My son was accepted EA into D’Amore McKim and Honors. NU was initially his first choice as he loves Boston and thinks the co-op would be a great help in getting that first job after graduation as well as exploring different industries. However, he’s not sure that business is for him; he’ll try it for a year and see, he figures. (That’s the plan at whatever college he ends up attending). But he wants some freedom to explore academically and isn’t sure that NU leaves much room for this exploration. We have the sense that there’s an immediate and constant push to build one’s resume to be competitive for co-op and then to get that next co-op. The concern is that NU might be too fast moving for him as it’s really geared to the student who knows what he/she wants career-wise and is ready to pursue that career goal with confidence. Is this perception of NU accurate? We would very much appreciate any insights on this.
I would totally disagree. My daughter entered undeclared and was part of the undeclared program. This was an excellent experience where they helped her find her direction (http://www.northeastern.edu/undeclared/ for details of the program).
All the students use their co-ops as part of the process of finding out what they want to do - co-ops are a way to explore options not just a competitive way to gain experience in a given field. You will see students who have a first co-op in say marketing and then decide not to go that direction and have a next co-op in say finance.
You should figure out if it might be better for him to enter undeclared - undeclared students can generally take any introductory classes they want (so he can take those business classes and see what direction he wants to take). Changing majors before starting is accomplished with an email (check the instructions at the student portal.)
Having said all that, I will add that the business school majors are all very professional looking and acting. My daughter describes them as all suited up and very serious (the professors in the business school wear suits to teach - during the summer her math teacher came to work in jogging shorts).
My last point is that this year at parent’s weekend I attended the career panel where the head of career services made an excellent presentation and had a panel of students. Everybody on the panel was a recent graduate who was happily and gainfully employed - 3 out of 4 were not employed in a job which would be considered typical for their major (for example a girl with a finance job had been a sociology major). The message was that your NEU experience prepared you for anything not just the typical career/job you would expect to get with your major.
As a current freshman, I would like to add a few things:
- Switching majors and taking classes outside of your major is incredibly easy. My roommate applied undeclared, entered Biology planning to be premed and will be officially business come next semester. Even despite not being business yet, he is taking almost all business courses.
In terms of exploration, anyone can really take almost any class. As a CS student I am currently enrolled in a Junior level philosophy course.
- Co-op can be used to find out if you like the jobs that can accompany your major. For some it is certainly used in the manner you are describing, but others will switch majors after a co-op and the realization that they didn't want to work in that job for their career. Co-op is about getting to know yourself. No matter what you will learn something, whether it be confirming or redirecting.
I myself am very set on CS and NEU serves my needs well, but for every person like me I know another who is jumping around and finding out something new. In my hall alone I know an Anatomy major that switched to Psych, and undeclared major who is going to switch to Computer Science and Music double, and a chemistry major that switched to music industry.
Something to keep in mind: many people will not take a co-op until after 2 full years of school. Some will take it earlier, others even later. There are so many options with co-op placement and how many you take that NEU is very flexible and willing to work with any plan you have, and any changes that will come later.
Hope that helps!
@kiddie and @PengsPhils, Thank you for sharing these experiences and the info on NU’s undeclared major program, all of which are very helpful. That some students have 2 years of classes prior to co-op is good to hear. We’ve gotten much of our sense of NU from talking to business students and attending an NU event for business majors, so that has likely slanted our view of NU overall. Not knocking D’Amore McKim in any way, just exploring the fit.
I came in confident that I was going to go one of two directions: medical school or academic research in pysch-related neuroscience. From co-ops, extra classes in math, and trying out computer science for the first time, I’ve ended up going in another direction, and I’ll be going to grad school for bioengineering next year. I even did a CS co-op. Even though I thought I knew my direction going in, I’ve ended up with something else in mind, and I’m really appreciative of what my experience at Northeastern has done to get me here.
@nanotechnology, Your experience is very instructive. Thank you. The co-op is sounding more like another opportunity for exploration.
Yup. Co-op can be used in multiple ways. Some people are very certain of what they want to do, and co-ops let them build their resumes for the field and make connections. For others, they’re a chance to explore and find out before entering the workforce if a particular type of job is actually what they want to do. I kind of used it for both! The connections I gained from co-op have been great for helping me refine my path and providing me with letters of recommendation that got me my fellowship for the fall.