Northeastern: Tell Me All About It

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

<p>Greetings fellow CCs,</p>

<p>I am here asking for all of your honest opinions on Northeastern. I was admitted for the upcoming freshmen class and I am pretty excited by it. Before I make a decision, I would like to have questions answered (For those who attend / attended / know attendees / or visited) - Please answer whatever you can - anything helps!</p>

<p>A little about me:
I currently attend a small private high school (Not too happy over my four years - Majority of population is upper middle class, narrow minded, and only enjoy drinking and doing stupid things. In this school, the minorities are often ignored and end up sticking together - I absolutely dislike that). I am an open-minded individual who enjoys trying out new things when I can. I am not really a part of any social “group” - I tend to be a mix of things. I really enjoy basketball. I enjoy nature and music. I enjoy playing video games (I would like to do a lot less of this and more other things in college). I am of the middle working class. Politically, I lean more towards liberal. Academically, I am less interested in math and science. I seek a liberal education so that I may one day narrow in on my favorite subjects. Business sounds interesting (I dislike investment banking and things of that nature) - the idea of a small business owner sounds very inviting.</p>

<p>My ideal college:
Beautiful campus, Very diverse (Culture, ethnicity, background, economic, interests), Medium - Large population, near a city, high school spirit (sports events), many activities (During weekends / free time), good food, good facilities (fitness center / gym / academic buildings), resourceful (e.g. great library), small - medium class size, friendly and intelligent teachers, and parties / social events (Not drinking in excess, mind you). Most importantly, a place where I can truly be myself and not hide beneath a mask - I will be able to meet and befriend lots of interesting, kind, and open-minded individuals.</p>

<hr>

<li><p>What are your favorite things about Northeastern?</p></li>
<li><p>What are your least favorite things about Northeastern?</p></li>
<li><p>I hear Northeastern gives small Financial Aid packages. Is this true(from what you know)?</p></li>
<li><p>Based on my description of myself and of my ideal college, would I be a match? Is this school diverse (as defined above)?</p></li>
<li><p>I hear Northeastern is trying to get itself higher up in the ranks. Do any of you see actual progress being made on campus? If so, what sort of progress? (This does not include admissions).</p></li>
<li><p>Is the liberal education at Northeastern strong? </p></li>
<li><p>I hear co-ops are usually most strong with business. Exactly what type of business are we talking about? The sort of business that appeals to me: involves innovative ideas, involves people skills, involves medium to minimal math skills, involves thinking on ones feet, and involves progressive advancement. </p></li>
<li><p>I really enjoy community service and giving my time to help those in need. Does Northeastern have strong community service options?</p></li>
</ol>

<hr>

<p>Thank you so very much for taking the time to read through this and help me out! Hopefully Northeastern will be my next home.</p>

<p><em>I do plan on visiting sometime in the near future. I just want to hear what everyone has to say in order to make sure I make the right decision</em></p>

2

<p>Where else did you get in?</p>

3

<p>I got into Villanova, SUNY Albany, and Drexel. I don't see the latter two as options. So my top two would be Villanova and Northeastern. Villanova seems like another typical preppy white drinking party school (from what I hear).</p>

<p>Overall, my college process has been pretty disappointing.</p>

<p>Accepted: SUNY Albany, Drexel, Northeastern, Villanova</p>

<p>Rejected: Colgate, Boston College, Cornell, UPenn, Tufts</p>

<p>Waitlisted: Occidental, Syracuse</p>

<p>Other: Binghamton (Accepted for spring semester)</p>

4

<ol>
<li>My favorite things: Campus, the surrounding areas of campus, Boston, co-op, my major, my cool apartment ($$!), the 5 year program.</li>
<li>Yes, generally.</li>
<li>Yes. There's plenty of community service to get involved in. This is also a really good way to meet interesting and cool people.</li>
</ol>

<p>And now, I'm combining 2, 4, 5, and 7 into one. I'll make it nice and long because a) this is my favorite NU rant, and b) I have tests galore coming up, so naturally I'm desperate for distractions. </p>

<p>My biggest issue with NU has always been the lack of intellect, passion, and open-mindedness of the students here. Most students are from surrounding areas with no interest in what's going on in the rest of the world. They're business majors or health science majors and don't understand why anyone would ever study something like (heaven forbid!) anthropology or international affairs. They'd rather choose making money over doing something they're really passionate about. They don't want to travel or hear about politics. They don't read good books or watch "weird" movies. They say they love going to school in Boston but never really leave campus boundaries. They are not very interesting or cultured. I've met some VERY cool people here, absolutely, but I've had to wade through a lot of boring ones to find them.</p>

<p>The liberal arts program here isn't great, and it's not the best school for exploring different areas. Also, I don't think the kind of business you're interested in is quite what they stress here. </p>

<p>However, Northeastern is changing drastically every yea, and there are very noticeable changes between the student body every year. This is a very different school than it was just a few years ago, and the attitude of the entire campus changes each year as incoming freshman get smarter and more interesting. Even the current freshman are very different than my class, and my class is very different than the classes above me. The caliber of incoming students has completely changed, so I think this will be a lot less of an issue in coming years, but it's not going to be gone completely.</p>

<p>Improvement on campus includes better professors, better course offerings, more student involvement on campus, more campus groups and clubs, and better services from the school. The changes being made are very noticeable.</p>

<p>Finally, yes we're mostly preppy, white partying college kids. But that's pretty much guaranteed to exist at any private school in the Northeast. However, compared to Villanova I'd guess we're more diverse and a lot less preppy.</p>

<p>Now if only I put this kind of time into studying calculus...</p>

5

<p>Thank you Emily for your opinions - they are incredibly helpful and give me a better sense of the school! I sincerely hope that with every new freshmen class NEU gets better and better.</p>

<p>Now for that calculus...</p>

6

<p>Emily --- Approximately 200 students come into NEU as "undeclared" and participate in a program dedicated to helping select a major by the end of the freshman year. There's also a General Studies program with expanded goals for those students, but with a similar function, I think. Not sure how many are in that program.</p>

<p>Do you have any thoughts about the relative diversity of that/those group(s) of students, compared to what you describe of the student body overall?</p>

<p>Also, do you have any general thoughts about the success of the program for undeclared students?</p>

<p>NEU would seem to present a risk for students who do not have a fairly clear idea of their prospective career path coming in, given that Coop is only available after at least one semester in a chosen major.</p>

<p>Thanks for any thoughts you might wish to share.</p>

7

<p>The undeclared program seems pretty good to me, but I really don't know much about it. I haven't heard any complaints from my friends who came in undeclared, they all eventually figured out what they want to do. Also, it's not like people come in with a major and stick to it. I've switched between 3 majors and I know people who have also made very drastic changes in majors. </p>

<p>I don't know that it's a "risk", you can still take a variety of classes and find what interests you. Students can't co-op until 2nd semester sophomore year, and many wait until fall of their middler year, so the one-semester rule isn't a huge deal. </p>

<p>A side note, it's much harder to get into NU as undeclared. More students apply as this major and there are only 200 spots. If you apply as something less popular you get a slight edge...</p>

8

<p>Very helpfu, thank you.</p>

<p>By "risk" I was referring to the Coop, and I hadn't realized that the first coop could be done in the fall of the middler year.</p>

<p>One thing you didn't comment on is whether you perceive any greater sense of "intellect, passion, and open-mindedness of the students" that come in undeclared. Kind of a hard question to answer, I know.</p>

9

<p>I don't know if it makes a huge difference. Some people are undeclared because they want to explore fields and find what they love. Others are undeclared because they have no idea what they want to do with themselves and have no real interest in anything whatsoever. </p>

<p>On the other end, there are declared students who are really passionate about learning and chose their major because it's something they love. Then there are those who declared because mommy and daddy told them they had to be doctors or businessmen.</p>

<p>So you get a mix everywhere... surrounding yourself with interesting people is more about the extracurriculars you do, and not your major.</p>

10

<p>Hey Innovational,</p>

<p>I can see where you are coming from. Its funny, your story is almost exactly how I feel about my high school and my situation (huge bball fan too). I guess im not deciding on NEU anymore after sending in all the deposits but the diversity issue worried me as well. Im glad to hear that the tides are changing a bit.</p>

11

<ol>
<li><p>NU has Transformed itself incredibly. We are ranked 96th I believe by USNews right now and we had been down by 150 in the 1990s. I forget the actual numbers but we have shot up many many spots and our # of applications has gone up 16% this year alone. Our admit rate went from 38% last year to 33% this year when in 95 we admitted about 83%. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcJOgEtsSLw%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcJOgEtsSLw&lt;/a> (really cheesy video BUT you asked haha) </p></li>
<li><p>All NU students take a core set of classes.(<a href="http://www.neu.edu/registrar/nucore.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.neu.edu/registrar/nucore.html&lt;/a&gt;) which allows students to choose classes to fulfill category requirements. This helps give the students flexibility while ensuring that while @ NU you get the liberal arts, major related courses, coop, and that it is all integrated. </p></li>
<li><p>We have strong coops in all majors. As a business student there really are TONS of different jobs you can get. It depends on what concentration you pursue and what you want. There are finance jobs, accounting, human resources, management, marketing, etc. We have over 2400 employers so you will be able to find one for you. A lot of the business coops are hands on in teams within the business. For instance mine in july is working with the finance teams at GE so its hands on, and you're treated as a full time employee so you participate and contribute just the same. Also, while you're looking for jobs and interviewing you are interviewing the company to see if they are the right fit for you. And interviewers love to see that youre trying to find one that fits so it works out perfectly. But yeah there are finance jobs from working with non profits to working with Proctor and Gamble. </p></li>
<li><p>We have TONS of community service opportunities and NU students are really involved. One type of Experiential Learning @ NU other than coop is Service Learning which is working in the community and integrating in the class. For instance my friend who is a Physical Therapy major is working at the Carter school which is next to campus and she is assisting the Physical Therapist there. She does this twice a month while in classes. Go to <a href="http://www.neu.edu/communityservice/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.neu.edu/communityservice/&lt;/a> for more info. There is also a community service Living Learning Community (LLC - its a fun name for themed housing). </p></li>
</ol>

<p>I hope that helped!!!!</p>

12

<p>Emily- very helpful feedback-thanks for taking a break from your studies. My D is admitted to NEU and BU and wants to major in English. Maybe double with another lib arts subject. Any thoughts on comparing the two? She feels that the NEU campus is much better, likes coop, but has the impression that BU has a better academic rep., esp for lib arts. Any feedback appreciated. Good luck with calculus!</p>

13

<p>who-knew,
I know a fair amount about both schools, and my D is a current student at NEU. I would not recommend NEU for a prospective English/humanities major. True, the co-op program could give her some interesting hands-on experience if she's interested in either teaching or editing. But in general, NEU is best for those on a fairly specific career track. Humanities majors would be better served in a school with a greater emphasis on intellectual (as opposed to 'practical') development. And BU has a terrific English department, often serving as hosts to some of the leading writers and critics (and visiting faculty) in the country. It will also attract a larger number of interesting humanities-oriented students.</p>

14

<p>I have a question about scheduling. After the freshman year, do you enroll in your classes online? Can you find out before hand who the professors are? Also are you given names of the textbooks you need prior (so you can buy them used online)?</p>

<p>My D will be a senior at Penn State, and son will be entering as a freshman pharmacy major in the fall. I was just curious if it worked the same way as Penn State. Thank you.</p>

15

<p>My D is a freshman at NEU and just registered for her classes yesterday for next year. She registered in person, not online, I don't think that was an option, but I am not 100% sure. Also, she said none of her classes had professor's names assigned, she wasn't happy about that. I don't know about the book list.</p>

16

<p>You can register online with our MyNEU portal system or over the phone. There is a priority access system called PASS. Basically it gives seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, then freshmen access over a week of time. Once you have access you can do it anytime after that. Some people do choose to sign up for classes with their advisors in person rather than on the phone/internet. </p>

<p>The course selections are listed online and updated with empty seats every day (registrar.neu.edu) and sometimes they will say the professor and sometimes they will simply say "staff" if they have not assigned the professor yet. But about 3/4+ of the time it has the prof, at least thats my experience. </p>

<p>You can go to the northeastern bookstores website northeastern.bkstore.com and use drop down lists to see what books you need, you can also go into the store and give them your schedule or call them and get the list of books. Once the professor has told them what books he/she will use they put it on the system. I've bought almost all my books online to save money. </p>

<p>For your 1st semester @ NU they typically will help you schedule it or will already have it done for you at Orientation which is over the summer. </p>

<p>For people interested in humanities I would not put NU down just because it can have a more preprofessional reputation. College of Arts and Sciences is the largest on campus and yes they do coop as well (if you opt to do coop, not required) eventually you're going to be working in that field so it is good to have the academic background as well as experience. We have coops with scholastic and other companies that I know my friends have worked with. i would reccomend going to the admitted student welcome day and talking to faculty and staff in your major to get more of a sense of it all.</p>

<p>Also be sure to check out the library website <a href="http://www.lib.neu.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.lib.neu.edu&lt;/a> where you can get info on all the authors that come to campus (there are a ton all the time)</p>

<p>Also, below is an AWESOME new honors seminar that they just created:
The Honors Program presents the new Writer in Residency Program featuring a new honors seminar with Michael Patrick MacDonald, author of All Souls and Easter Rising.</p>

<p>HNR U304 - Contemporary Issues: Arts and Humanities</p>

<p>Instructor: Michael Patrick MacDonald, Honors Program Writer in Residence</p>

<p>Social Justice: The Role of Reading, Writing and Understanding Non-Fiction</p>

<p>Key 01125, Monday 5-8pm</p>

<p>Course Description: In order to write the most effective non-fiction around social justice issues, a writer might undertake personal reflection on their own life to access that "place" that allows for greater empathy. When we write about issues affecting other people's lives, it is important to engage in a process of contemplation that will lead to more in-depth understanding, and create a unique and passionate "voice" that brings the reader in. This is true, no matter where we come from or what our previous exposure to the issues at hand. This model is the mark of training in traditional fields such as anthropology and the new genre of "self aware" contemporary writing that contributes to our understanding of social issues. This "writing classroom" will help students engage in critical thought and discussion of a wide range of social issues as well as grassroots movement for change.</p>

<p>Central unifying themes of the course will be poverty, violence, and the intersection of social justice and healing efforts in communities affected by both. We will focus on the implications for writers of non-fiction on these topics. The course will present an "insider's" view into writing with a greater consciousness of these topics by starting with some of my work, which includes two memoirs, a screen-play, editorials and a work-in-progress on solutions to gang violence in Massachusetts. Second, the course will move outward to the works of other significant writers of non-fiction – what has made their work so effective and memorable? Have the works influenced or been influenced by contemporary social problems? Are there policy links to any of these writings? Finally, the course will frame a discussion of the many ways to write non-fiction about these central themes: as memoirs, non-fiction books, as reports, as news articles, and as policy initiatives.</p>

<p>This course is suitable for students interested in general public policy issues, criminal justice concerns, social problems and social justice, journalism, urban anthropology, international affairs, English and the practice of writing.</p>

17

<p>hey i got into nova and neu too and both were my two top choices. I am going to attend NEU because 1. It's Boston! 2. nova was mad expensive and populated by mostly rich kids who could afford the tuition and board every year 3. Co Op really gets you into the work force like no other</p>

18

<p>First...I want to thank everyone for the great answers - it really helps with the overall image of the college. I will be visiting sometime in the next few weeks to see it for myself.</p>

<p>Optisrule:</p>

<p>That's what I hear about nova as well. Unfortunately because my parents own another home that is rented out (There is no profit from it every year), i've received pretty much no financial aid from both schools. This is incredibly frustrating and there is a post in the FA forums about this matter...which sort of alleviates my pain.</p>

<p>I have gone to my FA counselor and we have decided on preparing information in order to appeal and try and get some aid...Hopefully, my parents will pay for about 50% or even more of it....I am thinking of taking out loans on the rest.</p>

<p>I am incredibly excited by all NEU has to offer...I can't wait to see it with my own eyes - I'll let everyone know my thoughts after that...</p>

19

<p>
[QUOTE]
My biggest issue with NU has always been the lack of intellect, passion, and open-mindedness of the students here. Most students are from surrounding areas with no interest in what's going on in the rest of the world. They're business majors or health science majors and don't understand why anyone would ever study something like (heaven forbid!) anthropology or international affairs. They'd rather choose making money over doing something they're really passionate about. They don't want to travel or hear about politics. They don't read good books or watch "weird" movies. They say they love going to school in Boston but never really leave campus boundaries. They are not very interesting or cultured. I've met some VERY cool people here, absolutely, but I've had to wade through a lot of boring ones to find them.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>I have a BIG beef with this...</p>

<p>I'm a finance major...but it's something I am truly passionate about and enjoy...don't you think that maybe you're being a bit biased simply because you don't find the field interesting?</p>

<p>People in financial services don't necessarily just do it to make money...sure we are well compensated, but we provide a very valuable service to individuals such as yourself and to the larger American economy. We help people make wise financial decisions to better their standards of living and help them to meet their retirement goals. I'd be willing to bet either you or someone you know had parents who had invested into a 529 plan to prepare for your education. Without the financial services industry, none of this happens. </p>

<p>You're claiming people get into health science to become doctors just because they want to make money...I am friends with a handful of people who got into health science and pharmacy because they wanted to help people...they all tell me that making a difference in people's lives for the better can be a very rewarding experience, and that it was crucial in their decision to choose that career path. I know several who have completed co-op's at places like Mass General Hospital, and yes they do it because they ::gasp:: enjoy helping people.</p>

<p>Secondly, most of the people I know are very well informed on international affairs and current news in politics/culture. Granted, maybe it's because I'm an upperclassman, but I still don't think that you can make such a generalized statement. </p>

<p>In addition, what do you define to be a "good book"? Recently, in my spare time I've read a book about international economic indicators and the impact it has here at home...not because I'm using it to make money, but because I truly find it engaging and interesting. Is it not a good book simply because you don't think it is?</p>

<p>You're saying it's easy to find NU students who lack an open mind...you're definitely right about this, since all you have to do is look in the mirror.</p>

20

<p>^ Wow, it was actually just an example... I'm not attacking either field. I'm actually pre-med and both my boyfriend and my best friend are business majors (and probably both smarter than me). I know many people doing both who I think are really cool people and who are in it for the right reasons. The point is that there are people at this school who are pre-professional because they don't see why it's worth learning about other fields which don't provide a clear direction. I did not mean to imply that all health science and business majors are total idiots and that the boring kids only hang out in those majors, I think you read a little to much into it.</p>