Northeastern or Georgia Tech?

College Search & Selection
1

Hello! I am currently trying to decide between Northeastern and Georgia Tech, and I was hoping to get some input regarding my decision. The cost for these schools is about the same, so that is not really a factor in my decision. What is more important to my decision is rather the academics and social aspects of the schools.

I am planning to major in computer science, and according to rankings, Georgia Tech has a better program, but upon visiting and listening to their computer science information session, it was emphasized that it is very difficult to get the classes you need and that students are often placed on waitlists which contributes to a low 4-year graduation rate. Additionally, it seemed to me that Georgia Tech has a strong fraternity/sorority/athletic culture which, given my introverted personality and lack of interest in athletics, does not seem to be the best fit socially. Plus Georgia Tech is relatively far away so that would be a big change.

On the other hand, Northeastern is much closer and has a much friendlier atmosphere in my opinion. I can envision myself joining many of the student clubs and organizations available on campus, but I am somewhat hesitant regarding their academics. There is no doubt that they will adequately prepare me for a job (and I would be excited to do co-ops, which don’t seem to be as easy to do at Georgia Tech), but I also would want a theoretical focus on computer science, not something purely practical. I would not want the only intent to be getting a job if that means ignoring a deeper understanding of computer science, but it seems like Northeastern would provide a very pre-professional education.

I would feel bad passing up a better academic program at Georgia Tech, but at the same time, I am not really sure if it would be the best place for me. Any advice (including from current students to confirm/deny any of my impressions) would be very appreciated!

2

They are both so good in the big picture, it really should be what works best for you.

Yes, GT has the great cs rep but if you’re not that into it - Don’t force it. Northeastern has a lot to offer too.

3

It sounds like you know Northeastern is the better fit but are worried about choosing the higher ranked program. While GT does fall higher in the ranks, it’s not significant to the point where I would choose it over Northeastern which has a great CS program as well. Just because one school ranks higher does not mean there’s a magic night and day difference.

While Northeastern does indeed have a preprofessional slant, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of CS theory and research to go around.

The ranking linked below is exclusively based on research output to top CS conferences (defaults to the past 10 years). You’ll see GT at #9 and Northeastern at #15 in the US.

http://csrankings.org/

If you go look at the specific degrees for both, you’ll find the same subjects are covered at both as well. Beyond that, Northeastern also has a great introductory teaching curriculum it created/fosters that is used by other top CS schools, notably Waterloo and Brown. You can read about the details of that in this essay:

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/Thoughts/Developing_Developers.html

Based on your original post I’d 100% recommend Northeastern here, though of course I may be slightly biased as a graduating CS student. The lack of sports and greek emphasis were also a nice aspect for me that has checked out well and Boston is an amazing city to be a college student in.

Hope that helps!