Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a private institution located in Evanston, Illinois, two miles north of Chicago, and sits right next to Lake Michigan. NU was founded in 1851 and is the only private school within the Big 10 conference. I could tell you about all of the prestige that NU carries with it and all of the esteemed people to have hailed from NU, from Michael Wilbon and J.A. Adande of ESPN to Joe Girardi, current manager of the New York Yankees, or even author of the Game of Thrones series George R.R. Martin and comedian Stephen Colbert, but the list is far too long to list here. In fact, the list of famous alumni covers the walls inside of the Segal Visitors Center on campus. As great as that may be that many great people have gone to NU before, that doesn’t differentiate NU from any other notable college. However, what DOES differentiate NU from those other colleges is the way every student gets there, their direction to success: The Northwestern Direction.
NU lies in the Midwest, and that Midwest, homey feeling is widespread across campus. Be it walking on campus, gazing at Lake Michigan, interacting with other students, or engaging with faculty, the feeling is calming and downright contagious. Not only is it contagious, but it is so comforting. For me, this was the most apparent thing when I visited campus in April for Wildcat Days, the day-long program for admitted students with guided tours and information sessions about NU. While there, I got to meet faculty within the McCormick School of Engineering and the assistant director of the Murphy Institute, an engineering honor’s program I was invited into, and got to talk with them personally. I’ve engaged with faculty from other schools before, but all of NU’s faculty were much different than any I had spoken with before. They didn’t give off a feeling that they were stuck up or difficult to relate to like I had gotten at other universities. Instead, NU’s faculty was unique in the fact that they feel like real, personable individuals. They aren’t afraid to be themselves, and everyone I interacted with is memorable. The sense of pride and appreciation for their jobs was clear. Additionally, the way they treated me, some guy from Wisconsin they hadn’t ever met or even known about before, was amazing. Nowhere else did faculty ask me about ME and want to get to know ME. The passion of NU faculty is undeniable, and as quoted by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, “Nothing great has ever been accomplished without passion.” This passion is exactly what makes NU unique and differentiates itself from anywhere else. This reason is why I chose to take the Northwestern Direction, and I implore you to take the same one yourself.
If I somehow haven’t convinced you yet of why NU is the best place to call home, let me explain some more of the great things NU has to offer. NU’s financial aid is very generous, and they strive to meet 100% of demonstrated need for every individual. In fact, the financial aid I received lifted all of my fears of a heavy financial burden my family couldn’t manage. Furthermore, NU has countless extracurricular activities, from the student run paper The Daily Northwestern to IM sports, there’s something for everyone. NU is everyone’s second home, and it does a great job of feeling like one.
I can’t say enough good things about NU. There’s something for everyone, so why not be one of those that calls it their home yourself? Northwestern University. Evanston, Illinois. Two miles north of Chicago. And for me, my home. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. I took a Northwestern Direction. Will you?
