I agree NU and BU are probably on par in perceived prestige at this time. @PengsPhils
@laenen I don’t believe BU students think they have volunteerily given up Harvard, not even close.
BC http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=144
NU http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=456
BU http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=146
Somewhere I read Northeastern admission heavily weights Test Scores; BU weighs GPA/classes more.
Look at impressive 50% score ranges at Northeastern.
BC has the highest yield though.
Welcome back to the prep school forum, Leanid!
I think BC, NU and BU are fine universities. All three have been getting more competitive.
I think NU appeals more to students who “know what they want to do,” i.e., for whom the coop internships are a big draw. That doesn’t, for me, mean that NU students are better or worse than BC, BU or Tufts students, just that they are more focused on one field at an earlier age. NU’s new facilities are impressive; it was one of the few universities to allow tours to see dorm rooms.
I have the impression BC and BU have been pointing out to alumni parents in the area that their selectivity has risen, just from the worry I’ve heard from friends who were counting on their legacy children having an edge in BC and BU admissions.
One thing that’s relevant at the very elite schools–which was the original question–BC is a school which pretty much the entire school can apply to. For the top kids at an Andover, it’s still a safety school. For the middle tier, it’s a good fit, and for the lowest group, it’s probably a reach. But not such a reach that kids will be put off from applying to it. So depending on year, all three tiers will send some students there. So not only does BC have among the most matriculating, it likely has among the most applicants.
Compare to Harvard–the bottom tier is going to be heavily discouraged from applying, and even the middle tier may not. I think if you look at most of the big “receivers of students” from the top schools, they have some similar characteristics. USC, NYU, UVA, Bucknell–these are all quality schools but have broad appeal and enough scale so that they are attracting far more applicants than comparable, but much smaller places.
Different families have different views on quality. I have the impression that many Catholic families will strongly prefer a Catholic college over colleges which others may find desirable. So there are very strong students whose list of most desired colleges may read Georgetown, BC, Villanova, Notre Dame, rather than the Ivies.
@panpacific – I didn’t type BU. I typed BC. And I am only stating that from my friends and colleagues that have gone to BC. Every one of them believe they could have gone to Harvard if they wanted. For example I have a good friend teaching at BC who likes to state that he is glad he choose BC over MIT.
I find this to be the culture of BC alumni, students and even their professors. Highly confident 
I like how my colleagues at NU contrast themselves with “the schools across the river” as the “working class”.
@Periwinkle – my experience is very much in alignment with your post.
As for Tufts, I consider them much better than BC/BU/NU. That said BC networking is really strong. In my experience their alumni association/networking is one of the top 3 in Boston. (Harvard, MIT and BC)
I kept mistyping BC and BU. 
Yes, I was talking about BC. Not sure why your fiends in BC think they “could’ve” gone to Harvard", but in this context (i.e. BC/BU/NU and top 10 BS), I don’t think that is true at all. It is most likely a safety school candidate for someone applying to Harvard, as Mr. Wendal suggested.
Periwinkle - Thanks. – I, too, agree with your take on which colleges appeal to Catholic families/students much more than ever before, virtually irrespective of academic standing.
laenen - I do not consider Tufts “much better than BC…”. While US News is not the absolute arbiter on rankings (don’t know that anything is) it seems to be most often cited when comparing colleges. In it, Tufts ranks 27th while BC is 30th – that makes them a lot closer than Tufts being “much better”.
Here’s a new thread where the Northeastern’s improved reputation is being discussed. Made me think of this discussion:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1893027-schools-you-didnt-realize-that-are-very-selective.html#latest