While Northwestern University is renowned for its exceptional academics, I wanted to highlight its strong sense of community and student life. The university’s commitment to fostering a welcoming environment begins with its outstanding freshman orientation program (Wildcat Welcome) in which students are sorted into groups by major and participate week-long in a variety of dialogues and events together. Orientation truly played a crucial role in helping me to build lasting connections with my peers and transition into university life and traditions like painting the Rock and fight song chants for Game Days. Beyond orientation, NU offers a wealth of clubs including identity-based student groups where students from diverse backgrounds can connect, participate in cultural events, and find a sense of belonging — something I found particularly valuable as a Chinese international student. At NU, I also found that while students are certainly academically motivated, they truly uplift and support one another for success.




