Assuming I were to get into all three of these schools, which would you say is the most worth attending? My dream is NYU but my parents cannot afford it. Is it worth the loans? Any tips on affording NYU? Any scholarships you’d recommend I apply for (I am an NHRP finalist)? And if it were to boil down to BU & NU, which would you choose? Thanks 
Go to the one that offers you the most money. Seriously. You can’t go wrong with any of them, and I don’t think ANY of them are worth massive loans. Now, one of them may be worth some loans (I think borrowing 5-10K a year can be reasonable, depending on what you plan on going into and if you have no better option, ie: no school option that is “free”), but you can’t really make that decision until you have acceptances and financial aid packages in front of you. And in the event you ended up with all three (or two of them) in front of you with offers that are basically the same, it would totally come down to what you plan on studying, and what campus/social atmosphere you’re looking for.
@proudterrier well then that pretty much rules out NYU since their financial aid is known to be pretty bad. and I don’t know if this helps but I plan on studying political science & then going to law school. if not, perhaps majoring in psychology & then going on for my masters. i liked all 3 of these colleges when I visited them. I look for a very liberal, city-like feel. I do not really dig the whole traditional, Boston College-y feel. I feel like BU has a good name but Northeastern is on the rise, especially with its co-op program that interests me a lot. but thanks for the info
P.S. your username is “proudterrier,” did u by any chance go to BU? haha
& as far as “free” goes, there is a chance I may get a full ride to Fordham Lincoln Center but I do not think it is on par with these other schools. BU also already offered me a 20K scholarship.
Yep, I am a very happy BU alum So, you’d probably be happy at either BU or NEU if you like urban (I did too!), so you can get into the nitty-gritty of either or. BU can be harder to get a high GPA at, which can matter for grad school admission. That said, the course rigor at BU is really excellent, but those who are aiming for grad school should always be aware that BU has grade deflation. BU’s study abroad options are better, IMO, and there are several programs that can be a boon to political science, especially the Washington D.C. program and the London Programme (they have internships with Parliament).
On the flip side, there’s a real benefit to NEU’s co-op system–the ability to do a whole semester internship, say, at the Boston State House would be amazing, or using that whole semester to go to D.C. for an internship. I would definitely look in depth to placement options for political science at NEU to see if they have relationships with places that speak to you. NEU is definitely on the rise, as you say, and I’ve heard they can be really competitive with aid–you may find yourself with a very attractive package.
Let me know if you have questions about BU!
@proudterrier grade deflation is definitely something that worries me, especially since i am interested in grad school & am also so used to maintaining a high GPA. how did u manage with the whole grade deflation thing? also, how r dorms? I saw one dorm and it was pretty tiny, not to mention i don’t know how i feel about community bathrooms. i liked the brownstones but i realize they may be pricier and only available to upperclassmen. any recommendations on the best dorms to apply for frosh year? I like the idea of an apartment/suite style dorm.
P.S. I know this isn’t academic related, but what is the party scene like at BU? frats? house parties? off campus clubs/bars?
@brxndon You said BU already offered you 20K - that means you are an early decision candidate there then right? Doesn’t that meant that you have to go there and withdraw your other applications?
@suzyQ7 actually they e-mailed me saying that because I am an NHRP finalist that if I get in, they’d offer me a 20K scholarship for that.
Ah- but you haven’t applied yet? So, assuming you get in, you will get 20K. That’s good. You will not get that much from NYU… sounds like NYU is just too expensive. Have applied to any Northeastern yet? I thought you needed to apply early to both BU and NEU in order to be considered for merit scholarships like that.
Assuming you get the NHRP merit at either BU or NEU, will you be able to afford the balance or will you still be eligible for financial aid? If law school is in the future, you really want to go to the cheapest school… these 3 schools are very similar in caliber and style. Follow the money…you won’t regret it.
@suzyQ7 haha lemme clear some of this up. I have already applied to NU & BU regular decision (but I did before the December 1 date so I’m good for merit scholarships). and i see exactly what you are saying as far as law school. it is very expensive but who knows? maybe i can go to nyu for law school since it is top-ranked. but i think for now i should save money. and yes these scholarships for NHRP are aside from normal aid. I do not think there will be a huge difference in the aid i get between NU & BU (again, this is what i think, we will have to see). so if it boils down to BU and NU, I am just wondering which would be better. it seems that BU vs. NU is a very popular topic here. they are like 5 minutes apart! but what is worrying me about BU is their grade deflation since I wanna go to law school or get my masters. also, i like the whole co-op thing and how u do not pay tuition when u r on it. the only way i would go to nyu is if i get a bunch of third party scholarships (which i will try my best to get). i do live in nj tho, which makes nyu pretty convenient. BUT ANYWAYS, sorry this response is all over the place lol but i appreciate your feedback
Where else are you applying
If you get third party scholarships, you should be able to apply them to any school, reducing what you will need to pay even further at BU and NEU. I don’t know - being from NJ - it may be really nice to get a way from the NY metro area for a different experience in Boston. And save lots of cash. Love the school that loves you.
You’ll have to go to revisit day at both BU and NEU to decide. They are similar, but the coop makes NEU different. You have to LOVE the coop - its ingrained in the school and the semesters are slightly different because of it. Which is great for kids who want that more mature college experience. BU is a little more traditional in their 4 year ‘standard’ schedule, but also a great school with great academics. I’ve heard about the deflation - not sure if that is the case for all majors or just hard science, CS, Bio, etc…
- Columbia (I do not really need to ask about this one since it is my reach & if i get in, i do not see one reason why i would not go lol)
- NYU
- BU
- Northeastern
- Fordham Lincoln Center (I hear they give full rides sometimes to NHRP finalists)
- UCONN
- Pace University
@suzyQ7 that is honestly a REALLY good question and could probably be a huge deciding factor for me. i’ll have to ask and revisit. if you had to choose though, which would you choose? thanks for ur feedback again
P.S. if anyone knows if grade deflation exists if u major in poli sci or pysch, please tell me!
Where are you in-state? Are you in-state to UConn? Because if you aren’t, and if money is an issue, you should add one or two in-state public universities to your list that you know you can get into and afford.
Boston University is one of the most expensive universities in the country - the cost of attendance for a full-time undergraduate student is estimated to be over $65,000 a year. If you get a $20K scholarship (which would be great!) that would still leave you with over $45,000 to pay per year. Can your family afford that? NYU is known for being stingy but BU isn’t known for being particularly generous, either.
Fordham is a great school; if they offer you a full ride take a good look at it. I’d take a full ride at Fordham over paying $45K a year at BU any day of the week.
Are you first-generation? Even if you aren’t, you are eligible for the Frederick Douglass Scholarship program at American University - check it out (http://www.american.edu/financialaid/fdsprogram.cfm). There are also other merit awards - they offer ones for students in the National Merit program. George Washington University also offers merit scholarships to NHS (http://undergraduate.admissions.gwu.edu/scholarships).
I would pick NEU for the amazing coop and traditional campus. But, that’s me… I love the idea of 6 months of work and 6 months of school for the last years of college. You could do a prelaw track, work coop in a law firm, and later decide “I love law!” or “Law is not for me”… All before junior year. Most people don’t end up in the field they think they would at 18, NEU gives you an opportunity top experiment with careers.
@suzyQ7 I agree completely, I am leaning towards NEU too but of course I will still revisit and keep an open mind
@juillet Unfortunately, I am from NJ and to be honest, aside from Princeton, we have some pretty shitty schools. I mean I guess Rutgers and TCNJ are not bad but still. I can def afford Pace though, and most likely Fordham (I will definitely keep and open mind with Fordham).
And I know BU would offer me the 20K but that is aside from NORMAL financial aid and plus I submitted my application before December 1st, which means I qualify for even more money.
I am leaning towards NEU now to be honest, but I am going to look into those scholarships (esp, at washington). I am also hispanic and already an NHRP finalist so if there r any other scholarships u can think of for latinos, let me know! thanks for the feedback
@brxndon Just to let you know I believe NHRP finalists get $30k automatically at Northeastern (same as NMF). http://www.northeastern.edu/admissions/cost-financial-aid/scholarships/
@swimchris Yes! I’ve heard about that! BU offered me a 20K scholarship as well. Northeastern is looking very attractive to me to be honest.
One issue with Northeastern is their 4 year graduation stats kind of suck relative to peer schools, and (anecdotally) I have heard this is because of the co-op program. Adding a 5th year of college will have a significant impact on your costs. I think it is something to think about, or at least get more information on.