Co-op/career opportunities comparison Computer Science (UW Seattle v Northeastern v WPI)

College Search & Selection
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I am basically down to three schools at this point. I love each of them but for different reasons.

One of my observations I made when I visited Northeastern is everyone there seemed to have a humongous sense of purpose about them. The same can be said for UW Seattle and WPI but certainly to a lesser degree. I am wondering if that has to do with its location in Boston or perhaps their Co-op program which gets most students 12 months (I think) of work experience before graduation.

The thing is, I know UW Seattle ought to be in a location with a lot more tech jobs… right? I have always thought that Seattle was a bigger tech hub than Boston but I am not sure if that is my bias as a Washington State resident.
That being said I know that Northeastern does have a satellite campus in Seattle so I could presumably do Seattle co-ops in Seattle with Northeastern.

So my question is, which school do you think can offer me the most opportunities to graduate with an incredible resume? Which do you think has the greatest proportion of CS students that have been offered great computer science work experience during their undergraduate years?

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Do you have direct admission to the CS major at each school?

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I am also considering Northeastern. I don’t know much about the other schools but the co op program seems to be a built-in resume builder and I have heard that many students get job offers from their co op employers.

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That’s probably most due to co-op, but in general, Northeastern students are well described as mature and directed. People set a path and go, and even if that path changes, they quickly correct and keep going.

Boston is getting to be a comparable tech hub to Seattle these days, though it probably still has a small edge. Historically, you are right, but Boston is growing quickly there. However, as a worker in the industry, the difference is minute. The Seattle satellite campus won’t make a difference, but there are co-ops there, which will make a difference. Amazon, of course, is included in that, though frankly many people in tech are no longer interested in working there due to their culture.

In terms of co-op and experience, it depends on how many you do. You can do 3 co-ops and get 18 months work experience, or one and get 6. The combinations are pretty unlimited. In the end, the exact number doesn’t matter, the experience will paint the picture.

This would be a close race between UW Seattle and Northeastern. A typical UW student will have 2 internships at good companies, a typical Northeastern student will have 2-3 co-ops at good companies. I don’t think you can go wrong with either. I think WPI is a step below here, and narrowing to these two is a good step.

For Northeastern, 67% of CCIS students have a full-time offer from a co-op employer on graduation. I believe that number is 50% across all of the school. I don’t think UW will be any different in general for full time offers given its strength, but it gives you an idea of how good the career placement is at NEU, particularly in CS.

On the west coast, UW may be known ever so slightly better, but for CS, it likely won’t matter much. I’d venture to bet you’re going to work in the valley at least once while attending either, before graduation.

I’d make a case for Northeastern having a better introductory teaching program - I think I’ve already detailed that on previous threads though.

Between these, I think I would focus on fit. Seattle or Boston? Co-op or internships? Anything else that seems to stand out to you. If it’s a true tie and nothing pulls you to either, I would default to UW just based on the name prestige. Really, there’s not a bad choice on this thread.