Tulanefan has made their point, and a couple of others the counterpoint. End of that discussion, the OP can decide what to take from each. As we say, this is not a debating society, which means no arguing endlessly. Any further posts with regard to that debate will result in warnings.
If OP wants a different experience than NEU, then Vanderbilt, USC, or many others, will provide it. If OP wants better professional outcomes, I don’t see the point of leaving NEU but I see no harm in applying to several universities that strike his fancy, including those in MA.
Originally I thought Post #15 was a spoof that imitated the clueless adolescent prestige hound well, but I’m afraid it isn’t written sarcastically, and the person who wrote it really is a kid who thinks s/he knows how things go, all without having had interviews or worked. (I loved the part about “Prestige school is not easy to get good grades at and I work hard”. It really cracked me up.)
Worth quickly noting that Northeastern has a higher average SAT score than USC, although not as low of an acceptance rate. The difference in quality between the two is being overstated. For reference, Northeastern’s average SAT/ACT scores are just below Cornell’s. Vanderbilt’s is quite a big higher than all the schools being mentioned. However, none of these programs are the tippy top of engineering programs that will make a big difference to employers. Northeastern has co-ops at GE or Apple or wherever might appeal to you, employers will care dramatically more where you worked and what you did there than the school that you went to. Northeastern is good about getting you that name-brand employer. Is it worth applying to transfer to CalTech, Stanford, MI, or CMU? Maybe, it could open doors if you get in and work hard to make connections that other students have a year head start on. Is it worth it for USC? Could be, but definitely less than those other schools. My guess is it ultimately would not.
Below is also a quick link that list some of the co-op employers. I also personally know of some students who went the startup route for their 2nd or 3rd co-ops and were so desired that they were offered some equity. I’m sure that is rare, but it is significant buy-in to a student’s experience and trust in Northeastern
http://www.coe.neu.edu/co-op-experiential-learning/co-op-advantage
I think you are a little overconfident, to be honest. I had a 3.9something after freshman year with relative ease, but here’s the thing… freshman year is supposed to be relatively easy. You are not, unfortunately, a genius for achieving such. It’s still something to be proud of, but I don’t know if I’d consider you significantly above your peers.
I think you are also a little more prestige concerned than necessary given your major. I work in business which is generally one of the fields where name matters most. I am currently co-oping at a Big 4 accounting firm (basically the top of the field if you’re not familiar), and a very high percentage of our employees are grads of UMass Amherst. Definitely not a school widely lauded as prestigious, but clearly they’re doing alright. A lot of considerations go into hiring someone, and work experience is almost always considered before where you did your undergrad (point: Northeastern). I don’t think it will hurt you to get high grades at Northeastern and be a big fish, score all the awesome co-ops, etc. as compared to being middle/lower end of the pack at a more competitive school. If you are genuinely unhappy here, by all means apply elsewhere… but I think you have more to gain staying here, doing well, maybe joining clubs or getting involved with research, than transferring out.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Closing thread. Despite an earlier request from a different moderator, the debate is continuing. Those posts have been deleted. At this point, I think the OP has gotten what s/he needs here.