<p>Assuming that money isn't an issue (it is but for purposes of this discussion let's pretend that it isn't) and putting the co-ops aside, why would you choose NEU over BU?</p>
<p>My son was accepted into NEU, and is waiting to hear from BU. Assuming he gets into BU, he will have a tough decision to make. I am hoping some people on this board can outline some of the advantages of NEU over BU, or BU over NEU. BU seems more prestigous, but we are consciously trying not to choose a school based on prestige. He is looking at a communications major, but really has no idea if he will stick with it. </p>
<p>My son loves the city of Boston, which he can experience at both schools. He is not a big partier, however is not adverse to going out and having a good time. I guess the question centers around acadmics, student body, and student life on campus. What are the major differences in the two schools? What would pormpt someone to choose one over the other?</p>
<p>We toured both schools with our daughter and although both are great schools we liked the campus better at NEU. BU is right on a city street and had a different feel than other campuses we visited. I also think BU is a tiny bit more prestigous but still prefer NEU.</p>
<p>I think BU is probably more prestigious… it has a better national reputation and more name recognition outside of boston. Within boston though, NU has a good reputation with employers thanks to co-op, so at least in the city I don’t think BU has an edge in employment after graduation.</p>
<p>Campus feel is a big difference, BU is sprawled out while NU is compact and defined. I think NU’s location is slightly better (nice areas to live, the park nearby, two accessible T lines, very short walk to newbury/prudential/copley), but BU definitely isn’t bad either.</p>
<p>BU has always seemed a littler more image and money conscious, which some of my friends who go/went there agree with. There’s definitely an ugg boot/expensive bag/designer jean (and their male counterpart) population at northeastern, but I’ve seen it more so at BU.</p>
<p>I’d probably give BU a slight edge in overall academics, but northeastern has a few really strong programs so it really depends. As a science major I’ve been very happy with the academics, but a few of the departments in college of arts/sciences are a little weak. I have some friends who are in communications and they seem to like it, but I really don’t know much about it.</p>
<p>I have a friend (bio major) at NU right now that transferred from BU. She seems to really like it here and hasn’t really commented on why she left BU other than getting better money here, but she’s mentioned that at BU grades were hugely deflated (which I’ve heard from a lot of people), and she’s also mentioned that she liked the party scene at BU better.</p>
<p>I’m in the same predicament. I really like NEU’s campus better and their international business program seems to be much better than BU’s, but BU does have more prestige and is more well known. If it comes down to it I think I’ll go with NEU just because of it’s awesome program (and their business school is ranked much better than BU’s) and anyways I guess the academic program should count more than anything.</p>
<p>well it really depends on what your looking for
first of all the two campuses are completely different, Northeastern U is a traditional college campus and you get that college feel. Boston U on the other hand is integrated into the streets of Boston and feels more like office building than college buildings (a lot of BU students complain about that)
ok Boston U is a bit more prestigious and well known across the world but that’s not because Northeastern U is a relatively newer school, mind you its still tier 1. Its climbed 54 spots in the US rankings since 2004 and a lot of people say it deserves to be higher in the US rankings but cannot be compared eaisly to other universities at the same level because of its nontraditional learning structure ( the co ops)
both are located in the heart of Boston so there’s plenty too around both areas and public transportation is easily available too
But in the end it comes down to your major, I personally judge a school by the ranking of the major which I’m seeking not as a school overall . Unfortunately I don’t know much about the communications major at either school so I can’t help you there but I advise you to do plenty of research on that particular major for both schools before making a decision
Northeastern U’s sophomore retention rate is 94% while Boston U’s is 90%…if that plays a role…there are people who want to transfer into Boston U but I’ve heard a lot about people wanting to transfer out of Boston U in their sophomore year (including on the CC boards) of course they have various reasons for transferring so you shouldn’t put too much emphasis on that…not everyone fits into a university no matter how good it is
It may seem like I’m a bit more biased towards Northeastern U but I like many others have applied to both schools. I’ve already been accepted to Northeastern U as a business major (finance) and I’m pretty positive I’m going there even though I haven’t heard back from Boston U yet. Like I said I personally judge a school by its major/ department. Northeastern U’s under grad business ranks #27 nationally and Business co ops are very well paid while Boston U’s under grad business school is ranked #44 which is also a respectable ranking
I encourage you to make a pro and con list for both universities and go on with your decisions from there
And I wish you the best of luck with your decisions.</p>
<p>I’m going through the same thing too!
I got accepted to NEU and I’m waiting on BU. I know I’d have a hard time choosing as well.
I prefer NEU’s location and their the campus looks pretty nice. BU is alright… it’s kind of spread out and the dorms seems alright. </p>
<p>I know you said to put aside co-op, but I think co-op might be one of the main reasons why I’d choose NEU over BU. My brother went to NEU and he had GREAT experiences with different companies and such. Many also offered to have him stay after graduation.</p>
<p>My daughter chose NEU over BU because of the campus, co-op opportunities and she just felt more at home there.
Even though BU has more prestige, she just felt more comfortable with NEU.
She is currently a very happy freshman</p>
<p>There are pros and cons to both, but BU’s college of communication is great. What really matters is how good YOUR program is, not neccessarily the entire school. (Although I do think BU is a better school all around)</p>
<p>Also: don’t let people tell you that BU “doesn’t have a campus”. It does have a campus, it’s just well-integrated into the city, which isn’t neccessarily a bad thing. It’s nothing like Emerson or Suffolk that are in the center of the city and lack a defined campus. Make sure you visit both campuses to see what you like better, but give them both a chance.</p>
<p>You guys keep saying BU is better without any sort of evidence besides (US News) ranking. I have friends at both schools heres my understanding
NEU has better Business/Engineering/Health sciences programs. BU has better Communications/Pre med program</p>
<p>Final Thought: Lets compare
Northeastern University
3 coops under his belt one international, two domestic (Fortune 500 companies/6 Months)
GPA: 3.5
Many EC’s</p>
<p>to Boston University
GPA: 3.5
One internship (two if lucky) (Two months)
Many EC’s
Horrible interviewer and will learn through trial and error</p>
<p>Sorry NEU gets the nod and have a nice day. Remember these are 6 month experiences so your getting better exposure than a measly two month internship. At the end of the day NEU student will have much more to talk about and will be a polished interviewer relative to a BU student.</p>
<p>NEU has a better campus, Co-op/internships, and post graduation job placement then BU. BU is a great school (I was accepted into both) and is known more worldwide with a little more prestige. However because of the great Co-Op program, the prestige of BU is deminished when it comes to post graduation intentions. Also all the talk about if you are doing communications go to BU its a great program, however it is very big at Northeastern as well. NEU is known for its business program, but the largest Major at NEU is communications. I’d say do what ever feels right, but NEU has a better feel to it, and maybe a little less partying which you might get from BU is not a bad thing. There is plenty to do at NEU, your in Boston, your son will not find himself bored there</p>
<p>Yeh that doesnt mean 1/3 of the kids dont graduate. Many of the programs go for 6 six years and generally those that dont people are here for 5. 6 year graduation rates have always been insufficient in determining the graduation percentages of schools with co ops programs.</p>
<p>Besides, even if a bunch of people don’t graduate, that doesn’t have anything to do with you. If you aren’t going to graduate at NEU, you won’t graduate from BU. I fail to see why someone would choose a school because of graduation rate. It’s not like if 99% of a school graduates, you’re going to pass if you are a crappy student. It’s about you, not the school.</p>