Based on what I heard from students who did this, they emailed it to their AO.
Rather than a traditional college essay they wrote a letter to the AO explaining why NEU was a great mutual fit.
This is mostly just anecdotal information, although one kid I know said an AO mentioned this at an information session too.
I donât like that tactic either, but NU isnât alone in doing that. I know of kids who were contacted directly from other universities asking them to switch to ED2 as well. I would hope that not many schools do that. Also, many universities first contact students directly to ask if they will attend if they are let off the waitlist. My daughter is at NU this year - she was admitted last year through EA. My son is applying EA this year.
Thatâs a good question. One thing that I thought was srprising about NU was that there were no supplemental essays. I kept thinking âhow do they get a good feel for the student based simply upon the common app essayâ. Especially in these TO times and when, it seems as though, many of the students have great GPAS and multiple APs. Then a few weeks ago, I opened a NU email to the parents and it said something like âthe students ability to load up supplemental information into the portal such as a resumeâ. I asked my daughter âDid your counselor tell you to load anything additional?â and she said âNoâ. I said âWell I think that you shouldâ. She said âI donât want to burden them with reading more than they asked forâ. In the end, she agreed with me and loaded one more essay. Mainly, because she thought it really show cased who she was as a learner. Iâm not sure if this helped her.
My son has applied EA too. He would have written a great why NU essay if they had asked for it 
He should probably send one in. Not too late.
Good luck 
I got into Northeastern last night through the N.U.in program.
I am happy but not too happy if you can understand as my preference was the Boston Campus. I am struggling on what to do right now. Do I send the rest of my applications in and shop around or do I accept Northeasternâs N.U.in offer? I appreciate any help.
Stats:
4.01 UW GPA
1 AP Class
1 Dual Enrollment Class
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair Finalist
President Emeritus of my DECA Chapter
Thanks!
Northeastern, over the past 30 years, has undergone an amazing transformation. It has gone from a regional institution to a national and international institution. It has had many hurdles to overcome. Being in the crowded Boston higher education market was one. But the greatest challenge was dealing with what made and still makes Northeastern what it is: professional education and coop/experiential learning. Back in the day that was seen by peer institutions and the elite as unbecoming of a university. And not just by the Ivies. Former Boston University president John Silber on several occasions scornfully referred to Northeastern and its âwork-studyâ program, refusing to invoke the term coop. That was in character for Silber. The academic world has changed and what was once seen by many a weakness is now seen as a strength.
Northeastern has also had to deal with the âstigmaâ of being a former commuter school. Well, so were BU, BC, NYU, USC among others. Under Presidents Freeland and especially Aoun they have done many radical things. The recent merger with Mills College being the latest. They are not afraid to try unconventional things. If something doesnât work, they drop it and move on.
What happened with your student was perhaps not appropriate. And I do agree that a supplemental or optional essay of âWhy Northeasternâ would be a good idea.
Send the rest of your applications and shop around.
Your offer is not binding and from what others have posted you have until 5/31/2023 to decide. What do you not like about NU In? It is not for everyone. From what those who did it have posted here and on reddit many students love it, and it was a great experience, others not so much so. You should attend accepted studentsâ day on campus or virtually and learn more about the experience. If your hesitation is due to financial considerations, that is another matter.
@TomSrOfBoston, I agree with your points about the hurdles NEU has overcome, and all the things they had to do to get to where they are today.
As I said - theyâre a good school, and Iâm happy for everyone whoâs getting in. This year a few kids that I was advising asked me if they should apply to NEU. They were looking for experiential learning (mostly CS kids) and I encouraged them to apply. 2 of them got in last night and Iâm excited for them.
My only beef with NEU is these things they do that I find completely unnecessary given their current stature. Theyâre playing in the big leagues now and can just play it straight. Todayâs teens have no knowledge of that prior history and tons of them from all over the country are trying to get in to NEU.
My (unsolicited) advice to NEU: youâve made it. No one questions it anymore. So thereâs no need to play like youâre still trying. Drop EA and ask for an essay.
FWIW, my accepted son did not submit any supplemental essay. We did a tour and info session which may have checked off the âdemonstrated interestâ box
Blakebear629,
My son is in a similar situation as he just got accepted into NUin program as well, but you can also look at this as a blessing. You are only going to Europe for one semester, which has been an absolutely amazing experience for our friends kids who have done the NUin program.
At the same time, you are not bound to the ED decision, so you have the option to continue to apply to other schools as well. I think that is the best of both worlds to have NU as your de facto âfloorâ college that you would get in to.
While todayâs teens have no memory of the old days their parents and some GCâs do, even in the Boston area. There have been posts from parents here on CC in the past bringing up the former commuter status, the lack of a Classics department etc. One parent (grandparent?) a few years ago, said that Northeastern is âjust a few buildings along Huntington Avenueââ They were thinking of the campus of 50 years ago. Old impressions die hard.
But I agree. Northeastern should enjoy its status. They have arrived.
Understood but there are many interested and deserving students who are unable to apply ED due to financial reasons. We donât quality for financial aid but canât pay full freight either. Merit $ might make it affordable but unable to roll the dice if we donât know what the cost will ultimately be. NEU is high on my daughterâs list but understands there is more than one right college for her. Fit is important, but affordability matters too. Schools applying pressure to ED just isnât helpful.
Ditto
Is your son going to apply to regular decision schools and shop around? I am worried that if I donât commit by February or late January, I will be locked out of location options as EDII and EA come out around that time.
The admissions counselor âdisappearedâ from the portal for us. Used to be a person with a picture & a name now itâs just a general email & phone #. Not sure if my son saved or took a pic of the personâs name. If not, just send to the general email? Thanks!
Our student ambassador @delaney.roe, a first-year student at Northeastern, will be online from 5pm ET to answer questions and offer guidance. She got accepted ED2 last year.
You can ask her questions by tagging her in your posts @delaney.roe. Hope this is a great opportunity for you to connect with a fellow student and decide the best next steps for you.
We did the financial preview they offered to get an indication of financial aid. It doesnât indicate merit aid, but we were pleasantly surprised.
My son would love the NUin program (this is the first semester abroad, correct?) but I heard the financial aid or costs are different so Iâm afraid it would be very expensive. Because my son was considering ED, Northeastern gave us an early estimate of our financial aid package which would come out to about $33K COA (EFC is $17K this year because I will have 2 in college.) So even that is over our budget. Paying more than that would be pretty painful.