Hello all, I’m trying to settle an internal debate. I visited a lot of schools in Boston back in April and these two schools really shined. Personally I’m leaning more towards BU but NEU had a lot of great features as well (its study abroad options are unrivaled).
Some things about me:
- current senior
- English major
- white, female
- loves the city
- artsy & liberal
- want to try new things & have lots to do
- will definitely work a job/internship in college
As current students or graduates, please give me your opinions on these schools and any other info related to your experience there. Since they’re so close together, weighing in on them as a student of another nearby school would be helpful too, so I know how others perceive the students there. For the sake of discussion, disregard cost. I know they’re both super expensive. Thanks!!!
This is a very common comparison for obvious reasons. Current NEU student here, got into both, and very positive opinion of both still (we both get to hate on BC together even if we are still rivals). Here are the main factors I think it comes down to:
- Co-op - this is a duh. Either you're practically bent and love it, it's a turn-off, or you're somewhere in the middle.
- Major - while they share similarities in some fields, I think some majors are significantly better in one place than the other unless item #1 outweighs the major strength. Some basic list of opinions based on my experiences and knowledge of each, not to be taken as gospel but just generally.
CS - Northeastern
Engineering - Close, edge Northeastern
Business - even
Social Sciences - Northeastern
Comm/Journalism - BU
Arts/Humanities - BU
If you notice, generally, BU is usually better for typical liberal arts subjects while Northeastern excels in the technical fields. This seems like a duh when you look at the schools from far away, but it’s interesting to see laid out like this IMO. Of course, you can do technical well at BU and liberal arts at Northeastern, but the trend holds and the culture is a bit reflective of that as well. This is still all relative too - both schools are still pretty similar in the grand scheme.
- Campus - BU is a city school, no campus at all. It's buildings on a street. Northeastern is a campus in the middle of a city with some quads, spaces, etc. For some this matters a surprising amount one way or the other, for others it's a city school either way.
In your case, I think leaning to BU makes sense given your major. BU’s study abroad is very strong as well. Given that you didn’t mention co-op in the OP, it doesn’t seem like that’s a priority/draw. A very motivated student can get jobs/internships, and BU will help with that to some extent too. The advantage of co-op is a lot more experience total, more support in finding jobs for the less than super motivated, and a school system built around it to support it. Pay is very nice as well for many technical majors but I’m guessing you’d struggle to break even in traditional English related jobs either way, so that’s not relevant for you personally.
@PengsPhils I really appreciate your thorough response. I agree with you and am leaning toward BU (although I do very much like NEU’s co-op program, just forgot to mention it). The campus thing isn’t an issue as I see myself spending a most of my free time in the city itself. But since you got accepted into both, would you mind weighing in on what you think my chances are at getting into both schools too?
I’m white, female, in the top 5% of my graduating class of 300+.
SAT 1460 (750 E, 710 M)
ACT 31
UW GPA 3.78, W GPA 4.41
Dual-enrolled, graduating with 24 college credits & took several APs too.
The rest of my info is here http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2008065-chance-me-are-my-safeties-matches-reaches-accurate.html#latest
Compared to your scores/stats, am I similar? Thanks for your help.
I know someone in my D17’s year with similar stats (actually her ACT score was lower, and her weighted GPA was lower too, I don’t know about unweighted), and she got into NEU and BU, but BU only offered winter start.
Both have gotten a bit harder to get into even since I got in. Both are match schools for you. They also look for different things. Generally, BU cares more about GPA, Northeastern cares more about test scores.
If you look back at decision threads, it’s very common to see people get accepted to one, rejected from the other, and have it go both ways.
Good luck!
I wouldn’t recommend Northeastern to a literary artist type. The vibe at BU would be a better fit, as would the more academic curriculum. Northeastern is very pre professional in nature… it’s a different approach to education.