<p>Hi,
I got into Northeastern but never really considered it. I've been rejected from all of my top choices, so I guess I am considering Northeastern and BU.
I have heard much worse about BU than Northeastern--from grade deflations to the "stuck up" student body. I wanted to know if Northeastern had the following.</p>
<p>1.How is the student body? I want kids who LOVE learning and being a part of things--not just "studying to get grades" or just "brand name careers". I like open-minded people and diversity is a biggy for me. This is the one thing that I've noticed on all the websites--many people say Northeastern's diversity is not that great. I'm worried because I love diversity--getting to know people and familiarizing myself with all types of backgrounds.
2. Academics-very important for me. How are the academics? How big are the classroom sizes? I prefer small classroom sizes and recitations. How are the professors? Are they well-qualified? Easy to approach? Are they friendly and willing to offer help when students need it?
3. Activities? Is Northeastern an active place? Do people like being a part of something--I plan to start clubs/etc.
4. How easy is it to start your own major or have an individualized type of study/career?
5. How easy is it to transfer? Like I said, Northeastern was not my top choice--so I want to know maybe if I am not completely satisfied, how hard would it be for me to transfer out? </p>
<p>Thanks for the help.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Keep in mind that NU has been transformed in the past 5-10 years so some people's opinions may be outdated (even some of my relatives!). We have a very diverse student body. I have a friend from guam, friends from all over the US, etc. NU students really are there to learn and they don't just study before the tests. They go to class, they discuss and learn in the classroom and they challenge the professors to help explain it in a different way and they question it in order to know it. </p></li>
<li><p>The avg class is 27 and as a sophomore the biggest class i've had is 40 so not too bad at all. I do have a class of 70 right now that is astronomy but thats just because its a lecture style astronomy class. And he still has us ask questions and stuff so its good :-) And for classes that are big such as maybe anatomy of bio that are 100 people for the lecture they then have the small 15-20 person recitations to go over homework, problem sets, and discuss things. All of my professors have been amazing and incredibly easy to approach. They have office hours that all are required to do. So they tell you when they will be in the office and you can just stop in to discuss class selections or homework or the upcoming test. You can also make an appointment. </p></li>
<li><p>Oh my gosh there are SO many activities. I don't even know much is going on because every day there are TONS of different events. There are over 250 different groups so there is something for anyone. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>ifyou needed to transfer out it would just depend on where you're going... there isn't really anything NU can do for that it depends on that school I guess.</p>
<p>While there are a lot of people that dslcash describes that really engage in class, there are just as many who are complete idiots. People who skip all of their classes and just go for quizzes/tests and end up failing and dropping the course. This happens at a lot of universities, but I think it should be said because NEU isn't a perfect place where everybody is so happy to learn. </p>
<p>One thing that really gets me mad is when people don't go to class and then complain because classes are real hard. Or people drop classes because they were failing when they didn't study. It has happened to a bunch of people I know. But then again, there are a few people that dslcash describes.</p>
<p>Yeah I think its good RedSox2007 pointed that out. And like they said its college so when kids are given a lot of freedom (i.e. no attendance in a course maybe) they are gonna exploit it and test the limit. But you'll find that at a lot of schools</p>