NEU may be better, but...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

<p>I've lived in L.A. my whole life, and location was the most important factor in deciding where to apply at the end of last year. San Francisco and Boston are two of my favorite cities, and so I applied (and was accepted) to Northeastern University and University of San Francisco.</p>

<p>I have no idea which college to pick. Northeastern has the better programs, along with their co-op experience, and is steadily climbing the rankings ladder. However, Boston is really cold and I've been spoiled with L.A. sunshine my whole life. Will I be able to handle it? My sister who goes to George Washingotn U. in DC, hates her school simply because of the weather.</p>

<p>USF on the hand, is in an amazing city in it's own right, and it is more reasonable weather wise. Plus, it is alot smaller, less then 5,000 undergrads compared to NEU's 14,000. I felt that I would be happier at USF after i visited the campus compared with my trip to Boston and NEU's campus. The students and administration appeared incredibly friendly and interested in my concerns, while at NEU, the students barely talked and the admissions office treated me like a number. "Go fill this form. Now take a seat and watch this video." I'd also be much closer to home (although I'm sure that won't matter too much.)</p>

<p>Anyways, right now I just have to decide whats more important. The possibility of enjoying life and being happier compared to the benefits of a more prestigious university with more options academically. Any suggestions, stories or anything else that might push me in one direction?</p>

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<p>If you feel you would be happier at USF, then go there. You're supposed to enjoy college, and in the end it doesn't really matter to employers whether you attended USF or NU as long as you did well there.</p>

<p>Also, I'm guessing NU doesn't have a great reputation in CA, due mostly to the fact its 2000 or so miles away and little of known about it. So if you plan on staying in CA after college, I'd go with USF since more people would be informed on what the school is like.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the advice.</p>

<p>Suprisingly, most people in CA, at least in Los Angeles, have heard more about Northeastern then USF. When I mention USF, they assume I'm talking about the University of Southern Florida...</p>

<p>About employers not caring on which college I attend, that may be true considering how close they are ranked. The latest US News rankings actually had USF ranked higher, but NU has been projected to significantly jump in the rankings after this year. One important factor concerning getting a job after school to consider, is the Co-op experience at Northeastern. But I suppose I could get an internship through USF as well...</p>

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<p>Does anybody have any idea how NU's statistics for grad school, med school, etc., would stack up against a small liberal arts college? My daughter was accepted to NU, and offered a small scholarship, but she was also admitted to Smith in western Mass., with an even smaller scholarship. If all things were equal, of course we would choose NU, but I wonder if the smaller environment might be a boost to grad schools.</p>