Admitted to both. Any suggestions please?
Bottom line cost of each school? Or is money not a factor?
I don’t think either school is particularly well-known for psychology, but psychology is a standard subject, and since they’re both good schools they probably have decent and fairly comparable programs.
I think other factors might be more important in your decision. For example, Northeastern has more of a campus than BU, BU is a lot bigger than Northeastern, etc.
It depends highly on what you can afford and what you want to do with that psych major. Northeastern is a very pricey place but dominates in science and emphasizes co-ops. BU is bigger, maybe not as pricier, and emphasizes a more rounded education. Visit both (they’re both in Boston) and reach a decision from there.
@TheDidactic According to each school’s website, the total estimated cost of BU is $62,956 while the total estimated cost of Northeastern is $57,490.
Wow I didn’t know that. Thanks for finding that out, @lalalemma. Is money a factor or did your parents save up cash? Otherwise, that’s a lot for one year. Not to be the debbie downer of the group, but did you apply/get accepted to any safeties? That’s a lot of money to put down.
There are a lot of threads asking folks to compare school X to college Y to institute Z. Invariably, posters often leave out the cost of attendance (after scholarships/grants but before loans). Posters, PLEASE save us asking you this and post this information in your first post!!!
I think it might be important to consider how it can be fairly difficult to find a job in the field of psychology. I wouldn’t discount Northeastern’s co-op program when you make your decision.
Definitely consider if u want more of a campus feel or not. Northeastern will give you more of the campus feel rather than just buildings in the city like BU.
Thank you everyone for your comments. Unfortunately, not much money saved at all. My parents will be helping me a little, but about half will be on me. Both BU and Northeastern no offering anything. I will be taking out loans and working……a lot
Did you apply to any safeties or schools that have given you better aid? It’s not worth it to take out all those loans.
Yes, Fordham gave me the most over $20,000. St. Joe’s, and Drexel gave me $21,000. each
But my dream is to make NU work. I love Boston, the co-op program, and the specific areas of study.
I really think you should look long and hard at the finances.
My D originally wanted to study psychology, so we did this research. You are advised never to borrow more than the average starting salary in your field. You can go online and look up starting salaries for psychologists in various parts of the country. Remember that in order to practice you’re going to need more than your undergrad degree, so that’s more cost. We decided my D could not be in debt more than $32,000 by the tine she was certified (6+ years).
So if you’re talking about borrowing $120,000 just for undergraduate, that’s just nuts. Not to mention that you, personally, cannot borrow more than -what is it folks? $5,500/year or so? Anything past that and your parents have to borrow it.
Even working and going to school at the same time isn’t going to make a big enough dent in the $30,000/year you’ve indicated you’d need. I’m sorry to sound harsh but I think you should rethink the schools that offered you scholarships.
If your dream is mostly about living in Boston, then consider that Boston is a VERY expensive place to live and that graduating with a heavy debt load may severely limit your post-graduation options, including whether you can afford to live in a city like Boston. However, if you attend school elsewhere and graduate with manageable debt then living in Boston after college may be a realistic option.
Please do not do this to yourself. An undergrad degree in psychology means that graduate school is in your future. Don’t put yourself in so much debt for undergrad. It’s not worth it.
By the way, my son just graduated from Northeastern, so I understand loving the college and Boston. However, we never would have allowed him to go into debt to make Northeastern happen.
Reconsider your choices and best of luck to you.
You, yourself, can “only” have $5,500 in loans. Add work studyor a part time job (about 10 hours a week, 12 tops if you want to graduate on time) to pay for incidentals and books. And your parents have to shoulder the rest. Do you really want them to jeopardize their retirement or your home?
Is Fordham affordable - if you add your parents’ budget + the $20,000 + $5,500 in loans + $3,000 in summer work + $2,500 in annual work study, do you cover the total Cost of Attendance*?
- Note: COA, not just tuition!