Northeastern Explore and Housing questions

My daughter was accepted by Northeastern, for the undecided/Explore program.

  1. Does she have to decide on a major by end of first year, second year, etc, in the Explore program?

There is an option to change major/interests now, which we’re thinking about since her interests have “matured” after the application in areas such as computer science, media. Is there an advantage to try changing now into one of the combined majors that woud seem to fit her broad interest, for example in getting into and getting started on required courses in the first year?

Also, are there some programs that typically get filled up already now by those who’ve already declared, such as (I’m guessing) popular ones like computer science?

  1. 1st and 2nd year students are required to live in housing (I assume dorms) and JR/SR+ students can choose to live in university housing. The NEU website states all those who enter as first year students are guaranteed university housing if desired.

Do many students opt out after 2 years? How is the supply/demand situation of the junior/senior student housing?

Thanks!

@esdoc I’d have your D talk with her advisor about switching majors. I hear good things about the explore program but neither of my D’s took part. It is easy to change majors at NEU, but I’m not sure when they allow you to switch with explore.

Re: housing. Many upper class students get housing off campus in private leases to have a little more freedom and also to be ensured an apartment/kitchen to avoid meal plans. Not all upper class housing is apartment style on campus. But campus housing provides more flexibility to go semester by semester when on coop and not having to deal with sublets etc. both my Ds stayed in campus housingfor one semester of third year bc they got apartments and then either had study abroad or coop outside of the area. All housing after first year is by lottery for any student that applies in time and deposits in time… wide variation and it can be stressful. Housing demand has varied in years when the campus got overenrolled a couple of times but they recently opened a privately run NEU apartment complex called Lightview for upper class students. It’s all kind of a mess right now with Covid closures and no one knows what housing demands will be if coops and study abroad programs are cancelled for fall…a lot of those students might stick around and take classes etc. hoping for a smooth fall… but frosh will be guaranteed housing…

  1. As far as I'm aware there is no "hard decision" deadline, it's much more flexible than that. No majors "fill up" so you don't have to rush into a major. The advantage of knowing earlier is simply getting started with your major classes earlier and maybe not feeling as rushed to complete it. I would stick with the explore program (also heard good things generally) but basically focus on her intended major from the start. She could declare/switch out of the program as early as the first semester if she's sure from there, but if she isn't she still has plenty of flexibility without having to deal with any bureaucracy. There's nothing stopping her from basically taking a mostly CS/media track from the explore program.
  2. I'd say in my experience on/off after second year is 50/50. @twicemama more or less laid out the advantages and disadvantages well but basically:

On-Campus: more flexibility with co-op scheduling, less logistic worries

Off-Campus: Typically cheaper, easier to get single rooms (almost all off-campus housing is that), more logistics with leases, broker fees, utilities, internet, subletting

If you want to stay on campus as a third year or later I haven’t heard of issues doing so, though the number of options you have depends on your housing lottery number. But you won’t get into a situation of being denied on campus housing. It’s more or less just personal preference between staying on campus or not.

I personally went off campus after my second year for more choice/consistency and kept the same place for 3 years but I also had to deal with subletting my apartment for two co-ops during that. It was worth it to me but others went with on campus to avoid those logistics.

Thank you both! Another thing re: majors and housing would be the LLCs. Was the computer science LLC something you found valuable the first year, PengsPhils? If she sticks with Explore program she would be in an LLC with other undeclared first years, which would be fine as well.

LLC’s actually aren’t tied to major, I was in the music LLC. You pick whatever LLC you want that, there are no restrictions by what you study!

Some people find being with their major helpful for homework, studying, etc but I personally valued having social circles outside of my major, hence my choice which I didn’t regret at all.

My daughter was in the explore program (started NEU in 2012). It was a great experience, and from looking at their website they have made it better.

You meet with your explore advisor before you select your fall classes and they make sure you take classes that include areas you are leaning towards. So for your daughter that would include the intro classes for CS and media. The explore advisors are the best as they need to know what the requirements are for all of the majors.

You don’t have to declare a major until the end of your second year and they even have students go on co-op still being undeclared. Majors don’t fill up and you can declare any time during the year (a petition to the department typically saying you have already met some very basic requirements like the intro class for that major).

My daughter took a wide range of classes her first semester - including some fun electives. She decided during her second semester to be a combo econ/math major. She wasn’t behind at all - despite not having taken a math class the first semester (which was a genius move on the part of her advisor as she might have ended up taking the “wrong” math class). Her advisor also didn’t have her take a language class the first year, again smart move as her degree didn’t need it.

Back then you were only required to live on campus your first year. Her friends were evenly split with living on and off campus - she stayed on campus for all 4 years (did 4 years and 2 co-ops).

They really didn’t have LLCs back then (with the exception of all the honors students living in one place), but I think the explore group will be pretty tight. They will all be required to attend things like regular presentations from different departments to help them “explore” different majors. Also the required welcome to college 1 credit class will be only explore students.

@kiddie Thank you! That is really helpful and reassuring.

If I may ask: Is your daughter happy with her NEU and career path after, and doing well where she is today? The more success stories I read about a school’s graduates the better!

She is delighted - loved her time at NEU and continues to live and work in Boston. A large majority of her NEU friends stayed in Boston and got post graduation jobs in the area in their desired fields.

I think the explore program was one of her deciding factors when she chose NEU. She was really one of those kids who loved and did well in all subjects and choosing was hard for her. Many of her very smart HS friends (kids who attended ivy league schools), had a much harder time deciding on a career path and what to do post graduation. It is one thing to know the world is your oyster and you can do anything, but another to pick which of those things to actually do.

I will also mention that career services is top notch. When she was looking in her last semester for a job, the head of career services (whom I had met at a family weekend) helped her with her job search. Recently (now 4 years later), my daughter went back to her for advice with her current job search and once again she was helpful (and truly happy to help an NEU alum).