Northeastern?

[Anonymous]

Folks,

My child really likes Northeastern, and I'd love to hear some feedback from folks whose kid/s are attending or have recently attended, good and bad. Unsure of what they want to study, but they liked the vibe and various programs they've researched.

Respectfully, let's not turn this into a rehash of how the school used the rankings to its advantage over the years etc. I've read all about it (pro and con). I'm admittedly trying to get past a bias of knowing the school well in the 80s and 90s, being from the region. I realize it's a wildly different place now, and I would love to learn more about it today.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

My student loved it-enjoyed things socially, had a great coop experience, got research experience, and had a job lined up for after graduation.

It’s not for everyone though-the coop search can be kind of grueling if you’re not up for it (and often involves a fair number of rejections before landing someplace which is good experience for the real job market but wouldn’t be great for lots of sophomores in college.)

[Anonymous]

My child is also considering Northeastern. In talking to a few parents of current students, they've mentioned that their child's experience with academic advising has been mediocre. Both kids changed majors several times so they said their kids had to become pretty strong self-advocates to get the attention they needed. The Boston campus is overcrowded yet it can have a transient feel with kids coming and going on co-ops (and one kid has struggled to find co-ops).

Having said that, both kids would do it again if they had the choice. One kid's current high school senior sibling ED'd there so the family clearly is happy with the school.

[Anonymous]

There are a ton of recent threads of you search the forum.

[Anonymous]

The “transient feel” hasn’t been an issue for my kid-he and all of his social group had coops in Boston so other than more regular hours/no homework during coop it didn’t make a big difference. Maybe some majors tend to do coops away from Boston though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The “transient feel” hasn’t been an issue for my kid-he and all of his social group had coops in Boston so other than more regular hours/no homework during coop it didn’t make a big difference. Maybe some majors tend to do coops away from Boston though?

PP here who said that. Just to be clear, that wasn't my own personal statement about NEU! That was this one particular family's feeling, but they also said they saw it as a chance to meet new people. And yeah, their kid did co-ops in NYC and SF, so away from Boston for sure.

[Anonymous]

Niece is a junior there. On balance she likes it. Didn't love it first year as she started with a semester abroad so not the typical intro to college. Coops have been mixed one great, one not. The transient aspect is a feature as people are off campus different terms with coops. She has made good friends, in a sorority and joined competitive clubs which does counteract that they stay connected through those. It is a unique college experience- quite different than my DC who is a student at an Ivy, much more typical college experience- more sense of being together as the "class of"

[Anonymous]

I have a senior at Northeastern and it's been a great experience. On-campus housing was a not-great triple freshman year and a much better apartment-style dorm (with two doubles and two singles) sophomore year. They've lived off campus for the past two years. DC will graduate in four years despite two full-time six-month co-ops because of bringing in AP classes, taking one summer class (virtually) each of their first two summers, and taking one extra class this semester.

Both co-ops (one in Boston, one in another city) were fantastic and provided really good and very different work experiences. One was paid and the other was not. My kid loves Boston and takes full advantage of the city, going to sports games, museums, the public library, farmers markets, running along the Charles, etc.

DC never changed majors but advising has been a little hit and miss. My DC is a strong self-advocate which has been key to their success (this would have been much harder for my other two kids). They've participated in clubs, helped to TA a class, done intramural sports, and held a part-time job off campus.

The postgrad job hunt is ongoing-- DC has some good connections and has had a few interviews but nothing is nailed down yet.

Overall, it was a great fit for this student but would not have been good for my other two kids (who are less driven and less extroverted). No regrets!

[Anonymous]

This is helpful, thanks. Would love to hear from other parents with kids there currently. We were kind of blown away by the facilities and vibe when we visited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is helpful, thanks. Would love to hear from other parents with kids there currently. We were kind of blown away by the facilities and vibe when we visited.

Can you share more of your thoughts? We're visiting next month.

[Anonymous]

My kid’s friend is a sophomore there and loves it.

[Anonymous]

Child recenty went to visit, said the newer facilities were amazing. The dorms were meh but fine (a good thing, I think -- dorms should be clean and safe, not luxurious). Loved hearing about the coop experience, and felt the school had a vibe of excitement around it they haven't seen in a lot of other places. They are particularly interested in the various campuses, particularly the one in London.

[Anonymous]

A friend from childhood is a professor there and he speaks very highly of the opportunities. He wants his kids to go there.

DD considered it and the school did a great job with tour, answering questions, etc... but she wanted less of an urban school.

[Anonymous]

This is all helpful as we consider it as a potential option. Curious if anyone's kid attended the London campus, how they liked the experience, and how they found assimilating into the main campus?

[Anonymous]

My DS is also considering Northeastern with the first year at the London campus. It really sounds great. We plan to visit the Boston campus over spring break.