I am starting to narrow down my list of college acceptances based on my own personal criteria, and I’m pretty much stuck between these three. I got practically a full-ride to every school, so cost isn’t an issue.
I am hoping to major in Economics, but my major at Northeastern is Computer Science and Economics. I’m not sure yet if I’ll attempt to switch my major if I attend W&M or W&L.
I would like to know which college would be best for me based on these criteria:
-Relative reputation and prestige for my major and in general
-I don’t like the whole party scene (nor Greek Life)
-I would prefer to live in a city or at least near one (although this isn’t that big of a priority)
-Good internship opportunities/job placement
-Decent food
Basically, I know little about these universities and if anyone is a student, or has a kid that attends one of these colleges, your experiences and stories will be invaluable to me.
Congrats on the full-rides. Going to undergrad for (almost) debt free is a wise decision. Know that W&L and W&M have fratty reputations and are located in relatively isolated towns. I would visit to see if you can see yourself there.
uhhh… if you’re not into greek life, cross washington and lee off your list immediately, lmao. i’m not very familiar with william and mary, but i do know northeastern meets most of your criteria.
WM has fraternities, but they are far more chill, and less significant to the campus social life than at W&L. I’m not saying that’s a positive or negative, just the case, to a pretty large degree.
Northeastern clearly wins on your 3rd and 4th criteria. Williamsburg is a small town, but there are some things to do adjacent to campus. Richmond downtown (The Fan) is an hour away. Students don’t go very often, but it’s an option. W&L and WM students do well with internships–it’s a strength–but coops etc. are an integral part of the NE education.
In terms of prestige, I’d say they are pretty equivalent, depending on where you are and with whom you are talking.
I don’t know anything about food at the others, but it’s pretty standard on campus at WM. There is decent variety near campus and in the community in general, It’s not a foodie paradise but certainly not a foodie desert either. I had a nice chicken cheese chili in Williamsburg, near campus, about 2 hours ago. Good luck!
Northeastern hits all of your criteria as #1 here IMO (though I can’t speak to food at W&M and W&L). Northeastern is the best CS program of the three, low greek life presence, in the middle of Boston, is top-ranked for career services in the US and the co-op program is a big part of that, and has pretty decent on-campus food with tons of great food in Boston generally.
W&L as indicated has a big greek presence (perhaps the biggest) and is in a fairly remote area. It is an absolute top notch school, though. W&M has a greek presence but there are many alternatives and it is not close to W&L’s level. It is also small city, but more convenient to larger cities like Richmond than W&L.
So Northeastern probably ticks the most of your boxes, and particularly, it is in Boston. On reputation, they are all pretty close with the caveat that Northeastern is not as established as W&L and W&M. It is a relatively late climber in the USNews rankings (and has received some attention for how it has managed or “gamed” its rise).
But near full ride at any of these three is great no matter which way you go. Good luck.
W&L is a top-20 LAC and one of the most prestigious private schools in the South. Neither is an accident. Yes, it is quite good.
How these schools relate to one another is pretty interesting:
Socially, W&L is the preppiest; W&M may be the crunchiest/least preppy; and Northeastern is in the middle.
In terms of school type, W&L is a LAC; Northeastern is a U; and W&M is kind of a hybrid U/LAC.
In terms of intellectualism, W&M is probably the most intellectual of them; Northeastern is almost certainly the most pre-professional; and W&L is in the middle.
Because you want to be in a city and are not a fan of Greek life, Northeastern is probably the best (non-academics-related) fit for you.
In terms of raw academic strength, and probably quality of Econ teaching, W&L and W&M are probably stronger than Northeastern. I am not sure about CS at W&M or W&L – you should see what they offer. But for Econ, both will likely be very good.
It depends whether you plan to do Economics or CS to whether W&L has sufficient offerings. In Economics there would be more sufficient offerings. It is a very well regarded school generally.
@prezbucky Oh wow. I just applied on a whim because there was no supplement. I didn’t know it was so highly regarded. I will do some research on their Economics department. Now narrowing it down will be even harder.
Yeah, while Duke is probably the most highly regarded private school in the South, I think W&L is right on that next line with Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory and maybe Davidson. It’s legit.
(the next group down probably includes Wake Forest, Tulane, and the U of Richmond)
@prezbucky I switched to Computer Science at Northeastern because the salary for this field is quite high and I’ve had recent success in the classes I have taken relating to this field. Do you think a degree in Economics from Washington and Lee would make me competitive for high-paying jobs (maybe not as high-paying as Computer Science jobs but decent)?
I’m not sure, but I imagine someone with an Econ degree from W&L would have pretty good job or grad school/MBA prospects (or job and then MBA…). Nearby large job markets include DC, Baltimore, Richmond, and Virginia Beach.
But I think the most important thing when choosing a major is to study what you enjoy the most. All of these schools can help you find a job. Studying and doing something you love, in my opinion, is worth it even if you make a little less money.
If you love CS best, by all means, study that. But if Econ is your favorite, I suggest following that path.
W&L apparently has a small CS department. One plus to that is personal attention. You’d have that anyway because LACs tend to have smaller class sizes than U’s, but it may be especially advantageous in a major that isn’t very popular. You might also look into minoring in one or the other – see if you can do that at W&M and W&L.
@prezbucky I agree, but coming from a low-income family, it is relatively important to me that I am able to get a job that pays well (70k+) I am concerned that job opportunities for W&L might only be great for students who are well-connected (in sororities, family businesses, etc.)
W&L is a terrific school, AND I do not think it a good fit for a student who’s criteria include, “I don’t like the whole party scene (nor Greek Life).” I live in the state and think of it as one of the most Greek dominant schools in the country. I was Greek and am not personally negative on Greek life. But I don’t think it for everyone, especially when the school is in a (nice) small town without tons of non-outdoorsy stuff nearby. In addition, another criterion: “I would prefer to live in a city or at least near one (although this isn’t that big of a priority)” And there are two other schools that seem like better fits. And I agree with above, that WM would be the more academic, intellectual choice and Northeastern the most pre-professional. I think Econ would be equivalent at WM and W&L and CS would be more robust at NE and WM.
If you are not going to join a sorority don’t go to W & L. 75 percent are in sororities at W & L. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-sororities
W & L has a lot of very rich, preppy kids there and it is in a very small town. NE seems like the best academic and social fit for you.
@penpal11 , we’ve been looking and W&M and W&L, and crossed W&L off the visit list because of the greek/party vibe (from reading and research, not from personal experience or visits). I agree with the above assessments of W&M culture, less party, Greek there but not a huge thing and I believe, not residential (again this info comes from tour and research only). The town is tiny but maybe more going on than at the average tiny college town due to tourism for Colonial Williamsburg. I also agree that cost of living in Boston can be something to consider, but perhaps you should also consider cost of travel to/from home if you will be flying.