Posted this under Northeastern, but figured I’d post here as well…
Son trying to decide between Northeastern and Rochester. RPI, UMASS, Stony Brook still in mix, too. Have visited both NU and Roch twice, once last year, and during recent accepted students day. His major is physics.
Visited Northeastern during very snowy March 28 Saturday, got a good immersion in the physics department, with impressive presentations by four physics professors and four students, including one who just returned from coop at the CERN (Switzerland), a dream for son, and another from a lab in Italy. Tour of physics labs, impressive. Had not had much info on Northeastern physics prior so this was a great introduction. Just returned Friday from visit to Rochester (gorgeous sunny 60-degrees, definitely not your typical Rochester kind of weather) and sat with chair of physics department for an hour and got grest info from him as well, and son got to sit in on an astrophysics class.
So, we’re weighing pluses and minuses of both.
At Northeastern he was not invited to honors college, but offered a $30k/yr scholarship, plus combo of subsidized loans and work study bringing cost to around $22k out of pocket. He’d be in Boston, a big plus, likes the campus, but it’s much smaller, albeit, you’re in Boston and the Fens park is adjacent. With so much emphasis on coop, not as clear on what the regular academic experience is like, tho the physics professors we met all seemed very nice, approachable, down to earth.
Rochester also offered scholarship ($18k) and grants ($4.7k) loans, work study, but still cost would be about $33k/yr out of pocket, so about 10k+ yr more. More flexible curriculum, more traditional 4-yr academic schedule, etc. Possible opportunity for a summer internship at CERN, as opposed to full 6 month coop. Rochester’s physics dept is bigger.
He’s slso a runner, and is good but not elite, and has good chance to make Rochester’s varsity team (D3), but basically no chance at Northeastern varsity, but they do have a robust running club, so he’s pretty ok with that.
Rochester’s campus is bigger, greener, on campus beautiful track facility, but you’re in Rochester (which isn’t so bad), but it’s not Boston. Undergrad population 5k v. 13k. Both have great opportunities for undergrad research. Students we met seem happy both places. I know Rochester’s “ranking” is higher FWIW, but only by about 9 or 10, and really, we could debate all day the meaningfulness of USNEWS rankings.
Boston only three hours from home; Rochester more than 5.
Just to complicate things further, Stony Brook, which has highest ranked physics department of schools he is considering, , a huge campus he really likes, but very mixed reviews on student life, etc has offered full tuition, and we’re in state so we’d just be paying room and board. $14k. I know there are those who say, just take the cheapest offer, but I’m willing to pay more for quality of life, and a happier fit.
Same for RPI, they have offered a stunning $46k/yr scholarship (our jaws hit the floor), tuition there is $48k, so we’d essentially be paying just a bit more than room and board. I know RPI is an amazing school academically for science and engineering, but you’re in Troy, NY, the boy/girl ratio is 70/30, and not sure he wants to be in a place with no humanities/social sciences/ etc. Seems such a lack of balance. The campus is very nice.
Finally, UMASS invited him into Commonwealth Honors College, I know their ranking is lower, but seems becoming more and more competitive, he liked the big sprawling campus. Planning visit for later in April but pretty late for decision making process, have been to campus but not official tour past fall. Also, UMASS offered $12k scholarship but not clear if any other aid/loans will be offered so cost would be about $29k for us.
So, decisions decisions…