Saw you on the Brandeis thread @Awesomekidsmom. Congratulations on the acceptances, and your son should check out the Justice Brandeis Scholar reception before making his decision as it sounds nice.
If you see advantages to all options, then also consider the cost factor. If one is financially far more appealing, then lean that way.
Based on what you’ve said about your son, it seems to me more likely that Brandeis or Hampshire would be a better fit than Northeastern.
Northeastern has the reputation for being preprofessional, and unless a visit there convinces him otherwise, it sounds like either of the other schools would better fit his self-starter, pursue-what-looks-interesting style.
We are advising him to hold off on ranking the 3 until he’s taken a second look at each of them. We are full pay, so the amount of merit aid has made a difference in the costs - NE ends up least expensive, Brandeis is 4K/year more, and Hampshire is 7K more than Brandeis. It’s not insignificant, but since we were prepared to take the full hit at any of them, it’s not a primary factor either. I have the same impressions of NE as most people above, but we have met several NE students who have impressed us as well rounded, inquisitive people, so we will continue to give it consideration. Son was accepted into NE’s Honors College, so that may have a different vibe than the rest of the campus. We shall see.
We visited Northeastern today, and it looks like it’s off the list. As I (and many posters) suspected, it was much too career focused with minimal flexibility in course selection. By the end of the visit, even the school representative we met with suggested that S would find a better fit at a “non-tech” school. Excellent school for someone who knows exactly what career path they want, but for someone who wants a broader education, this probably isn’t the right place. AND, I give them huge credit for acknowledging the lack of fit.
Glad your visit was productive. My son is a recent Northeastern graduate and it was absolutely the right place for him. Your child will find their place as well. Best of luck!
I did want to add for anyone else reading that my son went to Northeastern dead-set on a Sociology degree, changed his major twice and graduated with a degree in Music Industry. However, it is a school, in my opinion, where students are more focused on future careers than a broader education.