I’m a high school senior soon to pick a university to attend for next year, and want some advice regarding which one I should pick. I recently got into the University of Miami with a 30K merit scholarship into their economics program in their business school, and got into Northeastern’s finance program with a 25K merit scholarship. I also applied to NYU Stern with a concentration in economics. If I get into NYU, would it be worth the extra cost (as I’m not likely to get any merit/aid scholarships). How competitive is UofM’s economics program? What about Northeastern? Overall, I just want some advice about what I should consider.
(Also, I am an international student)
Can your family afford the extra $25,000 or $30,000/year at NYU?
Yes, they can if I’m passionate about NYU, but the scholarship would definitely help and alleviate the burden. I’m wondering if this extra cost is worth it
In all honesty, I doubt it. UM’s/Northeastern’s reputation isn’t as great as NYU’s, but then that might help your case- if you can stand out at a lower tier school it can often be easier to get into a good Grad School, then going to a better school and being a more average student. Now if you only want to do undergrad, I would suggest NYU- but if your ultimate goal is a grad degree, I’d go to a Northeastern/UM. Both schools are reputable and less expensive, and shouldn’t hurt your chances your chances on the degree that ultimately matters more- and given that your on CC I’m pretty sure you have thought that far ahead.
Really it’s likely between Northeastern finance and NYU Stern.
What do you want to study and what are your professional goals?
While I am not too sure about my professional goals for after college, I want to study economics
So did you apply to CAS or Stern at NYU?
What’s your net cost at each?
(Ie, subtract scholarships/grants from tuition+fees+room&board).
Here are your problems with Northeastern. A big part of the draw from that school is the co-op program, but top US companies will not offer you a co-op position because they don’t see you as a permanent employee because they won’t pay to sponsor you (to qualify you to work in the US). If you don’t care about the co-op experience or don’t mind the disadvantage, then Northeastern is in play.
Only you and your family can decide on what is “worth it” and you should take some time and discuss opportunities for international students with program heads of each university.
For Econ, and since you aren’t sure what you want to do professionally, I would – unless NYU does make a competitive offer – choose Northeastern or Miami. NYU isn’t $100,000+ better than Northeastern and Miami.
Campuses/Environments:
- Miami is in a posh suburb of sunny Miami.
- Northeastern is in the Boston metroplex.
- NYU has no real campus. Make sure you are ok with that – it is not the traditional college campus experience.
If it came down to Northeastern and Miami, you’d be deciding on location/weather obviously, but here are a couple other differences:
- Northeastern’s heavy co-op participation
- Miami’s bigger sports scene
As someone with international friends who have had no trouble getting co-ops in various industries, this is a lot more dependent on the specific situation and work authorization, which the OP should look more into specifically. Additionally, even if not “top” companies, co-op is still a valuable experience. Meaningful experience is valued by pretty much every employer and also gives personal advantages and benefits too.
As far as I know, co-ops don’t count against OPT and quantitative economics counts for the 27-month OPT. I’ve never heard that Northeastern international students had trouble finding co-ops but it’s worth investigating/emailing NEU about.
@PengsPhils Many top companies use the co-op program for future recruiting purposes and would not hire a co-op if they could not bring them back after graduation as a full-time employee. It’s possible some companies will hire international students, but it is clearly an obstacle among many companies and not all international students get placed. Candidates, especially international ones, should always look at Northeastern with eyes wide open.
^ they don’t need to hire them, the students would start as OPT.
There may be issues at some universities but I haven’t heard of it at NEU due to their extensive contacts in industries.
To be clear, it is not an issue for an employer to hire an international student as a co-op. However, the real issue is how most companies use the Northeastern co-op program. If they are using it as a source of future employees, it’s a problem because they would absolutely have to pay to sponsor those internationals as full-time employees. At that point, you get to the question of investing three months of time in a student that you have no intention of bringing back full time. Maybe Northeastern has some extensive relationships where they can place some in certain industries, but it’s not in every industry and applicants need to do their homework.
I repeat, employers do not have to sponsor them because after co-op they’re on OPT and unlike internships co-ops do not count against OPT time. H1B’s are a literal lottery but opt is managed by the college.
I am not saying that international students are not eligible to work as co-ops. They are. My point is that they are not good candidates for permanent employment because their time, as permanent employees, does run out and there is a clock. Many (not saying “all”) companies and firms use the co-op program as a stream for future hires. They invest time in training co-ops and hope to get a payoff when co-ops return for full-time employment. That payoff is less likely with international co-op hires and that’s why many shy away from them. It’s not impossible for them, but the deck is stacked against them.
Companies run two risks when it comes to after graduation hires. The first is that your co-op will leave the US after graduation and is not available to you. The second is that you will have to sponsor them as soon as one year after you hire them. It’s costly in terms of $ and HR and legal time. That’s why many (did not write “all”) who use the co-op program as a recruiting stream, prefer American students.
I applied to NYU Stern with a concentration in economics. At NYU, the net cost would be roughly 70K, and at UofM and NEU it would be roughly 38K. This includes room, board, etc.
Then I’d pick Northeastern with no hesitation (as long as you’ve done your due diligence about the co-ops)
Thanks for all your responses!