D23 is down to the wire and almost ready to hit the commit button on Northeastern (Nu.in Belfast) but the margin is so razor thin with Case Western that I want her to sit with it for at least a day and decided to see if anyone had some last minute advice 
The admitted student events at both campuses were absolutely amazing (we were at CWRU April 6th and 7th but due to HS theater conflicts weren’t able to make it to Northeastern until Sunday) - they both did an excellent job at showing D23 potential paths for her life there and had opportunities to hear from professors and current students in Biochemistry.
D23 was so excited about the new Biochem computational health science track at CWRU that I was sure that CWRU would win out but the Biochem student panel at NU did a terrific job at highlighting the different research and clinical coops that the Biochem students had done and she finds the Plus One option in Bioinformatics intriguing. She also really wants to study abroad and was drawn to NU.in initially because she thinks it will be easier to do early on with her major/research goals.
I love both choices for her but honestly just purely looking at it from the mom perspective I’d be more comfortable if she was at CWRU since it seems more “nurturing” (they even had the captain of the intramural soccer team e-mail D23 - they really know the way to this mama’s heart). At the end of the day, it’s 100% her decision and she’s much more decisive that I am (I tend to suffer from paralysis by analysis).
I believe that both of these schools will provide an excellent education. How does she feel about coop (has she spoken to students?) and how does she feel about being abroad the first semester of her freshman year?
I think Case will provide a more traditional experience, but that’s just my opinion and I don’t know if that matters to your daughter.
Congrats!
Thanks! She loves the co-op program (she was initially considering ED at Wellesley until she did the NU tour last summer and heard about their co-op program in detail) but was worried about how it would work for a Biochem major and the NU’s admitted student day put those concerns to bed. CWRU has a similar focus on experiential learning but their program isn’t as well established (and technically only engineering students have co-ops while others have 4 month internships). She also really wants to study abroad and thinks that would be easier to do early. She’s definitely a little more “scared” about NU than CWRU but is of the mentality that you should do things that scare you/not let a little fear hold you back. She did EA at both so she’s been living with these schools in her head since December (CWRU)/January (NU) and CWRU staying slightly ahead through March and a “tie” in April until about 9 p.m. last night when NU moved into the lead by a razor thin margin. She was sure she would just “know” after the NU admitted student events but the decision proved a lot harder than expected (she’s never wavered in her decision to decline UT Austin Biochemistry despite a couple of tongue-in-cheek pleas from me along the way and she is really comfortable with her decision to withdraw from her No. 3 choice Brandeis which was made when we were walking back to the car after Monday’s admitted student event - she also decisively declined the Wellesley waitlist the day after we got back from CWRU). It’s a good problem to have for sure (two excellent choices that are both great fits in different ways).
She has 2 great options. IMO it will come down to where she feels most comfortable. It sounds like she is leaning toward Northeastern. Has she discussed study abroad and how it would work if she didn’t choose to do it her first semester? Has she spoken to any NE students who went abroad their first semester, now they adjusted when they returned etc?
Does she have a career goal (this may change of course)? These are two great schools and her success will depend on her, what she takes advantage of, etc. Congrats once again!
Not a choice as far as I know. If you’re admitted to NU.in, your journey starts at one of Northeastern’s international locations.
It’s different from being admitted to the Boston campus.
Ok yes, I forgot about that!
I think some students are fine doing study abroad their first semester, and they adjust well starting on campus in the spring.
Others may do better/prefer starting with their peers, on campus, in the fall (making Case the better choice).
She finds studying abroad first semester a little bit scary but is of the mindset she shouldn’t let a little fear hold her back/that you should do some things that scare you and was comforted by all the efforts NU makes to help integrate students with Boston Spring starts (the Biochemistry student panel we attended one NU.in student and she spoke to some of the students on the NU.in panel). She checked the NU.in program box on the application and it was definitely a drawing point for NU back in the day.
It seems she like she is leaning toward NE. There is no bad choice here, it really depends on her.
What does she like about Case?
There wasn’t much she didn’t love about Case (hence the problem) although she did comment that the buildings were nicer/newer at NU. I think the head of a pin point that is tipping things in NU’s favor is that she feels the co-op program will crystallize whether she wants to/should go straight to grad school (she’ll have that “work” experience and hopefully option to choose from when it comes time to make that decision down the road). She also prefers the Northeast generally (although she loved University Circle, the Performing Arts Plaza and Gordon Square Arts District in Cleveland and is a huge Cedar Point fan).
It sounds like she is strongly leaning toward NE. As far as working or going to grad school after graduation, she may change her mind 10+ times between now and then. It’s also possible that the coop will provide the clarity she needs and she will know right away. Anything is possible!
Both schools will set her up for success, as long as she takes advantage of everything that is offered.
She has 2 great opportunities and will ultimately choose the one that she feels is right for her!
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