or an NU thing, but to blow off intern opportunities from places like NYC Goldman Sachs in favor of volunteering to build clean water systems in poor communities is kind of mind-boggling to this student of the 90’s.

Even though NU is in an urban area there are plenty of outdoorsy/athletic opportunities. E.g. Big 10 sports, club sports like hockey, student ski trips to Colorado, beautiful student fitness centers/fields, a sailing center to use kayaks/paddleboards/wind surfs/sailboats/catamaran, lakefront bike paths/parks and sandy beaches. It’s also impossible to be bored with such close access to a city like Chicago.

I think this school does a fantastic job in finding/putting together its student body. My D is now friends with such amazing students from all parts of the world. NU also takes a fair amount of transfers. I have heard that a lot of value is put on the student admission essays. OP, best of luck to finding your best college fit.