Hi everyone, I’m currently trying to decide on which university to go to next year. The main choices I’m looking at now are Northeastern University in Boston, Washington University St. Louis, University of Rochester, and Case Western Reserve University. While I got no aid of any sort from WUSTL, I got 20k merit at UR, 32k merit at CWRU, and full tuition at NEU. I also got into the GEAR program at UR (an automatic entrance to grad school with some other networking perks) and the University Scholars Program at Northeastern which provided the full tuition scholarship a well as would give me a huge amount of benefits, such as specialized advising and better shots at internships and co-ops. So I’m not sure what exactly I’ll end up doing, but most likely it’ll be engineering and business. During the application process I sort of expected to get into more high end schools (perfect ACT, 12 AP tests with all 5s, 4.7 GPA, National Merit Finalist, etc.), so I haven’t really given these universities much thought until now. I did visit NEU at a scholars weekend, and really liked the feel of it, and I’ll be visiting WUSTL next week. For the moment, I’m curious what all your opinions are on this.
Even if you are not strapped for finances, my choice order would be:
NEU
Rochester
CWRU
WUSTL
We looked very closely at CWRU and UR. The latter three definitely attract intellectual students. Not that NEU doesn’t but it is the only with with the co-op experience so you are interspersing your student life with work life and the associated people and surroundings. So it depends on what you are looking for in a college experience (full college immersion or additionally work experience). I’m sure you will do well anywhere you go. And you can’t beat Boston as a city to be near or live in.
I graduated over 30 years ago from CWRU, and participated in their co-op program then. I did it strictly to make money to pay my way through school, but the program does exist. The biggest difference is that unlike at NEU, where everyone is in co-op, only a few of us did it at CWRU.
From the experiences of my group of friends, I would say if you are looking to go to grad school, WUSTL, UR, or CWRU may prepare you better for that than NEU. Some schools have a more theoretical bent, and my impression of NEU (which could be wrong) is that it may have a more practical, work oriented focus. If you are looking to get a job right out of school, I think any would work. If you are looking to study both engineering and business at the same time, check out each school’s program carefully to see how that might work.
Singermom4, are you saying that you’d prefer NEU over any of the others forgetting funds? Why is that? I really liked the school when I visited it, but I would think that going to a more “prestigious” uni such as wustl would be more helpful in applying for grad school etc. Do you think the work experience outweighs that?
It is weird that @singermom4 would put WUSTL bottom disregarding money. If you disregard money, WUSTL is the most obvious choice (most on CC would agree). It’s neck and neck with some of the lower ivies, with its only drawbacks being its location (it’s still a few miles out of the city, but St. Louis has a bad rep) and it being relatively less known than the ivies. Plus, if you do business, Olin is one of the best business schools. I am visiting myself tomorrow.
However, for your particular situation since money IS a factor, WUSTL is on the bottom because of the cost. Personally, I would pick NEU because it’s not in the rust belt or in Cleveland, on top of it being a great school already (They have underground tunnels to get around, isn’t that cool?!).
So full freight at WashU or tuition-free with lots of perks at NEU? If you absolutely love WashU and $ is no object, then WashU. See how your visit goes. Any chance you could see if WashU has any $ to offer after sharing what you rec’d from others? I also would consider CWRU. If money is a factor, NEU looks like a great opportunity.
Technically, I am covered at any school that I decide on, but I don’t want to have my parents spend >200k extra on a a school if it’s only a bit better; just doesn’t make sense. I’m going to have parents call in and try to negotiate for more aid at WashU, since right now it’s a bit outrageous. How much more would WashU be worth paying for than the other options, considering without aid it’s 65k a year, and I could get 4 years at NEU for less than that, as an example…
Because even if you can afford something, it doesn’t mean it’s good value. I think NEU is a great value and a great option which is why I placed it first. I think some options could be worth a full price tag if the full tuition option is a low rank university. This is not the case here.
Most people in the northeast have never heard of Washington university at st louis. I’m not sure what you are expecting this supposed extra prestige will buy you for $200K. Boston is 10x better than St Louis. What are your plans after university… Work or Grad School?
I do agree that Boston is amazing. I’m probably going to grad school, but depending on what opportunities I have I may try to get a job straight out. I’ve heard that WashU is a better school for feeding to elite grad schools, so that’s one thing I’ve been thinking. On the other side, the scholarship I have, alongside with AP credit, means that I could have my masters covered at NEU if I went there within 4 years of classes. So yeah, there are some choices between money and possibly a better head start for career, at least as I see it now.
People who hire have definitely heard of WUSTL–it’s a top-15 school every year and is excellent in virtually every discipline, and its reputation precedes it in the halls of power and influence.
That said, I wouldn’t pay $200k to go there unless I had 8-digit-level wealth.
Your grades will help you apply for grad school and you will need money for grad school as well. Think about in which environment you will thrive in addition to the obvious cost factors. Additionally, Boston is chock full of universities with potential collaborative research opportunities.
There are no colleges that “feed grad schools”. Grad school is all about how/what you do in undergrad.
Full tuition at NEU? Go there.
If you’re leaning toward engineering or business, NEU with full tuition seems the best bet. If your family can swing full pay at WUSTL, without much effort, then Wash U. may be a consideration. Nowadays, Wash U. is a high end school. And Northeastern isn’t far behind.