Northwestern University Top Questions

Not a lot of African American diversity on campus. There is a fair amount of socio-economic diversity. The type of student who wears high boots, leggings, and carries an over-size bag would feel right at home at Northwestern. Many students dress up to class (nice shoes, nice shirt) in special outfits. Different racial groups of students don't interact very well. Asians, unfortunate looking boys, theta girls, and people who live on the same floor of the dorm. Lots are from the Chicago area/ midwest. A bunch from New York (accountable for the leggings and boots), and quite a few from China. Predominantly center.

I went to a private, Catholic high school so compared to our very homogeneous student body, I think northwestern is quite diverse in terms of race, religion and socio-economic status. Most students wear a typical outfit to class, jeans and a shirt. Some girls look very cute for class everyday, and some students wear sweatpants. I think you would feel uncomfortable though if you got too dressed up for class. Most students are from either the Chicago area, California or the East coast. There are a lot of students with a lot of money at Northwestern. It may be the people I surround myself with (i.e. a specific sorority) but there is definitely a lot of affluence among the families that send their children to Northwestern. Students don't seem particularly politically aware/active. Some definitely are. But right now presidential primaries are occurring and I rarely hear them being discussed. I think most students are left and pretty politically liberal/open. Yes, a lot of students, specifically the male students, discuss a major they're picking and how much success it will bring them in the future. I have never heard the terms "investment banking" and "hedge fund" used more frequently.

Really liberal students would feel a bit out of place at Northwestern. I only say this because Greek life does have an effect and slightly dictate people's personality so people tend to be more conservative. However, everyone is really accepting of LGBT people, they do Greek life too.

There's a big gay presence on campus that's really accepted, but race relations seem a little strained sometimes mostly just because it's such a white community. There are really strong Christian and Jewish communities on campus. People don't dress as casually to NU classes as they do at other schools... you'd almost never see somebody wearing sweats to class; most people try to be trendy or at least well put-together. Most NU students seem to be from the Midwest or California, a lot of people from Texas, not too many from the Northeast. Most people come from privileged backgrounds. There's a lot of variety in people's politics, although it seems to be a mostly liberal or moderate campus. Some are politically aware, especially upperclassmen. At least in the theater program, not many students seem all that concerned about "how much they'll earn one day."

I'd say if anyone is really alternative (emo, gothic, punk, etc) they stand out like a sore thumb and people notice them. You can just say "you know, the kid with the tight emo pants." But if you said "the girl with North Face jacket who wears pashminas and leggings" you'd be describing about 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the female population.

I would describe the Northwestern student body as extremely diverse. You have the whole gammet of religions (orthodox Jews to Muslims to Evangelical Christians, etc.), sexual orientations (there is a large LGBT community), political affiliations, etc. Students range from ultra-preppy, wearing lacoste polos everyday, to punk, wearing chains and mohawks. One thing almost all NU student have in common is that they're very motivated (some by money, many by the drive to make a difference and help others) and hardworking.

There are 4 black people on campus (ok, maybe 400). Every other minority is decently represented, and theres no real racial tension. In every subset, there are those who cling to race as a clique and those that find their own other groups of friends. Its up to you. um, lots of midwesterners, but tons from everywhere. I think the reason is, talking to friends from the midwest, they apply here, their state school and maybe where their parents went. none of this 9-10 applications you see on the east coast. Just means you get more smart people to talk to I already said politics is lacking

As a black student, I have not come across any racial issues at Northwestern. However, I have noticed that the black community tends to function as a kind of exclusive unit (I'm just not a part of it). The school seems tolerant of different religions and there's a very prominent LGBT community that is perfectly accepted. Most of these characterizations stem from the extremely liberal leanings of most students on campus - I suppose conservatives would feel most out of place. Some students dress in cute clothes for class, and others (particularly athletes) exist in their sweats. There are different cliques on campus - for example, there's a very tight and exclusive athlete community. Greek life is very inclusive of others, and among freshman, students get very tight with their floors and tend to move in packs. The most students come from middle- to upper-class backgrounds and many students are politically aware/active. Students also discuss their classes a lot - depending on the course, they are very interested and invested in what they learn.

I find the religious groups on campus kind of annoying; it seems like they are always trying to recruit me and don't respect my wishes to not join their religion. A student who is bad at keeping up with their work would feel out of place at Northwestern, as would someone who is undecided in their major (like me...most of my friends seem to know exactly what they want). A lot of students here have tunnel vision when it comes to their futures. The four tables of students in the dining hall could be athletes, engineers, and then tables separated by floor. Most students are from wealthy families because Northwestern is so stringent about financial aid. Student body seems to be both liberal and conservative. I've never heard someone talking seriously about how much they'll earn one day.

Many of my friends at other colleges roll out of bed and roll into class in sweats and a t-shirt--not here. People get ready to go to class in the morning, like they did in high school. There is a large gay male population here! Of course, I am in theatre, so I probably have a slightly skewed perception. But I have many gay friends, some of whom "came out" after coming to school here. In my experience, NU is an accepting environment. Most students here are from Illinois, California (WOO!), New York, Texas, or Florida. Or so it seems. I don't know why all of us Cali-folk (or Texas-folk or Florida-folk, for that matter) came to the cold. Oh, well. We're all gonna go back after we graduate anyway.

Don't have many, im only a freshman, NU is diverse, some get dressed up, some wear sweats, yes everyone interacts, everyone sits with their friends and its not usually segregated by different types of people, alot of people have alot of money, students are very politically active, predominantly liberal, no

There is not much socio-economic diversity at this school. Many students come from families with money and the problem is some of these people believe their money elevates their social status or likability. Many athletes will wear sweats to class-which is typical at many other schools. However at Northwestern everyone is dressed up- making a fashion statement while in class is not uncommon. The four tables: sorority girls, athletes, asians, & freshman frat boys.

I like all the cultural groups on campus, and I think we have a lot of racial, religious, and ethnic diversity, but not much socio-economic diversity.

I think students are pretty integrated at Northwestern. I personally have a variety of friends in terms of ethnicity, race, religion, class, or sexual preference. I think that you're pretty much guaranteed a fit at NU. There is definitely a wide variety of students, from the stereotypical jocks, pretty girls, nerds, artists, what have you. I don't know if this is unique to NU, but I feel like people are from all over the US and even from other countries. People wear different things to class, some wear sweats, most wear casual clothing, and some even dress up. All these different students interact on some level, in as much as they have to in their classes, dorms, sororities/frats, clubs, jobs, etc. I think a lot of the lower socio-economic classes are a little underrepresented at NU, but they are definitely there. I think NU students are about as politically active/aware as most college students, and probably more left-leaning even though there is a large presence of the right. As far as earning money, most students don't really talk about it.

In general, Northwestern students are pretty accepting of other cultures and lifestyles. That's not to say that there is extensive interaction between these groups, however. There is definitely some racial segregation, and some students can be insensitive when it comes to socio-economic status. Blacks, Asians and Indians often stick together. On the other hand, homosexual students intermingle frequently with their heterosexual peers. Students from all income backgrounds hang out with one another, but it can cause tension when a wealthier student fails to understand his friend's need to work or inability to afford a crazy Aruban spring break. (And most students at Northwestern are rather wealthy.) Mostly this not intentional, but rather simply a product of ignorance. Students are from all over the country, but most seem to be from three areas: California, New York and Chicago. Students wear a variety of things to class. Some get dressed up while others go in their pajamas. I don't think either would feel judged by the way they look for class - it's pretty much go as you like. The campus (like most colleges) is liberal, but there is definitely a strong conservative force. College Republicans have their act together much more so than College Democrats - even if the majority of students identify with the latter. Still, almost any type of student can find a niche at Northwestern. One of the best things about the school is it's diversity. It's not very big, but there are a lot of different types of people here.

Northwestern is pretty white but there is some diversity. That is one thing that Northwestern should work on - mixing it up a little bit! There is a pretty large gay population here too. The person who wouldn't absolutely love NU would be the guy who parties all day and night and doesn't care about academics or his future. Most students get pretty dressed up to go to class. No one is wearing suits or anything but most people try to look presentable. Sweats are acceptable too. The majority of students are friendly with each other but I feel that most of the different ethnic groups stay in their own groups, which isn't very good. Students are from all over : Midwest, West, East, and South. We got it all covered. I would also say that a big chunk of NU students are upper middle class liberals.

When going to class, it is impossible to say what a given person would wear. While I am quite infamous for rolling out of bed at 8:56 in time for my 9:00 class, there are others who dress to the nines every single day. The most common thing you'll see students wearing is boots. Rain boots, Uggs, leather, it doesn't really matter. With all the rain and snow in Chicago, boots are a must. And way to many girls wear leggings as pants. This should not be done.

Unfortunately Northwestern students, though a diverse group, seem to stick to their own kind. Rarely will you see I don't think anyone would feel out-of-place at Northwestern. There is such a huge range of people here...you name it, Northwestern has it. There is even a kid who cruises to class on wheels he attaches to the bottoms of his sneakers. I saw him wipe out once. He took a drag on his cigarette, got back up and kept on skating. Let's say there were 4 tables of students in the dining hall. One table is going to be a bunch of sorority girls with their letters engraved or stitched onto at least twelve different garments. Each. Another table would be the athletes, who are all dressed in sweats and talking about how they're going to beat Purdue (but they won't). The third table will be a bunch of Asian kids, crowding over a math book or manga or whatever they read, and they are definitely not speaking English. Finally there's going to be that one girl with the glasses and acne, who is super-engrossed in her novel, and no one notices her until they are asked to look around and describe the students in the dining hall. The one group that is greatly underrepresented is the engineers. Do they even eat? Has anyone seen them recently? Someone should ask the police to to a well-being check and make sure they're still alive. Students at Northwestern are very politically aware...so politically aware, in fact, that many on campus got together with bowls of popcorn to watch the State of the Union Address this year. Such activities are not unusual. This is a very liberal campus. Deal with it. The Daily Northwestern is an extremely liberal paper, but they do have a 'rival': the ultra-conservative Northwestern Chronicle. The one problem? No one cares about the Chronicle. I only know it exists because sometimes it 'accidentally' gets mixed in with the Daily.

I would say that Northwestern tends to self segregate within all of those groups, but at the same time there isn't any friction between them, people are very tolerant- If you look like you belong at NYU, go to NYU. Northwestern students are generally more intellectual than artistic- Jeans and a North Face- yes- One table is some athletic team or other, the next table is a bunch of sorority girls, the next table is a bunch of theatre majors, and the last is Campus Crusade for Christ members- The midwest, followed by the east coast, followed by california- not sure, most of my friends would be upper-middle to upper class, we have money- minimal political awareness- socially liberal, fiscally conservative. but mostly democrats- yes.