Northeastern Univeristy trip report

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

<p>We visited Northeastern University in Boston on a brutally hot and muggy day in July. We had no trouble driving right downtown and parking in an underground garage near their visitor/admission department (however, we got there at 9:00 AM, I don’t know if it fills up later – also we used to live in Boston so it was familiar). It is, however, easy to take their public transportation. We were staying with friends in the area and had also toured Worcester Polytech.</p>

<p>Visiting schools in the summer is generally a bad idea – but I know if we wait it might not get done. We did find some students around at Northeastern – mostly across the street in a big Mexican restaurant! Given their slightly unusual schedule, I think a lot of students are there in the summer.</p>

<p>As a little introduction I should say my son is quite intent on being an engineer. He is a “techie” through and through. He does not care if he is in a big city or a corn field. He also does not seem to care if there are few girls. (Although he has a casual girlfriend here at home I don’t think that is entering into that consideration.) He is not interested in sports, school spirit (i.e. football), partying, or Greek. He is a musician and is seeking opportunities to play in a decent orchestra or other ensemble and participate in theater productions. He wants to go to a small college, however this may or may not happen.</p>

<p>Northeastern is, obviously, a very urban campus. It definitely HAS a campus though (unlike some urban schools) and trees and greens. Boston is wonderful, of course. Northeastern is a larger school with 14,730 undergrads and 4,811 grad and law students.</p>

<p>We started with an information session which had a rather unprofessional admissions employee presenting. The presentation was a short video (it was annoying), a power point presentation, and question/answer session. She did a good job explaining, what to me, is the confusing thing about Northeastern – the co-op system.</p>

<p>Northeastern’s claim to fame seems to be their integration of real work experience (co-ops) into their majors. For engineering there would probably be three paid co-op experiences. Kids can make good money during these co-ops, but the important thing is that it allows them to see what is out there in the way of professions, decide whether or not they like their chosen field, and it adds a year or more of real work experience to their resumes right out of college. It’s an interesting approach. At first I was skeptical (picturing my kids in more traditional four year, residential programs) but the idea is growing on me. It seems somehow especially pertinent today. My son is comfortable with the idea. (He read “The World is Flat” this summer and has all these new ideas now…)</p>

<p>Unfortunately we did not get any sense at all how their engineering department is structured. They have an engineering open house event on Wednesdays, and we couldn’t make that (who could? – it seems like a dumb day especially for out-of-towners). Anyway, this is a real problem.</p>

<p>After the information session we went on a campus tour. It was WAY too big of a group! What are colleges thinking making tour groups 50 or more people??? Since we couldn’t hear a thing, and we were all jammed in this wicked-hot group, we broke off toward the end and wandered around on our own. What I did hear on the tour was very standard stuff. Not a lot of buildings were entered. </p>

<p>We tried to find the Electrical and/or Computer Engineering departments, and maybe we were in the right building, I don’t know, but no one was around anyway.</p>

<p>The campus overall is surprisingly nice. At 67 acres it is easily walkable. You are right smack in the middle of Boston, with several “T” stops right on campus. It definitely felt like a campus – not a bunch of buildings in a city. If a kid wants an urban campus Northeastern should be in the running.</p>

<p>Dorms - freshmen housing is across the street, but it is all together in a nice, cozy kind of way. The freshman dorm rooms were small, hot, and had shabby furniture (pretty standard). I think there were two cafeterias over there. Housing is guaranteed for three years for entering freshman. Upperclassmen live in apartment style housing – and at least the part we saw looks REALLY great (and, I believe, really does represent where you’re apt to end up living).</p>

<p>The academic quad seems to consist of mostly 60’s era buildings that are well kept and practical. We went into the new Marino Recreation Center, and it was very nice. The Curry Student Center seemed to be a pretty standard student center; home to lots of student organizations and a lounge etc. There are of course other new buildings such as the Behrakis Health Sciences Center that are really wonderful. A few construction projects are underway (an African American Union and honors housing complex) and planned (more housing for 2009 and beyond). </p>

<p>Academically Northeastern seems to be an up and coming school, while still not highly competitive in terms of admission. It is ranked at 115 by US News (tied with Loyola Chicago, SUNY Buffalo, U Oregon, U San Francisco). Their engineering program is ranked 69th by US News; with U Pittsburgh, SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, Boston U, Syracuse U, and Tufts all in that general ranking neighborhood. Be it known that I put practically no weight on these rankings. (Actually I think they are complete BS.) Stats for admitted students are: (mid 50%) GPA 3.4 – 4.0, 1140-1320 SAT. It seems like a very diverse student body. </p>

<p>Northeastern is expensive, but I suspect there is more financial aid and merit money available than at other similar schools. Also, paid co-ops can relieve some of the pain. Tuition is $28,735, room and board $10,170. Overall, it did not feel like primarily wealthy kids go there.</p>

<p>For most majors Northeastern appears to be a five year deal: eight semesters of classes and about four semesters of co-ops (you do not pay tuition during co-op, but you may pay R&B especially if you happen to be doing a co-op in Boston). </p>

<p>My son came away from this tour not really knowing what to think about this school. There was no mention of music or theater extra-curriculars, and when we asked no one really knew anything about them. He emailed the music director who replied that they do have an orchestra and basically anyone can get in it (which is pretty normal for a school without a music performance major). There is no instrument storage on campus (I wonder if there are practice rooms?) and that is a problem for him.</p>

<p>From my perspective I really liked this school (OK, maybe I just LOVED the idea of living in the middle of Boston :) ), but I think for Northeastern to stay in the running he’ll have to try to get to an Engineering Wednesday and further investigate those specific departments. I’m not sure how or when that will happen. His comment was that “it might not be geeky enough.” I hope he does not underestimate the value of the co-op experience though, especially at a school where it seems to be woven seamlessly into the major.</p>

<p>I do not have great photos due to the too big tour and the fact that I was having heat stroke, but here’s a link to what I do have:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1&Uc=x43zpxh.5799wl3t&Uy=-2bbs4p&Ux=0%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1&Uc=x43zpxh.5799wl3t&Uy=-2bbs4p&Ux=0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I hope someone finds this report helpful.</p>

<p>(Also posted under Parents Forum.)</p>

2

<p>Weenie-</p>

<p>Thanks for the great picture link in your post - too bad your visit wasn't all that you had hoped for. We attended one of the freshman orientation weekends with our son and found it pretty informative. We also thought that for a fairly large school Northeastern does a good job working with individual students and providing a sense of campus and community for those who seek that in their college experience.</p>

<p>As for engineering, in case you didn't see this post by "Greech9" under another topic in the Northeastern forum, I'm pasting it here for you:</p>

<h2>"Are you kidding! </h2>

<p>I work for a local (Boston) large high tech company and have been involved in hiring NEU Engineering Co-op's for the past 16 years. I bring in 2 co-op's per 6 month period and usually end up hiring them when they graduate. I have hired approx. 20-25 students over these 15 years and I sware by the program. I also have done internships/co-ops with other schools and hands down, NEU students are the best - at least in engineering. In addition, typically when we hire our past co-op students we offer them ~$5K more in salary because of their experience. This is just in my small engineering group. The company overall brings in about 30 co-op's each period and has hired countless co-op's and they are among our best employees and many has risen to managment positions. In fact the founder of our company is a Northeastern Engineering grad.</p>

<p>My D is a senior in high school and going through the college selection process and she is looking for an engineering program due to her strength in math & science. She has enrolled at NEU and I am very proud to have her attend as I think NEU has the best balance of academic and hands on eperiential learning. Of course NEU dosn't have as good a reputation as say, MIT, but we are not all that smart!</p>

<p>Anyway, after my long affiliation with NEU I would highly reccomend the school especially the Engineering program."</p>

<hr>

<p>Weenie - also my friend just returned from coaching at a figure skating championship near Boston and said that two of her former skaters are recent graduates of Northeastern (2005 & 2006 - in nursing and athletic training respectively.) One is in debt for $84K and the other for about $115K, but they told my friend that they would do it all over again in a minute because their co-op experience, connections and education at Northeastern was well worth it. </p>

<p>That was pretty reassuring to those of us whose kids will be entering Northeastern in the fall! Hope this information is somewhat helpful.</p>

3

<p>Thanks creasemonkey. Good information! </p>

<p>I guess a lot of kids graduate with that kind of debt - but OUCH!</p>

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<p>More reports:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=206030&highlight=Reports%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=206030&highlight=Reports&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>Weenie,
I think we may have been there on the same VERY HOT late July day! Just a few minor things to add from our visit:</p>

<p>I was also very disappointed in the general information session. Our speaker was obviously new, and appeared uncomfortable, and uninformed! The presentation was also very dry. However, our tour guide was just the opposite, so it helped to balance our experience.</p>

<p>It appeared that many of NE classes may be large. The stats we were given was that 50% of the classes have less than 20 people. Most other schools on our whirlwind visit this summer listed that about 80 - 90% of their classes were under 25 or so students.</p>

<p>NE was the only school we have visited that suggested that a student NOT list "undecided" as their major on their application. Most other schools admitted that was okay, and quite common. NE said that it would reduce chances for admission, because you get placed in a different (and more competitive?) pool of students. At the same time, they stressed that it is easy to cross register, and take classes from many different departments. So, they advised to declare what you think you might be interested in studying, and that changes were possible later.</p>

<p>Our D. is one of those "undecided" students. We're looking for a school with a good mix in her general areas of interest. One possibility is visual design (graphic design, visual communications, etc). Another "new" interest is Architecture. We were hopeful with NE, because they had it all. We were told that even if majoring in Architecture, it is quite easy to experiment with other classes. However, when we saw the outline of suggested courses for an architecture major, there appeared little room left for other options. This is not unusual, and in general, NE architecture program (on paper), with it's co-op component was impressive. We did not see the facilities, as it was locked by the time we were free to explore on our own.</p>

<p>As you mentioned, housing was guaranteed for 3 (of the 5) years. The third year is the "middler" year. Junior and Seniors are technically the 4th & 5th year because of the co-op system. They also stated that they accomodate about 2/3 of the junior and seniors who want on-campus housing (with a lottery system). </p>

<p>One surprise is that higher AP scores not only give you credit, they actually boosts your college GPA! Some colleges only use AP for placement (no credit). Most give credit depending on the class and score. NE was the only school we have heard of, who actually gives you a grade with your credit which is factored into your college transcript!</p>

<p>Our D. loved Boston... who doesn't ;-) and the NE campus was a nice surprise. It is in a very convenient location. While does not have the typical college "greens", it does have a campus feel. It also appeared meticulously maintained and manicured.</p>

6

<p>Huh. My son is attending this fall with AP credit coming in and I did not know that. So is it your understanding that say he had a B in European History, that the B is factored into his NEU GPA?<br>
Maximus, if you are out there can you answer this one? My son was not told this and he is on a merit scholarship/honors program so his GPA is important to maintain both those distinctions. Also, Maximus if my son took Community College and had both As and Bs in those courses, are those factored into his NEU gpa?</p>

7

<p>Hi ebeeee,</p>

<p>I really have no idea. I did not have AP credit when I was admitted to Northeastern. You should call the Dean's office of the specific Northeastern college or the Honors Program Director to find out if the AP credit grades and community college grades will show up on the transcript. It may be that the univeristy will only count them if they are above a certain level or are of a certain number of credits. Here is the contact info for the Honors Program:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.honors.neu.edu/contact_us/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.honors.neu.edu/contact_us/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

8

<p>I am actually a sophmore at nu and I think that its great. one thing that they dont tell you is that you are not guaranteed a co-op. Northeastern students are really go getters and you have to be willing to go the extra mile to get things done because no one at the school is going to hand things to you. As far as dorms go, the freshman housing is pretty standard. The freshman dorms are white, stetson east and west, and speare. Also, there are smaller suite style dorms in 319 huntington, loftman, and kennedy (honors). Also, freshman live in smith, melvin, and kerr. NU also offers theme housing for engineers, international, wellness, and health sciences majors. As far as upperclass housing goes its really really nice. About 1/3 of upperclassmen opt to live off campus for various reasons (No RA's, save money etc.)</p>

<p>Academically the hardest programs are computer science, pharmacy,engineering and physical therapy. The engineers that I know are pretty standard, I don't know and extremely geeky people, but i dont doubt that they exist. The engineering buildings are egan and snell engineering. Egan is the really pretty building with the fountains in the front. Also, I was reading that $20 million just got donated for some kind of engineering thing.</p>

<p>The architecture program is pretty intense. Architecture students spend a lot of time and money at the art supply store on mass ave. Also they spend a lot of late nights in the studio.</p>

<p>Finally, last year the classes within my major were very small but i had lectures for my electives (math and oceanography).</p>

9

<p>Here is some info about the $20 million dollar gift to Northeastern today:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.northeastern.edu/newPR/8-06/gordon.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.northeastern.edu/newPR/8-06/gordon.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

10

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/crep/www/report_browse.html?college_id=296%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/crep/www/report_browse.html?college_id=296&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

11

<p>Weenie.. you have a few pictures of Speare labeled as Stetson in your picture gallery.</p>

12

<p>We were at Northeastern this past Wednesday and went on the engineering tour and came back for the regular tour in the afternoon. We also arranged our visit during a gorgeous, comfortable late summer day and the campus was abuzz with freshmen moving in. We have looked at a lot of smal LACs in the middle of nowhere or in very small towns and my son loves the idea of being in a nice self contained campus in a city. You really must return for the engineering tour! The gentleman that gave the info session and also lead the tour was excellent in explaining all aspects of the engineering school and coop program. We had professors and grad students speak to us at each of the engineering departments (except mechanical I think). The new dorm (freshmen honors will occupy among others) was open. We were very favorably impressed, and my son even more so. Northeastern is now at the top of his list! I hope he will be invited into the honors college. He has a 1450 SAT (only 630 writing) and 3.8 weighted, a couple of APs and honors, but at our highly competitive but nonranking hs that puts him down in the 4th decile(!). He should be in the top 10% of Northeastern's admitted students, but that does appear to be an upwardly moving target.</p>

13

<p>Here are a few pics:</p>

<p>Festive move in day for freshmen:</p>

<p><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Enjres/ne1.JPG%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://home.comcast.net/~njres/ne1.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Welcome, class of... what? Yes, it is a FIVE year program for most!</p>

<p><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Enjres/ne2.JPG%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://home.comcast.net/~njres/ne2.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I don't even remember what these are, but it was a nice campus! </p>

<p><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Enjres/ne3.JPG%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://home.comcast.net/~njres/ne3.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Enjres/ne4.JPG%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://home.comcast.net/~njres/ne4.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Just remembered, they were installing a lot of those gray (plastic) benches, brand new, and they were also finishing off new brick walkways in several areas.</p>

14

<p>For anyone interested the last two pics are of the West Village Area...new dorm for Freshman Honors students this year is West Village F...air conditioning, suite style with kitchen (fully equipped) and living room...four doubles or sometimes three double and one single off the common area of each suite...</p>

15

<p>I visited the campus in July with my d. We went to Boston to really see BU. We think NEU is great. The location combined with the urban campus is more than we were expecting. We were very disappointed with BU's campus and lack of maintenance. NEU was in impecable shape when we were there. Something I realized after our visit is that Boston gets very cold. The buildings, especially the student center, is constructed to work with this situation. Nice atrium feel you couls hang there all day and not feel cooped up.</p>

16

<p>hmmm we visited BU in July and found the grounds (although limited) to be lovely and very well maintained, as were all the buildings we visited. Looking forward to visiting NE very soon.</p>

17

<p>NJRes - Thanks for the pictures - we just returned from moving our son into the Stetson dorm and since it was drizzling, we forgot to take any pictures of those gray rolling bins!</p>

<p>NEU did an amazing job orchestrating the move-in with lots of help from the football team and other fall athletes who were working to help the new freshmen get their belongings into the dorm rooms quickly. We had no problem with the parking/unloading procedures and were pleasantly surprised at how easily it all went. NEU provided parking at another lot after unloading and a free meal for family or friends who helped move the new students in.</p>

<p>Although our s ordered his books online, the lines in the campus bookstore were short and the kids moved through very smoothly. </p>

<p>Even though Stetson isn't an apartment-suite style dorm, we think our s will be very happy there. Since finding food is always a priority for him, both cafeterias and OutTakes are in the Stetson buildings and will be a quick run down the stairs during the cold months. The kids were leaving their doors open when they were in the room and meeting everyone in their halls. It's easy to make new friends in the LLC and he found that several of the kids on his floor are in some of the same class sections.</p>

<p>The kids seem very excited to be at Northeastern - they already worked out at Marino Center and walked to the Whole Foods market several blocks away. Everything is compact and conveniently located. There are lots of activities planned to engage the students in their new school and to get to know each other from the first day of move-in through Friday, September 8. </p>

<p>NEU seems to be a great choice for our s and lots of the other new freshmen!</p>

<p>BTW - you're right about the top 10% being a moving target - in 2005 our s was offered twice the scholarship than he was offered in 2006 (he decided to defer his admittance for a gap year) and the financial aid office said that it is because the competitive pool (which determines the level of the academic awards) was much higher this year.</p>

<p>Good luck to you and your son!</p>