BU vs Northeastern

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
1

I am definitively torn between BU and Northeastern. In terms of pros and cons of NEU and BU, as a general theme, I like the academics better for Northeastern, and the actual college experience better for BU. Now Im not really sure how I should decide which one of those is important.
Feel free to add to my pros and cons list!!!

Northeastern
Pros:
Music industry program (eventually what I would like to go into as of now)
arguably better academics
rapidly rising reputation
COOP program is a definite plus in my opinion, and I feel like it really prepared you for employment out of college

Cons
less school spirit than BU
COOP causes disunity in campus and lack of community
less focus on acapella
lack of party culture (I want a work hard-play hard school, and I have heard NEU doesnt have much of a party culture)

BU
Pros:
more of a traditional college experience
Stronger community/school spirit
stronger acapella
liked feel of campus better
More “work hard play hard”

Cons:
no music industry program
reputation isnt rising nearly as quickly as NEU
doesnt seem as academic as NEU

2

NEU is on the rise because they had only one way to go, up back in my day it was an also ran in Boston. BU is solidly top 50, will probably be there forever. Having been through this with my daughter who chose BU over NE and her friends who attended there, the schools attract different students.

NEU is on the rise for technical areas, I am not sure about the “music industry program” but BU is solidly entrenched in the entertainment business.

The COOP is good but make sure they have connections in your area, my D’s friends say several of their classmates have needed to do all their own legwork to find COOPs since the school had limited connections in their areas

NEU has been able to get their “stats” up by accepting a great deal, I would say almost half, of over-achieving kids (high SAT) in computer and technical majors, many internationals with inflated SAT scores. They have really changed not much about their academics.

NEU offers 25% of international (Alien) students Aid, that attracts many Intl students with high SAT scores. At BU its 5% makes teh acceptance socres look much higher.

3

I don’t know why you say BU isn’t as academic as Northeastern. I would say the opposite. BU is a real research university that pulls in way more grant money than Northeastern. Faculty have high standards. Where do you get this idea about Northeastern being more academic? Northeastern propaganda no doubt. I have a degree from each school, btw.

4

@Jssaab1

NEU actually does not count international students SAT’s into their rankings - some criticize them for using this to accept international students with lower scores even - where did you get the idea that they are using international students to boost their stats?

Either way, BU has a very similar percentage of international students to NEU - that’s one of the similarities between the schools.

NEU is rising because it truly is improving, and not just in rank / stats - they are building new programs, hiring new teachers, building new facilities, and drawing on the strength of the co-op program.

As a student who chose NEU over BU by a mile personally, I can tell you honestly that both are amazing schools and will fit some people better than others. There’s a lot in common and a lot of differences, but at the end of the day you’re going to to well at either.

While I’m a CS major, I know multiple people doing music industry, either as a minor or a major, and there are a lot of great resources - we have our own record label (Green Line Records) that many students work on, and the two I know both have jobs with record companies (Run For Cover and another in NYC) - the co-op program certainly works best for STEM, but there are plenty of co-op in other fields as well. My best friend in communications is working at The Boston Globe alongside other NEU co-ops - her boss is a NEU grad from many years ago.

@LBowie I think has some point with your judgment of the academics, though I wouldn’t say BU is better either - BU is more researched focused and grades harder in an attempt to challenge students more, but NEU is very challenging as well and also is a large research university - this too has expanded with the school’s rise.

I think your judgment of academics may be coming more from the vibes of the students, but the academic quality is similar - I think I know where you got the vibe from, and it’s a difference of mindset between students at each school. It’s more of a preference than a statistical difference.

Personally, I would go NEU for the Music Industry / Co-op - not having that specific program, and with NEU’s being very solid from my experience, makes a significant difference - add that to co-op and I think it’s your best option based on what’s in the thread.

As far as the cons go, the school doesn’t play as hard as BU, but there’s plenty of party culture here too - it’s more dorm/apartment parties than frats, but it is there for sure. The two schools don’t have environments so vastly different that you won’t find people similar to you at both.

Hope that helps! If you have any specific questions on either, I know them well - BU vs NEU is a very common trend here, and it truly comes down to specific programs and environmental preferences about 95% of the time. Anyone telling you one is clearly better than the other is either unaware of their biases or not informed on both currently.

5

Just visited both of these schools for admitted students day! I have that agree that I would be very happy at both schools, but nevertheless I still have to choose one. I really got a feel for the use of the coop program at NEU. One negative is however that BU gave me a half ride, and NEU have me nothing( money isn’t really an issue for my family fortunately, but it’s a nice benefit to have). In fact, for NEU, I would have to attend NU in. I’m very pro-traveling abroad for studies, but really don’t want to be away first semester of my college year, so this plays a role in my mind. Despite this (know I hinted this in my first post) but after being in each school environment, I felt very comfortable with NEU academics in general, how specific the majors are and how they felt smaller even though NEU is a large school. Socially, however, I felt more akin to BU, which seemed more college like and less work-like, and students seemed to act happier overall.

Guys I’m torn. Thoughts???

6

I’m hesitant to pass up on northeastern unique coop because of its fantastic job placement, but also love the overall culture of BU

7

It’s hard to pass up that kind of money…assuming you got a merit scholarship?

You have to go by fit… Sounds like BU felt good, but so did NEU? I personality don’t like the BU campus and love coop, but spending an extra $30K per year for NEU seems like a lot

8

Yes it was merit, and I loved both schools, which is why this decision is so hard

9

I think you’ve laid out the pro’s and cons very well, and frankly in your situation, there isn’t a bad choice - that’s important to remember in the end.

Do you have any single gut feeling of one over the other? You can always to the classic mental choice game: flip a coin, and assign NEU/BU to each side. Whatever side wins, that’s the school you’re going to. Wait a few days on that decision - if you feel massive regret or questioning, then switch to the other and wait a few days. If the coin flip just felt fitting, then it seems you have your choice.

That experiment will help you identify your gut feeling. In this case, I say go with that.

10

@mosam97, I don’t know much about the Music program at NEU, but as you know Bu has the school of Music which is a definitely a plus compared to NEU, which only has the music department. Also, Nu.in is expensive. I would go to BU if I were you, and may be a grad program at NEU to learn the business of music