The tour began a few minutes after noon yesterday. After introducing themselves – name, home state, likely major – the prospective students and their parents began walking behind their guide, Lily Becker, a rising senior. I was there too – Peter, California, journalism. We got about twenty feet before Lily’s right flip-flop fell off, which, along with her use of the adjective “really,” would be a recurring feature of our 70-minute stroll through Northwestern’s Evanston campus.
First, we walked from the admissions office across Sheridan Rd. for a tour of CRC – residential colleges, a focus of the tour and, in my experience, the last place most people want to live, are great, Lily said. Upperclassmen who live in them pick their rooms instead of being subjected to a housing lottery, she told us. Which is a neat trick, because that really means if you don’t live in a residential college NU won’t guarantee you can live in the same dorm two years running.
Inside CRC, everyone walked through a room that Lily assured us was much smaller than most rooms on campus. This is true in the way that 3,000 is smaller than 3,001. Rooms in Allison, Bobb and Elder, the three dorms that house the most freshmen, are at most two feet longer and at most three inches wider than the room we saw in CRC, according to housing’s Web site.
When Lily asked, there were not a lot of questions. In the back of the pack, a woman in a salmon blouse quietly upbraided her daughter for typing on a cherry-trim BlackBerry. “They’re going to know you’re not paying attention,” she whispered. We walked to The Rock.
The girl put her BlackBerry away once Lily started breezing through Greek life, hitting the university talking points: we defer rush, our organizations are (mostly) national. Lily looked relieved when no one had questions. I toyed mentally with the idea of asking about hazing – I heard something once about the Asian frat nearly water-logging its pledges to death, is that true? – but decided against it.
By now we had reached the Rock, and Lily was on to academics. Only one percent of classes have more than 100 students! Probably true, and also misleading; I’d bet most of a freshman’s classes would be with more than 100 students. Your faculty and student advisers are “people you’ll really get to know well,” Lily said. (I’ve seen my three advisers no more than half a dozen times.) Lily started talking about Wi-Fi – “it’s only a little spotty by the lake” – and walking toward Deering. BlackBerry girl trailed behind to take a call.
“Every college tour has its Hogwarts-esque building, but this really is ours,” Lily said as everyone gaped at Deering. Right, and the front doors don’t open. I began to wonder if the tour would avoid this campus’ true architectural treasures, the main library and Norris Center, but then we turned the corner and set out for the concrete plaza between Deering and Norris. “We really do have a lot of school spirit here,” Lily said. “The student section is always packed. I’ve never missed a football game.” By now we were surrounded by the three fascists monoliths
