The Big Ten is not the Ivy League, and NU has more school spirit than its high-powered Eastern counterparts. Much more preprofessional than its nearby rival University of Chicago or any of the Ivies except Penn, NU is comparable to Duke and Stanford with an academic culture that encourages interdisciplinary work. World-renowned in journalism. Suburban setting on the shore of Lake Michigan, with quick access to Chicago.

On Sunday nights before finals begin at Northwestern University, students are encouraged to let off steam with a campuswide “primal scream.” The ear-shattering event illustrates two big themes at NU: students work really hard, but they also know how to let loose and enjoy themselves. Regarded as the most elite school in the Midwest, this top-tier university, the only private school in the Big Ten, boasts some of the most well-respected preprofessional programs in the country. Plus, Northwestern is ideally located just outside of Chicago. “I love being at a place where I can learn and have a great social life,” says one student.

Northwestern, founded in 1851 by a group of Methodist ministers and businessmen to serve the former Northwest Territory (hence the name!), is situated on 231 acres about a dozen miles north of the Chicago Loop. An eclectic mix of stone buildings with abundant ivy, the leafy campus is set off from the town of Evanston and runs for a mile along the shore of Lake Michigan. Students migrate between the North Campus (techy) and the South Campus (artsy). The newer buildings are located adjacent to a 14-acre lagoon, part of an 85-acre lakefill addition built in the ’60s. This area provides students with a prime location for picnicking, fishing, running, cycling, or just daydreaming. Recent campus additions include the 96,000-square-foot Ryan Fieldhouse, part of a larger $270 million sports complex.

Half of Northwestern’s undergraduates are enrolled in arts and sciences, while the other half are spread out among five professional schools, all with national reputations. Indeed, students tend to identify more strongly with their school than with Northwestern as a whole. The Medill School of Journalism, the only such program at a top private university, sends student reporters out with iPads and video cameras as well as spiral notebooks. The curriculum integrates multimedia techniques with the study of “audience understanding” and features internships at dozens of top newspapers, magazines, and television stations across the nation. There’s also a four-year accelerated B.S.J./M.S.J. program. A dazzling electronic studio centralizes Medill’s state-of-the-art broadcast newsroom and the communication school’s radio/TV/film department. The School of Communication also houses a notable program in theater. The McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science is strong in all aspects of engineering and pairs students with clients with practical problems. Five-year co-op options are available. The School of Music wants students who can combine conservatory-level musicianship with high-level academics; it offers a five-year program from which students emerge with two B.A. degrees. The School of Education and Social Policy is the only school of its kind in the country and competes with Vanderbilt for education majors. Students and faculty members alike are encouraged to range across traditional disciplinary barriers-a policy that has led to the creation of some entirely new fields such as materials science-and students are free to switch schools once they are enrolled.

Consistent with this approach, students say the university’s best programs include the Integrated Science Program, the Honors Program in Medical Education, and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, a selective program that gives students the technical skills to move into various areas of the social sciences. Strong arts and sciences departments include chemistry and history, although the humanities as a group are less strong. The social sciences (especially economics, psychology, and political science), journalism, engineering, and visual and performing arts enroll the most majors. Each of the undergraduate schools determines its own general education requirements, but broad outlines are similar. Each school requires a graduate to have coursework in “the major domains of knowledge”-science, mathematics and technology, individual and social behavior, historical studies, values, the humanities, and the fine arts. Incoming students take part in Wildcat Welcome, a weeklong orientation designed to ease the transition into college life.

Unlike most schools on a 10-week quarter system, Northwesterners take four (not three) courses each quarter, except in engineering, where five are permitted. “Students tend to be supportive and collaborative,” says a senior, but “the academics are rigorous and will take some adjustment from high school.” Virtually all undergraduate courses are taught by regular faculty members. Introductory courses are larger than most, but 77 percent of all undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students. “The quality of teaching at Northwestern depends on the department and the professor,” confides a senior, “but overall I would say it’s very high quality.” The Office of Undergraduate Research helps students apply for research assistantships and faculty-mentored independent projects, often with the support of grants. About a third of students take a break from campus through 150 study abroad programs in 50 countries.

Upon graduating, NU students tend to pursue business fields like consulting and finance, with technology, education, and communication distant followers. “Many students are overachievers,” comments a social policy major. “Many are goal- and career-oriented.” Thirty-two percent of undergraduates hail from Illinois, and 10 percent come from overseas. Minorities represent a sizable contingent of the student body, with Asian Americans accounting for 18 percent, African Americans 6 percent, Hispanics 12 percent, and multiracial students 6 percent. There are no academic merit scholarships, but NU does guarantee to meet the full demonstrated need of every admit and has eliminated need-based loans from its financial aid packages. It also offers hundreds of scholarships for its athletes.

Sixty percent of undergraduates reside in university housing, mostly in double rooms, although there are also singles, triples, and quadruple rooms, as well as suites. Some students report that the dorms need significant updating. Several residential colleges, in areas like engineering, commerce and industry, and communication, bring students and faculty members together during faculty “firesides” or simply over meals. Fraternities and sororities also have their own houses. Students can choose to eat at any one of six residential dining halls or a variety of restaurants and cafés on campus. “There is always at least one option for halal, kosher, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or allergen-free needs,” says a sophomore. Those who head off campus to apartments are mostly juniors and seniors. Students generally feel safe on campus, but crime has been a concern in Evanston, especially after dark.

Much of the social life on NU’s campus is centered on the Greek system, with 30 percent of the men and 39 percent of the women joining up. Some students say finding a social niche can be tough, especially for those who aren’t involved in Greek life, athletics, journalism, or theater. The school’s alcohol policy is stiff, but not always effective, “like the vast majority of campuses nationwide,” says a student. The student government and Activities and Organizations Board sponsor an array of campuswide events, including theater productions, concerts, and movies. The 30-hour Dance Marathon and Dillo (Armadillo) Day, an end-of-the-year music festival with food trucks, a beer garden, and art installations, are popular annual events. Another tradition is upheld when representatives of student organizations slip out in the dead of night to paint their colors and slogans on a centrally located rock. In all, there are more than 500 student organizations, ranging from an African drum and dance ensemble to Adshop, an advertising agency that lets students hone their marketing skills by promoting local businesses. Evanston is “the restaurant haven of Chicago’s North Shore,” says a junior, and a short stroll off campus brings you to the town’s myriad restaurant options, trendy bars, and coffee shops with space to plug in a laptop and study. For culture or a night out, of course, Chicago is right across the border.

Football and tailgate parties are a traditional way of bringing alumni back and rousing the students to support the smallest and only private school in the Division I Big Ten. Although the football team’s trip to the 1996 Rose Bowl remains the stuff of legend, the Wildcats tend to be strongest in country club sports. In the last few years, men’s wrestling and women’s lacrosse and tennis have brought home team and individual championship titles. As far as facilities, NU is on par with many schools its size and larger, with the beautiful Norris Aquatics Center/Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and the Nicolet Football and Conference Center used for conditioning of varsity athletes. The student-sponsored intramural program provides vigorous competition among teams from dorms and rival Greek groups, and more than 40 club sports are an option too. Northwestern also boasts the winningest debate team in the country.

Northwestern occupies a unique niche in U.S. higher education. It has the academics of the Ivies, the spirited atmosphere of the Big Ten publics, and, along with Duke, Stanford, and perhaps Vanderbilt, combines success in Division I sports with quality instruction. Northwestern students bask in their school’s balance of challenging academics, preprofessional bent, and myriad opportunities to get off campus to learn and let loose.

-Fiske Guide