Information for New Students
Welcome From the Graduate PRogram Coordinator
I’m Justine, the Graduate Program Coordinator for Northwestern’s PhD in Political Science program. Welcome to our incredible department! We are so excited to have you join us this Fall. We will work closely through each milestone of the program to ensure you are well-informed and meet all important deadlines. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out or schedule an appointment with me here! During the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters, I am typically in Scott Hall 217 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
This page is intended to be a starting point for the variety of resources available to new students and to help answer questions that often arise before your arrival on campus.
Recommended Links to Review
- The Graduate School provides a comprehensive list of pages covering most of the issues new students face. Please visit their Newly Admitted Students page for even more details.
- Please also review our Guide to Graduate Study , which outlines our policies and procedures. Note that this version is outdated, and the new one is currently under construction. For the most up-to-date deadlines, please review our Program Requirements.
- You can view important dates for your first semester in Calendar View or Grid View on our live Smartsheet dates document.
- Read through recommendations from current students regarding what they wish they knew.
International Students
Please review the important information provided by the International Office well before arriving in Evanston. Don’t hesitate to consult International Office representatives for more information; they are available all summer and host drop-in hours every Wednesday from noon until 4 PM.
Orientation
Our Political Science Department Orientation will be on Thursday, September 19th, at 1:00 PM. You will hear from Political Science staff and faculty, and lunch will be provided, followed by a casual reception with faculty. Students not attending OISS orientation (below) are welcome to gather in Scott Hall before 1:00 PM to work on homework and socialize.
This year, The Graduate School (TGS) is hosting a virtual orientation on August 19th for you to complete at your own pace. TGS will email a link to the virtual orientation to your Northwestern email address once the course has launched. Please complete this virtual orientation before the start of the Fall Quarter on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. Plan approximately 90 minutes to complete all the modules.
- Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISS) Orientation will occur on Thursday, September 19th at 9:00 AM:
- Meet an OISS Advisor (learning information about their immigration status and the OISS Office) from 9-11 am
- Lunch with the OISS Office (casual lunch and meet and greet) from 11:30-1:30 pm
Math Camp
Though not required, Math Camp is a fantastic experience for students to brush up on math skills before classes start, meet their peers, attend faculty and current student panels, and have breakfast and lunch provided.
Math Camp will take place from approximately 9 AM – 4 PM on:
- September 16th
- September 17th
- September 18th
- September 20th
There is typically a morning session with the Math Camp professor beginning at 9 AM, a lunchtime panel, and a lab session in the afternoon with the Math Camp TA.
Please contact Justine to confirm your attendance.
Obtaining a Northwestern Email
Your Northwestern email is a very important piece of your time as a student, and we encourage all students to obtain their NU email as soon as possible. During the summer before your arrival, you will receive communication from Northwestern University Information Technology (NUIT) about how to activate your NetID and set up your email account. Be sure to not delete this email by accident!
Here is a helpful link to help you get started.
Connecting with other students
The Commune will send helpful information out to incoming students over the summer, with details about how to find housing, how to connect with current students, and how to connect with each other. We encourage incoming students to make contact with each other before arriving on campus!
New to Fall 2024, we will be connecting incoming students with current students with shared interests. Stay tuned for more information!
Graduate Student Life
Check out our Graduate Student Life page for more about what our Department community does each year.
Housing
To learn more about housing options through northwestern, you can visit the housing link provided by The Graduate School. Currently, there is no roommate finding service for graduate students, although our Department and the Graduate Student Association are sometimes able to send emails to their listservs with roommate requests.
Information on university housing can be found at:
Alternatively, the Evanston campus is readily accessible by public transport from Chicago.
Current students created a helpful handout about how to search for housing as a grad student.