Northwestern . . . Hey, it’s near Chicago, shouldn’t it be Midwestern?
Whether you think the name is geographically correct or not, there’s one fact on which everyone can agree. Northwestern is truly one of America’s great universities. It features a comfortable suburban campus on the shores of Lake Michigan, the excitement of a major city practically next door, world class academics, outstanding athletics and great collegiate traditions.
There’s an old adage which states, “times change; that was then and now is now”. As far as Northwestern is concerned, do they ever! The university’s current estimate of expenses for an incoming freshman is $51,720. Tuition alone is $36,756. Those numbers aren’t unusual for a top tier college and Northwestern offers generous financial aid . . . but consider the following. In 1853, President Clark Hinman, Northwestern’s very first president, purchased 379 acres on Lake Michigan for the school’s campus. The total cost to acquire the Northwestern campus? $25,000 . . . less than the cost of one year’s tuition for a single student today!
Northwestern is no newcomer to social equality for women. While many Ivy League schools remained “men only” until the 1970’s, Northwestern decided to admit women “under the same terms and conditions as young men” more than a century earlier, in 1869.
Northwestern is famous for its serious academic accomplishments. The school of journalism is generally considered the best available. But Northwestern clearly has made quite a contribution to the lighter side of life as well. Stephen Colbert from “The Colbert Report”, David Schwimmer from “Friends” and Julia Louis-Dreyfus from “Seinfeld” are all Northwestern alums!
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