<p>Is it worth the $50000 a year it will probably cost me?</p>
<p>Major: Political science
Pre-law.</p>
<p>See where else you get in first.</p>
<p>Why so bitter about Northeastern ?
What personal experience do you have to always post the negative ?</p>
<p>One semester is almost done and a.) it is too easy b.) there is an abnormally large amount of very immature people c.) professors teach class as if they were talking to middle schoolers d.) if it weren't for West Village F for honors program students, freshman housing is the worst that I've seen of about 9 different schools (would you like to have your Ethernet port on the other side of the room above your roommates bed? or even worse, above your bed? Didn't think so). e.) I benefitted from this, but honors program students are almost totally isolated from non honors program students. Then there are the little things, such as i.)when the Director of the Honors program thinks that Christopher Columbus came over on the Mayflower ii.) honors classes are pretty much a one year thing iii.) without a good scholarship, it is way over priced iv.) the dining hall is on the other side of campus v.) Freshmen are required to have a 10 meal/wk meal plan. vi.) RAs knock on doors and tell people to quiet down and then accuse them of drinking. Lastly there is the issue that Northeastern is rising in the ranks, when really it is staying on par with other average schools.</p>
<p>zepprock07- how, in your experience, is it easy? did your ap classes and everything prepare you, or put you above, neu's academic rigor?</p>
<p>My AP classes prepared me, but the only classes that I took APs in that apply this semester are calculus and chemistry. Those don't help for my elective or engineering design, which are also easy. The professors move so slow (except for calc, he moves at a good speed) and teach in so little detail that its hard to not do well. I have yet to learn something in chemistry that I did not learn in my sophomore year chemistry class in high school.</p>
<p>D applied EA and would probably major in social sciences, so I was absolutely floored to read this on their website:</p>
<p>
[quote]
The School is focused primarily on social science graduate education and on boosting cross-cutting and policy relevant research, yet the benefits of these efforts accrue to undergraduates as we connect undergraduate education to faculty research and graduate training through mentoring programs, collaborative research, and specialized community-based research projects. Further, there *will be<a href="italics%20mine">/i</a> an increased number of cross-listed courses, special interdisciplinary policy-oriented courses, and new undergraduate minors.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>At least they're honest about the value they place on undergraduate education. Most of D's other schools are LACs where undergraduate education the central mission, so I don't think NEU will be in the running come spring, but I'd welcome info from anyone with first-hand experience in the social sciences.</p>
<p>Undergraduate</a> Education</p>
<p>MarathonMan88, I have little experience in the social sciences area but my son is a current sophomore at NEU. It seems to me that students who are focused on a specific career path and who want the coop program do wonderfully at NEU. If the coop program is not of interest or if your major is more in the LAC world, you may be better off at an LAC. </p>
<p>That said, Zepp has posted negatively since the first day at NEU. I'm not sure where all that upset/anger/negativity is coming from. </p>
<p>My son is in the honors program. He has had great classes both sophomore and freshmen years. He has a lot of friends who are not in the honors program, including several who are upperclassmen living off campus. He recently spent the Thanksgiving holiday with one such student.<br>
Perhaps he has had no problem making a variety of friends because he is not a negative person. </p>
<p>I'm not sure where Zepp's comment about honors classes being a one year thing is coming from. Honors classes are every year. </p>
<p>If people have specific questions about NEU please PM me and I will try to answer as much as I know.</p>
<p>I would like to echo much of what ebeee has said. My freshman D is in the honors program as well, and has made many friends, both honors and non-honors. Aside from classes with non-honors students she is involved in several activities that allow her to meet a wide range of students.</p>
<p>Ebeee is correct in saying honors courses can be taken every year, not just freshman year.</p>
<p>I think if your daughter is really interested in NEU, you should perhaps try to speak to somone in the social sciences department regarding your concerns about the focus being on the graduate program. The way I read that quote, it is meant to be a positive that the undergrads get the benefit of the strong grad program that NEU is putting many resources into.</p>
<p>The bottom line, as ebeee says, is the co-op program. It is the core of NEU's education. (Zepp never seems to address that issue in his negative posts, maybe even he can't come up with anything derogatory to say about the co-op.) </p>
<p>I hope you also take many other things he has stated with a grain of salt (dorms, professors, RA's, etc.) The fact is my D has one professor that she could do without, the rest have been great. Her classes, in her assessment, are "comfortably challenging". She has a sufficient amount of homework and hours of study/week, and is doing quite well grade-wise.</p>
<p>Good luck with the process.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information from other insiders! One thing that's not in doubt about NEU is the positive vibe you get from the vast majority of students about their experience there, particularly re. co-op. We're just trying to figure out the trade-offs for someone in the social sciences (perhaps cultural anthro or international relations in D's case), fields that are usually not characterized by the type of pre-professional training at which NEU seems to be top-notch.</p>
<p>All of the anger comes from people giving NEU too much credit. Regarding co-op, which was ranked only one year, graduates from top tier schools STILL make more money than NEU kids even with the extra year. I don't go to college for the "college experience" or just to "enjoy myself." I go to college so that I can make lots of money when I graduate. There is a direct relationship between the selectivity/prestige of a school and the starting salary of the graduates. NEU isn't that prestigious and not that selective. Sure it had a 39% admittance rate but NEU doesn't attract the same caliber of students as other schools, such as Tufts (24% for this year I think).</p>
<p>"There is a direct relationship between the selectivity/prestige of a school and the starting salary of the graduates."</p>
<p>So untrue. First of all selectivity and prestige are two different things. One can be measured numerically and the other is quite subjective.</p>
<p>Your statement is extremely flawed......there is no concrete data to back up anything you have stated.</p>
<p>Stop shooting off your mouth and get those transfer applications completed.</p>
<p>Princeton Grads>Tufts Grads>NEU Grads. Goes for prestige, selectivity, and starting salary.</p>
<p>^ ^ ^ That's not always true, Zepp. Generalizations are sometimes good markers, but I think that's what's upsetting people on this thread: that you speak categorically in generalities. I think it's fair to say your education is what you make of it. In the short-term your school name may help you, but int the long-term you have to prove yourself in the workplace.</p>
<p>lolabelle, you are so right, but as Zepp told me before when I said "school is what you make of it" he told me I was being cliche. He has all the answers.</p>
<p>PayScale</a> - Northeastern University Salary, Average Salaries</p>
<p>PayScale</a> - Stanford University Salary, Average Salaries</p>
<p>PayScale</a> - Villanova University Salary, Average Salaries</p>
<p>Scroll down a little and look at salaries after 20 years in the workplace. It seems like Stanford>Villanova>Northeastern which resembles the ranking of prestige.</p>
<p>Zepp...while it is true princeton/tufts/etc have more prestige, that has nothing to do with starting salary. More than anything it is the major, your personality, communication skills, and work experience that will be the determining factors in getting job offers with a nice salary. </p>
<p>I'm currently a junior (4th year) on co-op at a large I-bank in NYC. I work with people who have graduated from the likes of Dartmouth, USC, Notre Dame, and yes even Northeastern. They all work in the same group and make a similar salary. </p>
<p>I'm related to someone who graduated from Arizona State University...but has made a fortune and works for a prestigious I-bank. A prestigious undergrad name will get you an interview, but by no means is it a guarantee for a higher salary. It can open doors, but what you do after you get the job and how far you progress is largely up to you.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
PayScale - Northeastern University Salary, Average Salaries</p>
<p>PayScale - Stanford University Salary, Average Salaries</p>
<p>PayScale - Villanova University Salary, Average Salaries</p>
<p>Scroll down a little and look at salaries after 20 years in the workplace. It seems like Stanford>Villanova>Northeastern which resembles the ranking of prestige. </p>
<p>
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Dude you're comparing apples to oranges...look at the jobs they're comparing, alot of them don't even match. Furthermore, the salary gap is not as large as you make it sound. </p>
<p>Additionally, don't forget that geography plays a role in this (salaries are highly correlated with cost of living). As a co-op in NYC, I make roughly $1200 per week before taxes. Before I accepted my current position, I got a job offer in the Boston area that was $400 per week less.</p>
<p>Does anyone know the average stts for kids who are accepted into the honors program?</p>
<p>Apply</a> > Academic Profile</p>
<p>The profile of accepted students is at this link. The profile shows that 25% scored above 1980, the honors program is the top 10%. They do not provide separate stats for honors, probably because it differs by major.</p>