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There's a running identity battle between the nerds and the partiers (and we have t-shirts for both sides in our bookstore) but really, almost everyone I've met here is both. On Sundays, the library gets pretty full and almost everyone cares about at least getting their assignment done, and many about getting it done well. And on Mondays, there's The Keg.

It really runs the gamut here but what I've learned to treasure is that everyone has a secret talent that they've been hiding because in high school, most likely they were the super talented athlete who sang and did musicals and aced everything and really likes learning Arabic.

Without letting the Hannah Montana title deter you, Northwestern really feels like a small school and a big school, on a campus and in a city. I've been in a class with 6 students and a professor, I've been in lectures with 200 students. You get the benefits of getting to know your professors and the others pursuing your major (especially if you're in Medill or Theatre or Bienen) and the benefits of having tons of courses available, a really big library, and really kickass extra-curriculars because there are so many people. When I was deciding to come here, a current student told me that it's the perfect size because you can walk into a party and know at least a few but still get to meet a lot more people. The campus definitely feels like a university campus, but if you take the effort to really explore Chicago, you can definitely get away from school and immerse yourself in the city's vibrant neighbourhoods.

Your professors always teach the class, and there are so many opportunities to get to know them. Many of my journalism professors are really strong mentors and always willing to help (and stay up really late responding to emails). My professors in my non-journalism classes have also been really accessible and almost always passionate about what they teach. Students definitely have intellectual conversations outside of class, but it certainly doesn't feel pretentious or overbearingly academic.

I think Medill is pretty competitive, but I choose for it to be that way by being in extracurriculars or surrounding myself with peers who are as crazy about journalism as I am. It can definitely feel pre-professional at times, but the distribution requirements also allow you to just learn for the sake of learning. One of my favourite classes here was about 70s feminism, and I took another class on International Development where we had the chance to have dinner with awesome speakers from the field every week.

Journalism classes are very intimate and you really get to know your class and professor. The professors are always willing to take extra time talking about your articles/multimedia packages and do everything they can to help you publish or pushing yourself to go after the story you want.

It's hard to describes everyone, of course, but I think most students are bright, hard-working, friendly, like to have a good time, have at least a few hidden talents. Many tend to be more pre-professional that purely academic, but there's definitely a good mix. Many students are from the Chicago area, but there are a good number from other places too.

As much as I would hate to read this as a response as a prospective student, it's true. There's everything.

Just in the journalism activities, there are at least a dozen magazines, several very high caliber daily or online publications, professional groups, blogs, everything. I tried several my first year before finding one that really suits what I like to do and where I feel like I need to grow.

But of course, everyone is involved in around 3 or 4 activities ranging from cultural groups to music to theatre to intramurals to philanthropy to food.

There are many dorms on campus, and almost all freshmen live in one. They all vary in size (I lived in Jones the first year, and we had the smallest rooms on campus, but it didn't bother me because we had AC and heating, kitchenettes and suites) and all have their own perks. You can find a lot more info on dorms by checking the housing website (http://www.northwestern.edu/living/) and asking a current student. Campus news site NBN has a great guide: (http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/story/freshman-housing-guide-2010/) and many dorms have their own websites or Facebook groups you can check out.

There are two types of residences, one called a residential college (which are traditionally smaller, and have a theme such as "arts and music" (like Jones) or communications/journalism (CRC) or international studies (ISRC) and can provide a good community with lots of organized events. The other is a residential hall, which are typically bigger but they are starting to have professors move into a suite in them, which is pretty neat.

Gorgeous Lake Michigan is alongside the whole campus, lined by rocks that have been painted by students over the years, behind the rocks is a grassy mass of land called "the Lakefill" where students do pamphlet-worthy things like play frisbee, study on the grass, suntan, and hang out. The buildings are eclectic, ranging from the uber-modern to really old and kind of gothic. There are nice purple flower populated gardens, lots of trees, very wide pathways and sidewalks--it's a very good-looking school, especially in the sun (not so much in the freezing rain). It's big, but it's not huge.

You typically take 4 courses per quarter, and we have 3 of those so 12 classes in total. The quarter system is both good and bad because I do enjoy taking more classes than I otherwise would have, and I find it very manageable to take 4 at a time, and I like switching my schedule around more frequently. The biggest downfall of the quarter system is that we end in June, which means less time for summer internships or jobs, and sometimes it can be tougher to find internships if employers have hired people on semester systems that have already started. Classes move quickly on the quarter system, which I like, but I know some people find it hard to keep up, depending on the class. I find that each class is generally very good, some more challenging than others, but most are pretty enjoyable.