Chicago v. Northwestern Forum

[wyoung]

Does anyone have any advice for choosing between the two? Was accepted into NU during the reg app cycle and incredibly shocked to get off the WL at U of C last week. Been researching both but would greatly appreciate any pro/cons for either!

Thanks!!

[sonervous88]

Does anyone have any advice for choosing between the two? Was accepted into NU during the reg app cycle and incredibly shocked to get off the WL at U of C last week. Been researching both but would greatly appreciate any pro/cons for either!

Thanks!!

money?

[bhan87]

money?

[wyoung]

Same (= nothing, lol)

[bdubs]

Go to Chicago unless you absolutely hate the environment there, even then lots of people will tell you to suck it up.

[BigRed1988]

Easily UChicago. Cost difference not significant, opportunity difference significant. If it's all the same to you, use admission to UChicago to try to leverage $ from NU, they tend to be pretty generous it seems like.

[sonervous88]

Same (= nothing, lol)

I woudl tell Northwestern and get some money lol. Have you visited? Is there a personal preference? I know pl on here are going to say Chicago undoubtedly but I visited Chicago and it wasn't my thing (going to Penn instead). So make sure you visit both and take a deatiled look at their curriculums to see what is a better fit.

That being said, if Northwestern is your personal preference please negotiate money.

[wyoung]

Thanks!

Actually, NU seems to have a sorry-we-don't-negotiate policy, as far as I can tell. I e-mailed them a while back and that was the response I got, unfortunately.

I plan on visiting both sometime soon... Just wondering if anyone would tell me something that might be a deal-breaker (or deal-maker, I guess), haha. Thanks, guys!

[bhan87]

Thanks!

Actually, NU seems to have a sorry-we-don't-negotiate policy, as far as I can tell. I e-mailed them a while back and that was the response I got, unfortunately.

I plan on visiting both sometime soon... Just wondering if anyone would tell me something that might be a deal-breaker (or deal-maker, I guess), haha. Thanks, guys!

Same cost? This is a pretty easy decision. Better national reach, better local reach, better faculty, better flexibility (Academia / clerking out of UChicago is much better than NU).

[czelede]

Unless you really, really hate Hyde Park/UChicago or really, really love Northwestern you should probably go with Chicago.

[wyoung]

Will find out when I visit, I guess! Thanks for posting!

[DaftAndDirect]

Wear a flak jacket. Hyde Park is stab city.

[wyoung]

I know I can always count on TLSers to be comforting. And practical.

[TaipeiMort]

Chicago is better than NU in most every way academically and in employment outcomes. It is kind off like the difference between Stanford and Berkeley, or Columbia and NYU, or Princeton and Cornell, or Northwestern and WashU.

Also, you don't need to live in Hyde Park. You can live in Wrigleyville and commute. Hyde Park isn't a ghetto either-- unless living around academics and lower-middle class black people makes you nervous. However, the ghettoes on three sides of Hyde Park are maybe worse than West LA or Detroit and average over a murder a day in summer..

[yngblkgifted]

Unless Even if you really, really hate Hyde Park/UChicago or really, really love Northwestern you should probably go with Chicago.

FTFY

[JamMasterJ]

Chicago is better than NU in most every way academically and in employment outcomes. It is kind off like the difference between Stanford and Berkeley, or Columbia and NYU, or Princeton and Cornell, or Northwestern and WashU.

Also, you don't need to live in Hyde Park. You can live in Wrigleyville and commute. Hyde Park isn't a ghetto either-- unless living around academics and lower-middle class black people makes you nervous. However, the ghettoes on three sides of Hyde Park are maybe worse than West LA or Detroit and average over a murder a day in summer..

What the hell are you talking about? C and N are essentially peers and Princeton doesn't have a law school. Also, Wrigleyville is pretty far from Hyde park.

OP, I think that you'd need about 20K per year to come close to equating the schools. They are both great, but not equal enough for preferences to be the decision-maker

[Kabuo]

Chicago is better than NU in most every way academically and in employment outcomes. It is kind off like the difference between Stanford and Berkeley, or Columbia and NYU, or Princeton and Cornell, or Northwestern and WashU.

Also, you don't need to live in Hyde Park. You can live in Wrigleyville and commute. Hyde Park isn't a ghetto either-- unless living around academics and lower-middle class black people makes you nervous. However, the ghettoes on three sides of Hyde Park are maybe worse than West LA or Detroit and average over a murder a day in summer..

What the hell are you talking about? C and N are essentially peers and Princeton doesn't have a law school. Also, Wrigleyville is pretty far from Hyde park.

OP, I think that you'd need about 20K per year to come close to equating the schools. They are both great, but not equal enough for preferences to be the decision-maker

I assumed he was talking about undergrad, but then the Wash U/NW part doesn't make as much sense. So yeah, dunno.

[fingersxd]

Chicago in a landslide. NW better show you the $ to even get serious consideration here.

[CanadianWolf]

Tough call. Depends upon your career objectives & personal preferences. Northwestern was number one in NLJ 250 placement two years ago, while Chicago was number one last year. Clerkship & academia goals point to Chicago as the better choice, while Northwestern has a teamwork, corporate business-like orientation. Both have beautiful law schools, but Northwestern's setting is breathtaking.

Congratulations !

P.S. Both have great graduate business schools. Northwestern law students can easily enroll in Kellogg MBA classes. Not sure about Booth's policy at Chicago.

[dresden doll]

At full cost, NU is actually more expensive than Chicago. so, yeah, Chicago is undoubtedly the TCR.

[paulinaporizkova]

Chicago is better than NU in most every way academically and in employment outcomes. It is kind off like the difference between Stanford and Berkeley, or Columbia and NYU, or Princeton and Cornell, or Northwestern and WashU.

i loled

[Aberzombie1892]

Chicago is better than NU in most every way academically and in employment outcomes. It is kind off like the difference between... Northwestern and WashU.

That's kind of extreme, don't you think?

[Dany]

Tough call.

No it's not.

[CanadianWolf]

Okay, then it's clearly Northwestern.

[dr123]

Did you get scholarship at NU?