NU freshman looking for advice from other NU students

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

Hey guys-

I just started my freshman year at NU, and to be honest I’m really not enjoying anything about being here. I was very unsure about choosing a college (pretty sure I wrote some rambling post on that a while back if you want more info) and ever since I put down my deposit I’ve been questioning whether I made the right decision. Nearly a full semester in, I’m 99% certain I chose the wrong school. So far, I’ve found Northeastern to be an incredibly isolating place. People in my dorm formed cliques almost immediately, and they now lock themselves in their rooms or the study rooms and I feel totally shut out from the social life in my dorm. None of the clubs really interested me, they all seemed to be pre-professional (to be expected at NU, but there’s a point where pre-professional stuff and social life need to be separated) or academic. There isn’t any sense of community, I’ve found the general attitude to be “I’m here to get out of here”- people come solely for the co-op program, to get a job, and to do well after college. I get that, like I obviously want to have a job after college, but I also don’t want to spend 4 years in a desperate cycle of co-op searching and interviews and business casual. Co-op seems to be all-consuming, so far it’s the ONLY reason I have heard people give to the question “Why did you choose Northeastern?”.

I suppose that some of this is my own fault, that I should have known how big of a focus co-op was, but I was totally blindsided by the lack of any “traditional” college elements that I thought any school would have regardless of a pre-professional focus. No one cares about anything NU-related, the attendance at every event I’ve been to has been honestly pathetic for a decently sized university. Even hockey, which is supposedly the biggest draw, has been sparse. None of the social events or parties seem to happen on campus or through NU students, everyone I’ve met treks to MIT frats every weekend or uses a fake to get into some godawful bar. People keep saying to “explore Boston” but a) I’m from the Boston area so I have a decent understanding of the city already and b) come on, there’s only so much you can do on a Saturday night (before midnight, shoutout to the MBTA!!) when you’re not 21 and can’t afford any fancy shows or restaurants.

So I guess what I’m asking is: how do you make NU enjoyable? How do you find a community in a school that doesn’t seem to want to create community? How do you meet people when everyone is so focused on themselves and their co-op that they don’t go to any social events? What clubs on campus are actually just fun and not “resume building” or “career advancing”?

I have thought extensively about transferring, but I really want to stay positive and give Northeastern another chance before I commit time and effort to the college application process again. I truly enjoy my classes and my professors and I’m doing very well academically, but I honestly don’t know if I see myself here for another 3 years. Any answer to the above questions and/or any general advice for liking college is greatly appreciated.

((ps- I really hope this doesn’t come off as confrontational or offensive- I’ve literally been here for ~three months and this is all my personal experience and my own thoughts on the school. didn’t really know how else to phrase it, so I’m truly sorry if anyone feels like this is an unfair assessment of NU or if it isn’t at all reflective of their experience))

2

I’ve found very little of the “I’m here to get out of here”. I’m a business student and do see what is probably the highest concentration of people like that on campus, or the super competitive ones… but even there, it’s a small minority and it doesn’t affect my experience. I do get a little bit annoyed with some of the obvious resume padding clubs/orgs, but I really think those exist everywhere, and again, easy to avoid.

For what it’s worth, I think people answer “co-op” because it’s obviously a part, but also because it’s an easy go-to answer that differentiates NU from others. This question gets asked on 99% of tour guides and the guide always gives some fluffy answer about feeling at home or whatever; co-op is a legitimate answer we can give, but it’s not the only reason. For me, I like just the experiential education model, the 5 year program, the focus on study abroad, the campus, the city, a lot of things.

I just think you came in expecting a traditional school when that’s not what we do. We’re not a rah-rah type of place but everyone is incredibly proud of this school imo. Northeastern is not an isolating place in and of itself; if you’re going to lose any sense of community, it’d probably be if you co-oped away from Boston or your close friends did, not first semester freshman year when everyone is new and excited. People are eager to “group” themselves anywhere early on just as it provides a security blanket in a new place, but in my experience those groups shift a LOT and add/subtract members throughout the first year. I didn’t find my real best friends until spring semester, but clubs helped a lot and getting to meet upperclassmen was awesome. I can literally think of dozens of non-academic, non-preprofessional clubs, so look around. RSA is an awesome one; super friendly to new members, they plan a lot of on campus events and work with departments like housing and dining to make sure students are happy. NUHOC does climbing, hiking, etc.; there are cultural and religious orgs for just about every group; fashion magazines, on-campus radio station, gaming clubs, fraternity/sorority life, Peace Through Play/Strong Women Strong Girls/A BUNCH of organizations focused on going into local Boston schools and educating/empowering, dance troupes, acapella, SGA, debate clubs, CUP (plan things like Springfest, homecoming headliner, AfterHours performances, etc…)
Bonus: if you’re any good at any sport, I HIGHLY recommend a club sport. Just joined one as a third year and have never had more fun at school. Awesome community. Some don’t require experience!

In terms of social stuff, it’s pretty hard to have social events really on campus as police presence is very high-- we’re a giant college campus in the middle of a city, it’s more for our protection than anything else. That being said, the Hill is an option pretty much every weekend. It helps to have a few friends in FSL, but it’s not necessary to find parties. I never had a fake ID and I think I only went to MIT/BU once or twice my freshman year and I had a great time.

Long story short: you’re not the only one who feels this way, but I think it’s less of a Northeastern thing and more of a “freshman who got off on the wrong foot” thing. People are eager to blame NU because of co-op, but adjusting is hard pretty much anywhere. Try out some different organizations and hopefully something will stick. If you still feel crappy in the spring, transferring is a possibility, but I think you’ll be happy you didn’t give up yet.

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How about your roommate? Do you get along with her?

4

@novafan1225 Great advice you provided. The one thing I would mention about “co-op being an easy go-to answer” and that it comes up as a question on every tour is that the school heavily markets itself that way. As the parent of a senior, the mail and emails that he receive don’t just mention it as a part of who they are but literally send mail that have “CO-OP” in large font. I was actually surprised that @hayley636 wasn’t aware of the strong emphasis placed on Co-op there. It’s in no way a bad thing, it’s just a different experience and not for everyone.

@hayley636, good luck and I hope things work out for you. Put yourself out there even more than you may already be and try the clubs, even sports clubs, even if sports is not your thing. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and it you find yourself transferring at some later time, you will know you gave it a fair chance. Good luck!

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Some students and parents have posted here on CC after visiting Northeastern for a tour, open house or admitted students’ day that they were turned off by all the talk of coop and experiential learning. That would be a sign that Northeastern may not be a good fit for the student. Given the increased popularity of the school this past decade many students apply without realizing the unique culture that exists on campus. It is the one thing that has not changed in the past 50 years. Northeastern in its presentations and mailings is trying to make this clear to applicants.

Also, being an urban university, there will not be the 24/7 campus environment and the type of school spirit that one would find at say UMass Amherst or Cornell.

6

Thank you guys for the helpful responses! I’m trying to finish out the semester the best I can and hopefully I’ll have a change of heart in the spring.

I’m not the first person in my family to go to Northeastern so I definitely knew before even visiting NU that co-op was a big focus, and I think that it’s a great program that I’d really love to take part in. As a social science major in a field where jobs are hardly abundant and well-paying, I think having real work experience before graduation is a big advantage in the job search. However, I was not expecting it to be such a huge part of life outside the classroom, especially during first semester freshman year- everything you do in and out of the classroom seems to be geared towards making sure that you land a co-op. I suppose that I just expected a bigger social and extracurricular scene to balance out the professional atmosphere in the classroom.