Pls help me decide!! Northeastern, UW Madison, Cal Poly SLO Civil Engineering.
All three are such good options but I cannot decide which one!
I got NUin but I would probably stay in Boston. I got accepted to both UW-Madison and Cal Poly SLO.
Northeastern (haven’t visited yet):
pros:
-most likely have a job out of college
-a lot of experience in eng field
-co-op
-Boston!!!
-top school overall
-one of the best engineering and civil eng specifically
cons:
-expensive (but I have scholarship)
-not much school spirit
-no typical college town feeling
UW-Madison:
pros:
-great engineering program
-Madison is a great area
-college campus
-school spirit
-easy-going people
cons:
-not a well-recognized university (in my area/school)
-not as much field experience (as Northeastern would give me)
Cal Poly SLO:
pros:
-also great engineering program
-college town nice
-beach nearby
-cool/modern campus
cons:
-far away (have to take a plane)
-not very well-known school
-not much school spirit
-no ice skating (my sport)
Madison.
Your cons for it are incorrect.
these are just based on what I have heard? correct me if wrong lol
SLO should be out. Why? You love to skate - and you can’t. Why eliminate a release. I suppose you can roller skate.
So go to your other two? You have a scholarship to Northeastern. How is cost there vs. Wisconsin?
Frankly, you could major in engineering as no name state university and you’ll be fine.
That said, I think you are very misinformed on Wisconsin, a top notch Big 10 school. If you want to go by pedigree, it’s rated higher as a university by US News - 42 vs. Northeastern 49.
If you want to go to engineering, it’s rated 13th - ahead of schools like Rice, UCLA, Harvard and Virginia. Oh, and #48 Northeastern.
So Neastern is a fine school - but will not have the national recognition that Wisconsin has. If you go to Denver and say you went to Northeastern, the average person won’t know it. Boson is a special place to go to college and the co-op thing is very beneficial. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t choose Northeastern.
You should make your choice on finances first and then fit - where did you feel a spark?
You’ll end up fine at both schools. But your beliefs about Wisconsin are horribly off base.
Good luck.
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My son goes to a state university big ten for engineering. A junior who is being recruited for grad school and jobs. I would save some of that money for summer classes you might need them for engineering as that’s an added cost for both my kids… co-op and internships are provided by all universities
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It is true about the co ops. Neastern and Drexel and to a lesser extent U Cincinnati are known for them. But my son is at Bama and they are constantly recruiting kids to go into co-ops. So Neastern might have those connections - but all schools can go that route if the kids want (mine doesn’t - but has a summer job at a major automotive OEM - oh, with two Ga Tech kids on his team - so go where you want…companies will hire you.
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Thanks everyone!! This was very helpful!! I will definitely keep it in mind when deciding where to go!
FWIW I would say it’s very odd to say that Northeastern does not have a “college town” given that it’s in one of the most academic cities in the world that some would argue is the best “college town” in the world. So I guess the question is why is Boston a con for you for Northeastern? Its location is usually a positive for people. Do you prefer Madison to Boston?
UW also has more notoriety within engineering than you’re giving it credit for, so not sure I would list that as a con either.
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It’s not that I don’t love Boston, I do, but Northeastern is integrated in the city, so it doesn’t have a typical college town feeling. Also with the Wisconsin con, I truly had no idea it was well-known. I think that because of the high school I go to/ area I live in, Northeastern is more “well-known” than Wisconsin because it is more difficult to get into? I don’t know but I had never heard of Wisconsin before the college process, whereas I had known about Northeastern since freshman year. My school makes kids focus on acceptance rates when applying which is so stupid🙄
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Northeastern actually has a real 73-acre campus that is compact but it has green quads, paths, and it actually classified as an arboretum. I’d recommend doing some virtual tours (youvist.com) or touring in person to get a feel for it. I grew up right by UW Madison and am now at Northeastern, and the opportunities I’m getting here far surpass the opportunities that my friends are getting at UW.
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Thank you so much!! This is very helpful!!
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Based on your username and the fact that you said you skate, are you a synchro skater? If so, do you plan to continue synchro in college or just skate individually? Does the school having a team or a certain team level being available to you matter?
Cost and debt at each?
Northeastern curriculum is built around co-ops. Is this desirable or undesirable for you?