Title says it all. I got into NU and I will hopefully get into BU. I want to study mechanical engineering. They’re ranked similarly. How do their engineering departments compare? Are they even good schools to go to if I want to study engineering? I’m also considering UW Seattle (My instate school), Cal Poly, Rochester, and U Minnesota
All of your choices would be good for engineering. You could comfortably choose from among them based on more general factors. Rochester, NEU and UW have particularly distinct attributes in relation to your group as a whole.
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The big reason to go to Northeastern is the co-op program, so you should ask yourself how you feel about the prospect of taking a semester off college now & then to work full time. (Also, of a 5 year program vs. a 4 year.) Some kids love it, others prefer a more traditional college experience.
You will be in the enviable position that, as an engineering grad, you will get a job whether you do a co-op or not. So it’s not like the co-op will be critical in you landing that first job. OTOH, having co-op experience could mean your starting pay would be higher than a recent grad’s since you will have had more experience.
Choose BU all the way.
@LBad96 can you explain why?
For UW Seattle, pay close attention to whether you get direct admission to your major. Getting into the major later after enrolling as undeclared involves a highly competitive admission process: https://www.engr.washington.edu/current/admissions/admitstats
Have you run the net price calculator on each school, and is cost a concern?
Costs are similar. How do the schools reputation compare?
A lot of overlap with other posts but:
All of these schools have both good programs and similar programs academically - that means other factors are in play: what matters to you?
Location, co-op, and UW’s direct admit are the two big factors here. You didn’t mention price: is it a factor?
- If you don't get direct admit to UW, unless it's staggeringly less expensive, I would cross it off for reasons listed by ubcalumnus.
- How much do you know about the co-op model? If you went NEU, do you have any idea what your plan is for it? How would it affect your decision.
- What are your plans after graduation? Many of these are stronger in certain regions of the country and if you have a plan to be in a particular region, going to a school in the region may be the better option.
Personal Preference: (as an NEU CS student who applied to 3/6 of these)
- NEU
- UW / BU
- UR / Cal Poly / UM
For me, I was very big on a nice city environment - Rochester and Minnesota will be a step below Seattle and Boston in my books. I also was a fan of the co-op model, and money wasn’t a factor in my choice. If you want Boston but don’t want co-op, then BU is the choice. If you want to stay on the west coast and get direct admit, I would go UW. If you don’t get direct admit but still want to stay on the west coast, Cal Poly.
I suspect the choice will be likely between UW / BU / NEU based on finances, location, and co-op.
I know more details about NEU, BU, and somewhat UR if you have any particular questions about each. As others have said, all of them have very solid engineering programs and you would do well and have good opportunities available to graduates.
Whoops, saw the cost post after. Ignore the financial stuff there. Reputations are pretty equal, with slightly better ones in each respective region. There really isn’t a clear front-runner or school that would make any sort of difference in reputation.
Idk how I feel about coops. I really want to do research but I also want a job
NEU curricula are built around co-ops. At many other schools, formalized co-ops are available as an option. Check their web sites (often at the career center, or search for “co-op”).
Northeastern has lots of good engineering research available starting right from freshman year - I’m sure all the others do as well, though. You can do both research and co-op - the engineers I know do research while in school and then go off on co-op and dive right back in after.
Technically, NEU’s experiential learning requirement is satisfied by research, and you can do anywhere from a single co-op to three, so you really can create your plan on your terms. For me, I’m doing a 5 year 2 co-op BS/MS program. You really can create whatever you prefer.
I do think it’s important to note that especially as an engineer, you will be able to find a job (assuming a 3.0+ GPA) from all of these without too much trouble. Co-op will make you a stronger applicant, even compared to doing internships in the summer, but the boost is not make or break. I love the program personally, but everyone likes different things.
Based on your 32 ACT and 3.97 unweighted GPA, you are at or around the 75th percentile for UW. If by chance you are not directly admitted to your engineering major at UW, regular admission should not present much of a problem for you as long as you stay focused on your studies.
@UWfromCA If I get into UW I’m going. It’s a lot cheaper.
@UWfromCA but idk if I can get in, even regular admission, bc my friend got denied and he was smart
You look like a strong applicant, as your stats are in line with Washington’s Honors Program. http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/apply/freshman/faq/
Good luck!
BU is better because they don’t excessively game the ranking system.
If you get into UW but without direct admission to your major, be sure to have a backup plan in case you are not admitted to your major. Decide whether you would rather settle for some other major, or transfer to another school (e.g. WSU). If the latter, you may want to send out the transfer applications in your second year so that you can transfer if you are not admitted to your major.
@ucbalumnus I would probably go into materials engineering which has a less GPA
Yes, please update ucbalumnus in 2018.