Why is Northeastern (NEU) so popular with both parents and students these days?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

And now it is a vibrant, world-class university. Is it shameful that they have improved so much? Have you seen the new science building?
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2023/06/08/northeastern-university-exp-building.html

Why is it so bad that they have become such a prestigious university? Does it hurt you personally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2024/04/29/exclusive-employers-are-souring-on-ivy-league-grads-while-these-20-new-ivies-ascend/

Hmm, seem to be missing a school

LOL. Great and timely article to put this Northeastern issue to rest.

LOL you have posted this article on at least THREE threads this morning. You are surely on a mission, aren't you? Would that mission be for parents who get their college info from anonymous boards?

Hilarious! That chip on your shoulder sure is heavy.

PP here. No I just posted the photo as many might not click on the link provided. I didn't post that link and it was the first time I saw the article, which does NOT include Northeastern. Case closed!!

They picked 10 schools outside of like T15, and some of the highly selective and popular schools like WashU, Tufts, NYU, BU, WF, Northeastern, etc. are not on that random list. So what? but if it makes you feel better LOL

+1. And other PP is so emotional and off kilter too. "Case closed!!" LOL. Thank you for this. OMG this is great.

But please, keep posting your meaningless lists, by all means.

All the schools you listed are all sinking, including Northeastern. All on their way down. That's why they are not on the list.

2023/2024 USNWR Ranking:
WashU 15/24
Tufts 32/40
NYU 25/35
BU 41/43
WF 29/47
NEU 44/53

USNWR put much more weight on how many poor students they have.
I would care much more on overall quality of the students by merits than how poor they are.
You pick the schools with more poor students if that's your priority.

+1
Sadly, an uninformed family who’s only looking at rankings could make bad decisions…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

Yes, the school marketed the hell out of itself since 1996. Thats's what the article says. No school changes that fast. if you want to go for smoke and mirrors when making the most important decision of your kid's life, then do it. And I was a Bostonian and know of what I speak. My law professor friends at NEU are equally baffled and say "it's not worth the money". But if you buy in in a trend, you run a very grave risk of making a mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

Yes, the school marketed the hell out of itself since 1996. Thats's what the article says. No school changes that fast. if you want to go for smoke and mirrors when making the most important decision of your kid's life, then do it. And I was a Bostonian and know of what I speak. My law professor friends at NEU are equally baffled and say "it's not worth the money". But if you buy in in a trend, you run a very grave risk of making a mistake.

So you were a former Bostonian who used to remember when Northeastern wasn't as good of a university it is now, and converse with your multiple law professor friends who claim that the school at which they teach "is not worth the money."

I'd like to buy "What didn't happen for $100", Alec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

Yes, the school marketed the hell out of itself since 1996. Thats's what the article says. No school changes that fast. if you want to go for smoke and mirrors when making the most important decision of your kid's life, then do it. And I was a Bostonian and know of what I speak. My law professor friends at NEU are equally baffled and say "it's not worth the money". But if you buy in in a trend, you run a very grave risk of making a mistake.

So you were a former Bostonian who used to remember when Northeastern wasn't as good of a university it is now, and converse with your multiple law professor friends who claim that the school at which they teach "is not worth the money."

I'd like to buy "What didn't happen for $100", Alec.

LOL. Same. What a loser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oddly, schools like BU, NEU, and Tufts are probably in a better place with respect to sports than BC. While BC, for now, plays in the P5, conference, the P2 is gobbling up all the resources. Athletes playing football or basketball are essentially pros now, with the advent of NIL. Vandy, BC, Wake, etc. can't compete in that arena. So they are left in a sort of nether layer, between sucking at big time sports and having the veneer of academics still the main mission of the school. In no way does the calculus favor academics.

BU, Tufts and NEU don't even have to navigate that problem.

Compare the athletic department budgets/professional sports league prospects of those at Vandy, BC, Wake vs. the other Boston schools.

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.

ESPN is reporting that schools will have to pay EACH athlete more than $30,000 per year, every year. Plus billions in back pay. I can see universities getting out of the sports business. For most, like Tufts, BU, NEU, Johns Hopkins, NYU, UChicago it just isn't worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

And now it is a vibrant, world-class university. Is it shameful that they have improved so much? Have you seen the new science building?
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2023/06/08/northeastern-university-exp-building.html

Why is it so bad that they have become such a prestigious university? Does it hurt you personally?

Only if I have to walk by and see that ugly building.

Northeastern is a fine school. But I wouldn't call it prestigious. Prestige and reputation is not built overnight by constructing new buildings, shuffling professors around to get the right class size, rejecting holistic admissions to gain the highest average SAT score, or going on whirlwind tours to promote your school to academia. No. Prestige is earned through years of consistent excellence. This formula feels shaky. I think I other PPs on this thread agree that it has improved through all of those efforts, but that the "boosters" who try to take it a step further and claim prestige on the level of MIT and Harvard are just fooling themselves. That's why it is not a top 20 and never will be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

And now it is a vibrant, world-class university. Is it shameful that they have improved so much? Have you seen the new science building?
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2023/06/08/northeastern-university-exp-building.html

Why is it so bad that they have become such a prestigious university? Does it hurt you personally?

Only if I have to walk by and see that ugly building.

Northeastern is a fine school. But I wouldn't call it prestigious. Prestige and reputation is not built overnight by constructing new buildings, shuffling professors around to get the right class size, rejecting holistic admissions to gain the highest average SAT score, or going on whirlwind tours to promote your school to academia. No. Prestige is earned through years of consistent excellence. This formula feels shaky. I think I other PPs on this thread agree that it has improved through all of those efforts, but that the "boosters" who try to take it a step further and claim prestige on the level of MIT and Harvard are just fooling themselves. That's why it is not a top 20 and never will be.

Indeed impressive Northeastern is now at a level haters are arguing hard and trying hard to convince people that it's not a prestigious school. People choosing Northeastern don't do it for prestige or ranking. Prestige is highly subjective term. It's 21st century and we have abundance of data and information to rely on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

And now it is a vibrant, world-class university. Is it shameful that they have improved so much? Have you seen the new science building?
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2023/06/08/northeastern-university-exp-building.html

Why is it so bad that they have become such a prestigious university? Does it hurt you personally?

Only if I have to walk by and see that ugly building.

Northeastern is a fine school. But I wouldn't call it prestigious. Prestige and reputation is not built overnight by constructing new buildings, shuffling professors around to get the right class size, rejecting holistic admissions to gain the highest average SAT score, or going on whirlwind tours to promote your school to academia. No. Prestige is earned through years of consistent excellence. This formula feels shaky. I think I other PPs on this thread agree that it has improved through all of those efforts, but that the "boosters" who try to take it a step further and claim prestige on the level of MIT and Harvard are just fooling themselves. That's why it is not a top 20 and never will be.

Indeed impressive Northeastern is now at a level haters are arguing hard and trying hard to convince people that it's not a prestigious school. People choosing Northeastern don't do it for prestige or ranking. Prestige is highly subjective term. It's 21st century and we have abundance of data and information to rely on.

Agree. I have never seen such a crusade against a school. OP (and those like OP), you must learn to accept that you were rejected, for your kid's sake. You are only raising curiosity and positive attention about the school, people are proving you wrong repeatedly, and your crusade is having the opposite effect of your ill intent. Be the adult in your household, and model coping mechanisms and skills to be admitted to schools you claim are not Top 20. You are making it clear with each post why you were not admitted.

Stop attacking other kid's choices. This forum should not be a platform for irrational tirades by you and yours. You are making it crystal clear why you were not accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

And now it is a vibrant, world-class university. Is it shameful that they have improved so much? Have you seen the new science building?
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2023/06/08/northeastern-university-exp-building.html

Why is it so bad that they have become such a prestigious university? Does it hurt you personally?

Only if I have to walk by and see that ugly building.

Northeastern is a fine school. But I wouldn't call it prestigious. Prestige and reputation is not built overnight by constructing new buildings, shuffling professors around to get the right class size, rejecting holistic admissions to gain the highest average SAT score, or going on whirlwind tours to promote your school to academia. No. Prestige is earned through years of consistent excellence. This formula feels shaky. I think I other PPs on this thread agree that it has improved through all of those efforts, but that the "boosters" who try to take it a step further and claim prestige on the level of MIT and Harvard are just fooling themselves. That's why it is not a top 20 and never will be.

It will never be a top 20?

It IS a top 20 by any objective measure. Its acceptance rate is lower than Harvard and the SAT scores are on par.

[Anonymous]

It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the haters have never been to Northeastern's campus.

Even the most jaded would be impressed with it. The new buildings are state of the art. There is green space. The students are vibrant and engaged. It is a remarkable transformation.

On a tour of Boston colleges Northeastern was the one that stood out. BC was over structured and kind of basic. BU lacked a true campus but the tour/info session was good. Tufts was super honest about wanting students who want to go there and show interest in the school.

Lots of good choices.

But if you haven't been on a tour or visit in awhile, I don't think you can understand the vibrancy of the Northeastern campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the haters have never been to Northeastern's campus.

Even the most jaded would be impressed with it. The new buildings are state of the art. There is green space. The students are vibrant and engaged. It is a remarkable transformation.

On a tour of Boston colleges Northeastern was the one that stood out. BC was over structured and kind of basic. BU lacked a true campus but the tour/info session was good. Tufts was super honest about wanting students who want to go there and show interest in the school.

Lots of good choices.

But if you haven't been on a tour or visit in awhile, I don't think you can understand the vibrancy of the Northeastern campus.

+1. Agree.

If the poster is who we think it is - you are absolutely correct. They do not go anywhere (by normal people's measure), due to their mental illness. Thank you for your astute reasoning and keen observation. They have quite a record!

The saddest part is that the poster is disappointed in their own kids, and also targeting another kid in particular at the same time. The first part is sad, but the second part is pathetic. They and their "friends" (misery does indeed love company!) - two in particular, have been identified several times as posters on the same topics, targeting the same person.

You would think they would learn, for shame. If they were smart they would know when to stop, but they simply do not, which is their downfall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

The school has improved vastly in every way if that's what gaming is about. Who would be the best judge of the 'quality'? the industry and employers who are actually willing to pay for the products.  It looks like Northeastern's quality is highly respected.

There's a misunderstanding about coop at Northeastern. 
There are about 39 R1 private universities in the US, and Northeastern is one of them.
In case you don't what that is about,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_research_universities_in_the_United_States
It especially has high research activities in the areas of CS, engineering, STEM.
For example, https://csrankings.org/#/index?all&us  this ranking is based on research activities.
So there are plenty of research activities and students are involved in research.

Unless you are a trust fund kid, everyone is highly interested in internships these days.
Coop is basically an internship but with much more flexibility and better support from the school.

Here's what the gaming is about. https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

well, that piece just confirms what I thought. 1996 = commuter school. I lived in Boston and coumd not understand the NEU booster here

I guess you turn your nose up to Boston College also? Because a couple of decades before Northeastern was a commuter school, so was BC.

https://beacon.bc.edu/the-long-view/

But by 1964, when he graduated, Pat had begun to see rapid change on the horizon with the opening of three residence halls—Roncalli, Williams, and Walsh—to accommodate the growing number of students who needed to live at the Heights.

“Boston College was considered a commuter school back then,” says Pat Stokes. “And now students come from across the country and all over the world,” he continues. “We have some of the top programs, and we are recognized throughout the United States.”

Northeastern was not a commuter school in 1996. Maybe in 1956 - I actually know someone who attended during that time. NEU was always a top engineering school and still is. In fact, BU has always been a commuter school, and MIT and Harvard both started as commuter schools.

It is not as if any of those are commuter schools current day, such as Mason.

Did you even read the article? https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

"In 1996, Richard Freeland looked across the sea of crumbling parking lots that was Northeastern University and saw an opportunity few others could. As the school’s new president, he had inherited a third-tier, blue-collar, commuter-based university whose defining campus feature was a collection of modest utilitarian buildings south of Huntington Avenue, with a sprinkling of newly planted trees."

And now it is a vibrant, world-class university. Is it shameful that they have improved so much? Have you seen the new science building?
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2023/06/08/northeastern-university-exp-building.html

Why is it so bad that they have become such a prestigious university? Does it hurt you personally?

Only if I have to walk by and see that ugly building.

Northeastern is a fine school. But I wouldn't call it prestigious. Prestige and reputation is not built overnight by constructing new buildings, shuffling professors around to get the right class size, rejecting holistic admissions to gain the highest average SAT score, or going on whirlwind tours to promote your school to academia. No. Prestige is earned through years of consistent excellence. This formula feels shaky. I think I other PPs on this thread agree that it has improved through all of those efforts, but that the "boosters" who try to take it a step further and claim prestige on the level of MIT and Harvard are just fooling themselves. That's why it is not a top 20 and never will be.

It will never be a top 20?

It IS a top 20 by any objective measure. Its acceptance rate is lower than Harvard and the SAT scores are on par.

Acceptance rate is not a measure of prestige. Popularity? Yes. Popularity is not a metric for the USNWR rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the haters have never been to Northeastern's campus.

Even the most jaded would be impressed with it. The new buildings are state of the art. There is green space. The students are vibrant and engaged. It is a remarkable transformation.

On a tour of Boston colleges Northeastern was the one that stood out. BC was over structured and kind of basic. BU lacked a true campus but the tour/info session was good. Tufts was super honest about wanting students who want to go there and show interest in the school.

Lots of good choices.

But if you haven't been on a tour or visit in awhile, I don't think you can understand the vibrancy of the Northeastern campus.

+1. Agree.

If the poster is who we think it is - you are absolutely correct. They do not go anywhere (by normal people's measure), due to their mental illness. Thank you for your astute reasoning and keen observation. They have quite a record!

The saddest part is that the poster is disappointed in their own kids, and also targeting another kid in particular at the same time. The first part is sad, but the second part is pathetic. They and their "friends" (misery does indeed love company!) - two in particular, have been identified several times as posters on the same topics, targeting the same person.

You would think they would learn, for shame. If they were smart they would know when to stop, but they simply do not, which is their downfall.

I am a recent "hater" poster as you like to call me. I am not the OP. And my kid long graduated already from a top 20 school and never had an interest in Northeastern beyond taking a tour in the spring of his junior year of HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the haters have never been to Northeastern's campus.

Even the most jaded would be impressed with it. The new buildings are state of the art. There is green space. The students are vibrant and engaged. It is a remarkable transformation.

On a tour of Boston colleges Northeastern was the one that stood out. BC was over structured and kind of basic. BU lacked a true campus but the tour/info session was good. Tufts was super honest about wanting students who want to go there and show interest in the school.

Lots of good choices.

But if you haven't been on a tour or visit in awhile, I don't think you can understand the vibrancy of the Northeastern campus.

+1. Agree.

If the poster is who we think it is - you are absolutely correct. They do not go anywhere (by normal people's measure), due to their mental illness. Thank you for your astute reasoning and keen observation. They have quite a record!

The saddest part is that the poster is disappointed in their own kids, and also targeting another kid in particular at the same time. The first part is sad, but the second part is pathetic. They and their "friends" (misery does indeed love company!) - two in particular, have been identified several times as posters on the same topics, targeting the same person.

You would think they would learn, for shame. If they were smart they would know when to stop, but they simply do not, which is their downfall.

I am a recent "hater" poster as you like to call me. I am not the OP. And my kid long graduated already from a top 20 school and never had an interest in Northeastern beyond taking a tour in the spring of his junior year of HS.

Uh huh. Sure. Whatever you say on an anonymous board must be true. LOL.