HELP ME DECIDE! Northeastern or Case Western

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Money's not an issue, I received full ride to both. I am more concerned with the college atmosphere, the academics, the opportunities, and the intangible aspects of the college.</p>

<p>Here are some things I would like though:
1. Lived in a city my whole life, NYC. I don't know how easily I would be able to adapt to Boston or Cleveland.
2. Am not too much of a party guy but would enjoy a party scene to be available.
3. A lenient approach to majors, can dual major/ try new things, don't want to be restricted to one discipline.<br>
4. Strong science and business programs.
5. Strong foundation that prepare for the top graduate schools.</p>

<p>If you have attended either or know someone who did attend either, please write down your impression/experience of the school. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>case western would be my choice. amazing academics, really smart students and great graduate schools of it’s own. (med,biz,eng. sci.,law etc…)</p>

<p>northeastern(IMO) has no campus and no feeling of being a part of something. I am sure it is fine for academics just not on case western’s level. the fact NE is in Boston vs Case being in cleveland is of no concern to me. you are going to school not for vacation.</p>

3

<p>Case Western. Fantastic education.</p>

4

<p>Case Western for further education, NE for a job.</p>

5

<p>Case Western, easily (especially since you want to go to a top grad school and want strong science and business programs). Northeastern is a great school, but its academics and reputation are not on the same level as Case Western’s.</p>

<p>Also, Cleveland and Boston may not be as bustling as NYC, but at least they are still cities. I don’t think you should be worried about adapting to Cleveland or Boston because they aren’t lively enough.</p>

6

<p>I would rather go to northeastern personally and am applying to both of these schools. The big benefit at NE as I’m sure you know is the coop. The campus is nice, but is literally in the middle of a city. Haven’t visited cw yet so not sure. I think it honestly comes time to what you are looking for and what you think the purpose of college is. Have fun and I’m sure you’ll do fine at either. Maybe I’ll see you next year.</p>

7

<p>I know that Case Western has really awesome academics… would there really be a difference between a 3.5 at CW and a 3.5 at NEU? I kinda want to study abroad and CW has never mentioned any study abroad programs in their info-sessions, pamphlets, acceptance packet, etc…</p>

8

<p>Yes, Case also has study abroad options:
[Case</a> Western Reserve University](<a href=“http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/studyabroad.htm]Case”>http://www.case.edu/provost/ugstudies/studyabroad.htm)</p>

<p>First, they are both very good schools! However, if you plan on grad school, I think Case is a better choice. NEU is more of a hands-on, prepare-you-for-a-job place. I think Case would give you a more through theoretical approach to your majors and thus be a better path for grad school.
As for locations, I have a strong preference for Boston over Cleveland. Boston is a great college town! And NEU has done a lot to improve their campus to make it look more like a traditional campus even though it is in the heart of the city, and is expanding dorm space as well. You can walk to anything you would want in a city, so overall a better college environment than Case.
Certainly you can achieve your goals at *either *one, so it is up to you!</p>

9

<p>I would choose northeastern just because of the coop and because it’s in boston. I don’t know much about Case Western so I’m not much help there…congrats on the full ride to both though! You will definitely succeed at either one of these schools.</p>

10

<p>Congratulations on the wonderful news! We visited NEU this summer and really liked it being in the heart of the city. Boston is close enough to come home whenever you want, if it is important for you. I think coop program is fantastic and find hands-on approach better than classroom learning. I would visit both to decide on the best fit for you personally. </p>

<p>If you don’t mind me asking about you stats/ec that got a full ride (if you prefer respond privately).
Good luck!</p>

11

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<p>Edge to Northeastern. Right in the city. I’m from NYC (went to MIT) and it took me a bit of time to get used to the slower sleepy pace of Boston, LOL. Cleveland seems much less appealing. </p>

<p>

I can’t imagine that any college would have no party scene. You’re all 18 years old with raging hormones. </p>

<p>

Strong edge to Case. At Case you’re admitted to the school and can choose your major. I think Northeastern you’re admitted to a major and can certainly switch, but I don’t think it’s seamless. </p>

<p>

Case is more of a research institution. Northeastern is trying to be a research institution and is having some success with faculty and graduate students, but still primarily attracts undergrads who want to do coop and go and work. Northeastern has the edge in business. Boston has a strong financial industry. </p>

<p>

Case by a lot for science and engineering. Northeastern is better if you want to work after a bachelors. I don’t know many BS graduates of Northeastern who went for a PhD at places other than Northeastern. I had no peers at MIT who did their undergrad at Northeastern but that was a long time ago. I haven’t seen any engineering faculty that did their undergrad at Northeastern. There were extremely talented people who I knew at MIT who did their undergrad at Case and are now engineering professors. There are extremely talented working engineers who went to Northeastern. They are just not the academic types. Perhaps in the future, more undergrads will do on-campus research to prepare them for grad school, but the culture still seems primarily coop driven. </p>

<p>I looked into both schools with my D. I talked to people I know who went to Northeastern and was concerned that because of the overwhelming appeal of coop, Northeastern didn’t have to be concerned about the quality of the teaching and that it can really be a mixed bag. With Case, we were concerned about their approach to humanities which seemed like a ripoff, but which some people thought was good.</p>

12

<p>Northeastern is more respected than Case Western, particularly on the east coast. Based on your considerations, note the following:</p>

<p>“1. Lived in a city my whole life, NYC. I don’t know how easily I would be able to adapt to Boston or Cleveland.”</p>

<p>I am not sure why you would even consider Cleveland if you are from NYC and think you might have a hard time adapting. Cleveland is a much smaller market with the stigma of irrelevancy. I don’t mind Cleveland, but you’ll need to be able to justify why you moved there to anyone you tell. Boston is much more in line with NYC even though it isn’t NYC. It is still a big market with major corporations and the job opportunities, even without considering the Co-Op program at Northeastern.</p>

<p>2. Am not too much of a party guy but would enjoy a party scene to be available.</p>

<p>Both schools will offer an optional party scene. Northeastern will supplement the party scene with the big city scene (bars, nice restaurants, proper clubs, etc.). Cleveland I am sure has bars, but Cleveland isn’t exactly known for its fine dining. If you’re into sports, there is a significant gap between the Boston sports teams and the Cleveland sports teams, but you are probably a NY sports fan so I’m sure you consider them equal. Haha.</p>

<p>“3. A lenient approach to majors, can dual major/ try new things, don’t want to be restricted to one discipline.”</p>

<p>I think they may both be lenient on this. Northeastern offers dual majors and the integrated approach to the college system means you won’t have issues taking courses in other departments. You can even take graduate programs. Case Western is strong in some science and engineering departments, although it lacks strength in the business and humanities. </p>

<p>“4. Strong science and business programs.”</p>

<p>Again, Case Western is strong on the science side although weak on the business side. Northeastern offers a more balanced approach. NASA is also on Northeastern’s campus if I remember correctly. you can also audit courses at BU/MIT/Harvard from Northeastern if there is a particular class you want to take. </p>

<p>“5. Strong foundation that prepare for the top graduate schools.”</p>

<p>In the end, both schools will offer this. If you are looking into MBA, where professional experience is highly sought after, Northeastern is the appropriate choice due to its coop program and corporate opportunities in and around Boston. If there is a specific PhD you are looking for, Case Western may have a strong program for that, although you’d have to research the specific program at Case Western and Northeastern to see who does more in that discipline.</p>

13

<p>“you’ll need to be able to justify why you moved there to anyone you tell.”</p>

<p>What in the world? You think graduate schools will wonder why he went to Cleveland? Because he got a full ride at a great university, that’s why. No one whose opinion matters is going to ask you to justify moving to Ithaca, Ann Arbor, New Haven, etc. I mean, duh.</p>

<p>Business Week thinks they are peers for undergraduate business (less than 10 spots apart this year, 2 spots apart last year). That doesn’t make Case “weak” in business relative to NE.</p>

14

<p>But for business, Northeastern coop placement places students right into the same businesses every year. It’s like “oh we’re getting a new coop this year”. It’s a nice way to break in.</p>

15

<p>Is Northeastern’s Co-op program as good as it sounds? I mean, working with world class companies and firms is pretty enticing. Do kids really end up working at JP Morgan if they ask for it? Or do they just hook you up with whatever they can find…</p>

16

<p>Northeastern has established coop positions with many top companies, including Goldman sachs in both NYC and London. But these top coops go to the top students (not necessarily the ones with the highest GPA though). Like in life, you will be competing for coop jobs. If you have a 3.9 GPA and come across poorly in an interview, you won’t get the top coop jobs. Northeastern does offer inteview skills sessions etc. to help you compete.</p>

17

<p>As my name suggests, I am from the Cleveland area so I do know quite a bit about Case as well as several current and former students. First I do want to mention that Case has a coop program as well but I’m not sure if Northeastern’s is much better. I know that Case is pretty strong on the more academic side and you’ll definitely be able to get involved in undergraduate research if you want to as early as freshman year. As for the party scene, several people I know who go there say there’s parties if you want to go to them but there not the dominant activity on campus. I can’t really answer anything about Northeastern and what their grads do but as for the Case grads I know, most of them are currently employed and live all over the U.S. from D.C. to Chicago to Silicon Valley so if your future location was ever in question, don’t worry about going to Case. </p>

<p>To summarize, I don’t think you can go wrong with Case and I imagine Northeastern is fine as well.</p>

18

<p>I am only able to speak to Northeastern. I have two children at Northeastern now, and I can’t say enough good things about the school. It has become dramatically more competitive over the last few years.
The coop program is invaluable. My children are both in health sciences, but they have close friends in both engineering and business. I think the coop program is fantastic for students looking to work after graduation or for those looking to go to grad school.
If you were offered a full ride at Northeastern, you would obviously be in the Honors program. My daughter has several friends who turned down top notch schools (including some Ivies) to go to Northeastern.
My brother’s two sons went to UPenn and Williams. He has commented that he has never met such an impressive group of kids as my daughter’s friends from Northeastern. Those who have graduated have landed very desirable jobs - Novartis, Dow, Children’s Hospital. Others are pre-med.
Our community doesn’t offer much in terms of diversity. My daughter chose Northeastern partially because it offered much more diversity than her other top choice, Boston College. And there is plenty of social life (partying, if desirable) at Northeastern, but I think that is true of most schools!
Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions about Northeastern. Good luck with your decision!</p>

19

<p>I’m curious about NEU also</p>

20

<p>“Is Northeastern’s Co-op program as good as it sounds? I mean, working with world class companies and firms is pretty enticing. Do kids really end up working at JP Morgan if they ask for it? Or do they just hook you up with whatever they can find…”</p>

<p>Yes. You can ask around if you like. The best is from student testimonials rather than the rankings, even though the COOP was ranked Number 1 in the country. You should visit their campus and ask around. I’m hoping other schools (including mine) buy in to the co-op model. I know it is being used by other schools now. You should see if Case Western has one. They may have a relationship with some companies in Cleveland.</p>