Our daughter is a senior applying to NU’s Engineering school this fall, potentially for ED1 or ED2. It’s obviously a fantastic school but we have one potential concern about the culture and how it might impact her college experience.
Specifically, we’ve heard the culture can feel somewhat ‘transient’ due to the unique situation created by students coming and going to jobs and semesters abroad, etc. And we’re wondering if that might be a less than ideal environment for someone like her who isn’t overly outgoing. In other words would more of a ‘rah rah’ school where bonds between students are more easily made and maintained be the better fit for her?
Can any current students, alumni or parents comment on whether that’s a legitimate concern for someone like her?
I’m a parent of two huskies who both did UG and masters graduating in 2017 and just 2022. NU is not for everyone for sure, and it is def not a traditional rah rah school, but there is plenty of school spirit. I can understand your concern and prob had that same thought/question when my older D was starting in 2012… but the opportunities for amazing experiences, travel, and innovative learning far outweigh that sense of people coming and going, esp with technology these days with kids being able to stay in touch on social media, FaceTime etc. I think the students just get into the mode of the school culture pretty quickly and all of the schools clubs and other activities build on that culture with openings to anyone all the time. Both of my D’s developed amazing relationships from day 1, and neither would call themselves totally outgoing in new situations. My younger D essentially lived with the same 4 friends for the last five years, three of them lived together in Spain on study abroad (they were in the same major.) many students also do coops in the Boston area and stay living with their friends as well and then they have tons of time to explore the area too bc then they are just working 9-5 and not doing homework etc. All that said, NU seems to me to be a group of students who want to be engaged in their learning, their lives with friends, coops/research, etc. I have always been so amazed at all of the work, learning, coops, etc that both of my D’s and their friends did, and both of my D’s thrived in this environment. For some it might take a semester to find their people, but if someone is willing to put in the effort, they’ll be fine. The other benefit of NU is that it has a pretty defined campus within the city. Unlike BU or NYU, which has campus buildings interspersed with regular city buildings, NU has a campus. One of my D’s had a friend who didn’t leave campus the entire first semester bc they needed to adjust to the city… but having the full city to explore is pretty exciting to most too. We live on a smallish coastal town in CA, so city living on the east coast (and the weather) took my D’s Time to get used to, but I think both are super happy they took the risk to go across country and try out this school.
This is a legitimate concern. I know a lot of kids who attend/have graduated NE. They have had good experiences overall, but I don’t know any student who hasn’t complained about what you’ve described. That’s not to say they don’t like their college, but I’d describe the kids I know who have had the best experience to be pretty outgoing and independent.
We don’t know your child, but no one will describe NE as rah rah. Does she need a big rah rah school or a more intimate environment where she can get to know others well? We can’t answer that.
I went to NEU for undergrad many moons ago. Transferred from physical therapy to psychology major which was not as ideally suited to paid co-ops in the city then. I do think the transient nature of the university has an impact, but I wonder if it will be blunted by participation in a major more suited to co-op. It’s a great model for Engineering, health, business, etc.
My son is a junior. This has not been an issue at all. He started in 2020 before the Covid-19 vaccines when students were on campus but there weren’t in-person clubs or gatherings. He made friends easily through his (virtual!) orientation group and his dorm. They would walk or bike around Boston and Cambridge. He has found NU students to be very nice and friendly. Admission is competitive and NU students tend to be very smart and motivated. This is a change from our high school which had some motivated students and many unmotivated students. He did one co-op so far and continued to live in a dorm apartment with 3 friends, so there were no problems with continuity. He enjoys intramural sports, Ski Club and rock climbing. He did one Dialogue of Civilization (short term) study abroad to Rwanda, which was fantastic. While overall not a “rah rah” school, the Beanpot hockey tournament against BC, BU and Harvard is a fun event and he said NU had the biggest fans. There is a tremendous amount of “rah rah” spirit for NU at the TD Garden for those games. They hosted a watch party with pizza when one NU student did well in the College Jeopardy tournament.
I went to NU for law school and chose to do all of my co-ops outside of Boston and as far away as Alaska. NU also offers global co-ops now. I suppose my priority was not my friends but undergrad is different than grad school.
Hi, I am a freshman at NEU and this was something I was a bit worried about coming in. While I haven’t experienced co-op or any travel abroad yet, from the people I have spoken to, it hasn’t negatively impacted their experiences. I am not super extroverted, but there are many clubs and activities to join to help build that lasting sense of community on top of just forming friendships. I joined a sorority which has been a great way to meet more people and it is reassuring to know that I have that community to come back to if I do a co-op outside of Boston or go abroad. I think that most of the students at Northeastern are pretty career oriented, which contributes to the more independent paths students take, but at the end of the day, you are still surrounded by friends and there are plenty of opportunities to feel connected to the school. I have also heard that most of the time when people go out of Boston or abroad during their time at NEU, they often are doing so with other NEU students so you aren’t completely on your own which is nice. I hope this helps!