<p>Why did you all decide to go to Umass Amherst? For me it's the money, and I didn't get accepted anywhere else (and was not willing to wait on my $40k/year waitlisted schools).</p>
<p>I'm curious to see why people chose Umass.</p>
<p>The tuition is cheap given the school's rank (ranked better than Northeastern even!)</p>
<p>And...I couldn't get into my first choices with my grades, even though lots of EC's and other unique attributes (pilot, world traveler..alone..)</p>
<p>I already made a pact. NOT to apply at any of the schools that rejected me ever again/or for graduate school. :)</p>
<p><em>edit oops im blind</em></p>
<p>where did u see that umass was ranked better then northeastern?</p>
<p>Note UMASS ranked 104 with Northeastern at 115. :)</p>
<p>Rankings Smankings!</p>
<p>You should take the rankings with a grain of salt because they do not provide an accurate picture of Northeastern. In short, NEU is drastically underrated. Northeastern should really be ranked in the top 60. Here's why:</p>
<p>The U.S. News methodology is flawed because it assumes that all colleges are following a traditional academic curriculum (i.e. comparing apples to apples). But Northeastern does things quite differently. It is one of only a handful of schools to have a fully integrated co-op program (i.e. it is an orange). For example, the way the current methodology works, the rankings make it appear as if Northeastern has a high student/faculty ratio. But this is only because U.S. News assumes that all students are on campus taking classes at the same time. This is far from the case; nearly half of the upper-class students are off campus interning at companies (unlike most schools, Northeastern students follow rotations where they alternate semesters of academics with semester long internships related to their major). Anyone who knows Northeastern knows that class sizes are actually on the small side (esp. upperclass courses). The amount of money spent per student and faculty resources rank also seem low in comparison to other schools in the top 60, but again this is only because U.S. News assumes that all students are on campus at the same time using resources. Students who are on co-op should be excluded because they do not pay tuition while theyre interning. Northeastern really has more money to spend on the students who are on campus taking classes. Again, anyone who has visited Northeastern recently knows that the school has plenty of money. All the facilities are new and the professors, administrators, etc. are earning top dollar. </p>
<p>Another flaw in the U.S. News rankings methodology is the use of a six year graduation retention rate. Again, U.S. News assumes that all schools are following a traditional four year academic model. But again, Northeastern does things differently. A very large number of NEU students choose the five year co-op program (a four year program is available but for some reason it is less popular). Northeastern also offers a six year PharmD program. Obviously, Northeastern's graduation stats would be significantly higher if U.S. News factored this into the rankings. But they don't.</p>
<p>Northeastern's rating, although still top tier (under the new ranking system), simply does not add up. Still, even with its nontraditional curriculum, Northeastern has been climbing in the rankings. This is primarily because the university has made significant gains in selectivity. Northeastern should continue to rise as it becomes more nationally known. The admit rate for last year was in the 40% range which was well below the vast majority of schools in the top 60, including BU which had a 57% admit rate. This year, the university received 6500 EA apps out of a total of 27,000 apps which is a new record. The university is also in the process of hiring 100 new star faculty. The new faculty will significantly lower the university's student/faculty ratio (this should make up for the shortfall in the rankings).</p>
<p>As a side note, the university administration has been lobbying U.S. News to make some changes to their rankings methodology so that it takes into account the universitys nontraditional academic curriculum. So who knows, Northeastern may finally get the credit that it deserves.</p>
<p>**As another side note, external research funding to Northeastern increased by a whopping 45% this year. The increase can be attributed to the ambitious faculty hiring plan. All these new star profs that the university has been hiring are bringing their research grants with them.</p>
<p>umm i thought this was the posting for umass?</p>
<p>Yes, it is but I felt it necessary to explain why UMass is ranked higher than NEU . The answer is flawed rankings.</p>
<p>ya well rankings only effect thos who like list and numbers anyway they cant tell u what school is right for u and where u will be happy</p>