Hi guys,
So one of my friends really wants to go to Northeastern for Chemical Engineering for their co-op programs, but her parents really want her to go to University of Rochester because they believe that UR is better for Chemical Engineering than Rochester which I don’t know if it’s true or not, but from the rankings I have read that Northeastern has a better undergraduate for engineering, could you please provide me with evidence as to why Northeastern would possibly be better for Chemical Engineering? Please? Thank you!
US News puts general undergraduate engineering at 53 for Northeastern and 75 for Rochester
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate
This site has them at 38 and 44 respectively for chemical engineering, with Rochester first:
https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/engineering/chemical-engineering/rankings/top-ranked/
Of course, these are just rankings based on various methodologies, and you likely already have seen the first one. The reality is that these are peer schools, and fit/cost should be much more important here. As it sounds like your friend feels like Northeastern is a better fit.
If you want some stuff they may not know, talk about how Merck is a co-op employer and some students in chemical engineering at Northeastern end up there. The first alum I ever met currently works there. However, I suspect that this info may not make a difference.
Are there any other reasons that your friend’s parents want her to go to Rochester? Any cost difference? Particular reservations about Northeastern? Bias to UR? If it’s really just that they think the program is better at Rochester, where did they get that idea from? Convincing them will be much more about answering those questions than generally showing that one school is better than the other for the program, objectively or subjectively.
They’re both fine schools for engineering. The difference in ranking is minimal, in practice, so it comes down to other factors like fit and cost, for example. Is ranking really the only reason her parents want her to go to Rochester? I’m wondering if this is actually a case of trying to justify the cheaper school without having the guts to tell the kid what they can actually afford.
University of Rochester also has a co-op program (optional), and there are always opportunities to do internships in the summers and work part-time for a professor or company during the academic year.
For more info on the co-op program at Rochester, see this link:
http://www.hajim.rochester.edu/academics/options/ip.html
My S in in chemical engineering at Northeastern. I don’t know a lot about Rochester’s program but we did visit and spoke to several of the students. The universal response we got from the students about internships and co-ops was that they had to take the initiative to speak to professors and to find opportunities on their own through their own research. It didn’t sound like there was a formal program or a lot of support, but that is only based on anecdotal experience from one visit. However, NU stands out among most in terms of their strong preparation and support with co-op experiences.