Last minute (post in Northeastern forum)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

<p>So,
Right now I hope to major in business management, undecided between finance or marketing.
I also have a passion for political science, and hope to minor in it.</p>

<p>I have 2 schools left:</p>

<p>Boston University:<br>
This school from what I understand can give me the best business education from the two, and has the city feel which I love for reasons which I don't really understand. The reputation of Boston University far surpasses the other two from what I understand as well, and I feel like I could gain a leg up in the work place. Also, if I chose a graduate path in the future, I would think that a successful completion of undergrad studies at BU would help in my graduate placement into the programs at the school of management.
However, this school would leave me with the most calculated debt of about 50,000 before interest at the end of 4 years. This is before working or internships or anything of the likes I would be doing during the 4 years to cut off a chunk of debt before it accumulates.</p>

<p>Northeastern University:<br>
This school is also in Boston, so would give me great connections and internship possibilities, plus the coveted Co-Op program (at least it sounds like it's desirable) which would hopefully land me some pretty good internships while I'm at school by default. However, Northeastern from what I understand is not really looked at with much of a reputation, nor does it seem to have the business studies of Boston University's stature.
The campus is pretty, but I feel like I would enjoy the city feel at Boston more. The Co-Op program as advertised by the university seems like it would land me a job straight out of college, though. But would I get the same from having Boston University attached to my credentials? This school would leave me 30,000 in debt before interest and working during the college years, internships, etc. </p>

<p>--
I feel like I want to go to Boston University, but that may be because I know at least 10 people that are going there, 3 of which are friends that I know I could spend time with, and one of which I would room with. I like the campus better, too.<br>
However, I feel like I am unfairly biased to having Boston University placed next to my name on a piece of paper, whereas Northeastern seems to be a safety school to Boston University.
I'm concerned about the debt.
Part of me feels that 50k vs 30k is not that big of a difference, but the other part of me realizes that it's cost of a new car...
Part of me also feels that this would be the only age in life where I can truly take a risk, and rise to a higher standing for my future life, but I don't truly know if these two colleges would make a difference between their degrees.</p>

<p>Any help would be greatly appreciated, the sooner the better.</p>

2

<p>the price difference isnt much at all, so if you like BU more, then you should go there.</p>

<p>but northeastern isnt a safety to BU. northeastern’s acceptance rate is lower than BUs</p>

3

<p>That could be because everyone I know considers it the safety, thus applies there.
Like I said though, I don’t know.
Is going from 30k to 50k really not that big of a deal though?</p>

4

<p>BU doesn’t really have a campus and they are in the same tier.</p>

5

<p>For what it’s worth, Northeastern’s business school is ranked higher than BU in the Business Week ranking. </p>

<p>Also, college is a time to move beyond your high school friends. Never choose a schools because you know other people going there.</p>

6

<p>Well, it’s all relative. I also applied to both Boston University and Northeastern, got into both and I am going to Northeastern as I considered Boston to be my safety. I’m also following the business path.</p>

7

<p>Northeastern has a pretty good reputation among employers, and yeah, a lot of us are able to use co-op connections to land jobs once we graduate. I think the difference in reputation between BU and NU is pretty negligible, and northeastern has been going up in the rankings over the past few years. I don’t see BU graduates having much (or any) advantage over NU students in getting jobs, especially around boston. My business friends have had very little problems landing jobs, even in this economy, and I know a few people attending some pretty baller MBA programs now/next year.</p>

<p>The reputations are too similar for that to be your deciding factor. Obviously 30k is better than 50k, but like other people have said, it’s not that big of a difference. 50k is a lllittle high, and that’s a number that will get scary as you get closer to graduation, but it’s still in the range of what’s reasonable.</p>

<p>Friends also shouldn’t be a reason to attend a school… you’ll meet a lot of cool people and you can always visit/keep in touch with high school friends. Plus BU and NU are like… across the street from each other. PS living with high school friends seems like a great idea, but if I had a dime for every time I’ve seen that backfire, I’d have serious dimes.</p>

<p>So… go where you want to go. You seem to be leaning toward BU and if that’s really your gut feeling, go for it. Both decent places to be.</p>

8

<p>If you like BU, that may be the right place for you. But realize that $50K debt will cost almost twice as much per month as $30K.</p>

<p>I did very rough calculations for $5500/yr @ 6.8%, unsubsidized which adds up to approx $25K over 4 years in college. For 10 year repalyment, it came to $300/month. That’s just ballpark to put it into perspective. Online loan calculators could give you a better idea of the numbers in your case.</p>

<p>Remember that it would be really easy to see your BU friends now and then if attending NEU. But you’d have a good chance to make new friends too.</p>