level up your idea at the garage

By ALYCE BROWN daily senior staffer @alycebrownn

If you’ve ever had an idea for a new company — or even just felt the entrepreneurial bug — The Garage is the place for you.

The Garage, Northwestern’s dedicated entrepreneurial space, allows students to gather, work and build startups with guidance from successful creators. Since The Garage started, it’s had over 1,000 student startups under its umbrella.

The space is mainly designed to facilitate collaborative work, complete with snacks and a mini kitchen. It also caters to the technical needs of some of its startups, housing a prototyping lab that includes 3D printers, woodworking equipment and an electronics workbench.

For incoming freshmen hoping to get involved, there are a few quick ways to jump in, depending on remain at “Tinkerer” status for the remainder of that academic year.

For those looking to join a startup rather than found one, The Garage has special sessions called “Startup Matchmaking.” These sessions are held quarterly, and allow entrepreneurs in The Garage looking for more team members to pitch their companies to other students hoping to join one.

Founders share what type of team members they’re looking for — from coders to social media managers — and students are given an opportunity to talk further with the teams they’re interested in joining. For further information and dates on these matchmaking sessions, keep an eye on The Garage’s ‘Events’ tab on their website.

So you’re on a team — what’s next? If your company has spent at least one quarter in the Tinker Program and has at least two members, you can apply for the Residency Program.

The program, for “the truly committed entrepreneurs,” according to The Garage’s website, offers teams round-the-clock access to The Garage’s space and a dedicated mentor in the industry to help the team along. Applications for the Residency Program are open for about a month at the beginning of each alycebrown2025@u.northwestern.edu

“Office Hours” are a key piece of The Garage’s list of resources for student entrepreneurs. Through The Garage’s website, any NU student can schedule a meeting with peer entrepreneurs or Founders in Residence — a group of alumni and former students that are working on their startups full-time from The Garage.

Members of the Tinker Program and Residency Program get special access to Office Hours with Garage staff and Subject Matter Experts.

While the Tinker and Residency programs are The Garage’s most popular, they also have more selective programs that offer teams various amounts of funding. A more complete list of these programs can be found on The Garage’s website.

No matter your level of involvement with The Garage, it offers a unique opportunity to dive into the world of startups — from the comfort of campus.

For students who want a Historical Studies course involving more than memorization:

History of the American Family

This survey of the role and regulation of families from pre-colonial times to the present day emphasizes factors that influence family dynamics, like race, class and gender, and how families’ standards and models have changed over time. You’ll also get the opportunity to write your own history.

Classical Mythology

Did you go through a Percy Jackson phase in middle school? If you take this course, you may have a chance to put some of that knowledge to use. You’ll read and analyze Ancient Greek myths both in their original historical contexts and through a contemporary lens

For a thought-provoking Ethical and Evaluative Thinking course: Introduction to Philosophy

If you’ve never studied philosophy before, this course will help you understand many philosophers’ perspectives — and develop your own outlook — on philosophical concepts including free will, ethics and existential issues. You’ll also learn to convey your ideas — and those of philosophers — in the format of thesis papers.

Introduction to Buddhism

Want to learn more about one of the largest religions in southeast Asia? This course analyzes both primary and secondary documents to gain insight on the core tenets of Buddhism alongside its history, culture and practice.

For a Literature and Arts course which doesn’t involve reading a novel or picking up a paintbrush:

Literary Histories

Do you prefer poetry and music over novels? This may be the course for you. The intersection between popular culture and poetry forms the basis of this course, which focuses on songs and sonnets from the late 16th century until the present day.

Introduction to Asian Art

This course spans ancient, medieval and modern art from South Asia, including architecture, monuments, sculptures, paintings and photography. Placed in a historical context, the curriculum includes examining the influence of East Asia, Central Asia and Europe and working on close reading skills.

divyabhardwaj2025@u.northwestern.edu