Currently a freshman, and (very) long story short I’m pretty unhappy at Northeastern and I’m looking at a couple of other schools. So far I’ve been really lonely, uninterested in the numerous clubs I joined in an attempt to feel happier, and without much academic rigor- I got a 4.0 my first semester by watching Netflix for 3 hours every day and not studying at all for finals, and so far it looks like it’s going to be the same situation this semester. I really regret the way I went about college decisions my senior year and I think I could have been much happier elsewhere. Also feeling incredibly guilty that my parents are paying $60k+ out of pocket for me to be absolutely miserable every day (we can technically afford it, but I think that kind of a bill isn’t worth it unless I really like the school).
I’m assuming no one who’s transferred out of NEU will read this, but if you know anyone that did, how was their experience going through the process? Were advisors/profs supportive? I haven’t asked for any letters of recommendation yet but I’m bracing myself for that uncomfortable conversation.
I’d also appreciate any advice for having a better time here, because there’s definitely the possibility that I don’t get in anywhere as a transfer. I really want to enjoy Northeastern, and I’ve tried everything to make myself do so but I just don’t think it’s going to work out
I don’t know anyone who’s transferred out, but the type of advice really doesn’t differ too much from transfer situations. I don’t think professors and advisors are going to take it badly - people enjoy different environments for many different reasons, and they should be understanding of that. What you should be focusing on is what you are looking for or lacking. What would be worse it transferring to another school and finding yourself just as unhappy there.
So far the only thing you’ve identified as a thing you are looking for is more academic rigor. What specifically do you regret about your college selection decisions? What do you feel like you are missing that you want in another school? Are there schools you got accepted to that you see as a better fit, or ones you know of that you think will be better? Why do you think they will be better for you? If you feel comfortable, at least touch on the long story, as it will help other posters recommend colleges you can look to transfer to, or help make your experience better.
So for a little bit of background: both of my parents as well as a lot of my extended family went to Ivies so there was a lot of pressure on me to go to a “good” school. I got rejected or waitlisted at the Ivies as well as a few other top-tier LACs. I regret that I spent so much time thinking about prestige, as I think it clouded my judgement as to what I really wanted in a school. I applied to eleven schools (definitely not all “top”), and looking back now I only really liked maybe three of them. I fell in love with one school in particular that I did not get into (after being deferred EA) and it honestly devastated me. This resulted in a rather unhappy final month of revisiting the 6 colleges I was accepted to and not really loving any of them as I was still hung up on my original top choice. I remember not even wanting to go to the NEU revisit days because I was sure I didn’t like it but my mom forced me to go, as we live really close and it would have been stupid not to. I somehow ended up with two final choices of NEU and one other school, which I saw as the “less prestigious” version of the school I originally wanted to go to- good social science/humanities programs (I’m an econ/history major), strong student community, size of around 15k, suburban/rural campus that “looked like college”. So how did I end up at NEU? I made an impulse decision based on prestige and the fact that I’m terrified of not getting a job in my field after graduation (all the co-op talk got to me). I immediately had a bad feeling about it and basically had a crisis where I almost put down two or three deposits. I didn’t really feel any excitement in the days and weeks leading up to move-in which was probably another bad sign.
I’m definitely reapplying to my original top choice, as it’s still my dream school. Also reapplying to the school that I chose NEU over. I’m looking into some more LACs, as I think I was looking for the “traditional college experience” and didn’t realize how much I wanted it until I didn’t have it. Academic rigor is a big one, I know NEU is rigorous overall but I definitely don’t think CSSH is as rigorous as some of the other colleges (engineering/COS/CIS). I shouldn’t be in upper/intermediate classes and be getting A’s right away. Looking for a school where the social sciences are more of a focus.
If you are currently unhappy with your situation, I honestly think that you won’t lose anything by applying to other schools. I am also a freshman at Northeastern University applying for transfer, mainly because of academic programs here that didn’t fit my goal. I have already applied to one of my dream schools so I can briefly tell you about some steps that I had to go through before applying.
For letters of recommendation, did you have any professors that you were really close with? If you did have one, it wouldn’t be awkward at all talking to your professor about the letter. In fact, if you are positive that the professor knows you well both personally and academically, they are more than willing to help you to transfer to better institutions. I had a professor that I got very close with through this course that I dedicated my entire semester to (which brought my whole GPA down due to imbalance of work). After I talked to him about why I wanted to transfer, he was willing to write a good rec letter for my application. Just know that any professors/advisors will encourage you to proceed to a better path, even if that’s moving to another institution. I recommend that you ask one of your professors asap because you should ask for a letter at least one month before applying.
You will need to contact your academic advisor at NEU for transfer college report, and high school academic advisor for the secondary school final report and transcript. After you fill out your part for documents that can be found in Common App, give the documents to your advisor with an envelope and some postage stamps so that he/she can send them right away. It would be a little awkward to contact your high school for transcripts and final report, but ask them nicely if your high school can send transcripts/final report directly to the college that you are applying to. The mid-term report should also be sent with the transfer college report. You will have to ask your spring semester professors to write down your current grade & any comments about your standing in classes. After all these laborious tasks, while they are being sent you can submit your Common App and the supplemental essays online.
Definitely a lot of work, but if you could receive an opportunity to study at a college that you truly wanted to go, I don’t think it’s a bad investment of time and work.
@aihcxx If you are female consider applying for transfer to Wellesley. The Econ and History departments are top notch and it is extremely rigorous, with a strong alumni network and a lot of opportunities despite its small size. You definitely won’t have 3 extra hours for Netflix every single day (but you’ll still have Netflix). With a 4.0 your chances are as good as they could be just about anywhere, as well. Good luck!
@aihcxx Sorry to hear this! What’s your major? I’m wondering whether you’re dissatisfied with the school overall, or you think it’s not strong in your field, or what? Are you in any of the honors programs? And I’ll try to offer what constructive thoughts I can: first, are you sure you aren’t suffering from a “grass is greener on the other side of the fence” mentality? Many eons ago, when I was a girl, I too was rejected from yale/Harvard/Princeton and ended up at a state u where I really didn’t think I belonged. and the first year was very non-challenging and dull. but then I began finding more challenging courses, getting to know some interesting profs, finding niches where I could be challenged and do interesting things, and suddenly everything looked different. so my second thought is: find some profs that you like and get to know them, let them know that you are discouraged and under-challenged, and I bet they will find some interesting things for you to work on. good luck!!
@redpoodles I did look at Wellesley during my original college search, but ultimately decided that I didn’t think the women’s college environment was for me. I also live in a Boston suburb and I’m not a big fan of how close NEU is to home, so I’m looking to go a little further next year!
@TexasMom2017 I’m an econ/history major, maybe switching to econ/political science. I’m not happy with Northeastern’s social culture or the academic support for my major, and I think that even if I can somehow fix one of those two things I still won’t be happy because of the other one. I didn’t get into the honors program my senior year (8 APs, ranked top 10%, 33 ACT) but I could apply now- however from what I’ve heard of the advantages of the honors program and the differences between honors and non-honors class sections, it doesn’t seem worth it especially when I can still earn honors in the major/latin honors. I might be feeling a little bit of the “grass is greener” because I really wish I had chosen another school that I was admitted to, but I also think there’s some issues inherent to Northeastern that don’t have anything to do with wishing I had gone elsewhere. I have found at least one challenging course, but the fact that it took a 3000 level seminar to have some academic rigor doesn’t bode well for the future.
For what’s its worth, my son was accepted EA last year to NEU (with a $15k merit scholarship) and we really wanted to make it work as Boston is relatively convenient to get to from London. We spoke to the Adcom and some students several times and my son always got the impression that the school is not very academic or intellectual and there is too much emphasis on the co-op. He also felt that he would really like to do a co-op at a top tier Boston firm such as Bain or Fidelity and felt it would be a crapshoot as he would have to compete with 10,000 kids for that type of co-op. He turned them down in the end.
@londondad I’m definitely getting that same vibe- I obviously knew that co-op was a big focus, and it’s a small part of the reason why I chose NEU. I’m not exactly in a field where good jobs are widely available for recent grads, and I thought co-op would help me make connections and give me a better chance of getting a job in my field. However, the overwhelming focus on it from day one is a little too much for me, and I’m starting to think that I could get close to the same benefits by doing an internship anywhere. Co-op might be awesome for engineers who get to do hands-on work making $45/hour, but not so much for social science kids working unpaid government jobs for six months.
^^^ exactly. My older D ended up not choosing NEU although it was a favorite campus because the department she was going into seemed kind of weak for the $$ we would have to put into it. It felt like they were building the plane as we were about to fly on it, and they were building it by looking over their shoulder at some other schools’ work to copy but the nuts and bolts hadn’t arrived yet. Coop was ALL they talked about in her accepted student session, and it was a field that didn’t pay well (if at all). We were quoted $9-14 per hour for paying coops in her field, when $14 is what she made shelving books in the library one summer., and $10 is what she would make as a cashier at Whole Foods. One guy in her info session said his coop was a semester at sea, when pressed, we found out he actually paid them to take him on. At that point NEU began to seem financially stupid for my particular student.
My younger D applying this year is in an entirely different department and the coop option has much greater appeal, and much better opportunities. I really hope she gets in.
Also, to add-- I don’t mean to alarm anyone by my previous post-- the department seemed very honest and upfront about the co-op opportunities for their students and we really appreciated it. This is in no way a “diss,” just a call for each person to do a reality check. Ask good questions. I think they make a lot of effort to show you what you’re going to be getting into and how they are different from other schools.
Can’t not respond to this “the school is not very academic or intellectual and there is too much emphasis on the co-op”. Northeastern is definitely not your traditional school experience, co-op makes it different and emphasizing it to potential students is the right thing to do (so they understand what they are getting into). From some of the co-op questions I see here on CC - some people don’t understand it so it does need repeat explaining.
My daughter had excellent professors at NEU - one did research which made national news (while she was in his class) - and I mean front page of the NY TImes and this was a social science prof. All of her classes were rigorous and there were plenty of intelligent teachers and students. She never felt that “co-op” was all anybody cared about (might be less true in the business school - there is a very different vibe there). Co-op was woven into her experience - she used stuff she learned in the classroom at her job and visa versa. Students talking about stuff they learned during co-op enhanced classroom discussions.
Northeastern is a very large school - so not every student/class/professor will fit in a particular mode - but that is part of its appeal. You can find almost anything you want here.
I will add that all of her friends (in very different disciplines - some where jobs are not easy to come by) - got meaningful co-op experiences, global experiences (if they wanted them), research projects (if they wanted them), and at graduation great jobs or entry into good graduate programs. One of her good freinds is currently a Fulbright semi-finalist.
As far as the OP is concerned, I think transferring makes a lot of sense given everything, and it sounds like they will have no trouble doing so. I think generally, it’s pretty fair to say that academically the programs outside of STEM/Business/other special programs are not up to the level of those top programs, though of course they are always working to make them better. I think because of that, those in the departments usually are very motivated by co-op, as they probably could get better options from an academic standpoint alone, like the OP wants.
I haven’t had a chance to respond to the thread yet - good luck with transferring @aihcxx ! It should be relatively easy for you
@redpoodles
I do want to say this about co-ops for CSSH and the like, where the pay is obviously less than impressive - the pay is not the valuable part, the experience is. In fields without high pay to start, a big differentiator is experience. A good friend of mine did their first co-op at the Boston Globe. Sure, it was only $12 an hour, which is right in that quoted range. But which is going to be looked at more fondly on graduation - a better paying job at the library or a full-time position for the Globe? Just because the job/field is lower paying, doesn’t mean just anyone can get it or that its value is measured in its pay. Needless to say, the Globe helped her get multiple offers within the first few co-op applications the next time around, some with about the same pay, some higher, and had her choice of co-ops in 3 different cities. By graduation, all that is going to make a big difference in landing a well-paying job in a generally low paid field without a huge pool of available jobs.
In general, despite how it looks for Engineering and Business, it’s the same thing. Sure, the pay is good, but you’d technically make more money (in the 5-year window) if you did 4 years and worked for a full year in a full-time position after graduation compared doing 5 years and 3 co-ops. The difference is the experience you build up, the ability to explore the jobs in your field before you graduate, the confidence in what you want to do, the professional knowledge, the connections, everything. And likely a higher starting salary or better company, which will outpace that small difference in the 5-year window.
@PengsPhils Oh yes, no argument with what you’ve said. There is a point though for some people when it isn’t smart. It isn’t like NEU has a monopoly on opportunities to gain experience–they don’t. Almost every good school has such opportunities. Maybe not for 6 months full time-- but for 3 months full time and then stay on through the year part time. My D is doing this now at a research lab (that is not in her university). She was there full time last summer, she was there 12 hours a week for 2 semesters, she was there for a month full time over Christmas break, and she’ll be back there full time (paid) this coming summer. Her experience is equal to a 6 month co-op and in some ways preferable because she was able to finish one project and start in another one so was able to gain more skills just because of the extended timing. She’s presenting at a conference this Spring. She’s a sophomore. And she’ll graduate in 4 years rather than 5 (knock on wood I hope!!), and I don’t have to pay her airfare or rent for some other place. All I’m saying is make sure you do your research on what’s out there at every school you might attend and make your decisions on that rather than a school’s marketing spiel. Some co-ops are FANTASTIC opportunities. Some not so much.
Also, @Pengphils, your last paragraph is absolutely spot on. I completely agree with it, especially the confidence part. I just think there are many roads to the same destination.
Also, a super cool factor-- on her NEU accepted student day, one of the student panelists told us about his 6 months at CERN. Ok, well, that’s way cooler than anything else, so in that case, co-op definitely wins and the airfare and rent were probably worth it.
