I was accepted into ME at NEU and FYE at Purdue. The cost difference is about 5k with Purdue being the less expensive one. I live close to NEU so there would not be any travel costs. I was accepted into Honors Program/College at both. I would like to have paid coops to help pay for school. I like the idea of living in Boston but I also love the idea of a traditional campus with sports. I have no idea which one I should attend. I have always been set on Purdue until I was accepted after being deferred at NEU. I also got into 10 other great schools but have removed them from my list for various reasons. I know that going to NEU means I am already in ME whereas Purdue I have to transition after the first year. I do like that at Purdue I could change my mind about which type of Engineering. Any thoughts or opinions on either school? Thank you!
Two good choices. My S is at NU and I am an alum. You might want to speak to a Husky Ambassador (student rep) in Engineering. I don’t think it’s hard to change majors but you can ask. As for sports, NU does not have football and the big sport is hockey. My S went to the Beanpot games at TD Arena and said there were many more NU fans than the other Boston colleges and it was an exciting atmosphere. The women’s hockey team is going to the Frozen Four and may be national champions. He likes going to Fenway and NU has low-priced student tickets. I don’t know about Purdue’s co-op program but at NU you don’t pay tuition and you get paid and valuable experience while on co-op.
Tough call. Since you are already from the Boston area, I’d go with Purdue. Think it’s slightly better for engineering but NEU has the better job placement via its co-op program. The honors placement will help in both in terms of getting a great position. Also, having zero loans v. 20K can matter when you first get out of school.
Have you visited both? Can you see yourself at Purdue? You should definitely check out the transfer policy in detail. If you get to Purdue then find you can’t do ME, that would be an issue.
Also, are there any aspects of either program that you really like? That can be a deciding factor as well.
I have been to both campuses. I fell in love with Purdue but Boston is also amazing. Just 2 completely different experiences. I know I could coop at many companies here near Boston and live at home during the coops which saves money. I also will not have traveling expenses. My mom would love to have me close by but she also wants me to go where she thinks I will be happiest and have the most success. With the honors at Boston I get to also travel internationally to take 2 courses for free with Northeastern faculty. They pay for all costs involved. I also get money in a Global Bank account to take advantage of more study abroad opportunities.
Makes the choice harder. IMO, going away to college is a good thing esp if you go to a place that is different than where you grew up. It forces you to meet people and so many other factors.
The international opps at Northeastern sound great too. Does Purdue offer those opportunities as well?
Have you also considered the 4 v. 5 years? If you can graduate one year sooner the money you earn might change the equation, or it might not.
Sounds exciting either way. Good luck making the decision.
You fell in love with Purdue. So go there.
You want Co ops to help pay for school ?
You can do co OPs at any school. Especially in engineering. So do co OPs while at Purdue.
Good luck
Just wanted to throw in that my D doesn’t know any engineering co-ops or interns that had to pay for their own housing. Companies either outright cover housing or provide a stipend.
Very good to know!
You can complete Northeastern in 4 years with two 6 month coops.
Yes, good to know. Our neighbor’s daughter went to Northeastern last year and wants to finish in 4. She can’t get the classes to do this to make it happen. She’s going to be finishing in 5. I think this is important to know. Her Dad told me she was even willing to try online/Summer courses but it hasn’t been possible to fulfill requirements. Good to know if you’re a prospective student. The Dad thinks that there are lots of issues around Covid that have created a backup in Co-ops and classes (some kids couldn’t do what they needed to do in the proper timeframe). Might be something to ask Northeastern up front.
NU is generous with AP credits. You can get up to 32 credits with scores of 4 or 5. They also offer something called the Accelerate program where incoming students can get credits before they start. One thing to keep in mind about the possibly more than 4 years is you pay no tuition during your two or three co-ops. My S had no difficulty getting courses or a co-op.
Was your son there during Covid years? Might be good to know.
Yes he started in September 2020, has a combined major and is currently on co-op. There are a lot more clubs and activities this year, such as the ski club so that’s good.
I’d lean towards NEU.
Covid has probably thrown a big damper on things but by the time you are looking for coops it will hopefully all be in the past. I’m a big proponent of internships and coops because the work engineers actually do is very different from what they do in college learning the theory underlying engineering.
Also another factor is getting in your major. Purdue says
As a student nears completion of FYE, he or she will inform FYE of their preferred choices of degree program (major). If the degree program is not at capacity, all students completing FYE requirements and requesting that degree program will be admitted. If the program is at capacity, admission will be based on academic record, including GPA, EAI, and grades in specific courses.
At NEU you have a slow start and you’ll still be a ME. At Purdue, depending on how your fellow classmates do and what majors they want, maybe you will and maybe you won’t. It’s a risk I’d choose to avoid, others may be ok with it.
Both schools publish what can be earned with AP scores. Purdue publishes, and I assume NEU would also, the plan of study so you can evaluate what are and aren’t valuable to the graduation/pre-requisite requirements of a specific major.
Fwiw, of the 12 schools to which D22 applied, Purdue granted the second highest number of credits - 52 from 12 AP’s - and all but 3 directly applicable to her major (CS).
Check both schools and see if makes a meaningful difference in time to graduate. It’s not just a matter of credits - engineering sequencing/pre-reqs can make acceleration difficult.
Both are strong schools, though I’d give Purdue an edge in Engineering. For what weight one might put on USNews, they are #10 and #45. Both are tied at #49 overall among National Universities.
It often comes down to visiting/touring both and figuring out which just feels right.
I’d compare the details of the two co-op programs. Purdue is somewhat unique in that students work for the same company, with increased responsibility for 3 to 5 semesters. Staying with the same company also means a higher salary each subsequent semester. That’s a positive for some students and a negative for others.
Purdue does a very good job of vetting their co-op companies as well. D has a friend at a co-op mandatory school (not NEU) that had a horrible experience with his company and had no recourse and was forced to spend an entire semester doing secretarial work (it was supposed to be a chem e co-op position).
A parent just posted this video on the NU Parents FB page in case it’s helpful to you.