US News' focus on equity is driving its rankings now. If that is important to you, then the rankings might inform your decision. For some, they might focus more on student outcomes. Everyone has a different approach towards selecting a collge.
The fact that Northeastern's co-op program means a leg up in gaining employment or grad school admissions is important to some. I would guess that the typical enigneering student or comp sci student or med school applicant cares more about getting a FAANG job, or into med school then equity rankings. |
Only if you think USNWR is your Bible |
+1. Oh look, other PP is the "case closed", "bottom line" poster! Fund! Finale! Mutunga! Fen! Opin! Karshen! Einde! Fin! Son! Kaput! Koniec! Einde! Kraj! I'm dead. |
+1. Everything about NEU bothers OP or PP and it is most satisfying. |
Compare the athletic department budgets/professional sports league prospects of those at Vandy, BC, Wake vs. the other Boston schools. |
The coop program has always seemed genuinely cool to me.
That said, in the areas I'm familiar with, the quality of the faculty are not remotely competitive with similarly-ranked universities. And it is extremely common knowledge that the president spent years gaming the USNWR rankings in every way possible--the entire institution was organized around that goal. It worked! But I don't think it represented any big increase in quality, and the people I know who worked there during that era all despised the way it governed everything. I would guess the popularity means that there's a much bigger market for coop type programs than people used to think. And I definitely understand why many people would prioritize that over having access to "world class faculty" or whatever. If your kid isn't going to do academic research, then the difference between the faculty at Northeastern and at Harvard is probably immaterial. |
Thank you for your opinion on the quality of the faculty at Northeastern. I am sure it has been proffered to help save the world from the evil Northeastern Borg. |
So it's really more of a trade school? |
Trade school is harsh, but if what you mean is that it's a good fit for students who are prioritizing getting experience that will set them on a career path over pure academics, then yeah. Which is fine! As a college professor, I am painfully aware that 99% of students are not choosing their school based primarily on quality of academics, and the strengths of the coop program make much more sense as a reason to go to Northwestern than campus architecture or the quality of dining hall food, which are other reasons I often hear for college choices. |
Obviously I meant Northeastern. |
I would rather be an NEU or BU right now than BC with respect to athletics. With BC you are half pro sports/paying athletes and half a university paying to get an education. If you long to fight with Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, USC, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson, FSU, etc. you are going to have to go the pro route. And spend a ton of money to have what is essentially a minor league pro sport's team. |
Curious how many trade schools have an average SAT of 1500? |
Ha! Northeastern isn't evil, it's a perfectly good school, the academics just aren't remotely comparable to other schools with similar acceptance rates. You can see that private schools with similar USNWR rankings, like University of Rochester and Case Western, have much higher acceptance rates. |
It's amusing that a college professor would spend time answering so many back and forth in this thread. Obviously a true academic. |
Average SATs are completely meaningless for schools that don't require scores. There's a strong selection effect. |