<p>"Of course, my sister did go to ASU and she is very smart (graduated 11/~500 in high school). However, even she sees some of the flaws with the school. You of course can meet tons of intelligent people, but it's just kind difficult considering the huge mass of kids that aren't very motivated to do their work."</p>
<p>It's not necessarily a flaw. The work of serious students tends to reap better grades and more professor attention, which matters a lot for research opportunities, internships, summer programs, graduate school recommendations, etc.</p>
<p>I would say that if you want to go to grad school, Arizona might be better. NEU is geared more to people who want to go straight from undergrad to work.</p>
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It's not necessarily a flaw. The work of serious students tends to reap better grades and more professor attention, which matters a lot for research opportunities, internships, summer programs, graduate school recommendations, etc.
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<p>When I said "flaws" I kind of meant the "flaws" of excessive partying on the behalf of many students. You can sometimes get sucked into it.</p>
<p>Excessive partying at U of A interfering with studying....well, OK. But, just between you and me, the Boston party scene <em>may</em> be able hold its own by comparison ;)</p>
<p>Um...every college has those "flaws". In fact, Dartmouth is legendary for that kind of "flaw". I say, study hard and take some time to enjoy those "flaws". :). Trust me, if you don't you'll regret it. You'll never be in a social situation even close to your college years.</p>
<p>If you were my kid, I'd be hoping you'd take U of A because I think that any advantages of Northeastern are things that you could get after graduation by moving to Boston. I don't think Northeastern is worth the extra money you'd be paying for that experience.</p>
<p>Stay in Arizona (unless you hate the state/location/campus/social scene/etc); NE is not worth it. If it was one of the premier colleges/LAC at/near Boston, then you should consider.</p>
<p>I'd say go with U of A. I shadowed a class there and it's really good stuff. You're not gonna get a crappy education there.</p>
<p>Transportation and other $$$ issues can pile up in Boston, and U of A is far enough to PHX that it's not like you're living at home, but close enough so that you can come back almost whenever.</p>
<p>And how can you be sick of Phoenix? The Valley rocks!</p>
<p>I think that’s your answer right there. Kelli Space now owes 200,000 in student loans for a BA in sociology from Northeastern University, which she now feels was a huge mistake. I’m sure she’d be happy to answer any of your questions . .</p>
<p>As a native Bostonian, born and bred (now an NC resident), I totally agree with barrons. Indeed, I am rather amazed that some CC folks seem to regard Northeastern with a great deal of respect. I can assure you that Bostonians don’t. </p>
<p>(No offense to any Northeastern Univ folks on this forum…but seriously, the very idea of Northeastern depresses the heck out of me. Maybe it has changed a lot since I last set foot in Boston…I dunno; I am open to correction on this point. And I mean absolutely no offense. If you benefit from Northeastern’s coop and engineering programs, more power to you.)</p>
<p>“And honestly, Boston doesn’t have that great of a job market anyway.”</p>
<p>Moreover, Boston’s really expensive. Rents are ridiculous, and houses are off-the-chart unaffordable. I know that’s not a concern for college students – at least for those living on campus – but what happens when you graduate or move off-campus? Then you have to face the Dread Boston Rental Market. It’s not a pretty picture.</p>
<p>You should see the dump we lived in, back in the day, in Arlington Heights (right outside Cambridge). It was the cheapest apartment we could find (we were starving graduate students), and it was about one notch above a tenement. </p>
<p>We left the Northeast and moved down to the sweet sunny South for precisely that reason. If we had stayed up there in the frozen North, we NEVER could have afforded a house. Down here, we built a cute little house on 18 wooded acres for a grand total of $142,000 (house and land). Granted, that was 20 years ago – but, believe me, even back then, we could not have found a <em>shack</em> in Greater Boston for $142,000. </p>
<p>Boston has tons of cultural amenities (although who has time to take advantage of most of them?), and parts of Boston and Cambridge are beautiful and historic and all that. (Other parts are ugly as sin, as in any large metropolitan area.) There are things I miss (the Opera Company of Boston, Quincy Market, Back Bay, the North End…hmmmm, can’t think of any more). But IMHO the high cost of living simply is not worth it.</p>
<p>You can always visit Boston, any time you like. But do think twice about attending a not-so-great school there. For so many reasons!</p>
<p>Cost of living in Boston is outrageous, one of my kids lives there, an ‘07 college grad.<br>
OP, if you have to rent in Boston to do Co-op, it is going to really add up!
Save your money, your parents’ money, it will come in handy for after graduation, for a car, an apartment, or grad school, etc. </p>
<p>My H is from Boston, and Northeastern’s reputation is not that great! Stay in Arizona & get your degree there! I agree, you can move to Boston after you graduate!</p>
<p>He may be done with this thread, but I am very interested.
I am looking at both of these schools.
I am a National Merit Semifinalist (I believe I will be a finalist) eligible for an automatic 30,000/yr scholarship at University of Arizona (I pretty much end up paying for room and board) and believe I have a good shot at a full tuition scholarship at Northeastern (and am eligible for a full ride, but…).
These are the two schools with large National Merit scholarships that interest me the most. So, needless to say, I am very interested in this thread.</p>
<p>Thanks, @MayBe. Personally, I think that, when these old threads are revived, there’s usually a good reason! (E.g., people are obviously interested.)</p>
<p>maybe – do you like the U of A campus? I know absolutely nothing about it, but I assume it must be a lot less dreary and depressing than the Northeastern campus. Again, this is just a wild guess based on total ignorance…I have never been to Arizona, but I’ve spent a good chunk of my life in Greater Boston.</p>
<p>Also, maybe: What about Arizona State’s Barrett Honors College? It has a great rep, and you’d probably be a shoo-in. Don’t they cover the full ride plus a stipend, IIRC?</p>
(E.g., people are obviously interested.)</p>