Hi everyone - I know there is no typical student, but every school has a certain vibe to it. Can someone honestly comment about that vibe at NE? What is student life like? What is the transition like when you return from co-op? Is there a feeling of comraderie and sense of community at NE? Or do the constant comings and going of co-op make it hard to feel connected? Don’t get me wrong - I am a big fan of the Coop model, but I think feeling like part of a community and like school is “home” is important to my son. Just trying to help him find the place where he will feel happiest! Thanks for any comments.
NEU students are typically serious in that they have direction and are working towards a goal. The place is big and there is a club for every interest (I strongly suggest your son join a few) - some clubs that my daughter was in - the food club, the DIY crafts club, and the econ society (her major). Co-op does mean friends may come and go, but with today’s technology they keep in touch (my daughter did google hangouts with kids when she was away on coop). If you coop in Boston you can still live in the dorms and hang with kids taking classes (and unlike them you don’t have homework or tests to worry about). I think NEU is more collaborative then competitive - nobody seemed cutthroat in any classes (unlike HS). Most NEU students consider all of Boston “home”, not just the campus. One thing that shows this, almost all of my daughter’s friends got first jobs after graduation in the Boston area and continue living nearby.
Thanks for your thoughts!
To add to the great summary above, I think that school spirit at Northeastern comes out not in sports or classic spirit but in pride for Boston and the shared academic philosophy of the school. People are very practically focused but also tend to be a lot more balanced between work and compared to other schools. People often translate practical to mean preprofessional, but that’s not the majority even of the student body. Practical simply means that people take their skills, aspirations, likes, and are trying to figure out how they best fit together to make the life they want. It doesn’t mean its set and can’t change, it doesn’t mean it’s all about career or money, it means finding the balance of everything together, often through trial and error. One of the great advantages of co-op is test-driving your career and being able to change it if you find out it’s no fun to work in!
In terms of people coming and going, it has its effects but there are a few things to realize. The first 3-4 semesters it’s just like any other school. When people do go on co-op in semester 4-5, plenty of people stay in Boston while on co-op and are still there socially, usually going elsewhere after their first co-op. Even when you go off elsewhere, there are big clusters of Northeastern students in each city which act as a secondary social support. Many people even go elsewhere and make friends on co-op that they then can take back to campus.
Thanks for your thoughts! Very helpful!