Purple Haze

I've had a hard time writing this post, but it's long overdue! I visited Northwestern University back in June and it was simply... perfect. I honestly had no complaints, and I loved everything I saw and heard. Actually, that's why I've had trouble with this post. Because it's basically going to be me ranting on and on about how wonderful Northwestern is! Not having visited any other colleges yet, I can't really compare it's perfectness to other schools. So I don't really know how much I love it. However, I do know that it's an amazing school that will be near the top of my list no matter what.

Where to begin? I guess one thing that I really like about Northwestern is all the oppurtunities they offer in your education. Enrichment oppurtunities. Northwestern is one of the top schools in the country, but it doesn't stick its nose up at working and job experiences. They get you smack dab in the middle of the "real world" by offering various iternships and workshops. The journalism school, for example, has its classes set up their own newspaper with a real office (they use run down buildings in Chicago) and the students go out and report stories happening around that neighborhood. They also send their students to an internship to any number of magazines, newspapers, or television stations. They offer study abroad, something that I'm really interested in. And what I didn't realize is that people don't just study abroad for the language that they take! I can choose any country they offer to study abroad, which will probably be good for what I eventually want to do with my life (mission work). The music school approaches their students at a conservatory level, but you still have to take other classes. Northwestern has everything to offer me, which is great because I don't know what I want to major and minor in yet. But if I go to Northwestern, everything I'm interested in will have a strong program. Their music school is extremely good, they have one of the best pshycology programs, they have the best journalism school in the country, etc. I could go their with an undecided major and feel safe, because I know that I can get a fabulous education no matter what I decide.

The setting also really appealed to me. To those of you who don't know, Northwestern University is located in Evanston, IL. It's about 12 miles away from Chicago. That in itself is awesome! It's really cheap to get over to Chicago, and it doesn't take long at all. And even though Northwestern has an urban setting, it's not as if it's in Chicago. It's in Evanston. So you are in a city. There are streets and other people and buildings and stores. But there's also a lot of trees and walking space. There's even a beach! Northwestern is right on Lake Michigan, which I just think is the coolest thing ever. There's a mix of new and old buildings. It's not too small, but not too large; you can easily walk to anywhere on campus, but it still gives you a nice workout. It's exactly the kind of campus I can picture myself at, a blend of everything. Big and small, landscape and streets.

An obvious pro for Northwestern is that it's in state. Only about 5 hours away from home, I would definitely have the away from home experience, but I could easily get home if I needed to, and I would be able to visit for more than just Christmas. In state tuition is also something I'm looking for, because I want as much financial aid as humanly possible for my college career. Northwestern offers great financial aid; its students graduate with the least debt of any of the Big 10 schools. They also admit students without knowledge of their financial situation, so that they really are letting in the people that deserve it and then helping as needed.

This will sound cheesy, but the final reason that I went crazy for Northwestern is the people I saw there. They seemed like the kind of people I could be friends with. Dumb, right? All of those students could have been horrible people, just acting nice to prospective students. It's not dumb to me, though. I am a reserved person. I'm not that girl who can make friends with everyone she talks to. I wish I were, but that's just not me. I have a small number of very deep connections, and don't connect well with most people. The people at Northwestern seemed like people I would like; artsy, smart, motivated (you have to work to go to Northwestern; it's a seriously good school), goofy, and genuinely good people. This really is important for me, because without friends, college is going to be really hard for me. And my gut insticts about people tend to be correct.

There are a million other little details that made me fall in love with Northwestern, but if I listed all of them, this post would turn into a novella! Again, I can't judge how much I like it compared to other schools, but that's about to change. Tomorrow I am leaving on a 3 day, 2 night trip to Chicago with the Artists-in-Training (the singing program I'm in). We are seeing an opera, going to Navy Pier, eating Chicago style pizza, taking an architectural boat tour, all those fun Chicago things. But we're also visiting Depaul University, Roosevelt University, and Northwestern! I will take plenty of notes and really pay close attention. I'm truly becoming interested in all that college has to offer me. My future seems so full of oppurtunities, I can barely contain my excitement! Just thinking about possible majors and career choices makes me feel all warm inside. I've never felt so excited about my future before this summer, and I know it's because God has showed me what His purpose in my life for. It makes me want to take a hold on every oppurtunity possible.

So wish me luck for the next 3 days! I'll make sure to tell y'all about it this weekend.