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Northwestern University

Is this your company?

Beware of proud, big-ego, "famous" but disrespectful/angry/controlling professors, do not work with them or for them. - Postdoctoral Northwestern University Employee Review

1.0
Apr 15, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It is a well-known school. There are quite a few religious groups and organizations, which are very good to have.

Cons

Northwestern University doesn't protect the postdoc or employee against a bad supervisor. Their protection is on paper and in words but not in action. They protect faculty that have a big ego, very angry demeanor with bad temper, almost nonexistent leadership skills, and not also able to manage themselves well. All that money they receive from faculty is essentially tainted, is not good, yet they make money and funding the #1 factor and place it before ethical values and considerations. This will limit growth of any people who work with such negative faculty as well as can make them psychologically and physically sick. I have seen people who had stomach problems from stress, most likely related to bad management and selfish-supervisory relationships at the workplace.

Explore other reviews about Northwestern University

5.0
Jul 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work experience, and I got to work with a professor during the process.

Cons

Can be more difficult to get higher pay

4.0
Jul 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It's steady and stable money. Coworkers can be great, and benefits can be good**

Cons

They recently changed all of the benefits due to the government administration pulling federal funding. They changed from Blue Cross Blue Shield to United so the insurance is pretty bad now, with higher premiums and higher copays. You get a 90% discount on tuition, yet also about 97% of the graduate programs are when you'd be working during a 9-5. So it's nearly impossible to actually utilize your tuition discount. There were a lot of budget cuts, and 3% bonuses were one of the first to go. Your base pay is usually underpaid because it's higher education/nonprofit, and the 3% raise is barely enough to cover the rise of cost of living. So now it's underpaid, bad or unusable benefits, and low morale because there were also so many layoffs with the rest of the employees having to do the work of multiple people. Systems in the university are antiquated and it takes forever for anything to get done and most of it is trial and error. They say there is mobility, but it's only lateral if you're lucky. I've been here for two years and there's been such high turnover in senior management including the President that everything feels up in the air.

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