Northwestern University Top Questions

NU is very open with regards to the diversity of student groups which is great, from racial, sexual to different categories. People do tend to dress up for class more than i noticed at the state school at home.

People here come from everywhere. A lot from NY and Cali and a bunch from IL. Large jewish student population. The African-American community is pretty segregated. There is a divide between the greek pop., the athletes, and loosely everyone else. Not to say there is much conflict here; everyone takes school at least semi-seriously.

Coming to Northwestern I looked forward to having a diverse group of friends with different political, religious, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds, but a lot of my friends are white and from wealthy suburbs outside major cities.

there are a lof of asian people here. most of whom i don't see outside of my classes in tech. we're predominantly liberal. most of the black students are athletes.

Students are very liberal

Very rich for the most part, large Jewish and Asian populations but the Latino and Black populations are just average, or lacking for an area like Chicago. Different students interact through student groups and classes.

Socially inept all around. 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} never leave the library. 25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Asian or Indian. Of the 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} that are Greek, there are maybe 50 kids who actually belong there. The rest are nerds that want to believe they're cool. Most kids are apolitical and rich. Picture the annoying kid that sits in the front of class in high school who always answers teacher's rhetorical questions. Now multiply them by 40. Add a few asians who never say anything, 3 athletes in their typical grey sweat suits, and 10 greek kids who walked in late and sit together. Welcome to class at NU.

Though diverse on paper, Northwestern is more homogenous than what stats will say. The school is predominantly white, middle to upper class. There are many groups of students that tend to stick together, particularly athletes. The good news is that all groups of people are tolerated and respected. That is, no one feels out of place for sexual preference, race, religion, or other beliefs. Most students are oblivious to what is going on in the "real" world. Though pretty liberal, Northwestern is more "centered" than comparative East coast higher institutions of learning.

At a school like Northwestern, where the female population is not generally attractive (as stated earlier), it's important that there are more females than males. This way, the males at Northwestern have a larger pool to choose from, which compensates for the quality of the fish creatures in that pool. The administration knows this, which is why they accept more females than males, despite the fact that males are generally more qualified and awesome. So, the Administration is obviously adjusting its student body to cater to the needs of men. As an attractive male, I benefit from this more than anyone. Still, I don't approve of the administration's policy. I believe acceptance into the school should be based solely on academics and extracurriculars in high school, and not gender, or race, or religion, etc. Shame on you for your prejudices, administration.

it is pretty homogenous here especially when it comes to socioeconomic status

As I said before, students at Northwestern are really diverse talent wise. Students also tend to be a bit "toolish". Rather than looking to expand their knowledge for academics sake, a lot of students are just doing things to get positions, lines on resumes and jobs.

Unfortunately, for the most part apathetic, although that could be changing. Very diverse in terms of opinions, not quite as diverse in terms of races, etc.

Northwestern's student body has both positive and negative attributes. The Greek system is very present on campus, but unlike at other campuses its presence is very pervasive. Students over time have allowed their frats and sororities to define them, instead of having it the other way round. It is distressing for non-Greek students to approach a girl, hit it off with her, and then have her up and walk away when she finds out he is not in the Greek system. It seems that the dating scene at Northwestern is based on this sort of policy: sorority girls will only date sorority guys, with very little crossover, and vice versa. However, not every student is involved in the Greek system, and for them Northwestern provides a rich social experience, if only they seek it out. The only large parties and gatherings on campus tend to be those "members only" parties the frats and sororities throw, but smaller, more intimate gatherings are always discoverable and tend to be a very good time. Additionally, our theatre, music, and athletics programs bring a diverse and culturally rich presence to the campus. On any given day there are several shows, meetings, and fun activities to attend if you would prefer not to lounge inside someone's dormroom or apartment.

Northwestern is a very diverse campus which is GREAT! Everyone seems to be accepting for the most part of racial, religious, and socioeconomic differences.

Northwestern's student body is completely auto-segregated. The racial/ethnic cliques form immediately, and stay until graduation.

I do think that NU's student body is very diverse, and that not that many people would have a hard time fittin gin

The student body overall is friendly, smart and financially well-off. There is diversity among regional and international backgrounds, but there could be more ethnic and socio-economic diversity. Students dress nicely for class, and everyone is involved in something on campus. This is a very active student body who were captains and leaders of everything in high school and now wish to be involved in college.

Probably due to Northwestern's excellence in most academic areas, there are a lot of diffrent students with really different interests, ranging from theater kids to econ majors. The North part of campus is gerneally where you will find two types of people: asian engineering students and the quinessential "popular" guys from high school that are now athletes or who live in their frat houses. Down south is where the more eclectic students reside- the theater and voice majors whose constant singing and dramatic way of life make dorm life interesting for everyone else, journalism students who often think they are a story away from a pulitzer and everyone else. While there are many ethnicities, races and religions represented on campus, your typical NU student is probably white and upper middle class. Political activism is a little below what I expected, but there are several political groups on campus.

I have already briefly discussed the lack of socioeconomic disparity amongst the student body. I can expound by clarifying that there is great diversity on the campus, as far as geographic presence and general interest goes. However, there is very little ethnic and economic diversity. And, what makes matters worse, most of the organizations on campus, while providing comfort to those that participate, often lead to greater segregation with less interaction amongst the already few minority groups.

The student body is active in all aspects of campus life.

Northwestern students are diverse, but an overwhelming majority of them are rich snobs. These students are overly interested in brand names and looking "cute without really trying." I've met alot of students from New Jersey, New York and California. Northwestern students like to act like they are much more politically aware then they really are by advertising the candidates they support with out knowing anything about their platforms.

There is a bit of racial separation on campus between the African-Amerians, Asians, etc. But if you are involved with a group on campus, you do spend a lot of time with your friends from that group. There are like 2 extremes of what to wear.. sweats or you look really nice and urban and cute. A lot of students are from Jersey, from around the Illinois area, California and Texas.

it seems like almost everyone is middle or upper-middle class socioeconomically. its a pretty moderate campus...not too many extreme liberals or conservatives. probably the most represented minority is Asians.

I feel like Northwestern's student body is very segregated. The Asian students hang out with the other Asian students. The black students hang out with the other black students. The Indian students hang out with the other Indian students. You get the idea. I really would like to see MIXED groups at Northwestern -- instead of such a heavy focus on ethnic cliques and clubs.

The diversity at Northwestern certainly leaves something to be desired. While the different racial and religious groups do put on programming for the entire student body, the chances that someone outside that ethnic or religious groups is actually going to come to that event are slim. I honestly think this all stems back to Northwestern's apathy problem.

NU has a hugely diverse campus. This certainly makes it interesting, but somehow NU and all of its diverse groups on campus make you feel like you're evil if you're white, republican, and christian, like I am. I was actually in the minority in that sense and was often the target of smarmy and rude comments. So if you're conservative and christian, you'll constantly have to defend your beliefs not only to other students, but to professors, who as a rule, are extremely liberal and don't hide it in the classroom. However, some of my closest friends were so different from me, and it made life more interesting. A lot of students at NU have money, but you will find plenty of students on financial aid and working jobs to support themselves. Northwestern is a very liberal campus though and tends to verbally attack those who aren't; even the school newspaper takes pride in the liberal agenda. So be aware of that as well.

I would say Northwestern has a more preppy, higher end fashion sense, although there are definitely some eclectic/average/bad dressers at Northwestern. Typical outfit for a girl is a jeans and boots, or dress and boots.

At Northwestern, I have basically integrated myself with the Asian/Asian-American community. This was out of my own pure interests. I went to a predominantly Caucasian high school in Orange County, California that offered little to no Asian-interest classes or student groups. When I first arrived at Northwestern however, there was a multitude of Asian-related courses that were offered and there were many student groups that catered to the Asian community. I never experienced this before so I was very interested in becoming involved when I arrived onto campus during freshman year. In terms of religion, I am a Christian. There are many different religious organizations on campus and you can choose the one that suits your preference. I would say that most students come from an upper middle class background or an upper class background. The student that would feel out of place at Northwestern would be the student that grew up in poverty. This is because there are a fair amount of students at Northwestern that come from private high schools (boarding schools) who never really experienced fiscal problems before. Most students wear clothes that match the seasons. When the weather is nice (fall or spring), students will wear a light jacket, t-shirts, and jeans. When the weather sucks (i.e. winter), the North Face jackets will appear. Different types of students will interact probably in the classroom setting during discussions and they will probably interact if they live in dorms. When I lived in dorms from freshman to junior year, the people that lived on my floors were always very diverse in background in race and where they grew up. If there are four tables of students in the dining hall, one of them would probably be a group of friends that live on the same floor in the same dorm, another table would be a group of athletes, another table would be a group of the same race, and another group would be a table of freshmen. Northwestern students come from various geographical locations. I believe most of them come from the Midwest and a large proportion coming from the West and East coasts. In terms of politics, I would say Northwestern is 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Democrats and 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Republicans. This is just a ballpark estimate of my own however. Take it with discretion. I have noticed a stereotype that Econ students, in particular, like to talk about how much they'll earn in their future investment banking job or their consulting job.

There are a lot of jews, asians, and white people here. Almost no black or other raced people, at least that i see. Most people are really rich, but try to pretend they are not. most students just wear regular t-shirts and pants to class. North face is a popular brand here, which says something about how much money people have to spend to look fashionable Most students care about something passionately, it's just really hard to find someone who cares about the same thing you do and then, once you find that person, you have to convince him/her to take a break from studying and actually make the time to partake in this passion with you. Students are predominantly left-wing here, although there are a few vocal right-wing party voters.

Not really involved./I think we're pretty accepting./It ranges from expensive brand names to sweats./Not really./It's not like that - not like high school. The school in general might not be overly integrated, but a lot of individuals are./All over./Rich./Usually politically aware, especially with the election coming up. Lots of Democrats./Sometimes, but not really with seriousness or competitiveness.

Northwestern is mostly rich, mostly left-leaning, and very politically apathetic. The affluence isn't really flaunted though, outside of jingling our keys on football game kickoffs because our state school opponents will be parking our cars after we graduate. While there has been recent controversy over the school's black population (it isn't very large), Northwestern is very diverse in terms of the different personalities and backgrounds of its students.

For the most part, Northwestern is very friendly to LGBT students. A large population of students identify themselves as Jewish. Nearly everyone at Northwestern is either upper-class or upper-middle class. They're the kinds of students who have done a lot of traveling and don't think twice about spending money eating out or on concert tickets. Most of the students are left or center in terms of politics, but you won't feel alone if you lean right. Majority of students don't say they are going to Northwestern to earn a lot of money. We have a lot of journalism, social policy and theater majors. We like to complain about how we're paying so much for our education, but will never make real money. The typical Northwestern girl has two class outfits. One is True Religion or Seven jeans, a black North Face fleece over a sorority t-shirt and Ugg boots. The other is a denim skirt, trendy blouse, black leggings and Ugg boots. The typical Northwestern guy wears nice jeans with a Northwestern, concert or witty t-shirt. If there were four tables of students in the dining hall, there would be a table of quiet math nerds, a table of obnoxiously outgoing theater majors, a group of social science majors and a table of party girls and their boyfriends. That said, different types of students definitely interact.

I'm tired of CRU coming into my room and trying to argue with me. I don't think any kind of student would feel out of place, because there are so many different kind of people - anyone can mesh with someone. Sports fanatics might be sad, though. Most students wear jeans, boots, and a coat to class.. at least in the winter. Jeans and a t-shirt are the norm. But there are always the girls in their spandex and their Uggs and their designer Juicy jackets. And everyone else hates them. No, different types of students only interact in forced situations, like when you're assigned a group for class. I rarely see anyone make a friend who they're hanging out with outside of that class assignment. People are disappointing in how susceptible they are to peer pressure. I mean, check out Theta's slogan: That's not Theta. If you're hanging out with a guy that's not up to their standards (unattractive, geeky... or really just not in Lodge or Sig Ep), then they say TNT to you. Nice, huh? Sorry, I don't have time for the tables one. Most NU students are from the western suburbs of Chicago. Most people are upper-middle class. Lots of upper class, few lower class. Some students are really politically aware, but they're few and far between. They're predominantly liberal, but not grossly so - I've met plenty of conservatives, moderates, libertarians... Yeah, journalism majors joke that we'll be poor. In the NBN newsroom last night, one editor (journalism major) was asking an Econ major if she'd pay her bills for her one day.

Well I participate in the Catholic community at the Sheil Catholic Center on campus, which has been a great source of comfort, friendship, and things to do. I know there are lots of other popular religious-based groups on campus as well however, and have come into contact with people of all major religions. I have likewise come into contact with people of varying race and sexual orientation (I know several gay guys and once met a transgender "guy" (girl)), as well as varying socio-economic backgrounds, high and low, though I think that there are more students in general who tend towards the more affluent side than not.....Different types of students do interact, though some groups like Asians often stick together for the most part. Most girls wear nice clothes to class, though boys are less dressy. Northwestern is pretty liberal in its student body, though conservatives have a noticeable presence as well--though Northwestern isn't too politically active, or at least not as much as at other schools. A large, large percentage of NU students (more than I expected before I came) are from the Midwest, especially Illinois and the Chicago area--I was suprised at how many Chicagoans attended a school so nearby. There are also a lot of people from California, and the East Coast is represented too, though still the Midwest is the region the most students come from....

There are cliques and groups that people gravitate towards. I don't think anyone is against any other you just hang out with people like you. The sorority girls have animosity towards each other though. They are too intense even if they say different, but the system fosters those attitudes. People get way to dressed up, and others just follow suit. Come on, this is the only time of left in our lives where sweatpants that haven't been washed in 2 weeks are ok to wear in public, well in my opinion anyway. People have asked me if I was an athlete because I wear sweats. It is literally that rare for non-athletes to wear sweats. I get the feeling the majority of students are very well off. At least on average, the incomes of their parents are way higher than any state school. If you look at what kids walk around in and the money the lifestyles they live is crazy to think they are college kids. Aren't we suppose to be eating PB and J and ramen noodles for 4 years? No one has ever said what they will make after college.

Not much. A social, beer drinking, fraternity boy. Jeans and a t-shirt, except there are a few losers in khakis, polos, and sweaters. Not usually. The first are the engineering nerds, usually asian, the second is the cool asians, usually smoking, the third are the loser sorority girls, eating their feelings, and the fourth are people that would be considered a little more normal, but probably just in the scope of the other three tables. Oh yea there are probably Jews in there somewhere. Most NU students are east coast ivy failures, usually Manhattan, or out of place, weather-depressed Cali kids. Usually upper middle class but throw in a few big names like Buffet or Walton. Students are politically active, but usually not aware...they're usually Obama freaks but I think CRU is voting for Huckabee. Not usually, especially considering most will be living off dad's bank, or think they'll change the world or something.

There are a fair amount of people here that are rich. By rich I mean that when they applied for financial aid, they got nothing. Not a cent. Some people come off as conceited because of their financial background, but those people are few and far between. Tons of us are unable to pay tuition, and Northwestern does do a lot to help with that.

People are pretty understanding about all groups in my opinion. I don't think anyone would feel out of place really, there are groups for almost anyone. What students wear varies, but most students stay within the jeans/tshirt and flat boots or sneakers. Nobody really gets extremely dressed up, but most people look together. Different types of students do interact, but not that often. Most people are from middle to middle-upper class backgrounds. Most students are politically aware at least, and many are politically active. There's a bigger mix than people realize, but I think that most people assume we lean more the left. Students usually don't talk about how much they'll make although I do think they care.

I think the kind of person who would feel out of place at Northwestern is the one who tells herself she's out of place. There's a little corner for everyone, everywhere, and don't let anyone tell you differently. If you give the student body a cursory glance, you'll see a lot of guys in tee shirts and a lot of girls in ugg boots. You'll also see a lot of people who get dressed to the nines for class. And then you'll see that guy with the tousled hair and the flannel pants. Do people look at him funny? Sure, but that's probably because he doesn't smell that hot. I don't feel like students as a whole are politically active, but they are politically aware. They probably have political opinions. And you can always find a place to go where you can be politically active. I'd say they're predominantly left, because for heaven's sake, it's college. But I'm a Republican and I'm doing just fine. I never feel like politics are being jammed down my throat, which is a plus.

Very diverse - surprisingly conservative campus, I wouldn't have expected that before I came. Lots of involved students, it's a great campus for student groups and volunteer efforts.

The Christian groups such as Campus Crusade for Christ are very overbearing and have a large presence within the younger grade levels, specifically because they target younger students to try and get them involved early. This is probably true at most campuses. You can wear whatever the fuck you want to class....During exam week fall quarter, I wore the same pair of pants for 11 or 12 days straight because I was too busy throughout reading week out drinking at night and studying all day to change.

No one would feel out of place at Northwestern. Most students become more liberal while attending the university but this is the same for all schools. There isn't a certain dress that most students follow. Some follow the trends and others express their own style. All students interact with each other. The tables at the dining halls are diverse and people are welcome to join tables that they usually don't sit at. Engineers sit with musicians, and poli sci majors with theater majors. This mix makes the discussions interesting. Students are from all over the world and from all different financial backgrounds. Some students are politically aware and some are not. I have found that there is a mix of political views on campus but most students tend to become more liberal after attending college.

blacks/hispanics would feel most out of place here. students wear mostly the same things: uggs, designer jeans, north face, etc. most from illinois, east coast, west coast. upper middle class. predominantly left.

I think people are generally tolerant.

Most NU students are from Chicago area, New York, or California. So mostly you get upper class, wealthy, intelligent people. I feel like our campus is fairly racially diverse, but not extremely. I come from an extremely white suburb in Orange County so maybe I can't judge. Although most people here are wealthy I don't think you'd feel out of place if you didn't have money. No one is really snobbish and most people do not show off their wealth at all, or don't want you to know about it.

I have met people passionate about every issue. I think any student who is willing to listen to another's viewpoint has a home at Northwestern. T-shirts and jeans are commonplace among most students, but there will always be people who like to dress up and those wearing sweats. I have all kinds of friends- it's ridiculous! Ok...at dinner today, I sat with my roommate- a physics major from small-town Wisconsin, my neighbor- a biomedical engineer on the ultimate frisbee team, and my boyfriend- a cognitive science and linguistics double major looking at minoring in computer science who wants to work for Google. The next table had two Asian boys, one of whom was in one of my classes last year, and another table had two girls who I've seen around before but I'm not sure where. The last table is empty because nobody is a loner at Northwestern! I was actually surprised at the number of students from the midwest, but there are plenty of international students as well. There are a lot of boarding school brats, but plenty of students are not as stable and go for work-study jobs, etc. Many students keep up with political issues, especially in the heated happenings at present. I'd say, as with most college campuses, most are more left-wing. Students don't usually talk about money to be made seriously, maybe as a joking side-note, but not in general conversation.

Students on campus express tolerance while behaving intolerantly. I don't know who feels comfortable, as far as I can tell, most people dislike it. Students wear nasty, old sweats to class. Different types of students self-segregate. Tables: black, latino, engeneers, and then a table worth of people who are all sitting spaced out and studying while eating. Midwest or asian countries. Upper-middle class Politically active but not politically aware. Tend to lean left. Students live to think about how much they'll make someday.

There are 3 tables of NU students sitting in the dining hall. One consists of theatre and music majors, mostly from the East Coast or California discussing the latests productions they've been in. The one next to them consists of haggard looking pre-meds and engineers, stressing out about the physics midterm they just took. The people next to them are a varied bunch, most are clean-cut and well dressed, but not too well dressed. They don't know what they're going to do in life, but all they know is that life as an undecided NU student is fairly good.

Students are active on campus but at the same time, as a whole, students are rather apathetic to current day issues.

Most students are relatively well-off, as the financial aid system is not great. There is a pretty diverse student body, but it seems mostly made up of Asians. People are generally liberal, as with most college campuses, and most conversations are geared around the future.