My middle daughter fell in love with Northwestern University on September 2, 2017, when we did an impromptu visit as we were already in the area to visit SAIC (School of Art Institute of Chicago) for my oldest.
I recorded it here:
There was just something visercal about her reaction to the school. It was literally love at first sight. She loved the grass! She loved the location! She loved the vibe of the school.
She decided there and then not to pursue rowing thought she was slotted to be a varsity coxswain at her club rowing team (and spent part of her summer training for a race in the midwest). Northwestern University, you see, doesn’t have a varsity rowing program. Apparently, a long time ago someone drowned and the program was canceled which is weird because the school is adjacent to a large and beautiful lake with a huge boathouse! Quitting rowing was the start of her decision to follow her heart when it came to college rather than pursue “resume-building.”
We took our daughter to thirty-three colleges for official visits. Yes, you heard right. 33! Official tours! That doesn’t include her time spent at college campuses for athletic events or summer camps. She didn’t like most of these thirty-three colleges.
I decided to take her to an official Northwestern University visit and worried that the second time might be disappointing. Perhaps she had built up Northwestern University in her head and it would never live up to her memory. It was a particularly beautiful day when we visited previously.
Our official visit was on a rainy and cold day in August of 2019. The weather was not perfect but the vibe was just as she remembered. More so, in fact. The vibe is … smart and humble, engaged but not pretentious with genuinely nice and interesting people.
Here’s our official tour of Northwestern University:
It still was an agonizing decision for my daughter to choose a college for Early Decision but I always remembered that first visit and that visceral reaction of love-at-first-sight at Northwestern. She did her research and met with multiple students and alums to talk about Northwestern. She did an additional online tour. Each interaction made her more convinced that this was the school for her. The people were consistently nice, interesting, and engaging.
I’m so thrilled to announce that my daughter will be a Wildcat at Northwestern University this fall.
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p.s. Related posts:
Applying to College: How To Select Colleges
What You Need to Ask About Dorm Rooms!
How To: Apply Early Decision To Get Into College
Making the Most of Your Child’s College Visits
First To College Program at Newton North High School
My books:
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I just loved this post, Mia, as a Mom, as a Friend, as an observer….. Your daughter came to a mature decision (not to resume-build) and by following her passions and instincts, she’ll end up happy and successful, attracting people who share her visions, values & interests. Kind of like how I found kidlit & in particular, everyone at MCBD.🌻. I will try to watch the videos when time permits……still assembling video….. just following my passion. Congratulations to all!✌🏼💙🎶🎨📚🖖🏽
That’s so awesome, Mia. Congratulations. And of course, she will be a star there.