Thank you for circling back to let us know!
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Ofc, thank you for your advices during this spring and encouraging words!
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Interesting thought. Are you willing to elaborate ? Thanks in advance for any response !
For example: Is it that you find the pace of instruction to be much quicker at NU than at your former LAC ?
Thank you for your reply! At NU the teaching isnât bad but like at Carleton like the profs are there to teach so they kind of teach better (smaller classes and slightly slower pace and etc). Also, I think NU is more like of a research university so profs donât care as much as Carleton with like how good their teaching is unfortuntely.
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Carleton is known for quality of undergraduate teaching - all the ways in which professors care about students learning and most importantly their enjoying incredible moments of discovery or connections, the intellectual sparks, etc. In addition, since classes are small, itâs easier for them to consider the individual (rather than a mass of heads in a hall) and follow them from freshman year to senior year.
It doesnât mean professors at NU donât care or donât know students but itâs not a given since they may have a class with 60-75 students or even more.
They canât get to know them all and anyway many students wouldnât really care since thatâs not why they chose NU (whereas itâs a criterion for choosing Carleton).
As I hope you found out, though, if you make the effort most NU professors will be glad to hear from you and see you every week during office hours.
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Your experience highlights (and anecdotally validates) what many believe to be common differences between LACs and universities of similar caliber:
- The profs at LACs are typically more focused on undergrads
- The classes at LACs are typically smaller, so profs have more time to interact directly with students.
- Anonymity tends to be greater at a university, which is great if you donât want to be under a spotlight⊠but not so great if you need or want it.
But relatively few of us actually were able to attend two different schools during our undergrad years, so itâs really cool to hear your account. These are both thought to be top-tier schools, and itâs neat to hear how the basic LAC/U classroom differences have affected you thus far. That said, youâre only a few months into this experiment - I bet that if you havenât already, youâll make the Northwestern format work to your satisfaction. For instance, you might have to work a little harder for direct prof interaction, but Iâve no doubt itâs attainable.
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My understanding is that the OPâs classes at Northwestern University had about 30 students in each class and that OPâs main criticism of the teaching at Northwestern was that the pace of the class was too fast; OP was accustomed to a slower pace of teaching at Carleton College.
Northwestern University is well known for having small classes (sometimes too small since many hover around fewer than 10 students- to about 15 students) once beyond some intro courses.
Northwestern University is a fairly intense school with respect to academics and the students are brilliant, motivated, and hard-working. Those seeking a more relaxed environment should look elsewhere.
The OP has been at NU for just a few months and is being exposed to a much faster paced environment even though transferring in from a trimester school (Carleton College). Obviously, the experience at Northwestern is quite good or OP would not have transferred since OP had the benefit of a twin sibling at NU as well as a consistent pipeline of transfers from Carleton College to Northwestern based on OPâs past posts.
Transitions can be difficult and involve, at the very least, a period of adjustment.
Northwestern Universityâs retention rate of first year students is outstanding at 98% to 99%.
For me I found like the professors at NU taught worse than Carleton profs (their teaching was harder to understand so often times I felt like I had to learn the material on my own). That said I just got my transcript back this quarter and I did pretty well (3.931 GPA with 4 Aâs in classes+1 lab and an A-). I agree with you, for me I feel like getting interaction with profs at NU I have actively seek them out but at Carleton it felt more like hs where they actively tried to help out students.
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For me I didnât find the pace of the courses that much faster than Carleton tbh (it was very similar to Carleton as both are like quarter systems just slightly faster [like 5% imo]), I kept up with the lectures and did like fairly well academically. I just found the profs werenât as great as Carleton profs in lecturing and like explained things worse.
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I agree that transitions can be difficult and for me it was quite difficult tbh. I got lost in lecture for the first time at NU and started to have to learn things on my own. There is def benefits that NU has that Carleton doesnât, like the city of Evanston has better food than Carleton for instance, and NU is more career-oriented and have better research opportunities. Additionally, I would like to also confirm that there is a consistent pipeline of transfers from Carleton to NU (usually 3+ a year), and Carleton also has a consistent pipeline of transfers to UChicago (3 this year too)
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I agree, NU profs are reachable in office hours, it was most easier to reach profs at Carleton since they were actively seeking out students to talk to (at NU the student needs to approach the prof which isnât inherently a bad thing, and as you said it makes sense as NU has a lot more undergrads than Carleton)
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FWIW, I totally get the twin thing. Two of my best friends from undergrad are identical twins. Itâs definitely a unique experience just communicating with them.
Congratulations.
My initial recommendation was for you to remain at Carleton College since you were doing so well and the only reason that you wanted to transfer was to be with your twin sibling.
Youâve transferred and there will be differencesâas you have noted. The main differences, if I understand correctly, are the slightly faster pace of the classes and the need to take the initiative at a larger school.
Please confirm that your classes at Northwestern are all about 30 students and that this is not an issue for you.
The good news is that you will always regard your experience at Carleton College with fondness and satisfaction. It is, typically, much easier to adjust to a small college (LAC) than to a National University from high school. This appears to be true in your case.
Focus on the positives. Youâre growing and will, undoubtedly, experience growing pains. Life is largely about decisions and you had the courage to leave your comfort zone. Change produces anxiety as well as the need to adapt in a new environment. Recognize the opportunities; focus on the positive aspects; advocate for yourself. Again, congratulations !
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Whatâs the point? Are you suggesting he should transfer again?
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Huh ???
No. Not sure how you arrived at that question.
Well, if thatâs not the purpose of your question, it sounds like you are trying to start another thread comparing Northwestern to Carleton. Youâre welcome to do that but I see no reason why the OP is obligated to extend this one beyond what heâs already told us.
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Pretty sure that youâre missing the point of this thread. LOL !
Pretty sure it was to help him reach a decision.What did you think it was?
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Thank you! I agree that the main differences is that you have to take more initiative at a larger school and the pace of the classes are slightly faster. Additionally, they are worse at lecturing. Moreover, the classes for me are around 30-40 ish students so far! Thank you for your encouraging words and advice!
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I note Carleton regularly places at the the top of this (peer survey based) list:
Obviously YMMV, but Carleton is among the colleges where it is known that being particularly committed to undergraduate teaching is a particularly important criteria for faculty hiring and advancement.
Northwestern is then at #35 on the equivalent National Universities list:
This is actually quite good! There are many national universities, and this is not one of those âusual suspectsâ lists, it is pretty diverse right from the top.
My point with all this is that on the one hand, going from Carleton to really most other colleges and universities might feel different in this particular area, because this is an area on which Carleton puts a tremendous amount of emphasis.
But Northwestern is not at all bad either! It may take a bit of adjustment, it may be better in some classes than others, but I am confident the OP can end up satisfied with their experience overall.
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