STUDENT AFFAIRS

Families decide to leave at a variety of times during Parent and Family Orientation (PFO), though traditionally families leave in three waves: at the conclusion of move-in day, right after March Through the Arch, or at the end of all PFO programming.

Once a student begins their orientation programming, there will be no concurrent scheduling between a student and family member's orientation schedule except for 15 minutes at the conclusion of March Through the Arch where there is a pause in the schedule for Kiss'n'Bye. Please take this into consideration when you are planning travel and times to see your student as they set off to begin their college career.

The student and parent schedules are concurrent; there are no joint sessions that occur. Though parents attend March Through the Arch, students are with their Peer Adviser groups while the parents stand to the sides to cheer on the new students. Family Ambassadors (current students) will be available to guide parents and family members through their orientation programming.

If families are not driving or flying out their items, they may decide to ship items to campus in advance. Please visit the Ship to School page on Residential Services’ website for more information regarding shipping items.

During March through the Arch, families line campus pathways to cheer on and welcome the newest members of the Northwestern community. After the students all pass under the arch, parents and families will follow and join the students on Deering Meadow for a University Welcome.

Afterward, students can meet back up with their families on Deering Meadow for a quick goodbye before students head off for a full day of activities. Parents and families are then invited to participate in Parent and Family Orientation.

The closest parking lots to Norris University Center (1999 Campus Drive) where Family Weekend Check-In takes place are the Lakeside Parking Structure and the South Parking Garage. Please see the interactive Campus Map for further parking options.  You can park for free all-day Friday and during the weekend in any campus parking space that does not have a Reserved or Facilities sign.

Any families coming to town on Thursday who want to park on campus before 4 pm can purchase a visitor permit from the Transportation and Parking Office or park in the North or South garage at the daily rate of $9.  Parking is free in any general parking space or Northwestern garage after 4 pm.

Academic scheduling is determined by each professor; therefore, your student may have class, homework, or exams around the time of Family Weekend. Friday is the least scheduled class day, but they may still have academic conflicts. Make sure to speak with your student about their schedule before registering for Family Weekend.

Most Family Weekend programming is free. This includes faculty lectures, academic events and informational sessions and some entertainment. Some student performances and other special events may require you to purchase tickets online. See the Family Weekend page for more information. 

Yes! You can either use your credit card at the dining hall to gain entrance or ask your student to save you a guest meal which they can access using their Wildcard at the dining hall. Meal prices can be found here.

Yes, families of returning students do attend Family Weekend. Use the following link to learn more about Family Weekend.

While there is not programming specifically for younger siblings, they may participate in all the Family Weekend activities. Activities that may be more interesting for younger children include The Second City at Northwestern University (rated PG-13), Northwestern Volleyball vs. Michigan, A Capella Fest, the campus tour and the Family Weekend Brunch.

Yes! Your student can come to check in your family for Family Weekend.

Each school within Northwestern handles academic advising in its own way. To learn more about the advisors in your student’s school, click on the following links:

• Bienen School of Music
• McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Medill School of Journalism
• School of Communication
• School of Education and Social Policy
• Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

• Students may take courses over the summer.
• Students may apply for a $3,500 stipend to do research for eight weeks over the summer through Summer Undergraduate Research Grants.
• Students may serve as an undergraduate research assistant.
• Students who need language training for their specific academic or professional goals can apply for up to $5,000 towards the cost of an intensive summer language study either in the US or abroad.
• Juniors Only: One winner is chosen each year to receive the $9,500 Circumnavigators Travel-Study Grant to spend the summer traveling the world and researching a topic of their choice.
• Northwestern Career Advancement offers Career Treks in August and September which allows students to learn more about a particular industry such as Law, Marketing, or Film & Television.
• All students are eligible to apply to Hillel’s NU Perspectives trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
• Students can apply for Hillel’s Birthright trip.

• There are various career offices that also aid all students with jobs and internships:
  • All students: Northwestern Career Advancement (contact your career advisor based on your school)
    • McCormick students: Engineering Career Development
    • Medill students: Medill Career Services
    • Communication students: EPICS
    • Bienen students: Bienen Career Services
• Northwestern’s International office website has information for international students to attain jobs and internships in the United States. Please check out their website at: International Office.

• In most cases, yes! For more information about Inter-School Transfers, please visit the following  Office of the Registrar website.

• Northwestern operates on a Quarter System which means that student terms last 10 weeks during Fall, Winter, and Spring, and 6-8 weeks during the Summer. In comparison, semesters at other institutions typically last 16 weeks.

• Each school at Northwestern has a department of academic advisors who will meet with students to make sure they are fulfilling all of their graduation requirements. To view each school’s academic advising website, please visit the following links:
  • Bienen School of Music
  • McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Medill School of Journalism
  • School of Communication
  • School of Education and Social Policy
  • Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
• The Office of the Registrar also has guidelines for graduation preparation.
• Additionally, the Northwestern Career Advancement Office helps students apply to graduate and professional schools, apply to jobs, and prepare for entering a career after Northwestern.

• The Global Learning Office has compiled a set of steps to help students learn about and participate in study abroad.

• Most undergraduate university students leave for Thanksgiving break the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving; however, that does not mean class is officially canceled. It depends completely on the student and their class schedule. Some professors will cancel class on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, however, there is no university policy that states that all classes will be canceled. Please note that students also do not have to leave for Thanksgiving Break. On campus housing remains open but with limited services.

• Yes, the rooms are evaluated for mildew substance upon opening and closing of the building and when residents check out.

• University Police- Northwestern has its own campus police system: NU Police Website.
• Safe Ride- Safe Ride drivers provide free rides to and from campus within Evanston boundaries from 7pm - 3am, seven days a week when classes are in session: Safe Ride Website.
• Safety Escorts- Upon request, University Police personnel will escort community members to an on-campus destination by foot or bike. Sometimes individuals may also be escorted by squad car if on the Chicago campus.
• Blue Light Phones- University Blue Light emergency phones are located throughout both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Northwestern offers an interactive campus map, which indicates the location of all Blue Light phones with a symbol of the letter "P" inside a circle.
• To learn more about Campus Safety, check out the website: NU Campus Safety.

• There are no storage areas available for students outside of their assigned rooms. Students are encouraged to place luggage under their beds or in their closets.
• Over the summer, the university does not provide storage of any personal belongings in any space on campus and within the residence halls. However, there are official service providers that students can use for summer storage, as well as local Evanston-based storage providers.

• Yes, Northwestern University provides free campus Wi-Fi for students. Students can log into campus wireless networks using their NetID and NetID password when prompted. The Northwestern wireless network uses WPA2-Enterprise authentication to provide a high level of data security. This type of authentication is compatible with most computers, tablets, and smartphones.
• Additionally, there is a separate Northwestern wireless network compatible with devices, including wireless printers, game systems, and TVs. Students can click here to register devices.

• The University does not operate transportation services to or from O’Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW), the two major airports serving the Chicago area.
• However, a few companies offer the University community discounts through the Wildcat Advantage See the list of participating businesses using the previous link and use the filter by category menu, “Travel Supplies & Services.”
• Other options are taxies, Uber, and Lyft, and public transportation. See the list below for several options:

Transit Options from O’Hare and Midway

• Northwestern University has an office specifically dedicated to Off-Campus Life that helps students navigate finding housing off-campus and living on their own in Evanston. Check out the Office of Off-Campus Life for information about off-campus housing.
• Additionally, the university has partnered with Places4Students.com to help students find off-campus housing.

• There are multiple grocery store options for students within walking distance of campus (< 0.5 miles from campus):
  • D&D Finer Foods (825 Noyes Street, 847-475-4344)
  • Whole Foods (1640 Chicago Ave, 847-733-1600)
  • Target (1616 Sherman Ave, 847-448-1816)
• There are other grocery store options that students may prefer to access via public transit (both are a 4-minute walk from the Dempster Purple Line stop) or car (Uber/Lyft). Walking is also an option (~1.3 miles):
  • Jewel-Osco (1128 Chicago Ave, 847-869-3520)
  • Trader Joe’s (1211 Chicago Ave, 847-733-0690)
• Several convenience stores close to campus offer basic groceries as well:
  • CVS (1711 Sherman Ave, 847-328-3105)
  • 7-Eleven (817 Davis St, 847-328-7195)

• Students living off-campus and outside the walking zone are eligible for
  a parking permit. Senior students living on campus are eligible to purchase an "R" permit.
• Students must be registered for classes prior to purchasing a parking permit. Visit the Parking Services Office at 1841 Sheridan Road (on the first floor of the Visitor’s Center). The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Bring the following items:
  • WildCARD
  • Driver’s license
  • Vehicle registration
  • Proof of residence (item such as a lease or utility bill to prove you live outside the Walking Zone)
• A student permit valid for the duration of the academic year will cost about $477.00. The rate decreases by $53.00 each month after October. Charges are billed to your student account.
• Learn more about parking with this link: NU Parking Permits.

• If you send your student a letter or package, you must include the following information: Student name, Student’s building & room number, Building address, Evanston, IL 60201 (zip code for 560 Lincoln, Allison, Kemper, & West Fairchild is 60208).
• The letter or package then arrives at the Foster-Walker package center where it is organized and distributed to one of the two package centers on campus (Foster-Walker Package Center and Kemper Package Center).
• Students will receive an email notification to pick up any items that do not fit in mailboxes. When retrieving their package, students must present their Wildcard to the mailroom staff.
• If a letter is sent, students will not receive an email when the mail is placed in their mailbox. To open their mailbox, students will use the code given to them when they receive their key during move-in, or in an email from Residential Services.
• For more information, including hours and package center addresses, please visit Northwestern Residential Services Website, under the tab “Mail Services”.

• To make an appointment at Health Services, students can call 847.491.2204 during regular business hours. Your student:
  • Will need to provide the Northwestern University 7 digit identification number
  • Should leave a voicemail message and please include their identification number and a callback telephone number. Calls are returned the same business day, generally within 2 hours.
• Urgent medical problems like breathing difficulties, head injuries, and abdominal pain, for example, are scheduled after consultation with the on-call nurse at 847.491.8100, option "0". Outside of normal business hours, see Emergency After Hours Care.
• Please see the Health Services website for more information: Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service Evanston.

• Because Health Services is appointment-based, students are seen at the time of appointment. Students are expected to arrive for check-in 15 minutes prior to their appointment time.
• Health Services is appointment-based; however, walk-in appointments are available for urgent concerns. Physicians would take patients in the order of urgency which may impact wait time.

• There are no charges to eligible students for visiting Health Services for basic medical appointments. Eligibility to use NMSH services is not based on your health insurance plan. Students are eligible who are actively enrolled in a degree seeking program at Northwestern in a school other than the School of Professional Studies (SPS).
• Many lab tests done on site are also provided at no charge. The exceptions are the pregnancy test, chlamydia, HIV, and rapid strep. Any test sent to the reference lab incurs a charge. This price has been negotiated and is substantially lower in comparison to the local community and the Chicago area.

• A good first point of contact is to have your student reach out to their Resident Assistant (RA) if they live in the residence halls. Students could also visit the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) website which offers many valuable resources and lets students schedule appointments online.

• To register for Emergency Communications System, please follow the instructions below:
  • Go to https://wildcatalert.bbcportal.com/
  • Click "Sign Me Up"
  • Enter your information - use your personal email (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)
  • Input your security questions/answers
  • Add your email/phone to emergency alerts for NU's Evanston and/or Chicago campus
• Your student should also update your email address in CAESAR for their emergency contact in order to make sure that everything from Northwestern goes to your correct email address. Here's a link to the CAESAR How To Guides: https://www.northwestern.edu/sfs/help/caesar-how-to-guides.html.
• Subscribe to the Parent & Family Email List to receive emails updating you on the campus community and various events that are pertinent to you – and your student. Subscribing you to the list will give you access to the Wildcat Family Focus monthly e-mail digest. Subscribe to the Parent and Family email list here!
• Follow Northwestern University Parents and Families on Facebook to connect with other families and stay current with campus happenings.
  • Join the Facebook group!
• For families of first-year students, you’ll receive Prep Plus in mid-May. Prep Plus is a booklet specifically made for families of incoming undergraduate students; the booklet serves as a compliment to the student's Purple Prep, mailed in a packet in mid-May and will be available online as well.

• NU Recreation facilities- Family members are able to use NU Recreation facilities (i.e. the gym) if they purchase a one-day pass for $18. (Note: During Family Weekend, the facilities are FREE to all families).
• Dining Hall- Students have 3 Guest Meals per quarter which a student could use for their family to join them in the dining hall.

• The Commencement weekend dates for all current classes are posted on the Northwestern Student Affairs website, however these dates are subject to change. Specifics about the weekend are posted between three and four months before Commencement.
• In terms of lodging, there are eight hotels within walking distance from campus, though these book up early due to their close proximity to campus. You may also book a hotel in Chicago’s loop, though it’ll be about a 45-minute commute to and from campus via Chicago’s elevated subway system, known as the El. Finally, if you have a car you might consider staying at a hotel in Skokie, IL or Northbrook, IL, about a 15-30-minute drive from Evanston.
• Use this link to view a list of nearby hotels including distance from campus. Please note, this link is not associated with Northwestern University. For more information, please visit the Commencement website, for information on  Travel & Hotels.