Joanne Phan, 18
Omari Benjamin, 18
Brett Fafata, 20
Hyewon Na, 18
Zhikang Hu, 19
This weekend, Northwestern hosted admitted students in the midst of deciding on a university by the May 1 commitment deadline. I went around campus and asked these prospies why they are considering Northwestern in their college search.
Joanne Phan, 18
“The main reason at first was the prestige. I’ve swam here since I was like 8 years old. I’ve had many competitions here so I’ve always been familiar with the campus and it’s beautiful. I guess that’s where my interest started. Then my parents were like, ‘Oh my god, it’s beautiful, it’s close to home, it’s perfect.’ So, here I am.”
Omari Benjamin, 18
“[It’s] really for the opportunities, I could tell that the people here cared not just about academics but also about applying academics or just generally following their passions. And being by the water was important to me.”
Brett Fafata, 20
“I was interested in Northwestern because of the great location. I like being close to a big world city that offers lots of opportunities. I’m also very interested in Northwestern’s study abroad opportunities. They have a lot more than other schools.”
Hyewon Na, 18
“My mom actually told me to apply, but the more I found out about it, it seemed really cool. I really liked writing the “Why Northwestern” [essay]. I wrote about purple because purple is my favorite color.”
Zhikang Hu, 19
“It’s pretty high-ranking, first of all. It has a good music program, while it has decent arts and sciences, and I like combining them together. It has a beautiful campus, in the summer especially, and I like Chicago.”