Northeastern University Early Action / Early Decision for Fall 2023 Admission

Yes, NEU offers the global co-op scholarships for international coops as many of these do not pay and NEU wants to encourage them. They might offer some funds for non profits but I am not sure. My older D (CSSH) had 2 of 3 unpaid coops but they were invaluable in getting her employment upon graduation and in her overall career. She worked for a Senator in DC and in an embassy overseas that only provided housing. The NEU global coop scholarship covered her living costs and flights (it was South America so inexpensive.)

1 Like

Yes, that is the message we were getting from Northeastern (and from some posters here on CC) but when we did a deep dive into the major requirements and what S23’s plan would look like, it seemed to be a different story.

If he had been admitted to the Boston campus, he would have been able to start right away on the sophomore year classes in his major in fall freshman year, due to passing out of most of his freshman year classes with AP credits. This would potentially reduce the number of semesters he would need for his degree. But since he was admitted to NUin, it seemed that he actually wouldn’t be able to make any progress on his major in the first year of studies.

The technical courses offered at the NUin locations only duplicate those he would already have through AP credits, so he would only be able to cover gen ed requirements (some of which he already has covered through AP credits).

Then once he came to the Boston campus in spring of freshman year, he wouldn’t be able to start on the first semester of sophomore year classes in his major, since these classes are taught only in the fall semester. So he would end up delaying his major progress by a year, compared to starting in Boston.

Generally, if you are thinking about how many semesters it will take to graduate (and how many you may have available for co-op or study abroad), I think it’s a good idea to look very closely at the curriculum at ANY school (we are doing that with all schools S23 is admitted to) and think about how APs are treated, how flexible the curriculum is, whether courses are taught in both semesters, etc.

7 Likes

Thanks for the info. It’s impressive that your daughter was able to fit in 3 coops! We live overseas so if our D works in the USA, that would be a good experience and make her feel more connected to the US.

1 Like

That D was in poli sci which had a very flexible curriculum required for graduation in her major
 other D was in a much more structured major with two coops required and scheduled. Both came in with a lot of AP credits which covered most gen Ed classes and bumped them up to more interesting required course versions

I think it’s very rare for students to do three coops anymore. The push to have students (or by students) get out in 4 calendar years seems to have changed that culture at NEU. For my older D, most of her friends (even in engineering) did three coops in 5 years (graduated in 2016-2018) so not too long ago.

1 Like

When we attended the info session last year Northeastern didn’t mention that the school would cost less than other schools (if you are able to complete school is 4 years with 2 coops) and we didn’t really realize it would until we were comparing my daughter’s offers. (She was deciding between NYU and NE and her merit money plus the year less of tuition (she had enough APs) meant that NE would be a huge savings over NYU, who had offered no merit). She is now a first year at NE and very happy. But it’s a good point that students who do NUin might not have access to the classes they would need in their major to be able to complete their program in 3 years. It seems like lots of students do a summer session or two so that they can graduate in 4 years. The summer sessions are pretty short so students still have a couple of months of summer free. I do recall someone asking if students were required to take 2 coops and the answer was no it’s not a requirement but that might not be true for all majors.

My kid was not seeing the generous AP credit policy as a finish early opportunity, but rather space in her schedule to fit in her minor and a combination major that has rigid curriculum requirements (ME+physics). If she didn’t have merit aid (and later tuition reimbursement due to parent employer), we would be having a very different conversation. Now she’s talking PlusOne masters, so clearly she’s enjoying her experience at NU.

6 Likes

My kid would be interested in pursuing multiple technical interests as well, but it would not be possible to make progress in the first year given the limited technical courses available through NUin. Starting on the Boston campus, with the full range of technical courses available, would have made all the difference to the academic possibilities available to my kid. Fortunately he has other good offers.

1 Like

What are the other good offers your kid has if I may ask.

1 Like

I will PM you since it’s off topic for this thread.

1 Like

Sure that will help.

Coops are not a requirement to graduate
. But it is the signature element of NU’s learning style. We have a friend who did not do a coop and graduated in three years total.

2 Likes

Northeastern approved a major change for my student who is now in CS at the Oakland campus.

1 Like

a co-op is a requirement for graduation from d’amore-mckim

Yes.

“The business curriculum is enhanced by courses in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. In addition to their academic courses, all students are required to complete a cooperative education plan.”

"Cooperative education, or co-op, is experiential learning and deliberately integrates and blends the application of theory into practice. During co-op students apply knowledge and skills learned across multiple contexts [classes, extracurricular activities, as student leaders, and by engaging in research] in a professional work environment. This application stimulates inquiry and expands knowledge acquisition when students return from co-op and engage in class discussion and discourse. By engaging on co-op, students develop increased self-awareness, a sense of purpose, and define career aspirations to impact postgraduate employment opportunities and lifelong learning. D’Amore-McKim students work together with their academic advisor and co-op coordinator to plan and prepare for their co-op experiences during their time at Northeastern and are required to complete one co-op experience and its prerequisites. Eligibility and the timeline for participation on co-op is based upon a variety of factors and is integrated into a student’s academic plan. "

D’Amore-McKim School of Business < Northeastern University

1 Like

They have conflicting info. I think other experiential learning counts as co-op credit too. This is generic info but shows up on the coop business page as well.

Q: Do I have to participate in co-op?
A: Co-op is the cornerstone of a Northeastern education, and more than 90% of students participate. However, it is not required. Undergraduates who choose not to pursue co-op can fulfill Northeastern’s experiential learning requirement by participating in research, service learning, or study abroad programs.

https://coopstatus.neu.edu/myNEU/coop/faq.aspx

That is confusing. But there is still the requirement to do at least one 6-month period of experiential learning outside the classroom. In some majors doing research, service learning, or study abroad programs would make sense. But in the business school at least one period of actual coop should be undertaken.

Why are you hesitant to do a coop?

Maybe this is common knowledge, but it wasn’t to us. My daughter was accepted ED1 to NUIN. Double major Environmental Studies and International Affairs. On her portal, award letter, all communications it says she is in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), but really that double major’s primary college is College of Sciences (CoS) when you dig into the web site and course curriculum. Even in the portal select your major drop down the double major is both in CSSH and CoS.

When it came time to select NUIN locations my daughter had her heart set on Rome which is available to CSSH but not CoS. We couldn’t understand why Rome wasn’t available to her. After contacting the NUIN department we were given a terse reply that NUIN locations are based on your major, not college - however every other piece of information about which locations are available use the college, not the major, as the distinguisher.

I feel like we really could/should have pushed back more about this. My daughter selected Florence, IT instead and is very excited about that now. But this lack of information/misinformation on the part of NU just caused unneeded stress.

If you get into NUIN, check that your MAJOR and COLLEGE can go to a specific location if you have your heart set on it.

2 Likes

I completely agree, but I’m just saying that I don’t think they’ll stop you from graduating without a coop. Not sure why you wouldn’t want to do a coop at a school renowned for its program
 my kids did five coops between them, along with research and plenty of international travel (one international coop) and other internships
along with classes. NU offers such a wide variety of experiential learning opps, it’s just amazing.

2 Likes

This is indeed stressful and I understand it must have been very frustrating since your daughter had her heart set on a location. But everyone I’ve talked to who has gone through NEU says, it’s these little “mishaps” that end up being the “best thing that ever happened”- I certainly don’t want to diminish any of your concerns because they are real and valid, and I too would have been annoyed, but Florence may end up being something even greater in the end.

3 Likes