I’ve been admitted to both and am stuck. Northeastern is so appealing because of the CoOps and Cal poly because of the learn by doing. Which would better prepare me for a career in civil?
They are both good programs and well respected. I’d base your decision not on which one is “best” for civil, because they are both good, but different. I’d base your decision on the other intangibles like where you want to live when you’re finished, what weather you prefer, whether you like urban, or smaller city, fairly isolated environment. Beach or skiing? Museums or beach sunsets. Really, it’s far more about the things NOT school than it is about the schools. Good luck.
I second what eyemgh said.
Cal Poly has a very good reputation on the west coast and finding an internship/co-op is made easier with the hands-on learning experience. Cal Poly also has a separate smaller career fair for civil engineering in addition to the normal career fair.