Residential Scholars

The hardest part of your first year at college can simply be adjusting to life away from home. Our experienced Resident Director and Resident Advisors (RAs) can guide you through this transition. They will help you learn to balance your academic and social commitments and live in the diverse community of the residence hall. RAs do not only enforce rules; they also host movie nights, theme parties, and ethnic dinners. In 2009, our RAs organized a bonfire on the beach and led students in a colorful Northwestern tradition: painting The Rock outside University Hall.

Experience life in a typical residence hall while staying in a double room with a fellow College Prep scholar. Northwestern residence halls have common areas where you can watch television or hang out with friends, and quiet study rooms for those late-night study sessions. The university dining halls, where you will take your meals with other Summer Session students, offer a great variety of dining options from pizza and burgers to stir fry and vegan dishes. A dietician is on staff to help students with special dietary requirements.

In addition, you will have full access to the University's resources. With your WildCARD - Northwestern's student identification card - you can get your own Northwestern e-mail account, use the University's libraries and computer labs, work out at the athletic facilities and play volleyball on the private beach. In your free time you can sing in a community chorus or stargaze at the Dearborn Observatory. The RAs also plan a variety of fun outings including an evening with the unusual Blue Man Group and an afternoon in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.

The College Prep residential option has attracted students from across America and around the world - last year, students came from as far away as Malaysia and Sweden! Because of this unique opportunity to experience college dormitory life and make lasting bonds with fellow students, the residential option continues to be the most popular way to experience the College Preparation Program.