Northeastern vs. George Washington vs. Syracuse

College Search & Selection
1

So I’m completely stuck between these three… I’m planning a major in political science with a double major or minor in economics. Cost is not a deciding factor as all three will come out to around the same price for me.

Northeastern- the co-op program is very attractive and I like the many opportunities to get off campus and study abroad/work in the real world to gain experience/money. The students I met at revisit day were extremely accomplished (credited the university for much of their success) and appeared intelligent and articulate beyond what would be expected of a college student. As for cons, I live really close to Boston and was kind of hoping for a new experience in a new area that I hadn’t spent my entire life in. I also am not sure about spending five years at a school and there seems to be a lack of a sense of community with people constantly leaving/coming back to campus on co-ops/study abroad.

Syracuse- I was admitted into the honors program which would definitely be the selling point for me. The opportunities afforded to students in this program seem great, such as the honors LLC for freshmen, preferential class registration, honors seminars, honors field trips, etc… I like the Maxwell School and their programs and like that I can easily double major in econ and choose a BA or a BS in economics (I’d probably go for the BA, which isn’t something every school offers). Going to basketball games would be awesome. Cons would be the remote location (tbh the city of Syracuse isn’t all that great of a college town) and the relative lack of opportunities to do things like internships and study abroad (i know there isn’t a lack of these at 'cuse but in comparison to the other two). I’m also not a huge party person and don’t plan on rushing so I’m not sure if the social atmosphere would work for me.

George Washington- Right away, the poli sci program is definitely better than the other two schools due to the location in DC and the extensive opportunities to gain real-world experience while still studying full time. Basically everyone I talked to on my visit had an internship on Capitol Hill, even a bunch of the freshmen. DC would be a new area for me and it would be awesome to explore it and have all of that history and political action right by campus. Cons, the crappy housing situations (not feeling the Vern commute or living in a packed dorm of 6 people) and the apparent lack of a dining hall on campus (although no one could give me a straight answer about that). Also I didn’t get the real sense of community while on campus that I did at either of the other schools, especially compared to Syracuse.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, especially if you’ve faced a similar decision before!

2

Based on how you’re describing these, I think Syracuse is the odd man out - NEU and GW both offer something unique along with pro’s and con’s, and I think choosing either for you would work out well. Guessing you meant double majoring in Economics / Political Science, NEU and GW both offer combined or double major programs for that too. From people I know who go to Syracuse, if you aren’t at least a medium party person or want a classic college campus with that isolation you mentioned, it’s going to be harder to find what you want there.

The only real plus it seems is the honors program - while that would be cool, I think NEU and GW offer enough cool resources and opportunities to the point that the honors program won’t make a big difference in the end. Personalized attention is a positive of the honors program that you didn’t mention - if you are looking particularly for that, keep that in mind.

I’m a current NEU student who looked at all three of these during my college process - as a CS major, both were eliminated for me when I cut my research list from 30ish to 15, but that was based on a combination of major and personal preferences - I think for your career path, GW obviously makes sense. As said above, I don’t think Syracuse does.

Between GW and NEU, I think that depends on you, but I’ll weigh in on some concerns for each.

I love Northeastern and I’ve had an amazing time here - obviously, a co-op in DC would be a great way to have both DC and Boston, but I think the full-time location in DC is still an advantage. I also understand not wanting to be close to home - I’m from FL and I made sure not to apply anywhere near where I lived - I needed to get out. If you have that urgency too, I think you have a great option in GW.

All that said, Boston is an absolutely amazing city as you are probably aware. I’m guessing you haven’t explored it nearly as much as a student living in the city unless you actually live in the city, not just the area. I think it’s a much different experience than a suburb, despite how close it is.

As far as community goes, I think that students share more philosophically than in your classic college sense, which is why NEU emits a different feel - I don’t see that as a negative to the community. People share in knowing their friends have the same focus in both academics and practicality and that actually makes a surprising bond. For you first 3 semesters, few people are leaving campus - that’s when most form their close friend groups. Once you have that, people understand that co-op happens, and the fact that everyone is in it together makes it not as disruptive. On top of that, when someone goes on co-op in Boston (very common for first co-ops), they are still there as friends, even if they aren’t in classes.

The 5 year program is another philosophical difference - a lot of people actually enter with the mindset of “4 years or bust” and end up choosing to do the 5 year - not because they have to, but because they end up preferring it. There are tons of ways to actually do 4 years and 2 co-op’s here, especially coming in with AP/IB credit - in the end, I think an extra year of college is hard to pass up. As much as NEU is very grounded, people here are very academic as well and want to be in classes. An extra year of salary isn’t worth it to me, and in terms of earning potential, my major is probably the one that loses the most.

I can’t speak to GW nearly as much as NEU, but I can speak to some of your concerns still I think from a general college perspective.

Housing varies by college, but doing some quick searches on GW’s housing, it seems that 6 person dorms are avoidable with paying attention and a slight bit of luck. In the end, housing in college usually isn’t glamorous, and if it is, you pay for it steeply. I think the pro’s of GW are much more important int comparison.

I don’t know the dining hall situation, but people have to eat - keep looking for what students do, as I am sure there is a decent setup.

For the community, I can’t speak to that, but hopefully someone that knows GW can hop on this thread and serve GW better than I can.

Is cost an issue or consideration? What are the prices and loans total for each if it is?

Good luck!

3

@PengsPhils wow, thank you so much for the detailed and insightful response. I’ve definitely been leaning away from Syracuse recently and am now seriously considering Northeastern. The opportunity to do a co-op or an internship in DC while still enrolled as a student at Northeastern is sounding really good, and even though government co-ops seem to be mostly unpaid at least I wouldn’t be paying tuition. As for the 5-year program, I’m still a little skeptical but it could end up not being a problem as I will graduate high school with (hopefully) a decent amount of AP credit that could let me do multiple co-ops and still graduate in 4. Pretty much the only reason I’m holding out is the location, I would be 10 minutes from my mom and 20 minutes from my dad, and even though they promised “no unexpected visits” I’m not sure if that’ll be true once I start in the fall haha. To answer your question about cost, I got a $10k/year merit scholarship from NEU and $15k/year in merit from GW, making the cost differences minimal especially because I don’t qualify for need-based.

Another component of my app that I didn’t mention was the fact that I’m holding a transfer offer from Cornell, which was my first choice, and Northeastern seems like it would be the best place to get a variety of foundation courses in during my first year that would qualify me for the transfer if I eventually decide to take it, and still be awesome if I decide to stay.

4

This really comes down to what your parents are like - do you feel comfortable being the one to establish and hold firm to the boundaries if needed? Do you see needing to do that are do you think they will be okay with not having unexpected visits?

For what it’s worth, at most colleges you’re going to find people going that are local - from the ones I’ve encountered, they seem to have good control on when they see their family - a college campus is for college students, and parents without boundaries will even begin to feel that awkwardness as soon as they start overstepping except for rare cases.

Interesting on transferring. How likely are you to transfer to Cornell? I don’t think NEU is a bad place to do foundation courses, but I don’t know of any reason GW wouldn’t be good for that. Any reason you came to that conclusion?

If transferring is something you are really set on, GW may actually serve you better - co-op doesn’t start until your second year (or third) at NEU - if you’re only staying for a year (correct?), GW will probably be better for getting an internship out of freshman year. It certainly can be done from NEU too, but proximity does play a role. Especially when it isn’t co-op, where Northeastern has tons of established connections that make the route much easier.

That said, personally, uprooting like that seems like a lot of trouble - new friends, new campus, new life really - unless you aren’t actually happy at wherever you choose, I don’t think transferring is worth it, whether it be for the name, program, or fit factors that could be better. If you don’t like what you choose, obviously go for transferring, but the difference academically and by fit if you like the school you’re at isn’t worth it is my suspicion. For that reason, I’d probably keep that consideration minimal, but if it comes to a coin toss, consider that.

5

@PengsPhils I’m just about ready to commit to Northeastern at this point. I’ve talked more to my parents and they’re okay with respecting boundaries while I’m at college and they’re letting me choose when to come home/let them visit. I think there could be advantages to being close as well, especially the low cost of transportation back and forth several times per year.

As for Cornell, I’m very likely to transfer unless I absolutely love the school I’m at freshman year. However, I’m choosing a school now as if I’m going to stay for 4 (or 5) years, because that could definitely end up happening! If I had gotten in as a freshman to Cornell I would have submitted the deposit immediately- I applied ED and was deferred before being given the transfer option. I applied to the Policy Analysis and Management program there, which is pretty much exactly what I want to study, even more than a poli sci program at other schools. I agree that the transfer is a lot of trouble, but for me it could be worth it- I have another year to decide if I officially want to take it, so I’m trying not to let it get in the way of me enjoying my freshman year at another school. I have family connections to Cornell and it’s definitely that “traditional college experience” that I was looking to have for at least part of my undergrad career.

I know that GW has a lot of internship opportunities for freshmen and that the location is unparalleled for poli sci, but I didn’t like it as much as I liked my other two options when I visited and definitely didn’t get the same feel of community. And even though NEU and GW are both “city schools” I like that Northeastern has an actual campus within the city while GW seems to be more of a few blocks of buildings with one quad near the library. I also have interests outside of politics (obviously) and the poli sci experience at GW seems to be very specific and intense, with academics blending into social life and outside activities in a way that I’m not sure I would want.

6

Looks like you’ve got the decision broken down - Northeastern looks like a good fit from all of this :slight_smile:

Good luck!

7

@PengsPhils I just officially committed to Northeastern- thank you so much for your help!

8

@hayley636 congrats and absolutely no problem! If you ever take any CS or philosophy courses here you may just run into me :stuck_out_tongue: