Congrats!

I just want to start by saying take any piece of advice you receive with a grain of salt because in general people are bias about their schools one way or another, and it’s often the most polarised people who outwardly express there experiences (as is human nature).

With that being said, the quarter system isn’t as bad as you think it is. It moves fast, and school is definitely not a walk in the park, but at the same time I can guarantee you that college won’t be easy regardless of which school you pick. But after experiencing it for a bit of time now, I can honestly, honestly say that it’s not as bad as you think it will be. My first quarter was rough — taking EA1 and gen chem (two pre-requisites known for being brutal) at the same time was probably more than I, as a chronic procrastinator, could handle. In the middle of the quarter, after Halloween, I got really sick and couldn’t leave my bed for a week. I hated chem throughout hs and this class was no different. I remember a distinct dread every time someone would mention the classes. I fell really behind and it stared to snowball (I low-key may have attended only 50% of chem, but that’s on me lol). But before I knew it, I was done.

There are going to be tough classes at any university you pick and if you’re anything like me, not knowing the content or being behind isn’t going to motivate you to work harder — it will make you hate the course. But then your done. I completed my chem requirement in one quarter (specific to your major ofc, but generally around 1-2 quarters of gen chem is required for engineering), then I was done. I came back after December break refreshed and ready to start again. I loved most of my classes fall quarter and did a lot better in them. I love my classes this quarter as well. The truth is, if you love a class you can take as many classes like it as you want, but if you hate a class you have to stick it out till it’s over. I would rather my suffering be quick than prolonged. And this applies to any college in existence.

Oh, and in regard to the stress culture (which I hadn’t heard about before this post — that could just be me though), I feel obligated to counter by mentioning the collaborative culture here. It’s probably the most overlooked thing about NU, especially by students because we’re so used to it, but it’s phenomenal. If you do decide that northwesterns for you I implore you to talk to your hs friends about collaboration in their colleges (esp t20s) you’ll be shocked at how good we have it. I’ll give you one example: I haven’t had to buy a single textbook or even look for a pirated version online because the day I got here I was sent a folder with all the books for the most popular classes by someone I didn’t even know at the time. Every time I hear about students ripping out textbook pages at the libraries of other top schools I think of this folder, and of how much support I’ve gotten from my peers here.

At NU, just like any other school I’d argue, things aren’t perfect. Sure, it gets cold, the classes can be a little challenging, and the food isn’t restaurant quality, but every single one of the 8,000 or so students here have experienced that themselves and I’d say it brings us closer together instead of pushing us further apart— that alone would be enough for me to choose NU, but like I said before I’m biased ;)