Will I be happy with my years going to Northeastern?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
1

I have a bit of a dilemma. Let me first start of by saying I was fortunate enough to get into all the colleges I applied to, but Northeastern gave me the most money (I would be paying 8,000 a year which is less than my state school unh and umass) The thing is that I’m just not excited to go there?! I’ve had a lot of “top” schools some I didn’t end up applying to for different reasons but neu was never one of them. My sister goes there for pharmacy and she loves it but every time I visited I didn’t think much of it. I thought maybe because she goes there I was being pessimistic about it but I went there for my welcome day really trying to like the school but I just didn’t feel like I would be happy there. I made a pros and cons list even though I most likely am going there anyway:
Pros:
It’s an excellent science program
Good financial aid
Good location
Good coop program
Cons:
I felt a lack of community spirit everyone seems so caught up with coop and their own thing
I don’t like the campus much maybe I’m not the city person I thought I was and I’m just figuring that out ( that’s why I didn’t like bu because there’s no campus) that’s a huge reason why I’m so drawn to bc but I would have to pay 40,000 to go there and it’s not really worth it because I have med school to think about. I also felt like the campus seemed incredibly small since the last time I was there. I feel like I know where every thing is already and there’s nothing left to discover. I know it’s “large school” but it almost felt too familiar. When I first went to my highschool and middle school I didn’t even feel like that. ( adds to my lack of excitement)
I felt like everyone seemed extremely busy and it’s hard to make long lasting friendships or have a social life. I’m not a party animal by any stretch of the imagination but I still want the full and fun regular college experience
Since you room and have class with the same people I feel like it’s hard to make friends outside your major
I don’t like large class sizes where you can’t get to know your professor
I’m majoring in neuroscience and I want to be a pediatrician and I felt like all anyone was talking about was research research research and labs and there wasn’t any coops where I could get any hospital or patient interaction because although I’m on the pre Med track bio or nursing majors are given priority to those and I can’t stress enough how much I just don’t want to work in a lab.

So I don’t know what I should do to make myself feel better about going to northeastern. I feel like such a brat because I know people who weren’t lucky enough to get in and with such a good financial package I would be an idiot not to go. I have my welcome day tomorrow at Boston college and I don’t know if I should even go because I love the school but I just can’t go there and I don’t want to depress myself about it. Maybe I’ll hate it there and it will make me feel better… Can anyone tell how their personal experience was at northeastern? Maybe I’m just being overly harsh.

2

What will be the financial impact when your sister is done with school?

3

Next year is her last year there but she got a good financial package as well

4

NEU student here - I think that you have some very valid concerns and some that are probably misplaced - I’ll try to address them -

The thing is that I’m just not excited to go there?!
Cons:
In terms of school spirit, NEU doesn’t have that classic spirit you’re looking for, but they are very proud of the school. The unique academic model is something that everyone shares in - your assessment is more or less accurate, but I wouldn’t say there was no spirit at all, just a different form. That doesn’t necessarily make it better for you.

The thing about NEU, and really any college in Boston, is that Boston is your campus - students don’t live 24/7 on campus, they go out regularly and use the city. It’s a very big part of social life.

The campus isn’t really small - I think that while it is smaller than others, no matter what school you go to, you’re going to know most / all of campus by the end of your first year - the expectation that you will discover new things over campus through your time is unrealistic for any school - you would probably have the same feeling at BC after a year. I think that’s important to realize.

Honestly, part of the reason I love NEU is because you have Boston, and that is what we explore and constantly discover new things in. I’m actually just getting back from a morning out in Boston, eating breakfast, and exploring a few new neighborhoods and walking through downtown with a friend.

If you aren’t a city person, what are you looking for? Genuine question to see if you may be able to find it in Boston, even if you aren’t a city person.

Socially, people are very independent, but everyone has their close friend groups who they hang out with, party with, and go out with. Co-op does have its social effects, but many on co-op stay in Boston and will still be around in the evenings - since everyone does co-op, it doesn’t interrupt friendships - people know that someone may leave for co-op but will join right back in when they’re back on campus.

I don’t know why you assume you room with the same people, but the LLC’s in freshman housing can help exactly that. You can choose one that has absolutely nothing to do with your major - As a CS student, I chose Musical Motifs and had an amazing time and now have plenty of friends not in my major. I’ve never really seen friend groups by major be a hindrance or too common.

As a pre-med student, you’re going to have some large classes, but professors are very easy to connect with here. I think I have spoken personally with nearly every single professor in every single class - some I still keep in touch with for various reasons.

Neuroscience has plenty of research, but Boston is a huge medical hub - there are a lot of co-ops working in hospitals all over Boston, and labs of course too. If you prefer hospitals, you’re going to have plenty of options still.

Hopefully, that helps and puts some of your concerns to rest - that said, you do have some very obvious differences in preferences with what NEU offers. I’ve had an amazing time here, but I absolutely love cities, and Boston is one of my favorites. Socially, I have felt very at home though and absolutely feel like I have gotten the college experience - it’s just not as classic as other colleges, which I see as a positive, but is not for everyone - you have to decide if you’re good with it yourself, hence this internal conflict.

All that said, the difference between NEU / BC monetarily is staggering and IMO, not worth it. Do you have any other options? Depending on which UMass, you would get a much closer college experience to BC there and would be a plenty fine option for premed.

If you feel that BC will be depressing, and don’t feel as if you have specific questions on BC, skipping the welcome day may be best - if you have any cheaper options, that is where I would be looking to compare to NEU.

If you have any specific questions about those responses or any more, ask away!

5

Yeah I definitley love the fact that it’s near the city of Boston my friends and family are here and I live nearby. But I always loved a really beatuful aesthetic for a campus an almost rural Cornell, bc, holy cross vibe but I didn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere so I wanted a balance. Neus campus isn’t bad but it’s not really where I envisioned. For holy cross I’d be paying 40,000 Bu 21,000 quinnipiac 34,000 umass Boston 11,000 unh 11,000. So neu seems like best choice I couldn’t apply to umass Amherst because my parents think it’s too much of a party school. I didn’t apply to Lowell but they have a good science program. But how long was it before you found your group of friends you were comfortable with? Was it easy to make friends or did you have to really put yourself out there? I’m probably going to do an LLC in pre medical studies because I feel like I don’t have any other huge interests but do people do more random selection for a roommate or from fb?

6

To get the full benefit of NEU, you have to buy into the Coop program, and you don’t seem too convinced of its advantages. Also, if you want to go to Med School, the Coop is less relevant. BC sounds like a better match for you.

7

That’s really a shame about UMass Amherst - I was hoping that was an option as it would provide the rural campus a, good academics, and a cheaper price.

For me, I had two stages - I immediately bonded with my dorm and had a lot of good times. As the year progressed, I added friends in my major to that group. I had a closer inner circle of friends as early as my first semester, and it evolved over time from there. My friend group has been constant since the end of my Spring semester - it’s a mix of both groups. One is currently on co-op in Boston - three will be on co-op in Boston in the fall, but all will still be around. Two of us are planning next co-op to not be in Boston, and may try to go to the same city, either NYC or on the west coast.

I think no matter where you go you have to put yourself out there a bit in the start, but I never felt incredibly pressed. I’m an introvert and over half my friend group is introverted as well.

For your roommate, they must be in the same LLC since they are housed in the same building, hence why it is easier to make friends. Most go random, but if you select a roommate via FB, you both must select the same LLC rankings. Personally, I recommend going random - the survey considers living habits - personality and friends are covered by your LLC.

If you are concerned about making friends outside of your major, I would really recommend picking a different LLC - why not Fusion? You would get a mix of every major that way, though there would be no overarching theme as in the others. Something to consider, either way.

I think BC is a better fit for the campus and social feel you are looking for, but it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself at NEU. The reality is that I don’t see any way BC is worth it given your options (unlesss your family can pay for it, they are okay with it, and you don’t take out any loans over say 20K total).

If you still feel that you couldn’t enjoy NEU, I would suggest looking into UNH - their campus would offer exactly what you are looking for, a fine academic quality for pre-med, and a low price. With that option there, I see no reason to pay for BC unless you can afford it, in which case I doubt that you would be in the dilemma).

Any other particulars? Regardless, you have some great options and I am sure you will find your happiness at any of the schools - just make sure it isn’t in the process of going into huge debt when you don’t need to.

8

Pengsphils it sounds like you really are having the time of your life at neu which is definitley encouraging. I’m hoping if I go there I’ll realize I was worrying for nothing. I don’t know how colleges feel about appeals for financial aid… I could do that for BC but I don’t know how successful it would be. I ruled out UNH because pretty much everyone from my highschool goes there and I wanted a different experience not high school 2. My parents already love Northeastern bc of my sister and want me to go there rather than BC so I think I’ll stick it out there. I doubt I’ll completely despise it. And if I do there’s always med school! :slight_smile: Also do you apply to coops and are able to request the same one as friends or do you just hope you get placed there? Another aside question, but is hockey the only sport people really get behind there?And are hockey games a common passtime?

9

Another general question but is it not the norm to go the 4 year route opposed to 5? Why do students take summer classes? Do I need to?

10

You should try appealing, but I don’t see the package changing significantly enough to really make an impact. You never know, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

I understand on NH - I didn’t apply even to local schools for that same reason and found safety schools in other ways. Are there any other schools you would actually attend besides BC/NEU?

Schools have varying communities within them - there’s always going to be groups that fit one person better than the other, no matter where you go. That said, if you choose to go to NEU and really don’t like it, don’t wait until med school - explore transferring after you’ve given NEU a good chance and you really don’t feel at home. That said, NEU has a 96% freshman retention rate - people usually are happy here :slight_smile:

For co-op’s were simply both looking for co-ops in the same place(s) - you don’t request or get placed -you interview and the companies/organizations choose you. It’s just like a real job search - there’s no school mediation beyond connecting the employer base to the students looking to co-op and supporting the students with advising and all. The actual hiring and the work itself is between you and your employer.

As far as sports, Hockey is also somewhat matched by Basketball, but neither is huge. For those that do go though, there is some intense spirit. We have the dog house, which is a student/fan group for Hockey. If you want that level of sports/school spirit, you’ll probably want to check them out: https://www.facebook.com/NUDogHouse

I wouldn’t call sports a pastime for most, but for those interested, the intensity is there. That’s not a big portion of the student body.

I think the majority the 5 year route, but a significant portion of people do 4 years. If you do both 4 years and co-op, you need the summer classes in order to stay on the 4 year track, depending on how much credit you have coming in. People don’t see summer classes the same way as most schools do, as you may already know with your sister there. The campus is active 365 - clubs and intramural sports are offered in the summer, and class offerings are relatively significant compared to other schools. Many people come in planning to do 4 years but switch to the 5-year plan, either because they want to do more co-ops or simply change their mind about rushing out of school.

In the end, I usually recommend the 5 year plan unless you have a specific reason for the 4 year plan. That said, you can do either very easily and successfully. One of my friends is doing 5 years, 3 co-ops, but no summer classes at all - she has some AP credit but not a staggering amount. If she wanted, she could totally do the 4 year plan, a summer session or two, and 2 co-ops and take the same exact classes. I’m doing a 5 year, 2 co-op, BS/MS - technically, I’m getting by BS in 3.5 years with a co-op but staying for my masters and another co-op. Really, you make your own plan that you’re happy with - that’s part of the beauty of Northeastern’s academic model.

I personally actually like summer classes - it keeps me active year-round and I don’t have to go home for 4 months and be stir-crazy. Also, most of my friends were here for summer - I actually solidified some of my friend group in Summer 1 last year.

How much AP/IB credit are you coming in with? If you did a 4 year plan, would you want to do 1 co-op or two? The answers to those would tell you if you need to take summer classes to do a 4 year plan.

11

I’m not overly interested in the games I was just curious. I might attend occasionally to see what the fuss is about. And okay then I think I might do four years two coops and summer classes because I don’t want to add more years of college than I need when I’m already doing eleven years. I don’t have any ap credits because I didn’t think I could use the ap credits so I didn’t take any of my exams :frowning: also I could transfer to umass Lowell because it’s pretty cheap and my friend is going there but I can’t think of any other better options but neu.

12

That’s too bad on AP’s : /

If you do 4 years and 2 co-ops with no AP credit, you’ll need summer classes every summer you can.

The co-op pattern options you’d have are MA and MB - look for them on the bottom of Page 4 in this document:

https://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/ref-udc-poa-ugd.pdf

Hope all that info helps! Come back here and post when you decide :slight_smile:

13

BC’s days of sports glory are long over, except for hockey.

http://www.boston.com/sports/untagged/2014/11/25/why-do-boston-college-sports-barely-matter-here

Most new students are leery of summer studies but once in the program many, like Pengs, actually prefer them!

14

Thank you so much for your replies they’ve been very helpful and I will! :slight_smile:
I definitley feel like summer classes won’t be too bad if most everyone including my sister does it
@TomSrOfBoston that’s actually interesting about BC because I would think there was a big football and hockey following there

15

@peachy24 Hockey yes but football and basketball have fallen on hard times there.

http://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2016/03/13/data-suggests-boston-college-would-be-better-off-leaving-the-acc