I live in CT. Planning to major in Computer Science and maybe minor in Econ.
Tufts - 76k
NYU - 76k
UNC - 52k (Honors)
Northeastern - 45k (Honors)
Have you visited all of these schools? Are they affordable? These schools are very different from one another…do you have any preferences? Coop? Urban? Traditional campus? Size?
Are these schools that you have been accepted to and this is the expected cost per year?
These are schools I have been accepted to and this is what I would have to pay for the year. I have visited all of them. While the full tuition is not ideal at all for my family, it is technically affordable.
I don’t have big preference in terms of location/size/campus style. Those things all seemed fine for me (despite the differences) when I visited all of these schools. I am concerned more with opinions you all might have about academics, social atmosphere, etc.
Congrats!!!
UNC if you want traditional college campus with great spirit. Northeastern for urban bustle.
Have you been to any accepted students days? That may help. What do you enjoy doing? Sports? Clubs? Research? Concerts? Dinners with friends?
Do you prefer having a big city at your fingertips with everything it has to offer? Would you prefer to be in a college town?
I can’t speak about your major but you have 4 solid academic choices. Can your parents pay $76,000 a year without hardship?
Last I knew UNC it could be very difficult to get classes. They are all good schools. I would choose Northeastern to lighten the financial burden which has a strong coop program that provides work experience which is important in today’s world while giving you spending cash. If you like city life even for the weekend, Chapel Hill will feel confining. If you are into the great outdoors, UNC would meet that need. Chapel Hill culturally is the most laid back.
Chapel Hill does not strike me as the great outdoors…you have to leave the area for that sort of thing.
UNC is a very spirited school. Greek life is there but not huge. You can attend concerts, go out to eat with friends, join clubs ( they are pretty active), volunteer, attend lectures, etc. The town is connected to the campus and the area is usually pretty busy. You will meet students from all over despite 18% OOS…but it’s a N.C. public university and lots are from N.C. That being said…you will find a diverse group.
NYU is an urban school…not a traditional campus. The overall feel will be different. NE has the coop …I have been told that once students go on coop you don’t see much of them. When we visited NE one of the students told me that it was very hard for her to adjust to coop. Everybody is different and you might love it.
Maybe somebody can discuss Tufts.
I used to live in Chapel Hill as well as the NY area. It is a completely different vibe and culture. While it may not be outdoorsy compared to Colorado it is compared to NYC and Boston.
Yes UNC is more outdoorsy compared to NYC and Boston… that’s true. When I think of outdoorsy I think of hiking etc…that’s not CH. That’s more like upstate NY.
Thanks to all who have replied!
Northeastern IMO is both the best CS program here and also the cheapest, that’d be my choice personally. That said I 100% agree with others that these are drastically different schools, especially between UNC and the others. Don’t discount fit here. Northeastern is very much a nontraditional model with the high co-op emphasis. How do you feel about co-op?
I definitely really want to have a lot of real-world experience, so I would definitely plan on doing internships no matter where I end up. What I have heard from some people is that co-op can get kind of frustrating since it is basically six months away from college just working and having to do so. I guess I have reservations but I definitely value the experience. Would be great if you could tell me more about it!
Anecdotally most people I know here love co-op and are mainly here for it. It’s a great break from classes that can combat academic burnout, great experience, good money in CS usually, and if you’re not enjoying working on co-op what exactly is your plan postgrad in the first place? To just be miserable and always dream of going back to the college years? Co-op is a way to have confidence in your career both in skills and enjoyment. You can try out different company sizes, industries, and even change your major after co-op if you don’t like the career of your major.
It’s also worth noting that plenty of co-op’s are in Boston and won’t even take you off campus if you choose to stay on campus during. Your first semesters will also be just like any other school.
All that said, if you have reservations and aren’t excited about co-op you have lots of other good options here. Co-op is helpful for the experience but isn’t a magic bullet and you should be excited for the program, not feel obligated by it. Summer internships in CS are pretty plentiful these days generally as you alluded to. UNC is a good school and will offer a lot more of that traditional college experience and stability. It’s 100% okay to value that in your decision and you shouldn’t force an option to fit you.
@PengsPhils
Got it, thanks a lot! Honestly didn’t know much about co-op myself beyond what they explained during the tour and info session. You definitely make it seem very appealing and valuable.
Absolutely look into co-op more before making a decision either way. There’s a FAQ on the Northeastern forum and also lots of information on Northeastern’s website.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/northeastern-university/2122590-co-op-information-and-faq.html
https://careers.northeastern.edu/what-is-cooperative-education/
One side of Tufts is in Somerville, a turn of the century “streetcar suburb” of Boston. It is a small city but it has the 16th highest population density in the US, so it has a “low rise” urban feel to it. It is separated from Boston by Cambridge, another small city that has the 26th highest population density in the US, but it has a “mid-rise” urban feel to it". Boston
which is a few miles away (across the Charles River) has the 51st highest population density in the US, but has a “high rise” urban feel to it. “Camberville” is home to Tufts, Harvard, MIT, Lesley University and Longy School of Music. Davis Square (near Tufts) and Harvard Square are the most popular hangouts and Kendal Square (near MIT) is loaded with high tech companies (including Google) and startups.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population_density
The other side of Tufts is in Medford, a less dense city that contains the Middlesex Fells (about 2 miles from Tufts), a 2,200 acre reservation with 100 miles of mixed use trails. Tufts also owns a “Loj” in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (near Dartmouth), A van is provided to travel to the the Loj (about 2 hours away). Anyone can go. The Tufts Mountain Club is one of the larger clubs on campus. They manage the Loj and the vans.They organize trips to the Loj. the Fells, one of two private indoor climbing walls in Somerville, and several local outdoor rock formations. The Tufts rock climbing team is top ranked in national competitions.
https://www.mass.gov/locations/middlesex-fells-reservation
There is a subway station (Red Line) in Davis Square that connects Davis, Harvard and Kendal squares to Boston
and Tufts runs a continuous shuttle between Tufts and Davis Square as well as a shuttle between Tufts and the SMFA campus (which is next to Northeastern).
In December 2021 Tufts will have a subway station (Green Line) on campus (next to a new CS building) that will provide additional connectivity to Boston.
Tufts has some “outdoorsy” types who almost never go into Boston as well as some “urban types” who may not even know that the Fells or Loj exist.
Nearly everyone goes into Davis and Harvard squares as well as Ball Square, Powder House Square and Teele Square in Somerville as well as the Medford Hillside and Medford Square. One of the primary attributes of a streetcar suburb is lots of squares surrounded by residences.
Personally, I’d think NYU would be the first one to cut. If you want an urban university experience, why not go to Northeastern which offers as good or better CS and at a dramatically better price point?
Tufts has some attributes that the others don’t - if you feel drawn to the experience of an elite, mid-sized, urban-adjacent university with equally superb liberal arts and STEM, then it does make sense to weigh that value-added against the cost. I personally don’t know enough about the honors program at Chapel Hill to have an impression as to the extent to which it might capture some of that smaller-elite-U vibe within the larger top-tier flagship, but that’s definitely something to look at side-by-side.
Everything I’ve heard about Northeastern Honors is that Honors is nice to have in terms of housing and merit money, but the actual programming isn’t necessarily transformative as compared to non-honors. But CS and general quality-of-life at Northeastern is pretty great as a baseline, and they’re made you an excellent offer.
Tough call. Tufts may be “worth” the extra money depending on what’s important to you and how much of a strain full-pay would be. Northeastern’s offer could be compelling. And then you have UNC Honors there in the middle. I’ll be interested to hear what you decide - congrats on having great choices!
I agree about cutting NYU, especially since you indicated that although your family could pay, it would not be ideal. I think that $76,000 a year for NYU is a lot of money given that NE is less expensive and you don’t mind the co-op.
I would sit down with your parents and discuss Tufts, which is an excellent school but is also $76,000 a year. Your post suggests that although your parents can pay, it might not be in their best interest. I might be wrong about my impression but it’s something to discuss. Can your parents pay for Tufts without any hardship and without impacting their retirement or the education of younger siblings? If the answer is yes, then Tufts is a school that is worth looking into some more.
NE is in Boston and has the co-op. Most students that I have met either love it or don’t. You have to decide whether or not this non-traditional type experience is for you.
UNC is different than the other 3. It is not in or very near a major city…but it is in the Research Triangle. Chapel Hill and the neighboring Carrboro are traditional college towns with a very different vibe than your other choices. You will have the experience of a very strong public university. Despite not being in a city there is still a lot to do to keep busy when you are not studying. Even though you are OOS and in the honors program, you will still be challenged academically.
There are no bad choices here. This is going to come down to what your parents are comfortable paying and what type of experience you want. At the end of the day your success will depend on you…not your school. I know Ivy League kids who never had an internship, and I know plenty of kids from unknown schools who had amazing internships etc.