Northeastern and BU

<p>Hey guys can you tell me the diff. between the two and which of the two is better in comp. science? also what each of the two is strong in generally</p>

<p>BU is more expensive and has incoming students with higher SAT scores. Northeastern is famous for the co-op, learn as you earn program. Many people feel that BU is weak at supporting and nurturing undergraduates. I have three close relatives who went there, but do not keep up with the reputations of individual departments. They both have great locations, in my opinion.</p>

<p>Yeah I know that they are both in Boston area which is something I like and Ive also been looking at Northeastern's coop(ive been reading its good) thx for some insight OneMom</p>

<p>Most students at Northeastern graduate after 5 years because 1 1/2 is spent interning.</p>

<p>the fact that I would grad in 5 years at NU is kind of a turnoff (you can do 4 years if you want though). To be honest having a job secured would be good - but IMO you can do better. For example you might be able to do 5yr MBA/Bachelors or perhaps the 5 year masters program at WPI where you get an engi degree and a masters in FPE (for example). If you have a masters in FPE you can pretty much count on a job (and a fairly high paying one at that according to WPI)</p>

<p>I am not sure what I think of BU. I think I could do well enough there. A BU student made a very good post on the forum a while back - I suggest you look at that.</p>

<p>ooohhh. where can i find the post by the BU student?</p>

<p>northeastern has a college-y campus, bu is primarily buildings.</p>

<p>can someone please post the BU student post?</p>

<p>I'm a senior at BU...I guess you guys are talking about something I posted??</p>

<p>Northeastern has improved a lot in recent years, especially since they switched from a quarter system to a semester system. You can also graduate in four years and intern over the summer.</p>

<p>That being said, you can intern over the summer at any school--although it's nice that NU will help you find the internship, you may get a better internship by going to a school that is regularly recruited. Generally, I would also say that BU's programs are stronger than Northeastern's, though I can't speak for Comp Sci specifically.</p>

<p>I know some people complain about BU "not having a campus," but that feeling goes away once you get a feel for where everything is. A lot of people drive down Comm Ave, see a bunch of buildings and think they've seen everything. I live on Bay State Road. My back door is right near a foot bridge that takes me to the edge of the Charles River. At few schools can you walk one minute away from your back door and be able to walk near the Charles at 3 a.m.. We might not be enclosed and hidden from the world like BC is, but I think that the Charles (being somewhat gross aside) is hard to beat.</p>

<p>As for nurturing the students...if you need to be coddled, and want all of your classes to have three people in them, then BU is not for you. You do need to be a bit independent and willing to use your voice. Some departments are more helpful than others. For instance, the school of management's career center is excellent at helping you present yourself (for instance, before you can even apply for a job that is recruiting on-campus, you need to get your resume approved by them) and gets a lot of firms to recruit on campus, whereas the main career center for the entire schools is not particularly helpful. You really need to consider your major/department.</p>

<p>If anyone has a particular questions about BU or Boston, feel free to ask.</p>

<p>Northeastern is a pretty good school that seems like its at a crossroads right now. It has been traditionally a commuter school that has taken pride in a practice oriented (read: Coop), pre-professional education. Great stuff if you want to learn a trade and get a college degree and have a job waiting for you upon graduation. The school seems hell bent on shedding it's reputation and wants to play with the "big boys" now. Definitely trying to play the US News rankings game. I'm not sure if it will succeed by trying to go this route. Northeastern's strengths are in the pre-professional majors like engineering, business, and health sciences, but isn't widely considered notable for any traditional majors. </p>

<p>Boston University, on the other hand, is a very odd place. Nobel-prize winning professors and loads of very talented students. Also has it's share of wealthy slackers who could care less about the educational opportunities made available to them. Kind of like a USC or NYU. Boston University is solid or very good in just about every conceivable major, with a few in the top 25 or so.</p>

<p>As far as CS goes, both schools are ranked in the same ballpark. Both offer good programs but nowhere near the top 20 or so...</p>