Tulane Vs. Northeastern for Engineering

<p>If you had to decide between these two, which would you choose? </p>

<p>I am majoring in Chemical Engineering and looking for a school with these qualities in this order:
1) Academics/Reputation (especially in terms of getting into graduate school)
2) Accessibility of professors (in terms of class size and getting research/internships)
3) Enviroment: classmates (competitive or not) and location</p>

<p>Cost is not so much a factor since I received similar scholarships to both (half-tuition). </p>

<p>Since I got rejected from three of my first choice colleges, my main concern is the reputation of the college for putting students into top graduate programs. I appreciate any information/opinions that you may have.</p>

<p>Do well at either, and you will get into a "top" graduate program. Northeastern has some good workstudy programs, but Tulane is ranked better in general.</p>

<p>Tulane. with NE's co-ops, you might not see some of your classmates for lengthy stretches of time, which isn't great to build up school spirit. Tulane, as mentioned, is more highly ranked, though NE's program is very good as well. According to PR 2005 edition book, 89% of professors teach undergraduate classes, class size averages are from 10-19 and it has a rating of 76 for prof accessibility. For NE, 100% of professors teacher undergrad classes, avg. class size is from 10-19 and it has a rating of 62 for assesibility. For Tulane, their academics are ranked 82, and NE is ranked 77.</p>

<p>I think Tulane has an overall better program in general--including its engineering school. Tulane is one of the power houses in the south matched and/or exceeded only by Duke, Rice, & Emory.</p>

<p>And Vanderbilt and Wake Forest</p>

<p>I am seriously considering Tulane. As far as rankings are concerned, theirs should be going up in the near future with all the hype of David Filo's (Yahoo co-founder) $30 million donationation and Jim Clark's (Netscape co-founder) $30 million donationation to the engineering school. Filo has been outspoken as to how he credits Tulane's engineering education for helping lead to his success. A lot of heads are turning towards Tulane and giving more recognition to them.</p>

<p>Thanks for the info and statistics. Though Tulane has the better academic rating (82 vs. 77 in Celebrian's post), the location and diversity is a turn-off. </p>

<p>Is there that much of a discernable difference for students in attending these two schools academically? Does anyone know what specific benefits a student might gain by going to Tulane? </p>

<p>There is also another factor. I am not too sure if I want to do co-op since I am afraid it might interfere of my school work (it being an intermittent interuption in taking courses). I found that 70% do participate in co-op. Would it be a complete waste not to participate in co-op at NEU, is it still a good school with the co-ops?</p>

<p>rogracer,</p>

<p>I know that if students perform well, they can get into top grad programs without help of undergrad school reputation. But what if two equal students apply to MIT for example? Which would MIT be more likely to accept?</p>

<p>JoyJoy,
My sister-in-law is a graduate of NE, psychology. She was a sub-par student and needed a lesser selective school. However, she loved the coop aspect. Tulane is a much more selective school and has a much better academic reputation. Obviously, you have to decide on your fit with the academics, environment, size, and location of the school. Be aware that if you go to Tulane and spend too much time on Bourbon Street, you won't be there long. Be prepared for some self discipline.</p>

<p>I think either school will get you into MIT...[as a side note, an RA of mine at MIT was a Northeastern grad]. But the key is you should pick the school that excites you the most and will motivate you. If workstudy programs are likely to do that, I'd pick Northeastern. If you don't like New Orleans, you may find that a turn-off and your studies will suffer as well. Go to the school that will make you happy and at which you think you will excel. All factors being equal, I think Tulane has the better rep.....but how you perform as a student is really the overriding factor.</p>

<p>Rogracer and Plantree (or anyone else), </p>

<p>Can you comment on the actual academic aspect of each school? What exactly makes Tulane better in academics (facilities, professors, or students)? Is it a very discernable difference that would affect the education of the student? </p>

<p>Plantree, </p>

<p>Are you going to Tulane? What do you think about the poor location (party city in run-down area) and lack of diversity?</p>

<p>Sorry to bug you again Rogracer,</p>

<p>I am intrigued by your "roommate at MIT from NEU." What did he do that got him into MIT? Is it common for MIT to accept students from lower-ranked schools?</p>

<p>"I think Tulane has an overall better program in general--including its engineering school. Tulane is one of the power houses in the south matched and/or exceeded only by Duke, Rice, & Emory."</p>

<p>Not to say it isn't a good school, but I'd also have to put UNC, UVA, W&M, GaTech, and probably UT above Tulane (although only GaTech & UT for engineering).</p>

<p>JoyJoy....it wasn't my roommate. It was a research assistant that I shared an office with. Anyway, yes it is common to see grad students from "lesser ranked" schools at MIT. Don't fall for all this over-blown hype you see on these boards about the need to go to a "top ranked" school for undergraduate engineering....it just isn't so. This year, we had two interns from UCF (a so-called 3rd or 4th tier school, if I'm not mistaken) get full rides into MIT's grad school for mechanical engineering. They both had good GPAs (3.7+) and solid intern experiences.</p>

<p>Northeastern and Tulane are certainly both "good enough" to get you into top graduate programs. But Tulane's is somewhat better regarded.</p>

<p>Ohnoes...The University of Florida shouldn't be overlooked in your comments...it's engineering programs are at least as good as Tulane's.</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply rogracer. Can anyone answer my question above:</p>

<p>People say this school is better at academics and what not. How is that measured? Is that based on research output, anecdotal experience from students? Ph.D profs teachinig classes? What exactly is it? Specifically, would I as a student benefit significantly from the "better academics" at Tulane over NEU?</p>

<p>JoyJoy,
I saw my sister-in-law today. We talked about her experience at NE. She stated that she wasn't a great student in hig school, did not perform well on her SAT's and chose NE for its coop program and the low selectivity. She said the classwork was not overly difficult and was an appropriate level for her. As for the coop, she stated that it may be good for some, but for her it had no advantage for her life pursuits. She was a Psychology major and the real life need s letters after your name in Psychology, not coop experience. She had to get her Masters, before she was able to work in the field. She did that at Fairleigh Dickinson U. in NJ.
One of my friends that went to Tulane was a prep student and had very good SAT scores. He said that the coursework was difficult, but his downfall there was the nightlife and Mardi Gras. Needless to say he didn't graduate there.</p>

<p>Hmm, so where you are planning to attend plantree? What do you think about the drawbacks of Tulane? </p>

<p>Your sister-in-law could be a different case since engineering is more of a technical/trade degree which calls for work experience (most work in industry). The question is: how well regarded is that work experience?</p>