<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>So I've gotten into University of Miami (UM), Penn State University Park and Northeastern for the Business programs. </p>
<p>I'm really not sure which university I should choose. These are my views so far on these schools:</p>
<p>UM - It's a good school located in a great city with an amazing weather. It's somewhat a party school. The academics are pretty strong, I think. But I feel that it doesn't necessarily have any strong points such as Northeastern's co-op.</p>
<p>Northeastern - It seems like a good school in a cool college town with real cold weather. It's got a great social scene. The really strong point of NEU is that it has the co-op program (which has really captured my dads interest in the school as well). However, apart from the co-op program, I'm not sure how the academics are at the school. </p>
<p>Penn State - I don't know much about this school, apart from that its in the middle of no where and is a huge party school! If you could give me some pointers about its Business program/school that would help a great deal! :)</p>
<p>Overall, can you guys please give your advice/opinion and knowledge of the schools. Any help will be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>You have three excellent choices. One factor you didn’t mention is money. If you are from a wealthy family or if you got equivalent financial aid from all three schools that’s one thing. </p>
<p>Ignoring money, what type of environment are you looking for? You are correct that PSU is a party school in the middle of nowhere. Those two factors are related by the way. Yet PSU is still an excellent school academically. If you do an internship through PSU, you will have to live somewhere else. There are no companies based in State College, PA. </p>
<p>Miami is a fun, warm city but not a particularly strong intellectual city. I don’t mean that to sound elitist by the way. Boston weather can be **** but it offers an amazing lifestyle for a college student.</p>
<p>As for Northeastern, academics are at least as good as at Penn State and UMiami. The coop program makes the NU experience unique.</p>
<p>That said, if you have a free ride at one of these schools and the others would require $100,000 to $200,000 in parent payments and/or loans, then go with the free ride. All three are good choices.</p>
<p>While rankings should always be taken as only one factor in a decision, according to Business Week, Penn State is ranked 29, Northeastern is ranked 32 and UMiami is 54 for undergraduate business:
[Top</a> Undergraduate Business Programs 2010 - BusinessWeek](<a href=“http://bwnt.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/10rankings/?chan=magazine+channel_special+report]Top”>http://bwnt.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate/10rankings/?chan=magazine+channel_special+report)</p>
<p>Thanks for your input TomSrOfBoston, much appreciated.</p>
<p>No money is not a major factor in my decision (as I can fortunately afford them all). I know that PSU would be cheaper, but that doesn’t matter. </p>
<p>I’m looking for more of a city , as I am used to that lifestyle. </p>
<p>Thanks, I’ve seen the rankings, theres not really much of a difference amongst the three.</p>
<p>At the moment I’m in the situation in between choosing between Northeastern and Miami, not really PSU because its in the middle of nowhere and has that major party tag attached to it. I like Miami for the weather, girls, amazing nightlife and obviously being a top 50 school. Northeastern for having the awesome co-op, being based in a cool college town and having a good job placement. </p>
<p>Also would it be the same if I finished my 4 year undergrad at Miami/PSU and then did work experience for a year? I plan to join my dad’s business after undergrad, but my dad insists that I have some work experience beforehand.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Time is slowly running out… Someone please help!</p>
<p>if you are not prepared for the cold weather of boston, better off going to miami</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be the same if you finished your undergrad and then did work experience for a year because it will be easier for you to get a job for that year after graduation with some work experience already on your resume. If you choose Miami you need to hustle around and get some internships and other work experience. Academics alone aren’t cutting it in today’s job market.</p>
<p>I’m not prepared for the weather but people say that I’ll get the hang of it eventually. </p>
<p>ebeeeee, thanks a lot for your input, much appreciated. </p>
<p>But I think you slightly misunderstood my point. I will be join my father’s business after my undergraduate degree, but he insists I have experience beforing joining him. So if I go to Northeastern I will join him straightaway after graduating because I will have had experience through the co-ops. But if I go to Miami I will probably have to work for a year after graduating to gain some work experience. My question is that is there any difference between either of those methods (one of them being working and studying (NU) and the other being finish studies and then work(UM))?</p>
<p>The NU co-op would provide nice flexibility for your job experiences. You could end up with a variety of three different places, or the possibility of more in-depth experience with repeat(s). There is also the possiblility of an international co-op.</p>