Boston Univ or North Eastern Univ.

<p>@fieldsports.</p>

<p>I think she sort of wants to “blaze her own trail” to an extent, but she is coming out of IB, so she feels she deserves more than CGS, if I could put it that way. Financially, they’re about the same. NEU co-ops are very interesting, esp the International business options, I’m a bit concerned about the near whole year scheduling after freshman year though.
BU SMG will either make or break you (good for some, maybe not for others). Both student bodies interact pretty much as they’re in the same vicinity of town.</p>

<p>", I’m a bit concerned about the near whole year scheduling after freshman year though." - Don’t be too concerned by that. Many students at other colleges start doing summer internships after sophomore year (if lucky)… so they too are busy all years with just short breaks. The good thing is that NEU facilitates the co-op job hunt. </p>

<p>There is an interesting twist with NEU for international experiences. Some of the summer session classes can be done a “Dialog” abroad. I think they charge only tuition, a particularly good deal for those on full tuition scholarship.</p>

<p>@ LBowie
How would you compare classes at BU-NEU? And faculty. I understand undergrad/grad but it should still apply. Also student life/general atmosphere/neighborhood?</p>

<p>@colorado_mom
Thanks. I looked at the calenders, I think she wants the 4 year co-op option with only the first summer off. </p>

<p>I’m still willing to consider BU CGS if they will eventually take her IB credit and allow early SMG classes. She is more or less in NEU camp at this point, not wanting to do 2 years Liberal Arts after 4 years of IB. </p>

<p>What do you guys think of D’Amore-McKim School of Business at NEU/ SMG at BU?</p>

<p>When I was at BU in the sciences, I really liked my professors and had the opportunity to do research with both biology and chemistry professors, as well as a foreign language independent study. I also found faculty approachable and could always ask a question. At Northeastern I was in a specialized professional health science program with only 7 other students so of course we got to know faculty very well also. The very best teacher I have ever had in my life is at Northeastern. I would say faculty at both places take teaching seriously. It is by no means easy to get a faculty job at either place so you have to be accomplished. Every university has department or centers it is known for. I am unfortunately not well versed in how various business schools rank and have no clue how Northeastern and BU compare.</p>

<p>Sorry I forgot to answer you about neighborhood. The campuses, as you know, are not far apart. I like BU’s location a little better, as Northeastern is more urban and seems like it’s more stuck in the middle of the city. NEU has the Fens area nearby for green space, while BU has the river. BU has the disadvantage of being more spread out, whereas Northeastern actually has a campus center.</p>

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<p>You can check, but I doubt your D will be happy at BU CGS as she’ll be placed with remedial students who struggled even with basic HS courses at average/mediocre high schools. </p>

<p>Not to mention there’s no guarantee of a transfer to SMG or CGS allowing her to opt out of taking their core. As you and your older D seemed to have experienced, BU can be very bureaucratic about many things. </p>

<p>My impression from having lived and worked in the Boston area after college was that While SMG has fancier looking buildings and name, there really isn’t much of a difference between the reputation of the 2 universities’ respective undergrad b-schools…especially after NEU’s co-op program is accounted for. </p>

<p>NEU’s rise since the late '90s has only furthered reduced that difference from what I’ve seen and heard from various employers and folks in the Boston area.</p>

<p>My vote is NEU because of all the opportunities NEU offer. Other schools may offer similar opportunities but they are not packaged in a way that makes it easy to participate. At NEU they have a very unique study abroad program for the freshman business students during the Summer 1 session after freshman year. You have a choice of going to Seville, Rouen, Rome, or Beijing to a NEU-specific program that includes Intro to International Business and a cultural experience. It is 8 credits and you are with all NEU students. My D did it last year and loved it…she is planning a full semester abroad as well as a Dialogue (8 weeks in Summer). She is now on coop in a GREAT job and the company has told her she can come back for another coop or when she graduates and they will find a position for her. It may not be the right place for her but she is getting very good experience.</p>

<p>@LBowie
I agree with your assessment of the area. But how was it getting around from NEU, and venturing into the surrounding neighborhoods? Things like going to the grocery and hoping the train to other parts of the city, airport and likewise.
Also I didn’t know there was a campus center there. Does it feel on campus like a few blocks in the city or more separate, its own identity?</p>

<p>@Cobrat
You’re right. SMG and NEU McKim business are on par, which is the way I am looking at it, though 2 years at BU CGS stand in the way. I also think NEU has better minor options than BU (experience; SMG pretty much rules out time for anything else). Anyone familiar with McKim B-school can inform me what it’s like there attempting to per-sue a minor option in another school. We asked, and were reassured it was entirely feasible.</p>

<p>@momofboston
Thanks for commenting. How would you describe your experience of NEU generally? Is she doing the 4/5 year track?
Did she have choice in her co-op or not? What about the domestic co-op? And what academic responsibilities are there during it? And could you clarify what is the "Dialogue, I keep hearing about it but haven’t fully understood it yet.</p>

<p>Both schools have excellent access to public transportation as the Green Line of the T runs past both. The B line branch goes on Comm Ave past BU and the E line branch goes past Northeastern on Huntington Ave. Plus the Orange Line has a stop right on campus. BU is also near Kenmore Square where 3 lines (B, C, D) meet. In general, access to public transportation will be very similar at the two campuses. The airport is not on the Green or Orange Line. You would need to transfer – not a big deal. </p>

<p>BU has a more residential area nearby (Brookline) with single family homes. Most of the areas around Northeastern are more apartments but also row houses.</p>

<p>There are large supermarkets not far from either campus. If you are living off campus, you would likely have one near you. There are lots of little restaurants near both schools. I guess I would say the schools are more alike than different! In your case, I would still definitely lean heavily towards Northeastern.</p>

<p>Are you wondering which is safer? Not much difference. I might have said BU, but then there were a bunch of armed robberies there earlier this school year.</p>

<p>@LBowie.
Heard about the robberies, but heard they were mostly kids in Brookline area flashing Ipods and smartphones carelessly, though one kid was stabbed, unfortunate. </p>

<p>Thanks for the details of the NEU area, very helpful. We should be going next wknd for open house, so will have a chance to see. I like the BU area myself, and my D there gets around fine. </p>

<p>Are you local to Boston? If not, do you think NEU is as easy to get acclimatized as BU?</p>

<p>florida2boston2 - D is on a 5 year track, she interviewed at 3 companies and was offered a coop at all three, so she did have her pick. She does not have an academic responsibilities while on coop but she does live on campus. Half of her room mates are on coop and half are in class. She is active in the evenings with her ECs and she belongs to a sorority as well as a few clubs. A Dialogue is a short study abroad option offered during Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions…you actually go with a professor from NEU and study a particular subject…you can find them on the Global part of NEU’s web site.</p>

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<p>Actually, that is extremely irregular speaking as someone who lived in Brookline for a bit and who knows those areas fairly well. </p>

<p>Brookline is practically a suburb so the armed violent robberies are extremely unusual for that area. </p>

<p>On the other hand, my older colleagues/friends who attended NEU remembered when the neighborhoods around NEU like Roxbury and Mission Hill were exceedingly dangerous areas(early - mid '90s). One recalled seeing the body of a murder victim shot right in the middle of Huntington Avenue sometime in the fall of 1991 in his freshman year at NEU. </p>

<p>By the time I arrived in the Boston area right before the '00s, the NEU campus was much safer and I had no compunctions of walking around the campus/area late at night alone…even at 2-3 am. Still felt that way the last time I visited a friend who lived close to the NEU campus a few months ago.</p>

<p>NEU is well-patrolled at night. Not sure what you mean by get acclimatized to, but you will see for yourself when you visit. If you already like BU, I think you will be equally pleased with Northeastern.</p>

<p>@momofboston
How is she managing with the schedule at NEU? What time has she had off since starting there? We’re interested in the 4 year biz. Which program is your D in, Biz or International Biz? What does she think of the housing and dorm life on campus?</p>

<p>Also, how exactly are the co-ops done while on campus. I understand you pay for housing while in domestic co-op, but what do you about co-op abroad? How is the tuition handled while in co-op?
Thanks for explaining the Dialogue, BTW.</p>

<p>Northeastern has much more of a campus than BU. It has quads and greenspace and is pretty centered. BU is spread out among three (I think) train stops. I think Northeastern is also more public transportation accessible since it’s right on both the green and the orange line and I think a bit closer in to downtown than BU is (I personally hate BU’s branch of the green line and try to avoid it). I do really like BU, but I think CGS is a reason to pick NU. I’d avoid CGS at either school if possible – if you need it, it’s a good program, but Northeastern has an excellent business school, so if that’s an option, I would not take the CGS option.</p>

<p>You do not pay tuition at all while on co-op. You do have to pay housing. I lived off-campus during all three of my co-ops and covered my living expenses entirely with what I made but didn’t save much money. In business, I think the co-ops might pay a little more, though. I’d imagine co-op abroad is fairly similar. Not all co-ops pay, and the money goes straight to you from the employer, so it’s not like Northeastern’s converting your working into room and board payment or anything.</p>

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<p>Is the Boston area one of those areas where suburbs are automatically low crime areas?</p>

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<p>Technically, Brookline is another city. However, it has a suburban feeling for the most part and has been a bit ahead of the gentrification trend in Boston proper. Tends to be popular among undergrads, med/grad students, or anyone else earning higher incomes or from families with that trait. </p>

<p>If one wants to compare it with NYC neighborhoods, it’s very similar to Park Slope in many ways. </p>

<p>Granted, there are a few rental bargains as I found with one extremely large apartment for very little money for the area when i lived there. Most neighbors were medical doctors or medical students from HMS.</p>