I am having quite a lot of trouble deciding between Northeastern and Ohio State for Engineering. Northeastern is a bit more expensive than Ohio State but I got good financial aid and scholarships at both. I’m looking for reasons to go to one or the other based on their programs, student life, opportunities, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Where are you from?
Boston is a better college town than Columbus.
These two schools will provide very different experiences so only you can figure out which would be best for you. Ohio State is a large state school in the Midwest, big time sports, etc. while Northeastern is a mid-size school in Boston with a great coop program.
I am from New Jersey. Yeah I agree with that just Ohio State seems to have the better engineering program and more resources than Northeastern, but Northeastern has its co-op program. Also Ohio state has really great football haha.
If you are looking for big time athletics no school in Boston will provide that.
it would be a nice plus, but i feel that in boston i will fill the time i could be at sports games exploring the city
Both are on about the same level, but Ohio State has the edge for me any day of the week.
LBad96 is a student at UNC Wilmington who was rejected by Northeastern. Take his opinion with a grain of salt.
@TomSrOfBoston you can chill with the constant bringing up of my denial at Northeastern. I couldn’t care less, and neither should you. I’m genuinely saying that when it comes down to it, if I had the choice, I would pick OSU over NEU.
Or are you still upset about the CAA basketball semifinal?
Actually, I think that Northeastern has the edge for me. Ohio State is not in the same league in engineering as some of the big 10 powerhouses like UIUC, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. The advantage of Northeastern co-op, and the technology industry around the city of Boston where you will likely work for your co-op really carry the day. Additionally, Boston being a great college town ought to make this easy.
If you like big-time sports, we actually have professional sports, though it’s now been more than a whole year since one of our teams has won a championship (Pats 2015 Super Bowl, Malcom Butler!), and we’ve only won 5 championships in the last 10 years. I guess that’s not THAT impressive.
If you are in Ohio State Honors, maybe that would give some weight to Ohio State, but as a regular run of the mill Ohio State student I think Northeastern has the edge.
Have you visited each city? Comfort with each environment is a really important factor that I feel like is often overlooked.
I don’t think the analysis that Ohio State has more resources is accurate either - NEU isn’t huge, but it’s a large research school with plenty of opportunities, tons of job resources via co-op and the career center, and a lot of various directions and classes within engineering.
Both have good engineering programs - I think it comes down to fit, which other posts have covered well. Good luck with your decision!
I don’t usually agree with @TomSrOfBoston 's tone, but I think that pointing this out is getting to be understandable. On most Northeastern vs X threads, you show up, say that both schools are comparable, would pick X over NEU personally, and offer neither any sort of reasoning or analysis nor any insight into the person’s preferences and situation. Reasoning that you are still bitter doesn’t seem to be illogical. If you came on here and actually offered reasons, it would change a lot.
More Examples:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19533510/#Comment_19533510
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19576650/#Comment_19576650
To be fair, you seem to pop in on a lot of threads and post an opinion without analysis. In general, that’s not a very helpful practice. It’s perfectly fine to have biases and opinions, but you should explain them in order for them to be useful to others.
@PengsPhils okay, that is fair. You’re right, the least I can do is be more elaborate on these types of threads. I’m not bitter towards your school at all (great great school), although I sure do LOVE beating you guys at sports!!
I actually think we have a lot of school spirit - it’s just not expressed in sports. Most people here are absolutely in love with the school for it’s unique academic philosophy - sports is an afterthought - if you enjoy sports, you enjoy all the great teams here in Boston.
Personally, part of the reason I like Northeastern is for not having such an acute focus on sports, and many here share that I think.
Stay focused on OSU vs. NEU (and not in sports, that would be ugly) and not drift to UNCW.
Honestly, since aid is not a problem, there is no reason not to choose Northeastern. It is better than Ohio State in every way.
Resources? Ohio State has about 4x the endowment of Northeastern.
Endowment can be reflective, but often isn’t - job opportunities, the types of research going on at each in each field, any research funded by grants, and many other things have little to nothing to do with endowment. Where does Ohio State’s endowment affect its resources available to students dramatically?
On top of that, they are very different in size - here is the endowment per student:
Northeastern: $54,000
Ohio State: $56,000 $79,000
The difference is still there a but, but not nearly 4x - not even 1.5 times.
Edit: I accidentally included graduate students at OSU. That increases the number as above.
Ohio State has the money, and revenues for the facilities, faculty and grants most colleges can only dream of.
As someone who grew up in Columbus, and attends Northeastern I would say that OSU has more resources in terms of facilities, but NEU’s job resources are superior because of co-op. OSU has monetary resources that NEU could really only dream of having; especially because Northeastern has only just climbed the rankings in the past decade. The two schools are also very different socially (OSU has more of a community feeling because of sports, whereas at Northeastern you’re kind of on your own because everyone is constantly coming and going)