Questions about Northeastern's alumni network, endowment, and school traditions?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

<p>I'm currently doing research on Northeastern and a lot of questions came up. I notice that Northeastern doesn't have a superb endowment compared to many other schools, especially considering its size, but at the same time, I also notice how Northeastern has been using a lot of its endowment money to renovate and improve it's facilities which I really like. </p>

<p>I was wondering:
1.How is Northeastern's alumni network? and How is giving back to the school valued?
2. Why is Northeastern's endowment not superbly high compared to many other schools of its caliber (ex. BU, BC, NYU)?
3. Are there a lot of activities for alumni on campus?
4. Is this a school where even after you graduate a lot of people still come back to visit and maybe even donate?</p>

<p>I was also wondering:
5. What are some school traditions in Northeastern?
6. How are holidays (ex. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas) celebrated?
7. Are there a lot of organized on campus activities (ex. movies, concerts, contests, fundraisers) or is the social life mainly focused on the city?</p>

2

<p>NYU and Northeastern have a fairly similar endowment. NYU’s is only 2 billion+ because of its real estate holdings, the high rise apartments used as dorms plus their buildings and land in Greenwich Village. Also, Northeastern’s endowment rose at least 10% from last year as they received a 60 million dollar donation from two alumni.</p>

<p>You are sure to meet alumni living in Boston as Northeastern offers great perks, like access to the Marino Center for a reasonable fee.</p>

3

<p>Northeastern’s endowment is about $800 million, BU has $1.2 Billion and BU is a larger school. I would not call BU’s endowment super high. As ericop8 said, two alumni recently donated $60 million to the school after having donted $10 million a few years ago. They were obviously proud of their alma mater. Many coop jobs are in partnerships with companies that have many NU alumni in positions of power who started out as coop students there. They are a major source of employment for NU coops and graduates.</p>

<p>Northeastern along with BU and NYU are urban universities. While there is a lot to do on campus, if you are looking for the 24/7 campus experience you should look for a college town type of school, not an urban university.</p>

4

<p>honestly, it sounds like you want a school that’s smaller and more traditional.</p>

<p>Don’t get me wrong, I loved NU and would 100% go back. I have great friends from college, I have tons of wonderful memories from there, and am now a grad student at a great school, where I feel just as prepared and experienced (if not more!) than the other students in my program. Overall, it was a great experience.</p>

<p>But Northeastern is not traditional. We are all about being in a cool city, getting cool jobs, going off into the world, etc etc, it’s a little more practically and career-minded than other colleges. And we definitely love campus and being at school, and we do all the normal college stuff too-- we join clubs and sports teams, we make friends in the dorms and in class and at parties, when it’s warm we play frisbee or gossip while drinking iced coffee in the quads, we have hungover breakfasts at the dining hall, we play too much flip cup, we do marathon study sessions during finals and consume too much redbull. But we’re also excited about the world outside our campus, and Northeastern is just our home-base to branch out to other things–why stick around 24/7 if you have a big city to play in?</p>

<p>I’m not SUPER involved in alumni stuff, and that seems to be the general attitude among my NU friends. I love going back to visit Boston, but I don’t have much reason to go back to campus. There’s an alumni network in the city where I live, and we’ll occasionally have Happy Hour events and such, but it’s always pretty casual. As for donating, we’ll see how I feel once I’m not getting paid Grad stipend wages while cringing at the thought of paying my student loans… for now I’ll continue to begrudgingly give my $20.11 once a year.</p>

<p>$$, I suspect NU will continue getting bigger donations in the coming years, since the school has only recently really come into its own. </p>

<p>My friends from more traditional schools do tend to have more school spirit and are maybe a little more involved in alumni stuff. If you’re really looking for a close-knit community, like your questions suggest, TomSr might be right, a big urban university might not be what you’re looking for.</p>

5

<p>Lol, I am not actually necessarily looking for a 24/7 campus life, but rather a bit of a blend between campus and city life. That’s actually what really attracted me to Northeastern, the fact that it has both a campus and city-like environment. I’m actually also really big on travel and experience and I definitely really love the “going off into the real world” and the “career” aspects of Northeastern, and like many students, I do enjoy joining clubs, playing sports, and going to the movies with friends.</p>

<p>The alumni activities and the knit community were only my main concerns because I wanted to have a school where even 4-5 years after I graduate, I can still come back to visit even if it’s just for a dinner event or to visit a few professors. The knit community was also another concern because I really like how Northeastern is very diverse, but I wasn’t sure how hard it would be to make really close friends here. Personally, I have had really close friends from grammar school and far away areas where I may only be able to see them maybe once a year, yet I’m still very close to them and still keep in touch through phone and Facebook. </p>

<p>Do you think it’s hard to see familiar faces on campus? and Do the people from different grade levels interact well? and lastly, Aside from academics, Are teachers/advisors available to talk with on a more personal level such as “how are you doing?” or even “How was your Christmas?”</p>

<p>Lastly, thanks for all the great responses, I really appreciate it!</p>

6

<p>I think the alumni network is strong, just received Northeastern Magazine in the mail and there were numerous alumni events coming up this Spring…just to list a few, Northeastern day at a Red Sox game and the Northeastern Pops featuring Kelly Clarkson.</p>

7

<p>It’s surprisingly common to see people from class, your dorm, etc when walking around, considering how many people there are. Part of it is because there is one main cooridor for getting to and from class – the strip from WVC over across the commons in front of Shillman, around the engineering building, in front of the library (most people go up the steps instead of around it), and then either cutting through Curry to go to the science buildings or turning left to head up to Dodge for business classes. No matter where you live, on or off campus, you’ll walk part or all of that strip multiple times per day. You’re bound to run into some people you recognize.</p>

<p>Apart from freshmen (who pretty much all take classes together, just because its the lowest level), no one notices nor cares what year you are in. BTW, try not to call it “grade levels” in college.</p>

<p>Professors (let up on the “teachers”, they tend to not like that) vary greatly. Some will sit on their desks and ask you how your semester is going. Some will answer your question during office hours and then stare at their phone. Most of my experiences had a very comfortable mix (they’d ask how my break was, but wouldn’t try to get all touchy-feely). I have met two professors for lunch, one of which was off campus at his financial district office. It’s all about finding the professors that click with you and that you respect.</p>

<p>The Northeastern Pops thing at the end of the year is actually pretty awesome. I did it last year with Jewel, and I didn’t regret the 150 dollar ticket at all.</p>