<p>P.S., the Northwestern/Northeastern confusion wasn't such that they thought one was the other. It WASN'T like if you said you were going to Northwestern, people thought you were going to school in Boston. It was just that with names so similar, they often assumed that the schools would be similar as well...maybe even owned by the same organization. </p>
<p>"You mean even those that hang out in Harvard Square are that ignorant?" Hub of the UNIVERSE...need I say more?</p>
<p>Well, here in LA, many think USC/UCLA are very prestigious but have no clue about Tufts/Wellesley or even Brown. Thank God they don't carry much weight in recruiting, grad school admission, or college ranking (PA scores). ;)</p>
<p>Being born in New York City myself, I think stupak's list is very accurate. I agree totally with that order.</p>
<p>I thought that I should chime in here. While Northeastern may not hold the same prestige as Northwestern, NEU is by no means "mediocre." The projected stats for this year's class are: 3.5/1250 (excludes writing section). Northeastern also received 27,100 apps this year for 2800 seats in the frosh class (6500 applied EA) and acceptance rate in the low 40% range. Although these are not quite “elite” stats, they are still quite impressive. There are hundreds of admissions deans out there who would kill for these numbers.</p>
<p>While Northeastern was once known solely for its great co-op program it now has a one of the most attractive urban campuses in the country, good academics, and some top notch profs (most received there PhDs from places like Harvard, MIT, Cornell, Michigan etc.). A new president started this week. He is an MIT PHD. The new president is a known to be a strong fundraiser and recently held the position of Dean of USC's College of Letters and Arts and Sciences.</p>
<p>FYI, Northeastern is also expected to make a giant leap in the rankings when they come out tomorrow (as much as 17 spots if what I read on another thread on this board about the 2007 rankings turns out to be true). Although, I still think that it should be ranked much higher. </p>
<p>In short, while Northeastern is not quite at the level of Northwestern, NEU is making a national name for itself. In a decade or two, it may very well become Northwestern's peer. Now if Northeastern could only win the Beanpot!</p>
<p>EDIT: The new ranking are up on the U.S. News Website. Northeastern did in fact move up 17 spots. Well done!</p>
<p>From Boston, Mass.</p>
<ol>
<li>Harvard</li>
<li>Yale</li>
<li>Princeton/Stanford</li>
<li>MIT</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Dartmouth</li>
<li>Duke </li>
<li>Brown</li>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>Penn (Penn State confusion)</li>
<li>UC Berkeley</li>
<li>Chicago</li>
<li>Johns Hopkins</li>
<li>CalTech</li>
<li>Washington in St. Louis</li>
</ol>
<p>As a Bostonian, I disgree with a few of the comments that have been made about Northwestern and Tufts. Most regard Northwestern as a better school--in a different, higher league than Tufts. Honestly, in Boston, Tufts remains best known for its Health Plan and Medical Center--there are local TV commercials for them. Lots of local kids go there, and most consider it a distant third fiddle to Harvard and MIT. Furthermore, I believe that even most Tufts students would admit that most people regard Northwestern as more prestigious.</p>
<p>When I was little, I heard of Northwestern's theater and journalism programs--lots of actors from NU... I believe that if you asked the average Bostonian to name a prestigious university in the Midwest--if he could name any--he would probably name Northwestern. (If the guy you asked happened to be a professor--and in Boston, there's a distinct possibility--he might say "U. Chicago.")</p>
<p>Lots of great schools in Mass. Add the top LAC'S-Amherst, Williams, Wellesley,Smith, Mt. Holyoke and Holy Cross- no other state comes close.</p>
<p>par72;</p>
<p>I think Pennsylvania could give mass a run for the money: swarthmore, haverford, bryn mawr, dickinson, gettysburg, franklin and marshall, bucknell, ursinus, muhlenburg and on and on and on......</p>
<p>hubble: dont forget number 1 party school: Lehigh :rolleyes:</p>
<p>in the heart of Pocono - home of famed champagne bed :rolleyes:</p>
<p>"if he could name any" --that sort of says it all.</p>
<p>The question debated is not whether Northwestern is considered better than Tufts (or Tuffs, as it is often pronounced even by locals), but whether it gets blown away by Northwestern. I think not. And I think you have to admire the little university in Medford...weak sports, ridiculous mascot, odd name, the root of an alleged syndrome, in the shadow of perhaps the 2 best universities in the world, and with all that going against it, it STILL gets some great students and professors, and holds a very respectable place in the fast-track New England scene.</p>
<p>Tourguide446, I agree you there. Northwestern does not "blow away" Tufts. Then again, I'm not sure that any university "blows away" Tufts or Northwestern... I don't doubt that the quality of a liberal arts education at Tufts equals the quality of one at Northwestern. Then again, I don't doubt that the quality of a liberal arts education at, for example, Columbia, equals that at Northwestern. In other words, we're splitting hairs.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Columbia2007 is an incredible prestige whore
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's good to know I have a well-established personality here. What a prestigious honor!</p>
<p>Maximus: Northeastern has potential but it really needs to do two things: improve the look of the campus (which isn't ugly but not very picturesque either)...though I believe the school is working on this, and get rid of the co-op program, which honestly makes it come off very trade-schooly. It doesn't help that a lot of employers in Boston think of Northeastern co-ops as cheap, dispensible labor...they're the first out the door to make room for when the client's daughter who goes to Amherst or Yale needs a last-ditch internship worth a resume line. </p>
<p>We can disagree about which schools Bostonians find more prestigious, but it's certainly true that many, like myself, are prestige whores...or just whores.</p>
<p>BTW, my family is from Needham. It's definitely the kind of town that would prefer Northwestern to Tufts...it has a rather middle class Midwest feel to it overall. The opinion in Newton and Cambridge is quite different.</p>
<p>Michael Clark Duncan ... the name didn't hit me right away so I just googled his image and couldn't stop laughing... man, that is just nasty, congrats on stealing back the visual award.</p>
<p>No offense Columbia, but based on Northeastern's rapid rise in the rankings (52 spots in five years), the school does not need to change anything about itself. If you could buy stock in colleges, Northeastern would be another Google. Obviously it is doing quite well for itself. Just ask the 27,000 people who applied this year for the 2800 spots in the frosh class (6500 EA). The 100 year old co-op program (which is very successful and managed by a Wharton grad) is what separates Northeastern from the other schools in the Boston area. As for your comment that Northeastern's students are the first out the door to make room for when the client's daughter who goes to Amherst or Yale needs a last-ditch internship worth a resume line." If that does occur, I can assure that its quite rare and would be limited to liberal arts types of summer internships. Northeasterns primary strengths are engineering, computer science, architecture, business (ranked 37th by Business Week), and health sciences. You will never see a Northeastern engineering student at Raytheon (former CEO is a Northeastern grad) or EMC (founded by Northeastern grads) replaced by an Amherst College philosophy major. As for the campus, you may not find it to your taste, but NEUs campus is easily one of the most attractive urban campuses in the country. By urban, I am referring to a major city (ie. not New Haven).</p>
<p>This is not a pro/anti NWU post. </p>
<p>Where I live, Tufts is held in extremely high regard, and is easily seen on the same level as G-town, JHU, and yes, even NWU. Even a cursory look at the admissions statistics reveals why. Tufts is viewed on the same level, b/c it is on the same level. This fact (and it is a fact) is one that is seemingly almost impossible for many CC'ers to understand. Why would 15,500 top students apply, only for 26% to get in, just so they could go to...(OMG!!!) Tufts! And these students have....it can't be!....oh no!....the same entering stats as those schools!!! (faint.). I have never been told (or heard) that Tufts was seen as far and away a distant third to Harvard and MIT; moreover, I have always been informed that Tufts is the quiet university right behind those two, taking those students with similar stats who for whatever reason may not have gotten into H or M, along with those who (What????!!! Quoi?) chose it over it's peer competitors like Emory, WashU, JHU, etc. etc. But because Tufts programmes are just soooo bad in every arena (except IR), their retention rate is 91-93% (!!!!). </p>
<p>Do you see the sarcasm yet? ;) </p>
<p>My point is that it is very easily to be swept up by rumour and fallacy, thus ignoring things such as the basic facts that I mentioned above. One must use logic - Tufts wouldn't be attracting the kind of applicant pool that it is attracting and bringing in if it didn't offer the same level of education and opportunities as its' peer competitors, such as NWU. There are things that have tended to marginalize the school, unfortunately. Its notable lack of a star sports program allows smart atheletes to be drawn to competitors. It is not need-blind (yet -- to be fixed in the next few years). It must keep its' capital campaign going - maybe 2 billion endowment is seeable in a few years' time. And, what few people know: Tufts was a LAC that took the unprecedented step of converting to an International Research University. This was a risky step, and it took many years to successfully complete this; including over many years when JHU, G-town, NWU, Emory, etc. were forging ahead, universities with steady goals from the start.</p>
<p>I do hope that the ongoing arguments be brought to rest.</p>
<p>I just finished reading the entire thread and have concluded that it was a waste of time. I was, however, pleasantly amused by the Northwestern beanpot reference though.</p>
<p>Like Sam said. If you think Tufts is also on the same level as Columbia and Brown, then I have no problem with you saying it’s on the same level as Northwestern....... But then again, if Tufts is on the same level as Northwestern, then Northwestern is on the same level as Harvard.... :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Why can't people stick to facts when discussing what college is better if they don't know much about the colleges being discussed, rather than simply saying what they think or discussing semi-fictional antidotes about what their neighbors think about colleges hundreds of miles away?</p>
<p>Well while we're sure our neighbors don't have the antidote to this discussion, one can be sure their anecdotes are just as crucial as easily-skewed statistics...</p>