<p>I'm going into the engineering program and I can't decide between these two schools.</p>
<p>The question is which school is a better fit for me in terms of personality? and which is a better fit for me overall? </p>
<p>Personality wise:</p>
<p>In high school, I was the guy who really loved to participate in a ton of activities and clubs. I loved to visit my teachers and was pretty social in my opinion. In the classes where I didn't really enjoy, I was a lot more reserved and quiet, while in the classes I did enjoy, I talked a lot. I'm definitely not a big party person, nor a drinker. My ideal social life is hanging out with friends, exploring a city, sightseeing, watching a movie, playing a sport, and doing homework together. Greek life doesn't seem like something I would enjoy. Admittedly, I never went to a sports game in high school, even though my high school did have a pretty big football team. I did however enjoy doing casual sports such as track and swimming. I'd probably like to do some sort of intramural or club sport and I do love travelling and diversity, and I'm even thinking about studying a language. It's also possible that I may potentially like to work internationally.</p>
<p>Northeastern:</p>
<p>I really liked Northeastern because of its location and diversity, and I would probably enjoy doing co-op before graduating. Northeastern's curriculum also seems more flexible than Villanova's. I also loved Northeastern's campus and there are so many clubs and sports to join. There are also more minors to choose from, and I've heard they have a good study abroad program which I would definitely enjoy doing. My main concerns however are that I've heard about the NU Shuffle and how it might take a while to get things done. Because it's also a big school, I'm also not sure how much interaction I can get with my teachers. During the tour, they did say that teachers do have office hours and I believe their engineering school also only has around 2,500 students over 5 grade levels. It is also quite possible that I may go to grad school, and since NU is very focused on employment, I'm not sure how good they will be with preparing for this.</p>
<p>Villanova:</p>
<p>I also really liked Villanova because it has smaller class sizes and a much more community feel. I am also catholic and my parent's like Villanova. The community also seems very friendly and open to helping people and it seems to offer more interaction between students and teachers. My main concerns with Villanova though is that it doesn't seem to have much diversity, and their curriculum doesn't seem very flexible since I'm going to be required to take theology courses. I'm also not sure how good their co-op and study abroad programs are.</p>
<p>NEU is thought of as being focused on employment (due to their co-op program) but they also do send lots of students to grad school. I’m sure you can check this on their website or email the admissions office with your question and they can guide you. Perhaps look at their Career Center website.
These schools are both very good and will prepare you well, so I think you should choose based on the other criteria such as location, size, diversity etc.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve been thinking about the environment and to me, even that is hard to decide.
Diversity → Northeastern wins
Location → I’d say Northeastern, but Philly isn’t that bad either.
Class Size → Villanova has much smaller class sizes
Co-op → Northeastern wins, and I’m not even sure if Villanova has co-op
Administration → Villanova (I’ve heard Northeastern has a shuffle)
Grad school placement → not sure…
Research → not sure…</p>
<p>anyone have an opinion?</p>
<p>Also if this matters, I also got into Lehigh, but I’m not a big fan of their Greek life nor Bethlehem.</p>
<p>It seems as if you are leaning towards Northeastern, but your parents want Villanova. As I read the first half of your post, I was thinking-Villanova. But then the last half of your post clearly said Northeastern to me.</p>
<p>Do you want to pursue an advanced degree?</p>
<p>Have you visited?</p>
<p>What about the financials? The financials might make your decision for you.</p>
<p>yea it is quite possible I will attend graduate school but I am not completely sure yet. I know Northeastern has a 5 year masters degree program, but I know you will have to get a certain GPA to qualify for it. Personally I like Northeastern more academically, but prefer Villanova’s size and social environment better. My big fear with Villanova though is that they won’t have as many opportunities and things to participate in, especially with regards to class selection, networking, research, and work experience. </p>
<p>Cost-wise, Northeastern will cost me around $28,000, while Villanova will cost me around $15,000. In reality, my parents can afford both tuition prices but the question becomes which has better value?</p>
<p>For value, plenty people will reference Northeastern’s co-op program, which is especially strong for engineering. However, engineering is one of the top fields at Villanova.</p>
<p>Based on your criteria, I would go with Northeastern. It’s more diverse, IN a culturally vibrant city, and not so focused on rah-rah sports (with a slight exception to hockey, but that’s just a Boston thing in general).</p>
<p>Be careful what advice you take on here. There are people who will tell you to go where they go (or went) almost no matter what. </p>
<p>I think you need to think abou whether you want to do the co op ot not. If yes, your question is answered. If no, go where you think you will be happiest. There are huge differences between the two schools.</p>
<p>Ah thanks everyone for answering.</p>
<p>@RisingChemist my opinion about co-op is that while I definitely want to get work experience especially since I know it is important for engineering, if I don’t do co-op, I’ll probably just end up trying to do an internship. So to answer your question, yes I’d like to co-op, but if I can’t I’m completely cool with just interning. </p>
<p>I think its difficult to measure where I’d be most happy unless I’m an actual student there because while I think northeastern would give me more opportunities it is also more expensive by about $13,000 a year or so which could have been spent doing other outside programs. Additionally the people I meet at each of these schools can completely affect how much I enjoy it. I think in all honestly I could enjoy being at either places, but again I really can’t tell till I’m actually there. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC</p>
<p>I think both Villanova and Northeastern are more employment focused than research/grad school focused. I think that Northeastern Co-op provides an extremely valuable experience that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Nonetheless, Villanova produces a lot of good engineers. </p>
<p>When I worked in the NJ/PA area, many engineers were from Villanova. Now that I live in the Boston area, there are many more Northeastern grads. What I’m saying is that part of your decision may be based on where you intend to live as a practicing engineer. </p>
<p>I think that you have a difficult decision. Personally, I’d go with the 5 yr co-op because they are much longer than an internship, and I think it really adds more value. However, I can see the case for the smaller more personal engineering program also, and you personality might prefer that. At some point, you have to go with your gut. I don’t think the decision can be made badly.</p>
<p>Hi classicrockerdad, I’ve always wondered this but while I understand people who do co-op generally make a higher starting salary and is guaranteed a job, but isn’t the fact that co-op kids generally graduate 1 year also mean that they are missing out 1 whole years worth of salary that could have been gained from graduating 1 year early? Plus while I agree its very nice to get a guaranteed job, how hard could it really be to get a job with just summer internships since I know villanova has a decent job placement rate among graduation.</p>
<p>Is there something significant that will be gained by giving up that extra year? I don’t have a lot of AP credit, but I know there is also an option to do 1 co-op but graduate in 4 years but Im not sure if that’s recommended.</p>
<p>In terms of location, say I’m not sure where I’m going to be working yet, which school would you say offers the most flexibility in where I can work? I’m sort of a traveler so while it’s likely that I will work in the north-east region, there is still a chance I may work outside the area, or even internationally. In otherwords, I prefer to leave my options open.</p>
<p>Sent from my ADR6300 using CC</p>
<p>Good questions happyramen.</p>
<p>Engineering courses can be pretty abstract as they should be. The benefit of co-op, in my opinion, is that working in an area where you can see how the abstractions are used, makes them more tangible, and creates a synergy where you perform better in your classes. </p>
<p>You can certainly get such an experience from a summer internship. At Northeastern, most people who want a co-op get a co-op. They make it easy. I don’t know that it’s the case at other schools that most sophomores who want an internship get one. You may have to be a bit more aggressive to get one. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the more personal experience at Nova might be really valuable. </p>
<p>As far as where you work, if you are passive and rely on recruiters, you will probably end up with a job near the school. If you are more aggressive and seek out employment, you can probably go anywhere. </p>
<p>I don’t think you have an easy decision. A lot depends on your makeup and whether you need the support services of getting a co-op, or whether you’d prefer the support of a much smaller personal community like at Villanova with small classes. There is a lot to be said for that too. </p>
<p>I’d pick the one you like better and go with your gut.</p>
<p>You can achieve your goals with co-op **or **with internships, at Villanova **or **NEU. Don’t go crazy trying to analyze the merits of co-op versus graduating in 4 years.
Pick the one you LIKE the best. The campus, the location, the student body, diversity, Catholic school versus not Catholic, cost etc.</p>
<p>I do think Northeastern has done a great job in the past 5 years or so of really expanding the co-op program internationally as well as domestically outside of New England/Mid Atlantic. That might give a NU grad an edge over a Villanova grad if you were applying to a job in Seattle (where NU has a grad campus), or in Germany since you may have completed a co-op there. Ultimately though you will be successful at either school depending on how much work you put into it.</p>
<p>Villanova is a good school for liberal arts type majors, but if you are looking into the hard sciences, like engineering, I would choose Northeastern.</p>