Pre-Wildcat Welcome Programs

Excited to meet other new students prior to Wildcat Welcome? Interested in starting off your Northwestern career with a meaningful experience? Pre-Wildcat Welcome Programs provide opportunities for you to meet new friends and become better connected with the Northwestern community before the official Wildcat Welcome orientation program begins.

Applications for Alternative Spring Break (ASB), CATalyst, Freshman Urban Program (FUP), and Project Wildcat (P-Wild) are now live until June 30! Apply HERE. These applicants will be notified of final decisions by 5 p.m. CST on July 20.

On this page, you will find Pre-Wildcat Welcome Programs sponsored by the:

Programs Sponsored by the Center for Student Involvement (CSI)

Alternative Student Break

Alternative Student Breaks is a service-learning organization that sends Northwestern students to volunteer at non-profits across the country. ASB seeks to involve, educate and heighten students' social awareness and strives to encourage lifelong civic engagement. Each trip highlights a different issue, and participants have the opportunity to do work that ranges from teaching English to newly-arrived immigrants to staging a get-out-the-vote campaign. No matter the issue they work with, participants build close relationships with their group and their upperclassmen site leaders. After spending a week exploring and serving in one of seven Midwestern locations with their small group, students meet up with all the other ASB participants in Chicago, where they'll spend a day discovering the opportunities for fun and service that the city has to offer. Following an unforgettable week, students immediately become part of the ASB community, a dynamic group with a year-round presence and continued opportunities for leadership and service.

CATalyst

CATalyst, held at a retreat center in Michigan, is an innovative and inspiring leadership development program for incoming students. Our program encourages participants to step outside their comfort zone through "challenge by choice" activities. Experiences on CATalyst will develop effective group communication skills, increase self-awareness through guided reflection, and foster team building through small group development. We dedicate one day to a high ropes course and low ropes challenges in an effort to encourage students to problem solve while earning the trust of their peers. Participants will also have the opportunity to develop authentic mentor relationships with upper-classmen counselors. CATalyst is designed to equip students with the tools and insight they need to grow and succeed at Northwestern.

Freshman Urban Program (FUP)

The Freshmen Urban Program is an introduction to the neighborhoods within Chicago and Evanston. The program examines the issues that face these communities, the organizations that serve them and the means by which Northwestern students can effect change. FUP employs the theory of Asset-Based Community Development in teaching participants about issues as varied as housing, education, health care, politics, gentrification and community organizing. FUP is a Pre-Wildcat Welcome activity open to all incoming freshmen and transfer students. During this five day program, participants will stay in a youth hostel in Chicago's Loop area. From there they will be dispatched to volunteer at community centers, urban schools, homeless shelters and advocacy organizations throughout the city. Northwestern faculty and various community leaders will lead discussions on a variety of issues facing urban communities.

  • When: September 14-19, 2012
  • Where: Various Chicago neighborhoods
  • Cost: $240
  • Apply by: June 30
  • Contact: fup@northwestern.edu

Project Wildcat

Project Wildcat is a week-long wilderness backpacking program designed to build leadership and teamwork skills through experiential learning. Practicing "leave no trace" environmental principles, groups of eight incoming freshmen - each led by two trained upperclassmen counselors - hike through several of the nation's beautiful national parks. Project Wildcat is a fun opportunity to enter into Northwestern life with a heightened sense of confidence, a week full of fantastic memories, and a good bunch of new friends. A week spent enjoying the wilderness allows you to take a step back and get to know yourself and your group before being immersed in the hustle and bustle of your exciting new life at Northwestern.

Programs Sponsored by the Sheil Catholic Center

First Night at Sheil Catholic Center

Sheil Catholic Center is the heart of Catholic life at Northwestern, and all incoming students are welcome to be part of the Sheil community. First Night at Sheil is an activity-filled overnighter packed into the 14 hours before Wildcat Welcome and is an ideal way to meet other new students and returning students eager to make you feel at home. After First Nighters get acquainted and have dinner together, they participate in a photo shoot, enjoy a bonfire on the lakeside campus, paint the Rock (a favorite Northwestern tradition), find out about Sheil involvement opportunities, and hear returning students share need-to-know information about starting out at Northwestern. After a good night’s sleep at the Sheil Center, you’ll rejoin your parents to start moving into your student residence.

  • When: September 19-20
  • Where: On campus at Sheil Center
  • Cost: No cost
  • Apply by: September 17
  • Contact: Tim Higgins, t-higgins3@northwestern.edu

Kairos at Northwestern

For the first time ever, Northwestern and the Sheil Catholic Center will be holding the very first Kairos at Northwestern University! The 2012 Kairos at Northwestern retreat will take place at the Cabrini Retreat Center in Des Plaines from September 17-20, 2012. Kairos is a four-day retreat that has a theme for each day: Doubt the First, Cry the Second, Trust the Third, and Live the Fourth. Through small-group sessions, witness talks by upperclassmen leaders, and many other surprises, Kairos is a magical experience that brings people closer to themselves, to others, and to God. Kairos builds friendships that last a lifetime, and the days before Wildcat Welcome are the perfect time to build new, close friendships and enter Northwestern with a renewed sense of identity and purpose in life. Come on Kairos and learn from other freshmen and upperclassmen about yourself and what it truly means to be a Northwestern student! Watch the Kairos video.

  • When: September 17-20, 2012
  • Where: Des Plaines, IL
  • Cost: $225
  • Apply by: August 1 (including a $75 deposit)
    • Complete the Kairos registration form by August 1 (note: you must be logged into your NU email account to complete the form)
    • Checks can be sent to:
      Sheil Catholic Center
      Attn: Fr. John Kartje
      2110 Sheridan Road
      Evanston, IL 60201 
    • Complete the registration form by August 1 
  • Contact: Frank Avino: francisavino2015@u.northwestern.edu

Programs Sponsored by the Louis and Saerree Fiedler Hillel Center

Hillel Freshman Fest

Fielder Hillel - the vibrant core of Jewish life at Northwestern and headquarters for more than 15 Jewish student groups - invites you to join its 17th annual Freshman Fest, an overnight celebration of your arrival on campus and an opportunity to get your feet wet before plunging into Wildcat Welcome. Starting the afternoon before move-in day, you'll join other incoming and returning students at Hillel in activities that will lead to new friendships, feed your appetite for fun and food, and satisfy your curiosity about many facets of Northwestern student life. You'll have the inside scoop on how to enjoy the social scene on campus, become involved in sports or Greek life, get into the most sought-after courses, and take full advantage of campus life!

  • When: September 19-20
  • Where: On campus at Fiedler Hillel
  • Cost: $18
  • Apply by: August 15
  • Contact: hillel@northwestern.edu | 847-467-4455