Sending a newly turned 18 year old to a foreign country, to start college, is way more than going out of your comfort zone. I don’t think it’s fair of you to say that because she doesn’t want to leave the country to start her college experience means Northeastern isnt a good fit for her. If kids want to leave the country then they should select that option. She doesn’t. And we are on west coast so Oakland doesn’t hold a lot of interest for her. Northeastern Boston is where she wants to go.
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I don’t think they’re looking for adventurous anything. I think they’re looking for money.
Because so many kids are doing a co-op at any given time, they figure they can rotate kids into Boston as other kids are rotating out. So send kids somewhere else in a holding pattern of sorts until there is space on Boston. It’s all about $$$.
My kid applied EA and we thought the application was ridiculous. They force you to pick three campuses in order of preference (and then say they’re going to consider you for all of them regardless of what you say) Then they ask, what is your choice of major at Oakland? Um, there isn’t one. I don’t want to go to Oakland.
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Full disclosure: my S23 applied ED1 and was accepted to the Boston campus.
Before decisions came out, we had long talks about the different options for admittance. Boston was his first choice, but he would have done NU.in. We knew before he opened the decision e-mail what he would consider an acceptance and what would be, effectively, a denial.
The acceptance rate for ED applicants is about 35%. So 65% of applicants don’t get the offer for the option they indicated or don’t get an offer at all. If Boston is the only start your daughter wants, anything else is a denial. ED is not a guarantee of anything.
I do understand this is a stressful process, and perhaps the different pathways makes it more so. But this is not some shady or deceptive thing. The school is very clear about their admissions process. For your own peace of mind, and your daughter’s, you should consider a more pragmatic approach. Apply to the schools that interest her, but in the end, love the school that loves you back.
Good luck to your daughter.
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Several schools now offer a first semester abroad (for example, my daughter got into NYU but would have had to spend her first semester in Paris). She chose Northeastern because she preferred the program overall but the first semester location was really not a huge consideration for her. Some of her friends were also offered non-traditional starts (Spring semester start or a different campus) at other well-known schools, but no one seems to focus on those schools. I don’t really understand why people who are unhappy with Northeastern’s process or their program still chose to apply and then are angry about it. It seems to me that if I didn’t feel good about an aspect of a program I would take it off my list. That said, my daughter is loving Northeastern and the co-op opportunities are amazing, so for us it’s been a very positive experience. I just think it’s best to choose schools where you are happy or at least comfortable with everything you might get.
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I was not aware other schools did it. I suppose it’s a matter of degrees. The extent to which Northeastern does it, made possible by their co-op program, comes across as really cynical. We found the app quite off-putting.
In terms of why apply, many kids are applying to many schools in order to (hopefully) have a continuum of choices. But there are some places they’d rather go than others. We know two families with kids at Northeastern, one who did the first semester abroad and one who did not. While the former family did complain about the abroad logistics and school support (they said they felt like they were getting “state school experience at Northeastern prices”), both kids are very happy at the school.
Would my kid be very happy if he ended up there? I’m sure.
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My S21 was accepted through NU.in. He opted for another school, not because he was offended or upset by not getting Boston, but because he had a specific study abroad in mind. Maybe it was easier because it wasn’t his first choice school. I think finding your fit includes the admission options and how you get accepted.
UF and FSU have programs where students attend a nearby community college for one (maybe up to two) years before being officially enrolled at the University. There have definitely been some anxiety and frustration over those decisions especially when the inevitable comparisons start.
In my experience…which is limited…kids who applied ED had a definite advantage as far as getting the Boston admit. My S23 had several friends with similar profiles who applied EA - they all got NU.in. The few who applied RD were mostly waitlisted.
If the financials work and your child is 100% sure they want NU over any other choice, it’s the way to go. Only your first choice is binding, so if you mark it that way and tell them in Oakland you would major in underwater basket weaving 
you will not have to go price scuba gear.
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In addition to spring “admits”, another alternate entry plan other schools do is to “guarantee admission” to students for sophomore year as long as they go to another college the first year. In my view this is a worse/sneakier/cynical option because it literally impacts attrition rates at a competing institution.
Bottom line is: all these schools do what’s best for their institutional priorities. Northeastern probably can do a better job communicating to applicants all the possible admission decisions, but really they’re not doing anything that other schools wouldn’t do.
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Northeastern gave some people who applied ED guaranteed sophomore admission last year, too. 
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The VPs of Enrollment Management at schools have gotta earn their keep these days!
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I can understand that it’s a difficult job though. Over-enroll and you don’t have enough resources or space. Under-enroll and you aren’t utilizing your resources and don’t get enough funding. I imagine it’s more important at private schools that aren’t funded in part by the state.
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is it really that hard though? target a slight underenrollment (~5-10%) and build a huge waitlist. i can imagine there are a ton of students who would love to go to NE off the waitlist
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Maybe? But I also read a lot of complaints about excessive waitlists that give students false hope. In the end, schools are going to do what is best for their priorities. It isn’t as personal for them as it is for us.
I believe Northeastern has had a reputation for being the safety school for students aiming higher. It clearly isn’t a safety school now, but I would guess some of their admission process comes from a history of trying to figure out how to admit the most qualified students who were also very likely to attend.
With kids applying to 20+ schools, I do think it is hard. With changing economic situations, pandemics, etc. schools have to figure out who is the best fit for their campus, who is most likely to accept their offer, and how hopefully hit their target enrollments without going over too much. I work at a UC (not in admissions, but in campus planning) and every year it is always a gamble as to how the enrollment will go.
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The NUIN program has continued to expand and grow over the years. Many students apply to NU bc of that program and actually prefer it. And while my kids were not offered NUIN, I have seen many parents comment that they were hesitant to have their kids choose that program, but in the end, it was an amazing experience for them. I have seen over the years how NU has greatly improved the transition back to Boston for NUIN kids and it seems pretty seamless.
In the end, Students need to choose what is the best fit for them from the offers they have. With NU so popular now (92,000 applications last year!) I appreciate the fact that NU has done what they can to accommodate as many students wanting this type of education as possible. And even if enrolled, it still is up to a pretty independent minded students to make the most of all the programs.
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Do y’all know if it’s okay if the SRAR is sent late? My application will be in by tonight but I’m not sure how quickly I’ll get portal access. I have all the info filled in; just need the portal from NE to link but I’m doing final review of my essays tonight before submitting. Should I email admissions, or just assume it’ll be okay?
Per their website: “Once your application is successfully submitted and processed, you will receive access to your Application Status Check.” So, I think the deadline is for the application and the SRAR comes after that. You should be good. You can always email admissions for peace of mind though. Good luck!
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My D had same questions. She just submitted EA app and waiting for portal access from NEU.
Let me know if you hear anything more specific from Admission.
I should be submitting in the next few hours and will email NEU then!
According to the thread on Penn State, the school DOES require everything be submitted by the deadline, including SRAR. Apparently the student can go to the SRAR website, enter grades, and submit them to the school even before having portal access. Not sure if Northeastern has the same policy.