Northeastern vs. Richmond?

College Search & Selection
1

Hey guys! Basically, I got accepted to Northeastern, Richmond, American and Fordham. I want to study Business Administration/Management and statistically, I’ve found that NEU and Richmond are better (but feel free to correct me!).

I’m an international Spanish/Mexican student coming from a wealthy background. Tuition is not an issue for me.

I was raised in two large cities so I’m used to constant activity – however, I’m not against a college town either (as long as it doesn’t bore me to death).

I party heavy – I’m very social, extroverted, friendly and, well, I drink quite a lot. Generally, I do wish to find close friends I can do other sorts of cool activities and get close to, not just party friendships.

I want to build my own company and I definitely want an excellent education. I plan to work very hard as well and seek for accessible and quality teachers that will offer what I need.

Lastly, I can’t visit either campus because I live in Spain and May IB exams start very soon. If you attended any of the four, please let me know how the environment, academic and social life and dorms are plus any other detail you wish to provide to make this decision a bit easier.

Thank you!

2

Come onnn 48 views please guys?

3

Well, I visited two of the schools with my D and starting looking into one for my S, so I’ll do what I can.

-American is nice in a lot of ways, but being on a not very large campus in a suburban part of DC, I don’t know if you’d find it lively enough. We saw a business presentation there that seemed good (very entrepreneurial), but they aren’t necessarily as strong as your other schools overall.

-Richmond seems strong academically. From what I hear, a really beautiful campus, though also not so close to the main part of the city. Richmond may be livelier than you’d think, though it’s not NYC or Boston. This might be the most traditional U.S. college experience of the four.

-If you like Northeastern’s co-op program and want two or even three semesters of internships (and are willing to take 4 1/2 to 5 years to graduate), it might be the best for you. I’m sure there are things to do and partying on campus, though I’ve heard students rely more on being in Boston and around a bunch of other schools for that.

-With Fordham, it could depend on if you’re in the Gabelli school, and at which campus, and how much you like NYC. If it’s a program and situation that’s good for what you want to do, it could be a good choice, even if Fordham is not quite as highly regarded overall at the moment as Northeastern or Richmond. It’s more about what’s better for you.

4

My friend’s cousin attended Northeastern and I hear she really liked it. There are many surrounding colleges in the area so you can be sure there are a lot of good parties around there. Northeastern is much bigger and more culturally diverse than Richmond. Also, I think Northeastern’s co-op program is going to give you more opportunities in business. My cousin went to Drexel University (which also has a co-op program) for business and he was able to do co-ops in China, England, and Germany. I’m sure you can do co-ops internationally at Northeastern as well, which is very beneficial. You may even be able to arrange a co op in Spain so you can be close to home for a couple of months.

5

One of my Ds is a UR graduate and I also have a D who is a UR senior, both are Science majors, but they have friends who have majored in business, and enjoyed their time in the business school . UR business students have excellent internship and job opportunities. Richmond’s campus is beautuful, and is located in the suburbs of Richmond, but is only 10 minutes from downtown. It is a fun city with lots of great restaurants, shopping, museums, and parks, etc. We have really enjoyed our many visits to Richmond. UR has an active party scene if you want it, but it also has plenty of students who are not into partying.

Northeastern also has excellent business programs, and is well known for its excellent coop program, and has a significantly larger number of students. We have friends with kids at NEU who love it there. NEU’s campus is right in the heart of the city of Boston, a much larger city than Richmond. NEU’s campus is also very nice, much smaller and compact than UR’s, due to its downtown location and lack of real estate. Boston is a very fun, bustling city, with lots to do and see, with many, many students who attend the numerous colleges and universities in the area. My current UR senior loves Boston and will be moving there for a job right after graduation from UR.

Some significant differences between UR and NEU:

UR has 3k undergrads vs. 18k at NEU.
Boston is a much larger US city than Richmond.
NEU has coops as part of its educational model, UR does have excellent internships, but no coop program.
Richmond has much milder winter weather (occasional snow, usually no more than a few inches which melts fairly quickly Boston has much longer and colder winters, a lot more snow, sometime 1 - 2 feet at a time. Richmond has very hot humid summers, if you stay on campus.
Most UR students live on campus all 4 years and they have very nice on campus apartments for underclassmen , which does help build a strong sense of community on campus. Many NEU students move off campus after freshman year, and dorm housing is limited, but there are numerous apartments, in the surrounding areas, although they can be expensive.
Boston has a bigger airport, more options for flights, has an extensive subway system, and good bus transportation, amtrak and regional rail service. Richmond’s airport is smaller, but still fine for flights to most locations, no subway, decent bus service, has 2 amtrak stops, so good access to DC, NYC, Philly, etc.
UR is a liberal arts college, with more breadth requirements outside of selected major, and students declare their major during their 2nd year. Double majors and minors are very common at UR. At NEU, you start off in the business school and declare a concentration during your first year, and it is not as easy to double major.
Richmond is a southern city, with very different traditions and cultural history, compared to a New England city like Boston, although both cities have many immigrants and transplants from many other States and countries. The state of Virginia tends to be more conservative politically, and Massachusetts is very liberal politically.
NEU and UR are very different, but both are excellent academically, with terrific business programs. Boston and Richmond are also very different, but I think both are awesome places to live or attend college. Lots to consider! Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.

6

An important thing to know: The legal drinking age in the US is 21. You will be carded everywhere you go. Including stores where you buy liquor. So unless you get a fake ID (which, to be honest, many students do) your drinking bill be limited to having older friends buy your liquor and drinking at home.

7

We’ve been to both campuses and know current students at both schools. In addition to what others have said above - both give very good merit aid. The UR social scene is heavily tied to their Greek system. The NU social scene is heavily tied to getting into parties at the other schools’ frats (i.e., MIT). Males that are not members of the fraternity might find it difficult to get into the parties - so at least at UR you can join a frat if the party scene is important. Northeastern is a very compact campus in the middle of the city, so it is packed with students everywhere you turn. It is a very friendly campus. UR is a more attractive campus with better athletic facilities. NU is flat, UR is on a steep hill.

8

I’d note that this is only for those into the classic house party. For most at Northeastern, partying means hanging with anywhere from 5-30 people at apartments in the area. Mission Hill usually has many of those in large houses that are now 4-5 bedroom apartments. I think it’s a very small minority that actually trek to MIT parties - I did once and it was super not worth it, but I still have plenty of places to go to have fun on the weekends. Depends what type of parties you want though.

9

In reference to post#4, I meant to state that UR upper classmen (most seniors and many juniors) usually live in the on campus apartments.