A few questions about NEU

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

<p>I just started looking into this school and certain aspects of it excite me a lot more than the other schools I am considering (UVA, UMD, UNC Chapel Hill, Penn St as my main schools).</p>

<p>I am fairly certain I would get in with my grades, but I have a few questions about the school in general. Any help from current students or anyone else would be great!</p>

<p>First, I am not sure what I would like to major in. I have a few general ideas but I always figured I would declare a major my second year of college. Is Northeastern more of a school that you should definitely have a career in mind when applying to in order to take advantage of the co-op?</p>

<p>Second, how much do NEU students interact with the other colleges in the area? From what I've read BU and BC are pretty nearby. Are they in walking distance? Do most students have friends at the nearby schools or go to parties at the other schools?</p>

<p>My third question is does everybody do the co-op? I'm not sure if it is a requirement or if it would just ruin the point of Northeastern if you did not take advantage of it. I'm sort of fuzzy on the specifics of the co-op such as if it pays good money, for example, so if anybody could explain it or link me to somewhere that explains it in good detail that would be great.</p>

<p>Also do most graduates go to graduate school or is the co-op sort of like a substitute for graduate school?</p>

<p>Thanks to anybody who can offer any insight regarding these questions or anything else I should know about the school.</p>

2

<p>I urge you to visit before even considering NEU. It's not for everyone.</p>

3

<p>Okay, I’ll take a stab at those questions.</p>

<p>1.
No you do not have to declare a major going in to be on par with the other students. For the most part all freshmen students take the same classes (with of course a little variation) so either going completely undeclared or undeclared in a certain college is fine.
Personally I went undeclared into the engineering college and all first year engineering students take the exact same classes except for 1 student-picked elective so I wasn’t at all disadvantaged.</p>

<p>2.
It is technically possible to walk to BU but I just don’t see why you would. The subway is really convenient as we have two lines that run through campus and it will get you to other colleges and around Boston really quickly. Oh, and the so-called “feud” between BU and NEU is really overrated and except for the occasional sports game we’re all very amicable (I have a number of BU and BC friends). In fact I’ll even suggest that you apply to BU as it does offer the traditional college experience and is a very good school where you’re certain to be challenged (ie grade deflation).</p>

<p>3.
Not everyone has to do the co-op program but most people do. You can still graduate in 4 years and do 1 co-op but if you really want the traditional college experience I’m fairly certain that for almost all majors it is an option. More info can be found here: <a href="http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/welcome2.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.northeastern.edu/coop/welcome2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<ol>
<li> I’m not sure how many northeastern students go on to graduate school. I plan to go to grad school but I would imagine due to the co-op most students build connections with employers and go straight to work after. This would be a good question to ask when you visit NEU (which I highly recommend you do).</li>
</ol>

4

<p>Question for nope89..
You went went undeclared into the engineering college? What did you declare? My son is interested in pharmacy at Northeastern, but is also considering engineering as a back up major, as pharmacy is very hard to get into due to the limited spots. We went to visit Northeastern a few months ago and loved it. Do you have any friends in the pharmacy program? Also how hard is it to switch in the engineering program, say you start out as a Chem E major and want to switch to civil engineering?</p>

5

<p>When I applied to Neu I selected undeclared engineering. It really doesn’t matter what engineering major you pick as all 1st year engineering students take the same classes and you re-declare your major at the end of your freshmen year. Pharmacy is hard to get in to, I think there is only 100 spots or so, but it really is one of the top programs in the region. As for switching within the engineering college after freshman year, the only problem you will encounter is you may have to take some additional courses. Once you're admitted to the engineering college all you really need to do is go to your academic advisor and they can help you switch majors and plan out your future courses. You can see what classes are required of each engineering major here: <a href="http://www.coe.neu.edu/studentservices/index.phtml?go=curricula.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.coe.neu.edu/studentservices/index.phtml?go=curricula.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

6

<p>Lower Moreland eh? I go to the OTHER LM :P</p>

7

<p>Our s just finished his first year in the NU pharmacy program and likes it a lot. He originally thought about majoring in mechanical or civil engineering, but decided to enter the pharmacy program instead. The 6-yr pharmD program is pretty structured, but it looks like a pham major could change to another science major (i.e. biology) after the second year if he/she no longer wanted to be in the program. Once you get past the second year, the courses are all pharmacy specific. Fortunately s seems to be very happy with the NU pharmacy program and so are most of his pharm major friends.</p>

8

<ol>
<li><p>Adding on to what nope89 said, freshmen will most likely be taking general requirement classes for the first year so you'll most likely be able to get into the major you want without having to take extra classes to catch up. However, some of the programs, like other people have said, are quite selective- the health sciences, business and engineering in particular, and I've heard of people who were denied admission into a program after coming in undeclared, so just be careful of that. The good thing is that if you have even a vague idea of what you'd like to do as a career, co-op allows you to see if you'd really be interested in it. I've been told there are people whose interests have been reinforced from co-op and people who realize they're on the wrong path and change majors. Either way, co-op is still a good learning experience, and you get paid for it too.</p></li>
<li><p>Boston is a definitely a huge college town so there will be numerous opportunites for you to interact with college students from nearby (BU, BC, MIT, Harvard etc). You'll find a lot of kids at NU are from MA who have friends who go to those schools so you'll definitely have chances to interact if you wish.</p></li>
<li><p>nope89 already has a good answer.</p></li>
<li><p>It'll probably depend on your major. Like previously said, co-op can connect you with future employers but grad school is SCHOOL while co-op is a job. I plan on going to grad school because I want to be more experienced in my field, not just because I get a better degree for a better job later on.</p></li>
</ol>

9

<p>**for pharmacy...
if you have a slight desire to go into pharmacy, then i strongly suggest applying in as a freshman. northeastern closed transfer applications into their pharm school because there are simply not enough spots (140 or so per class). it's easier to transfer out of pharmacy than trying to transfer in. the only negative i can think of is that you're class schedule is basically already planned out. it's a little less flexible than being in the college of arts&sciences but the requirements need to be done one way or another.</p>

<p>as for answering some of the other questions (as everyone else has mentioned)...
** not everyone is required to do coop, but depending on your major, coop is a great experience. in many cases, coop puts northeastern kids ahead in the work field and builds a good resume for after graduation. it depends on your major, but for most, in my opinion, coop is an opportunity that you don't want to miss. why go to a school that has the best coop program in the country, but not do it?</p>

<p>**coop is by no means a substitute for grad school. as mentioned, coop is WORK experience but not necessarily education. northeastern does have grad students and they have many programs that lead to masters or even doctorite degrees. for example, if you're interested in architecture, 6 years will give you your masters degree...if you're into pharmacy, 6 years will give you your PharmD degree. coop is all there to help you along the process.</p>

10

<p>My senior son also is considering NU, but doesn't know what he wants to study either. The NU website describes a special program for undecided freshmen. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it as good as the website describes?</p>

11

<p>-Like others said, coming into NEU undecided is not usually a problem. HOWEVER, if you have lots of APs or transfer credits or any sort of oddity that would knock out your core curriculum courses, it will be a little more difficult. That was the situation I was in, and while it has allowed me to complete my courses faster, I have not had as much room for electives outside my major. Because I had filled lots of my core, I started taking my major classes immediately.
With regard to undecided and co-op, as long as you're decided by the end of freshman year, you should be all set. I was even able to coordinate with the co-op adviser of a different major to get access to more jobs (I'm psych, I wanted to work in a school, had to go through the ed dpt).</p>

<p>-Boston itself IS a college. I have friends at Emerson, Berkley, and Wentworth (our neighbor). You just tend to meet people everywhere, like at college night at the museum of science. Or bars. Or concerts. Or on the T.
Boston is definitely a walking town. Even though you can't drive from anywhere to anywhere, you can certainly walk it. Hell, I even walk over the bridge to Harvard Square in Cambridge!</p>

<p>-Co-op is not a university-wide requirement. That being said, some majors require you to take one co-op. Some, like architecture, require three. The way it works is that you're allowed to take it starting in the spring of your sophomore year. If you took that first opportunity, you would not take classes during that spring and summer 1 semester, you would just work at a full time 9-5 job with pay. Then, in July, you would start classes again (two in July/Aug for summer 2, and four in the fall semester). Wash rinse repeat. You could also start co-op in July (summer 2, through the end of December of the Fall semester). That schedule means you'd take summer 1 (May/June) classes before going out on co-op. There is also a mandatory class (about 5 sessions of resume/interview/professional stuff) to take during the fall/spring semester before you plan to go on your first co-op.
Regarding money: depends on your major. Personally, as a psych major, I made 10.50/hr on my first co-op and 10/hr on my second... before taxes. I made more at my summer job between HS and college. My friends in comp sci? 17-20/hr. I hate them.</p>

<p>-I'm not sure about the grad school stuff. I plan to go eventually (cause you can't do anything with just a BS in psych), but not until I work for a little while to figure out what I specifically want to go FOR. I thought I was all set to be a high school guidance counselor, but after working in a school for six months on a co-op, I'm having second thoughts.
I, like many people, thought that co-op would be just as hard as classes. That I'd be constantly tested and challenged. For me, in my major, I wasn't. It was an entry level job that gave me experience and references. Your Mileage May Vary, but I will emphasize that co-op is a 9-5 JOB, not a school or any sort of formal learning experience.</p>

12

<p>the music industry co-op jobs rarely pay.</p>

<p>which really is not very cool, if you ask me.</p>

13

<p>However, they provide valuable networking opportunities, which is better than gold in that industry. Co-op is NOT meant to be a means to pay for college or make a quick buck. It's all about the networking and building up experience for your resume so that when you graduate, it's like you've already been working in your field for a year and a half as opposed to other students who graduate with nothing but part time silly jobs and maybe a few months of internship.</p>

14

<p>There is a "pathways" program for those who wish to major in a health science, but are unsure of which major (physical therapy, nursing, pharmacy, speech pathology, athletic training, etc.) After three semesters (mid-sophomore year), you choose your major.</p>

<p>NEU has closed pharmacy to outside transfers, but still allows transfers within NU to the pharmacy major.</p>

<p>As far as graduate school in the health sciences, many of the programs are 5-6 years and the student finishes with doctor of pharmacy (pharmD) or doctor of physical therapy (DPT), etc. so I suppose you could say that graduate school is built into those programs. (At other universities, students apply to graduate schools afterwards in order to get those degrees.) At NU after the second year, those students are in the professional program which is the same as graduate school at many other universities.</p>

15

<p>I visited NU last week and I really loved it. I'd have to say it would be my top choice now. My only problem is I'm not sure if it would be worth going to if I get into my other schools. I feel like NU is the best fit for me personally but would I be better off after college if I attended some of the other schools I am applying to:</p>

<p>Maryland
Penn St
Virginia Tech
U of Delaware
University of Virginia (reach)</p>

16

<p>Just remember that for "after college" stuff like finding a job, NEU has a great career center which is committed to helping alumni find jobs. It looks bad for the university if its graduates end up unemployed, so they'll bend over backwards for you FOREVER.</p>

<p>Also, because of our co-op thing, we're known to produce workers who are more experienced than those fresh out of other colleges. Even if you personally don't take a co-op, you still have NEU's reputation behind you.</p>

17

<p>i am a rising sophomore in northeastern's pharmacy program and i have to say that i loved my first year. the professors were engaging and smart, the students were fun and intelligent and the overall atmosphere of the college was great. i love how the small school of pharmacy (~140 incoming freshman) coexists with the larger overall university.
admissions into the school is ultra competitive; i've heard less than 10% of applicants are accepted, although between 10-20% is more likely true.
to give an idea of my stats:
i had sat1's of 2110, 650V, 700M, 760W. 720 Latin, 690 Math IIC, 630 physics sat 2's. scores of a 5 on ap latin and econ micro; and 4 on statistics, calculus ab, history and econ macro. i was class treasurer, school paper business manager, played varsity lacrosse and participated in regional and national model un conferences. I also had 3 years of experience working as a tech in a hospital pharmacy. i went to a very competitive boys school (9 out of 49 graduates were accepted early to harvard two years ago) where many students enter ivies or schools like duke and stanford.
a lot of my friends had similar or better numbers than me. i can't tell you about anyone who had similar or better numbers that didn't get in since i don't know any.</p>

18

<p>
[quote]
I feel like NU is the best fit for me personally but would I be better off after college if I attended some of the other schools I am applying to

[/quote]
</p>

<p>i take it you're talking about prestige here, in which case i think you just answered your own question. imo you'll be better off attending a school that you actually like. apart from that (and finances), who cares? your school's name is only going to take you so far. in the end you're only limited by your own hunger.</p>

19

<p>[I visited NU last week and I really loved it. I'd have to say it would be my top choice now. My only problem is I'm not sure if it would be worth going to if I get into my other schools. I feel like NU is the best fit for me personally but would I be better off after college if I attended some of the other schools I am applying to:]</p>

<p>Better off in what way? FinanciallY? ready for a job? Having had a great experience with a good fit for you? Lots of factors here.</p>

20

<p>For me, I felt the same way, but it was financial. I got into good Florida state schools that would be free cause of state scholarships. However I really loved Northeastern, and I haven't regretted my decision to go there. I just got my bill for first semester (16k), and even though I know I'll be hit pretty hard after school with the bill, I'll also have all the work experience from co-op and lab work from the chemistry department that I never would have gotten from the state schools. For me, going to a school that just felt right was more important than the money.</p>