<p>With the application deadline approaching, I just wanted to share my opinion about NEU.</p>
<p>Northeastern is a good school, for people who are not very smart that is. The overall ranking and level of classes is very low. Ther professors are good, so are some of the unique programs, but overall people who want to be challenged and have a fairly high intelligence quotient should apply to better schools (there are approx. 100 of them). If you do indeed feel that this is a good school and you are smart for getting in, you are wrong. Sorry, it had to be said.</p>
<p>If you have any specific questions from a sophomore feel free to ask...</p>
<p>Is NEU that bad?
I'm really worried by your comments because I am applying to NEU.
So here are some questions:
How's the male-female ratio? I'm a girl and I'm a bit worried about that...
Are the people at NEU "not smart?" Are all the students dumb jocks and preppy or something? =/</p>
<p>I hope this isn't some joke topic, because this has raised genuine concerns.</p>
<p>First, I wouldn't worry about the male-female ratio at all, it's never seemed to be a problem for girls here. Next, I wouldn't say NU kids are "not smart". I'd say the majority of them aren't intellectual. They can do well in Economics 101 or General Chemistry, but outside of being able to study and be book-smart, they can be pretty boring and difficult to have a good conversation with.</p>
<p>There is a select group of kids who ARE smart, who are very interesting, very well educated and cool people to talk to. They really do exist, but you have to weed through the dumb ones to get to them. I have some very cool friends, I have a great group of people to hang out with who I think are very interesting, but these kind of people are in the minority.</p>
<p>I could have gone to a "better" school where I'd be a bit more challenged and where the average student would be smarter. I didn't because I felt like NU was the perfect fit for my academic style (co-op, summer classes, 5 years, etc.) and my lifestyle (I can't not live in a city, I love Boston, I really love the area where NU is located, I like that students are very goal oriented and tend to be ambitious). My biggest issue is the general "not smart" population, but everything else totally makes up for it for me, especially now that I have friends who I feel are interesting people. I absolutely love northeastern and wouldn't be anywhere else, and I think a lot of people feel the same.</p>
<p>So, if you really love the school, come here. If you come for the right reasons and really like the environment, you'll enjoy it, although it may take time to find your niche. Also keep in mind that NU's reputation is getting better each year, I have a feeling the incoming classes will continue to be smarter and smarter.</p>
<p>You may enjoy it, but it'll cost you when you graduate. People say NEU is a good school, yet the general population is "not smart." It can't be that great of a school if it admits this group of people. When one says that he or she attends Northeastern, they get a very different reaction than when they say they go to a top school like Stanford/Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>It won't necessarily "cost" you. In certain fields, sure, and I know you've been going way out of your way to prove that. But as someone planning on going to medical school, where I went to undergrad is pretty irrelevant. Anyone can get into medical school (even the top schools) if they have excellent stats and ECs, regardless of where they went to school. Especially in medicine, undergrad has absolutely no impact on the money I'll be making.</p>
<p>Not to mention my graduated friends who are making some serious bank in engineering right now. Sure, you can pull out some statistic about MIT grads making more, but either way, my friends sure aren't complaining. They're very happy with their degree and the opportunities NU gave them.</p>
<p>NU also has some excellent programs in the Bouve College of Health Sciences. There are plenty of smart kids who chose NU for nursing and the 6-year physical therapy and pharmacy programs. These six-year programs guarantee placement in the professional programs as long as you maintain a B average. (There are only about a dozen schools that offer the 6-year pharmD and PT programs for freshmen directly from high school.) Once you graduate and pass the national exams, it won't matter where you got your degree -- there is a huge shortage of nurses, pharmacists and physical therapists so there will be plenty of opportunities.</p>
<p>I am glad to hear your candid reply daughter is waiting to hear from Northeastern... she has also applied to Bouve.
It is her first choice and schoes the same opinions as you seem to have.
She has applied to " better schools " too, but nevertheless holds out hope for some good news soon.
Any input on when NEU sends out their mail ? They told us by 12/31, but we are hoping to hear sooner .</p>
<p>I happy to read some of the more positive comments on NEU.
The main program I'm interested in is Business, and I was wondering if anybody has any input on that major at NEU.
The main draws of this school for me are the co-op opportunities and its location.</p>
<p>Business is a great program at NEU, it's well ranked, has a good reputation, and top students get pretty impressive co-ops. A lot of my friends are in business and they all really love it. My roommate is a supply-chain management major (as a science major, sounds SO boring to me, but she loves it :D ) and will be going on co-op with a really great company next semester.</p>
<p>At least compared to college of arts and sciences, Business is a lot smaller, you'll get to meet almost everyone in your major, you'll know a lot of people in your classes, you get regular meetings with your advisor, classes are never hard to get into, faculty and staff are helpful. The only complaint I've heard is that some of the introductory level profs aren't the best (sometimes don't speak much english), but after the first semester or so, the teachers are really good.</p>
<p>"but overall people who want to be challenged and have a fairly high intelligence quotient should apply to better schools"
i agree with you on this. i'm only a freshman at northeastern, but so far, i've been somewhat unsatisfied with the classes here. my intent for going to college was because i was genuinely interested in learning and wanted to continue learning. i feel that students here, and even some of the brilliant professors, mostly go to class to pass/help students pass exams so they can ultimately get good co-op jobs and never have to go to school again. i'm not saying people at "more prestigious" schools don't also hold this notion, but it is supported by the entire school here, whereas co-op isnt such a big deal in other schools. especially since northeastern's strongest programs seem to be in the professions such business, engineering, health... while the liberal arts in CAS is less distinguished. i guess it's whatever floats your boat-- if your goal is to become a marketing director or a physical therapist, the co-op program will probably do a great job in preparing you down that straight path. but that's pretty much all you'll know, you know? some people are fine with that and it's cool, but i dunno... that approach to learning isn't what im looking for. but i could be completely wrong.. it's only been my first semester after all. that's just the impression i've gotten after the time i've been here.</p>
<p>I'm going to say this without sounding too obnoxious or arrogant...</p>
<p>So with that having been said:</p>
<p>Yes, there are quite a few idiots wandering around Northeastern, and largely, they are upperclassmen [Juniors and Seniors]. These individuals are remnants of NU's darker days in which 80% of all applicants to the school were accepted. You'll find that starting with the middlers this year [class of 2010] are quite bright, which makes sense because the school began raising its standards that year. The sophomores [my class] are also full of bright people and this year's freshmen are very intelligent. A large portion of the freshmen I've interacted with chose NU over schools such as BU, Tufts, and occasionally BC. I expect that this will also be the case with next year's incoming freshmen. The student body has been getting brighter for the past 5 years and I do not see anything that would indicate to me that this trend will change. Looking at some of the posts from newly admitted students confirms this, we've got some bright people coming to NU next year.</p>
<p>^^ I agree. It's very common to hear upperclassman say "Man, good thing I applied 4 years ago, I would NEVER get into this school now," and I've also heard upperclassman talk about how much better their degree is going to look now than it would have several years ago.</p>
<p>I've already posted here agreeing with the OP, but I do think that this is starting to change and will continue to change in coming years. There's already a major difference between the freshman class and senior class, so it's definitely happening. I also think courses will continue to get better because of this.</p>
<p>My D is in at Northeastern and will likely get in to BU--BC a stretch. SHe loves the sense of a real campus that NEU has, but likes the academics at BU more. Somewhat disappointed with the lack of a campus feel at BU. Any current students at either have views on comparative academics or, particularly, the campus and community feel? Thanks.</p>
<p>Academics: That depend on what her major is going to be. BU has more a liberal arts bent than Northeastern [admittedly, the only Liberal Art major that I'm familiar with is my own, political science]. With that said, the poli sci. department at Northeastern is very good, I'd imagine it is comparable with BU, but again, it is the only LA major that I'm familiar with. As for more tech-y majors like Pharmacy [which is nearly impossible to get into at NU], engineering and the health science [as well as architecture] Northeastern has the edge over BU. Then there's the co-op, which I'm sure you've been talked to death about. But it is what makes Northeastern very unique and it is a contributing factor to why I came to NU. I don't have to tell anyone how much easier it is for someone with real-life and practical work experience to get a job as compared to someone who worked at the Student Center bookstore. On top of being able to actually make some money to pay off tuition [which is slightly cheaper than BU's], co-op provides us with incredible experience in our field of study.</p>
<p>Campus: The difference between the two schools is very obvious. Academic buildings and most residential buildings at NU are tight-nit and have a large amount of green space among them, it actually looks and feels like a college campus. BU's campus is completely integrated with the city but doesn't really have a 'campus feel'. Some people like that, others do not. </p>
<p>Agreed. With that said, and with no disrespect intended. Students from BU typically believe [and are quite vocal] that they are a 'better' school but often have trouble explaining why that is.</p>
<p>I was wondering how NEU would be for a west coast Asian girl...
My parents are kind of on my back about trying to apply to so many places especially with the costs of apps and sending scores and what-not.
I've never been to Boston, and the only time I've ever been to the "east coast" is when I went with my mom to NC to visit her friends.</p>
<p>Would it be tough to fit in or get used to the place for me?</p>