What is your opinion of BC vs Northeastern? I was under the impression that they are about the same now in terms of prestige, jobs opportunities etc. NU actually seems to have a lower acceptance rate than BC but everywhere I go people seem to think BC is more prestigious? Which college will end up with better job opportunities? What about in terms of social experiences? Is BC fun? What do kids do on the weekends? Do most BC kids go to boston on weekends? Is NU hard to keep same friends with Coops and kids coming and going? I can’t make up my mind. I want to meet and keep lifelong friends and I want to get a great job as well!
yes, in terms of prestige, jobs, etc, BC and NEU are similar. Is there a difference in Cost of Attendance? (On another thread, you posted about merit from NEU.) What major?
Different campus cultures, and NE is more urban, while BC is a leafy, suburban campus (even tho technically speaking, half of the main campus resides inside the Boston City limits). Jesuit education is a big differentiator and the Core curriculum vs. the coop program at NE. Fortunately, the Boston environs has a ton of businesses, so internships are plentiful for those that attend BC. Given the low unemployment rate right now, as a parent I think the coop program is over sold. (now, back in the last recession…)
In New England, BC is considered to attract the higher performing students. And those with less of a specific career goal in mind. But that doesn’t mean anything in the real world. Both are great and the best students at each school have unlimited opportunities for success in life. You can’t go wrong.
Yes BC is fun. But it’s very rigorous. NEU isn’t the same type of environment. Doesn’t have the big sports options on campus etc. but college kids all know how to have fun.
These schools could not be more different. First off, don’t be influenced by Northeastern’s lower admit rate. Northeastern has worked very hard over the years to generate the high application numbers needed to report such a rate. My son got endless expensive mailings and, ultimately, was offered an application fee waiver (not for financial reasons). At that time, there was no writing supplement. Now there is a modest one. My experience based on my son’s high school is that BC was a more difficult school to gain admittance to. And application numbers at BC are limited by BC’s Catholic heritage. Having said that, the stats of the enrolled students at Northeastern (to the extent that they are reliable - may exclude international students and all of those NU-in students who don’t show up as Fall Freshmen) are impressive.
As to the differences, Northeastern is very urban, less sports oriented and with the college experience highly driven by coops rather than the campus. I think you lose the sense of “class” early on, as you and your fellow students rotate in and out of school regularly. That is not necessarily bad, as it does provide perhaps for meeting many new people along the way, but it is different. It is also five years at Northeastern - usually.
BC is strongly influenced by its Jesuit heritage, sports culture, and strong campus community. The campus is not urban, but certainly within easy striking distance of downtown Boston on any given day through public transportation. Heck, you could walk it. To me, that is the best of both worlds, though for some, being able to walk across the street to art museum or hang out at urban cafes, etc. might be very attractive. BC is certainly in a safer neighborhood.
I know great students at each school, and they like where they are at. So…two good choices, but very different ones.
I’d pick based on which campus you like and which is best fit for your major. They both are great schools, just different. I applied to both and got denied from NU and accepted to BC. My friend applied to both and he got into NU and denied from BC. So no idea which is harder or more prestigious. I’d just go based on how you feel after visiting. That will tell you a lot. Good luck.
@kdmit1998- Well, I am biased for sure, but BC over NEU all the time. BC has a BRAND and an identity- one of those intangibles that are earned over a very long period of time. IMHO, go to NEU if you truly desire a urban college experience. If you want a college campus environment that fosters relationships and a collegiate experience, enjoy a sports atmosphere, seek a active, supportive and very vocal alumni, and a solid academic reputation, than BC is the school. NEU is a fine school, but they play games with their admit ratio, so don’t be lured by that. Many students at BC are here because they didn’t get into the Ivies, ND or GT. the NEU. We have a solid academically inclined and determined student body, and the work assigned is vigorous- so dont kid yourself that getting an A is an easy feat- its not. You have to work hard here. Slackers will have difficulty…apologies to those for flying the flag.
@bbfan1927 Boston College has come a long way from the early 1970’s when it was on the verge of bankruptcy and there were rumors that it would close and the campus would be purchased by Harvard.
http://bcheights.com/2014/11/02/focus-cost-cutting-saved-bc-bankruptcy-financial-woes-1970s/
I would echo @bbfan1927 completely. My sense is that students choose NEU over BC for:
- Coop program ("unique" as a marketing tool but not sure it is any easier to get an internship out of NEU than BC
- True "urban" environment
- Merit scholarship $$$
- Certain programs that BC does not have (like engineering....but will have)
- Turned off by the optics of attending a Catholic school (I say optics because, while certainly Jesuit, students at BC are not in any way influenced by Catholicism against their wishes)
For me, BC is an easy first choice here but some students do certainly choose NEU over BC for their own reasons. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that the students, the environment and the “vibe” are very different between the two schools. Spend time at both to get a more visceral sense of what attending each might be like. My son applied to both and withdrew his application to NEU after getting into BC REA last year.
I provided a more balanced response above but, if you want a perspective as to which one I would choose, BC in a heartbeat.
Northeastern students do not do internships, they do coops. They are not the same thing. Many of these coops are arranged through long standing relationships with companies.
To give a differing perspective and correct some information:
Co-op is absolutely a huge difference between internship programs. Northeastern doesn’t have a top-rated career center (top 3 in Princeton Review for the past decade) without reason. Having a huge database of longstanding co-op relationships and specific co-op advisor and co-op prep classes in addition to the career center resources helps students be ready for postgrad life. The time difference also allows for more meaningful work. The environment also encourages much more experience. A student with two internships has only a third of the work experience that a student with 3 co-ops has when they graduate.
You don’t need co-op by any means to be successful, but there is absolutely an advantage. No, it’s not just marketing. The question for a prospective student should be how those advantages compare with other factors in their decision and how they feel about the differences in the academic model that co-op creates. If you really want that consistent campus life then going to BC and doing internships is probably the better call. It’s just a matter of values.
I think it is very telling that the list provided by @CCSavant is exactly the reason I looked at both schools, never even bothered applying to BC, and chose Northeastern in the end. The co-op program, urban environment, and strength in programs over BC (CS in my case) are three great reasons to pick Northeastern for some, but for others they aren’t important. What’s really emphasized by that list is that fit is what should guide your choice here.
I actually have twin HS Seniors that seem to be trending towards 1 going to NEU and 1 going to BC. Each accepted to both schools among others. BC grad myself.
@CCSavant The Coop program is for real. There are decades of relationships with employers who have taken kids for Coop/ 6-month paid employment stints with that number continuing to grow and more and more are not in New England/Boston. It seems that most NEU grads have at least two 6-month stints of working and getting paid. While you are working in these stints, the student can continue to live in university housing / even continue to use some form of the meal plan if they want. They don’t pay tuition while working and make anywhere from $20 to $40 per hour in their work. Kids graduate with real hands-on experience that enhances a resume more than an internship IMO. At a recent Admitted Student Day, we were told that over 100 Coop jobs didn’t get filled - so there are plenty of Coop jobs which allows kids to try out different roles/ professions.
Hey, I’m a big BC fan. I am also a big NEU fan. The Coop program is definitely pre-professional as opposed to liberal arts focused; as are the BC Schools of Management, Nursing, and Education. Coop program isn’t for everyone but it is pretty darn impressive.
I will cite one example of the difference between a coop and an internship. I read this on another blog that CC does not allow to be linked. A Northeastern student was an accounting major. He did his first coop at a Big 4 accounting firm in the January to June cycle, as most accounting coops are. The wage was good and he worked 70-80 hour weeks from January through April. He made a lot of money with overtime. It slowed in May and June was very relaxed. In June the summer interns arrived. The firm sponsored company trips to baseball games and amusement parks during the work week. The interns thought “Wow!” this is a fun and easy job. They had no idea about the grind of tax season and stories about it didn’t phase them. They never worked through it.
That student changed his major to finance upon returning to campus in July. He learned that big accounting was not for him.
Did said student still graduate in four years? I see NEU still does not report its four-year graduation rate…
Back when NEU did publish its stats, the 4-year grad rate was <20%. (Staggering number, IMO.) Assuming the number has improved to say, 50%, that’s still a big factor for parents to consider: 1) additional costs; 2) co-op experience is now offset by a job working in the real world if graduating ‘on time’.
https://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/at-northeastern-a-degree-in-4-years-instead-of-5/
For perspective, at BC, 4-year grad rate is ~90%.
He is still a student. He should be able to graduate in 4 years, If he chooses to do so.
All but a handful (pharmacy, architecture) of programs at Northeastern can now be completed in four year, if the student so chooses. I would imagine that the four year graduation rate is still under 25%. There are no additional costs of attendance because tuition is not charged while on coop and virtually all coop jobs are paid.
Why do you consider the 4 year graduation rate to be “staggering” since in the past Northeastern had always been a 5 year program and made that quite clear in its promotions?
@bluebayou quoting statistics that are a misrepresentation of the program is not helpful to a student trying to decide. Even if you go to NEU for 5 years you do not pay more. You go to school for 8 semesters and pay for 8 semesters like every other college. There might be exceptions to paying more if students want to go on multiple international dialogues, do additional summer sessions, combine with masters program, etc. You work in the real world, earning real wages for 2 or 3 coop semesters and don’t pay tuition. No one is stopping kids from graduating in 4 years , 2 coops. Many kids want that third coop and do not see a downside to 5 years. In fact many excellent job offers come out of the last coop. Still, they only pay for 4 years of school…not sure how often this fact needs to be repeated.
On another note @kdmt1998 don’t rely on biased opinions to make such an important decision. These 2 schools are as different as can be. You have to feel completely comfortable with the culture (and perceived prestige differences, if that is as important to you as it seems). One of my children chose NEU over BC and schools more “prestigious” than BC. It was more difficult for us parents to get over that fact, but it is NOT our college experience. He wanted to be in an environment that didn’t feel like an extension of HS and being able to explore the world through NEU programs was way more important than a traditional college experience.
It’s like a beanpot thread. lol.
FWIW, my D will graduate at NEU in 3.5 years, this December. She did one coop. And she loves it there at NEU.
@bluebayou If you show up with a bunch of APs, you can graduate in 4 years from NEU even with two 6 month work stints. Many kids stay the extra half year or full year to get a 3rd 6 month job or to study abroad. It is an entirely different model than BC. Again, I’m a BC grad and fan but the 4 year graduation rate isn’t a good way to measure the effectiveness of the very different models. The Coop program is actually intended to be in general a greater than 4 year program. Student only pays for 3 or 4 years because of Coops. An traditional internship (7-8 weeks in summer?) is nice but limited. Compared to multiple 6 months Coops? Unquestionably NEU kids come out with real work experience and real resumes. Coop experience > Internship experience. And ‘yes’ it might take 4-5 years but so what.
If graduation rates were to be considered, it might be informative, or at least interesting, to compare BC’s 4-year rate (88%) with Northeastern’s 6-year rate (85%), which would partially adjust for the different structures of these schools’ programs.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/highest-grad-rate
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/northeastern-university-2199/rankings
@privatebanker haha. @CCSavant I think u nailed the list. Ok. Not sure why I checked this site on break, but have a good one everybody