I know only EA decisions are out and I still have to apply for RD but I got into Northeastern for BSBA Management and Purdue for Economics. I am torn between the two. There are several posts talking about how they both provide the same kind of education.
However, Northeastern is a lot more selective in its admissions process than Purdue (as far as I have observed). Can somebody help me form a decision?
Both are fine schools.
Purdue’s rep as a Big Ten STEM powerhouse – with good academic quality elsewhere – is well deserved. As a state school, its primary fealty is to the students of Indiana, so some kids get in with low-ish stats because the mission is to give them a chance (common at state schools). There are, of course, plenty of superstar students at Purdue. But the onus is on academic and research quality, not selectivity.
Northeastern is climbing in rankings – it’s making its rep right now. It has become quite selective. I don’t know if it is known as an academic powerhouse, per se, but I imagine you’d get a good education there too. I know they offer co-op programs, which might be worth checking out.
I figure the two are likely academic peers at the undergrad level – you’d likely get the same quality of teaching.
So I think you should make your decision based on fit and finances.
Fit includes preferences related to:
…among other things.
If you can, visit them both.
@prezbucky Thank you so much for your input!! I am from India so visiting them isn’t really possible at this moment. And finance isn’t an issue at all, either. The co-op is fabulous at Northeastern which is why I was so drawn towards it. Also, I’ve heard it’s quite good to stay in Boston because we have a better chance of scoring job opportunities. Is this true? Please keep in mind that I am an Indian and will have only a couple of months to score a job or will be deported back, so getting a good job is quite crucial for me. Thank you so much, again!
Both are fine schools, but very different. Only you can decide which is more appealing to you in terms of size, location, sports, campus life, interest in a co-op program etc. And if there is a significant price differential that is a consideration as well.
Then you need to recognize that being a business major and an economics major are very different. Economics (which is what you plan to study at Purdue) is a liberal arts course of study and will have a liberal arts core curriculum. In addition, economics gets pretty theoretical at the upper levels. If you were to attend a business school/program (at Northeastern or any other school) of course you will take liberal arts core but you will also have a business core with introductory classes in things like finance, accounting, IT, management etc. and you will major in one of those disciplines. You should carefully look through the curriculum you would take at each program (can be done online) and see if one is more appealing to you than the other.
OP, West Lafayette (Purdue’s location) is pretty close to cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Detroit.
Northeastern is in or near Boston, of course, and is not too far from New York City, Philadelphia, Newark, Hartford and Providence.
So there will be plentiful post-grad employment opportunities fairly close to both schools.
Both schools have name recognition outside of their home regions – probably Purdue especially, due to their Big Ten-affiliated sports teams. (Purdue football sucks currently, but the Boilermakers are strong in some other sports, like basketball)
Regardless, if you work hard, a degree from either school should lead to solid employment opportunities.
Thank you @prezbucky and @happy1. You guys have been extremely helpful. Cheers!