Hi there, I’m a current high school senior and I’m literally stuck between two schools and just can’t figure it out. I’ve visited both and both are sick. Boston is lovely and I had a great time there, and while UIUC I didn’t stay long, I loved the vibe of the students there (I was getting food at Starbucks and the way people were conversing/doing work felt like I was there as well)
I know they are essentially polar opposites from each other: One is a Big public school that has a huge Greek Life and the “typical” college experience and the other is essentially a streamline towards work, since you are literally at a job 1/4 of the time you are there.
I’ve applied as a Business Major to both and got into DMBS and Gies.
Here are some pros/cons I put together: Northeastern University:
Important: NU.in admit (meaning I take my first semester abroad)—> Heavily prefer London /Greece location, if not, Boston.
Pros:
Very Reputable Business School - has concentration in FinTech and/or Finance and/or Computer Science
Co-Op - Look for employers and % of students whom get the Co-op they want. Ideal partners: GS, MS, BR, HSBC, CITI, LAZARD. What is the major focus of students in D’Amore-McKim?
It’s in Boston?
Beautiful Campus
In the City
D1 Soccer Team
Club Tennis
College Town, BU, MIT, Harvard
Small classes, minimal lecture halls
How are the dorms?
What else? FAQ?
Cons:
Very Cold Area —> Harsh Weather
In the city —> not much room for spreading out and relaxing.
No D1 Tennis Team
Lacks a little of that “Campus Spirit”
One thing that I can’t figure out is say for example, Morgan Stanley and Boston Consulting Group are examples of their co-op “partners”, but how many people actually get the co-op? Is it one person? 2 people? 10 people? This is regarding the A-level companies and not the second-rate co-op jobs. Please help with this.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:
Pros:
Gies is a top consulting feeder to Big 4.
Engineering School is top 5 in the nation
Can Major/Minor Finance/ Compsci or EE?
Your “typical” schedule
Big Basketball School and definitely a up and coming Big10 School
How are the advisors?
Recruitment?
I loved the student shadow I had, he seemed really cool.
They’ve put much more effort into recruiting seniors than NEU.
Cons:
Hard to Double Major (It takes a process with GPA requirement and pre-recs)
Middle of nowhere like where is civilization?
^ again
~2 hour drive from Chicago
ALL 4 season (its freaking frigid)
How are the dorms?
Once again, these are just some pros/cons that I put together. Please give your honest opinion. And no, I didn’t get any aid/scholarship and money is not an issue.
I’ll be happy to answer any questions that you have from reading this as I have like 2 days to commit, thanks!
I believe both of those locations are already full, so this will be Boston. Check on London, but almost certain Greece is full.
Why are these listed for you specifically? Trying to understand the context here if you’re a fan or a player etc.
While smaller sections that UIUC, this is more “medium” than small.
Average freshman year, a lot nicer apartment-style after that.
it depends on the company but probably a handful to 15 range for most, but some could be one-offs. It’s not locked by semester either so another reason it’s not listed as a specific number.
I’d caution on your thinking here of “second rate co-op jobs” though, as often good experience can be had at jobs that are quality and well paying even if they don’t have the name. Life isn’t one big race for prestige, at the end of the day a good career is to enable a happy life
How serious are you about doing some sort of business/tech? It’s a lot more than a “concentration”, it’s basically a combined double major. At UIUC, getting into either of these will be near impossible as highly restricted majors, but I don’t think this will matter likely as I think you’re underestimating how much work/difference there is in taking this path.
Strong for business, as both are. This is kind of a wash IMO, or at least not a night and day difference.
Don’t get sucked in by marketing or the idea of being “wanted” by a college, this isn’t a courting despite what it can feel like. You’re picking a place to be for your college years and to jumpstart the rest of your life after, so focus on you, not if the marketing team had a better approach for you specifically
These are two great choices. My son is at NU (freshman economics/business) and my husband is a proud alum of Illinois. I think it comes down to whether you want a more traditional college experience and rah-rah sports pick Illinois. If you are excited by the co-op experience of trying different jobs at different employers and living in the heart of a big city, pick NU. I think you will find nice and friendly kids at both schools.
We took the train from Chicago to Champaign. It was about 2 hours but you don’t have to drive and obviously there is a lot to do there. My husband took quite a few road trips to midwestern cities as an undergraduate. Both schools did a fantastic job managing the pandemic, frankly better than most elite universities.
I think the NUin abroad locations are full so you would do NUin Boston. Believe they are staying at the Westin hotel again, which is nicer than a dorm. You should have a better experience than the current freshmen due to Covid restrictions being lifted. Good luck!
