Northwestern University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Education – I want to be a high school English teacher.
Minor: Psychology
Student Self Identifies as: Biracial: Half White and Half Asian Gay Male

Summary

I’m [have leadership roles] in the Mixed-Race Student Organization and a news magazine on campus. I also teach a sign language class.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Biracial: Half White and Half Asian
Sexual Orientation: Gay

High School Experience: Public high school in Chicago, IL with a graduating class of about 750 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: Education – I want to be a high school English teacher.
Minor: Psychology

Extracurricular Activities: I’m [have leadership roles] in the Mixed-Race Student Organization and a news magazine on campus. I also teach a sign language class.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I would say they’ve all had a moderate impact on my experience. Teaching the sign language class has been pretty cool. That’s probably the one I spend the most of my time on.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for Education?
The Education major is an easy one. We have classes from 6PM-9PM at night once a week because a lot of students do student teaching during the day. For those classes, we have readings and shorter essays. The essays are usually reflection papers about how you feel about the reading, so you don’t necessarily have to do your own research. Your senior year you spend 10-weeks observing a classroom taking notes on what the teacher is doing and what strategies they’re using and then you spend the next 10-weeks teaching in the classroom. We’re on the quarter system, so you do a quarter of each.
Is there anything that you feel the Education Department does especially well or especially poorly?
I think they’re really, really good at accommodating your needs. Everyone in the Education Department is so incredibly nice. If you ever have a problem, the professors are so understanding. They’re always willing to give extensions and meet outside of class.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
When it comes to other majors, it’s really competitive. When I take Psychology classes or English classes I’m surrounded by very smart, competitive students. They aren’t working against each other, but they’re just working hard to do their best When I’m in Education classes, I feel like that is more my element and people are collaborative and nice.
How accessible are your professors in your department?
Really, really accessible, especially when it comes to mental health issues. Last quarter I was going through [some personal issues] and I told my professor was going on and he was fine with me missing a class and turning in an assignment late. As long as you’re honest with your professors, they’re very understanding.
How do you like the quarter system? How has it impacted your coursework?
It’s really, really quick. Our quarters are only 10-weeks so you go through the material very quickly. At first, it’s really tough if you’re used to the semester system or if you’re not expecting it. I’ve gotten used to it and I like the quarter system now because if you hate a class you only have to be in it for 10-weeks, which goes by really quickly.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes, because everybody is really smart. Everyone has a lot of different perspectives, but, in terms of politics, it is very, very liberal. Because of that, I think people who are conservative are closeted conservatives and won’t say anything because they know that they will get shot down. We’re in Chicago and it’s a college campus, so it’s going to be liberal anyway, but it can feel like an echo chamber with a lot of people having the same ideas.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I’ve never thought about changing my major, I’m happy with my choice. The School of Education has a lot of students transfer in and they realize it’s for them and love it. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, so it’s something I’ve always loved doing.

Reasons to Attend

1) Northwestern is a fantastic school. You’re not going to get a better education. It looks great for employers and we have a huge alumni network.
2) Northwestern’s great with financial aid. If you’re low-income, they’re very generous with their money. [Northwestern meets 100% of demonstrated need and 61% of undergraduates receive aid.]
3) You’re close to Chicago, which is a great city. You get to have the college-town experience but you’re still close to a great city with a lot to do.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s hard. You’re going to have to study a lot and a lot of people are very dedicated to studying. The big drawback is that it’s really not easy for people.
2) There are high rates of depression and anxiety here. There is a strong stress culture. Everybody is stressed all the time. Whenever you ask somebody how they are they just tell you all the things they have going on. It’s kind of a competition to see who is more stressed. [See The Daily Northwestern article, “ASG candidates talk experience, mental health during ASG town hall,” article, “Students demand mental health reform, criticize administration’s prior efforts,” and article, “Student initiative seeks to improve mental health at NU.”

Around Campus

Where have you lived during college?
Freshman: Elder Hall with one roommate. I picked it because I did some research and learned that it was a more social dorm. I hated my roommate so I moved out after a quarter to Sargent Hall. That was much, much quieter and I liked it a lot more.
Sophomore: Foster-Walker Complex, everybody calls it “Plex,” in a single.
Junior: I live off campus in an apartment with one roommate. It’s a two-bedroom.
How do you like going to school in a suburb of your hometown?
It’s different in a lot of ways and similar in a lot of ways. We’re about an hour from downtown Chicago by train, so I can go to all these places I went to growing up, but Evanston is very different from Chicago. I have a car now but didn’t my first two years, and if you want to go anywhere you have to walk to downtown Evanston which feels very different than Chicago. I’m close to home and I can go home if I want to, but I’m definitely living in a different city and it feels like a college town.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
Evanston is super safe, like nothing ever happens here. It’s a very White, very rich suburb so I’ve never felt worried. I’m also a guy and I know some of my female friends feel a little worried sometimes, but, for the most part, there’s not really any crime here. [The population of Evanston is about 59% White and the median income is $71,317. Compared to cities of its size, Evanston’s crime rate is about average.]

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities nightlife do you like to participate in?
My freshman year is when I went to the most frat parties, but I don’t really go there anymore because they’re just not my scene. There are a lot of parties that happen on campus, but the party scene here I think is kind of lame. I just turned 21, so recently I’ve been going out in Wrigleyville. For the most part, I go to apartment parties, kickbacks with like ten friends in an apartment, or parties with a bunch of people crammed into a tiny basement. At Northwestern there are also a lot of people who don’t party. A lot of people study on the weekends. It’s common for me to ask somebody what they’re doing this weekend have them say, “I’m going to be in the library all weekend.”
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
Last year we went out Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was a lot and really exhausting [laughs]. Now, I’ll usually just go out Friday and Saturday.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
When you first get here they seem really cool but you get tired of them pretty fast. They also get pretty exclusive if you’re not rushing during freshman year. Fall quarter freshman year they let everybody in but once they realize which guys are rushing and which aren’t they become more exclusive. In my opinion, I think it represents toxic masculinity, not to say that everybody in Greek life has that type of mindset because I have plenty of friends who are in Greek life who are great guys. We’ve had some sexual assault allegations and one of the frats got kicked off campus, so there are rumors that that happens there. Greek life can also be very exclusive and if you’re not part of it, it can feel like you’re totally missing this part of Northwestern that so many people love. [About 40% of students are involved in Greek life.]
What is an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
There are a lot of shows on campus. There are so many student groups that put on shows a few times a quarter, so there is always a show you can go see. There’s also a program called NU Nights that puts on events every Friday night for free that are substance-free. Even though I do drink and like to party, I will skip a party to go to them because sometimes they’re really cool.
How has identifying as gay influenced your nightlife experience? Is there a gay nightlife scene on campus?
There is a bit of a gay nightlife scene on campus, but I don’t really go to those parties. The gay scene at Northwestern is hard to describe. It’s weird because there is only a small percentage of gay people at Northwestern, and the percentage of gay people who go out to parties is even smaller. There is a group called Rainbow, but I feel like every time I go to a Rainbow event I see the same people and am not meeting any new people.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Northwestern? Is there anything you would change about it if you could?
I’m pretty happy because I feel like I’ve found a way to make it work. I feel like other people may not be happy because they’ll feel that there aren’t enough options. If you know people who like to party, there is a party scene – you just have to find it. It can be hard to find at first which may frustrate the people who aren’t happy with it. I do wish there was a bit more of a party scene, but we’re close to Chicago and I’m 21 now, so if there’s not something going on we can just go out there.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
We actually met in class, which is really weird. I feel like you don’t normally meet people in class, but we both took a class together and sat in the same spot in the same row and kept working together. Then after a few times of working together, we just started talking and hanging out.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Northwestern?
It’s good and bad, it’s either hit or miss. There are a few people who are in between, but, for the most part, people are either very cool or they’re really socially awkward.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientation mix socially?
Different races don’t mix very much because there aren’t that many minorities here. Most of my friends are White, but I notice that a lot of Black people all hang out together and a lot of Hispanic people all hang out together, so there’s not a lot of diversity when it comes to hanging out. My friend group is mostly White but I have a few friends who are people of color. My friend group is both Queer people and also straight people. [The class of 2022 is 13.5% Hispanic, 23.5% Asian American, 10% Black or African American, and 56% White.]
How would you describe the LGBTQ+ community on campus? How strong is it?
There is definitely a presence. There are a lot of gay people compared to other schools at Northwestern. There’s the Rainbow Alliance that puts on events and I think it’s a very accepted thing here.
How do you like the size of Northwestern in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [There are about 8,300 undergraduates at Northwestern.]
I feel like it’s a perfect size. There are some people who I run into a lot just because we have similar schedules. It’s a good size if you’re looking for new friends. It’s not too small and not too big.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not really. Because the Education major has a built-in internship for me because I’ll do student-teaching next year and the department will place me somewhere. It’s nice because I don’t have to worry about interviewing or researching.
To what extent have you used the career office? How helpful have they been?
I haven’t. There are a lot of resources here, but I haven’t used them.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs? Were they responsive to your questions?
I would not be able to go here without the financial aid office. When I applied and got my financial aid package, luckily financial aid covered what I need. I’ve never have had to go in for anything. When I moved off-campus financial aid even covered my rent and food. I literally just have to submit tax documents and fill out the FAFSA and it’s been very easy.