I’m looking at schools in Boston and am wondering which is better: Boston University or Northeastern?
Is it realistic to graduate in 4 years at Northeastern or do most people take 5?
Which has better academics, which has a better and more cohesive campus feel, are the students nicer/ more down to earth at one or the other and does one have professors who are more available to students?
Thanks so much and any other information about going to college in the Boston area would be greatly appreciated!
Any Major with a co-op component will probably be a 5 year program.
I looked at Boston University for a short time, and even though it wasn’t the fit for me, I can guarantee that you will find great academic success! As far as comparison between the two, I couldn’t tell you much; however, the things that I’ve heard indirectly would give me the impression that Boston University’s academics are a little more hardcore overall. Good luck with your search!
Boston University is better than Northeastern.
Many students at Northeastern do co-ops and graduate within four years, especially those going in with AP/IB credit.
Northeastern is better than Boston University.
Northeastern definitely has a more cohesive campus. BU stretches for 2 miles along Commonwealth Avenue.
It really is personal preference. I’d try to visit both schools if you can and see what you prefer.
I’ve known Northeastern undergrads who did one co-op, summer school, and graduated in 4 years.
The big difference you should be considering is not which school offers better academics/campus, but how you feel about co-ops. That’s the primary reason to go to Northeastern; and really, you should already pretty much know what area you want to study, since NEU is so pre-professional in orientation. BU doesn’t have a real campus (which NEU does) but does offer a more traditional college experience than NEU, again, due to the emphasis on co-ops at Northeastern.
I don’t think you could go wrong with either.
Both are amazing in their own different unique ways.
Also I’m thinking of majoring in sociology or something else in the social sciences area – is that easily applicable to coops or would it be too difficult to find a relevant one?
Northeastern’s co-op program has a lot of good, relevant offerings no matter your major - one of my communication friends is working in recruiting / HR for The Boston Globe in their first co-op. While the firleds you would expect to work well with co-op tend to pay better, there are lots of great co-ops no matter your major.
Most majors have plans where you can do two co-ops and graduate in 4 years - that would be done through summer classes, which most students take. The campus is active year round and the summer offerings are pretty extensive.
I would say that many students come to NEU with the idea of getting in/out in 4 but choose to stay for 5 - usually for another co-op in fact. I would suggest considering why it’s so important to be out in 4 years to you when you decide how you’re going to design your schedule for NEU. One thing to note as well: you don’t end up with any additional costs for the extra year due to co-op earnings.
I applied to both, currently attending NEU - was barely a decision, but the fit was much better at NEU - both schools have their strengths.
Atmosphere:
BU has a bit more of a state schoool atmosphere - more greek life, school spirit, etc
Northeastern is very grounded and practical - you don’t have to know what you want to do, but almost everyone values the practice of thinking about/considering it and planning ahead. Even if the plan changes 5 times and you aren’t certian, NEU student usually have a plan of some sort.
Academics:
Both are comparable in academic quality - BU is known for grade deflation while NEU is somewhere in the middle. BU’s grade deflation is intentional, to make the academics harder and really push the students. It can be a big positive for some and a negative for others - it depends on your preference.
Campus:
BU and NEU both have great access to Boston - it’s amazing and if you want to take advantage of Boston, either will do. NEU has more of a defined campus while BU is a long street intergrated into the city.
As others have said, visiting would be very helpful here - both are great schools but with some pretty big differences.
If you have any comparative/NEU/co-op specific questions I would be glad to help 
Grade deflation at BU is a myth, yes, BU has hard classes, but you get the grade you earn. Northeastern has more of a campus in the traditional sense but BU has a campus as well. One section of Commonwealth Ave is mostly dedicated to BU schools and housing. There is also a very big sense of school pride and unity at BU that you don’t get at a school like Northeastern. I looked at both schools but BU was definitely the best fit for me. I really hated the idea of having to go to school for 5 years. The only way you are able to graduate in 4 from Northeastern involves summer school which never appealed to me.
At Northeastern, you’re not “in school” for 5 years. That extra year is actually 2 paid co-ops… sometimes done overseas, in NY, SF, or wherever you get your co-op. That’s the attraction of Northeastern. I knew a young woman who did 3 co-ops as an undergrad - one in Boston, the other one in Shanghai and her last one in Paris.
But you’re right - it’s not a school for everyone.
@laurrodes In your posting history you state that Northeastern was your dream school but that you were rejected. That may have colored you opinion of the school.
There is a very philosophical and nuanced argument here, but in the context of other schools, BU has grade deflation. BU argues that it is that everyone else has inflated grades - I agree 100%, but the reality is that the result is a deflated GPA in comparison. Your exact argument that “you get the grade you earn” can be a positive for many students - but it can also discourage others and add unneeded stress to college academics, pushing past the line of simply challenging and distracting from the actual purpose of learning. No matter what you call it, there’s a fundamentally different academic grading approach.
NEU and BU offer very different things despite sharing a lot in common, and fit is a very big part of the comparison - the idea of summer classes in Boston was a very big positive for me, and co-op offers invaluable experience and an ability to really apply your academics as well as learning what you like and don’t like in your career. For me, school spirit and pride wasn’t as important - if it was, BU certainly has that.
@TomSrOfBoston not sure what you mean because Northeastern was never my dream school. I did not care at all when I was rejected. I always dreamed of going to school in Boston but I favored BU much more over Northeastern even before I got rejected for the exact reasons stated above.
@PengsPhils I completely agree that BU does not inflate grades while other schools might but I have never met anyone who has struggled and been very stressed keeping up with their schoolwork at BU. My friends at UMass Amherst sometimes seem to be struggling more than my BU friends. No matter if they were pre-med or in CGS, everyone I am close with has always made plenty of time for friends and going out at BU. Time management is important but I really did not find the transition between college and high school academics all that difficult.
If you can, I recommend visiting both schools. I thought that I would love BU but when I actually went to visit I really didn’t like it. I didn’t like the campus or the campus environment at all. I’ve talked to people who love it and couldn’t imagine going anywhere else and I’ve also talked to people who hated their time there.
BU and Northeastern are both excellent schools, but BU isn’t great for everyone. Neither is Northeastern. The “fit” of the school is pretty important too imo and that’s not really something you can get exclusively from reading posts on the internet.