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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NEU feels sleazy to me. I can't put my finger on exactly why it feels that way. We got that feeling when we visited. The students were obsessed with the co-op and making money. That's not what college should be about.

Really? I don't spend anytime thinking about it. My kids aren't attending nor applying so doesn't really concern me.

I have to agree. The multiple posts about a school that OP does not attend, and was not admitted to, is perplexing. There are many schools (multiple) my DCs (multiple) felt strongly negative about, when we visited *in person*, but we don't feel the need to come here to rant about it regularly (using VPNs, at that). Someone is deeply troubled and amiss. The proper answer is to move on and live your life, OP.

We have dear friends who currently attend the school, who would certainly tell us what they did not like, if anything. They love their experiences at Northeastern, and are so glad they chose it. I am happy for them that they found a place that fits them, and wish them well. It would not occur to me to come to this board and spout my insecurities. They are speaking from personal experience, however - not rejection, like OP. I personally would not get my information from an anonymous message board, in most cases, particularly pertaining to colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of many good things put together.

- Great urban location, there are ton of kids who prefer good urban location. Boson is also one of the most popular.
- Relatively cohesive nice modern looking campus for an urban location
Our family of 5 visited the four peer schools - Tufts, Boston College, Boston Univ, and Northeastern Univ, and Northeastern was top choice for all of us for the location + campus combination.

- Satisfaction based on retention rate. It's like top 5 among national universities.
- Good balance. The school pay much attention to CS, Engineering, Science and other STEM areas, but also very strong in Business, Art & Design, pre-med, and other areas. It's well rounded unlike other Engineering heavy schools
- Outcomes. Coop program contributes to this, but ultimately outcome is great.
- Quality of student body - smart, intelligent, independent, motivated, top notch, most of them have stats for T25 schools.
- Sports and Greek life is relatively weak, but it has very good D1 hockey team and have little bit of everything for everyone.
- etc.

I concur, but frankly refuse to give OP any fodder for their inevitable next Northeastern post, predicted to be in the near future, during their next mental break, sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a combination of many good things put together.

- Great urban location, there are ton of kids who prefer good urban location. Boson is also one of the most popular.
- Relatively cohesive nice modern looking campus for an urban location
Our family of 5 visited the four peer schools - Tufts, Boston College, Boston Univ, and Northeastern Univ, and Northeastern was top choice for all of us for the location + campus combination.

- Satisfaction based on retention rate. It's like top 5 among national universities.
- Good balance. The school pay much attention to CS, Engineering, Science and other STEM areas, but also very strong in Business, Art & Design, pre-med, and other areas. It's well rounded unlike other Engineering heavy schools
- Outcomes. Coop program contributes to this, but ultimately outcome is great.
- Quality of student body - smart, intelligent, independent, motivated, top notch, most of them have stats for T25 schools.
- Sports and Greek life is relatively weak, but it has very good D1 hockey team and have little bit of everything for everyone.
- etc.

+1

All of this.

With 90k+ applications, DC will apply and hope for an acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC making a decision soon but I'm puzzled how this school seemed to come out of nowhere onto the top of most student lists here (one of the W schools). I get that their acceptance rate has dropped to 1 to 2% and that can drive a fomo feeding frenzy but what also is causing this?

One reason that they get so many applications is that it’s a very easy to apply to school with a simple check mark on the common app. Most better schools require additional essays.

This.

Yup! Pay the fee and hit submit. Easy to do for a school in Boston which is a great college town. NEU definately markets well to get the apps near 100K this year. It's a good school but has grown rapidly and is still catching up. If you don't start on the Boston Campus fall freshman year your kid is at a disadvantage for housing.

That is actually yet another piece of misinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our child accepted ED to NEU, Boston campus. Living their best life and enjoys classes, friends, and of course the city of Boston. They are looking forward to co-ops, and trying new things.

There is a college foe every student. If your child likes NEU, go for it (our child has friends who were accepted to Oakland, Rome and Greece). And if not, don't apply. No need to bash someone else's choice

Just make certain you fully understand any program that is not Boston Start. Global scholars means your kid is at the bottom of the list for sophomore housing and may not have housing until July/Aug for the fall and it might not be with anyone they know (if they use the Paws system). Parents had been told "yes your kid will be eligible for housing all years once on Boston campus". What they were not told is that they are treated like 2nd class citizens and do not get to pick with all the other sophomores, but after them.
Sure your kid could get a place off campus, but how the heck do you do that if you are in London/Oakland and have never lived in Boston? Who do you live with, as you only know the people in the GS program.

See, that is not bashing. Just making sure people know details about the non-boston start programs. If that would bother you or your kid, then it might not be the place for you.

DP here. It seems the other PPs, as myself, understandably take issue with your posting misinformation, such as this. Your posts deserve to be removed, no matter how hard you stamp your feet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our child accepted ED to NEU, Boston campus. Living their best life and enjoys classes, friends, and of course the city of Boston. They are looking forward to co-ops, and trying new things.

There is a college foe every student. If your child likes NEU, go for it (our child has friends who were accepted to Oakland, Rome and Greece). And if not, don't apply. No need to bash someone else's choice

Just make certain you fully understand any program that is not Boston Start. Global scholars means your kid is at the bottom of the list for sophomore housing and may not have housing until July/Aug for the fall and it might not be with anyone they know (if they use the Paws system). Parents had been told "yes your kid will be eligible for housing all years once on Boston campus". What they were not told is that they are treated like 2nd class citizens and do not get to pick with all the other sophomores, but after them.
Sure your kid could get a place off campus, but how the heck do you do that if you are in London/Oakland and have never lived in Boston? Who do you live with, as you only know the people in the GS program.

See, that is not bashing. Just making sure people know details about the non-boston start programs. If that would bother you or your kid, then it might not be the place for you.

DCUMers can research and make informed decisions, but thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Boston, USNWR, co-op and possibility of merit (not sure if that's the case anymore).

This plus the fact there are no supplemental essays. It is no work to throw in an app.

There are a number of schools that don't require supplemental essays.

Not many "elite/top schools" that do NOT have supplemental essays. Fact is NEU is one of only a few in the Top 60 that does not have at least one Supp essay. If they had 1-2 supplementals, I doubt there would be 96K+ applications.

Citation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easy App. Gamed the system and people have been easily duped. It’s working, they’re getting the applications and ED at that.

I understand the full picture (e.g., how they set out to climb in USNWR rankings), but I find these comments dumb. We've now visited 10 very competitive colleges and the co-op program at Northeastern is like no other. In fact I have a brother who works in Boston and he said that sometimes kids from other boston area colleges have trouble getting internships etc because folks take Northeastern kids.

So 2 things can be true... NE worked to game the system AND it's actually become a great school with rare opportunities and lots of smart kids.

What are these “Rare” opportunities that you claim for the school? Many others offer Co-ops. So what is it at NEU that is rare?

Co-op opportunities at a coveted school in a great college city.

why is co-op popular? don't we work our whole lives- i would've hated to miss one semester of college to go work (and there's nothing for an undergrad besides research to do in my field so would've been a waste or just a desolate campus if all my friends left). also what's up with the start college abroad? is that to some how game the system- like they don't count in the stats if they don't start in main campus the way some schools do january freshmen to evade the stats?

Interesting and probably accurate.

Citation?

What about UVA Wise, as only one of thousand of other examples?

Does one no longer attend college I don't know..... to get a JOB?? Fascinating!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our child accepted ED to NEU, Boston campus. Living their best life and enjoys classes, friends, and of course the city of Boston. They are looking forward to co-ops, and trying new things.

There is a college foe every student. If your child likes NEU, go for it (our child has friends who were accepted to Oakland, Rome and Greece). And if not, don't apply. No need to bash someone else's choice

Exactly - why so many disingenuous Northeastern posts? It really takes away from what should be a helpful board.

[Anonymous]

The US education system seems to be increasingly defined into stratas. Maybe its the internet, but the desire to attend a "top" or "prestigious" college seems to be the end all and be all for a lot of students.

On the one hand you have top notch public universities like UVA, Berkeley, UNC, etc.

Then top privates. Northeastern lucked out that it improved during this time period and is now seen as being desirable. That has more kids apply. More kids apply, the more selective it is. The more selective it is, the more kids apply.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a sophomore there. He is currently on coop, but living in an on-campus apartment. He only applied because we toured when we were in Boston for a hockey tournament and we had a few hours. He loved what he saw on the tour and applied EA. He was admitted with an excellent merit aid package, which took the cost from very high (though typical for a large, private university) to simply expensive, and not too much more than some in-state options for him. He decided to go, and has had an excellent experience so far. He loves being in Boston, finds the classes challenging and interesting (he is majoring in Business with a concentration in Financial Technology and a minor in Data Science). His coop search was a good learning experience, and the coop so far has been a big positive. He loves watching (and playing) ice hockey, so that part really works for him. Its been a great fit for him, but might not be for others.

[Anonymous]

My nephew is a freshman at Northeastern and chose the school bc he wants to go to medical school after graduating. Northeastern students have an over 80% acceptance rate to other medical school, which is twice the national average. He said the 2-3 co-ops he hopes to do in the medical field will make him a more attractive candidate when he applies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Easy App. Gamed the system and people have been easily duped. It’s working, they’re getting the applications and ED at that.

I understand the full picture (e.g., how they set out to climb in USNWR rankings), but I find these comments dumb. We've now visited 10 very competitive colleges and the co-op program at Northeastern is like no other. In fact I have a brother who works in Boston and he said that sometimes kids from other boston area colleges have trouble getting internships etc because folks take Northeastern kids.

So 2 things can be true... NE worked to game the system AND it's actually become a great school with rare opportunities and lots of smart kids.

What are these “Rare” opportunities that you claim for the school? Many others offer Co-ops. So what is it at NEU that is rare?

Co-op opportunities at a coveted school in a great college city.

why is co-op popular? don't we work our whole lives- i would've hated to miss one semester of college to go work (and there's nothing for an undergrad besides research to do in my field so would've been a waste or just a desolate campus if all my friends left). also what's up with the start college abroad? is that to some how game the system- like they don't count in the stats if they don't start in main campus the way some schools do january freshmen to evade the stats?

Interesting and probably accurate.

The stats for "non Boston start" programs are not lower (may have been 10 years ago but not now). However, majority of the "non Boston start" are full pay/rich kids. It's Jan start or sophomore start except NEU has found a way to capitalize on it by requiring you to start freshman fall at one of their many "off campus locations".

Proof? Don't think there is any since NEU not reporting any stats on non-Boston start kids

I personally know kids in several of those programs and I follow the Parents pages (have an upcoming kid who might be interested and one who applied a few years ago but chose not to attend). They have almost 100K applications. The kids in these programs have 1500+ and near perfect GPAs and tons of AP courses (most have 6-8+AP courses). That is not "lower stats". There are kids in those programs with 1580-1600 and 4.0 UW. The notion that these kids are 1400, 3.7UW and no APs is not accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC making a decision soon but I'm puzzled how this school seemed to come out of nowhere onto the top of most student lists here (one of the W schools). I get that their acceptance rate has dropped to 1 to 2% and that can drive a fomo feeding frenzy but what also is causing this?

One reason that they get so many applications is that it’s a very easy to apply to school with a simple check mark on the common app. Most better schools require additional essays.

This.

Yup! Pay the fee and hit submit. Easy to do for a school in Boston which is a great college town. NEU definately markets well to get the apps near 100K this year. It's a good school but has grown rapidly and is still catching up. If you don't start on the Boston Campus fall freshman year your kid is at a disadvantage for housing.

That is actually yet another piece of misinformation.

Please tell me how this is "misinformation"? The parents pages currently have several posts of Global Scholars parents realizing that their kids did not get to select housing until the very bottom of the barrel (after all other students). They are considered transfer students. So yes, maybe NUIn are treated the same since they are "spring start". But GS kids are treated differently. That is fact. And when they started NUBound (what is now GS), initially those kids were not even going to ever get housing on campus, but they relented when parents complained. I know because my kid was part of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our child accepted ED to NEU, Boston campus. Living their best life and enjoys classes, friends, and of course the city of Boston. They are looking forward to co-ops, and trying new things.

There is a college foe every student. If your child likes NEU, go for it (our child has friends who were accepted to Oakland, Rome and Greece). And if not, don't apply. No need to bash someone else's choice

Just make certain you fully understand any program that is not Boston Start. Global scholars means your kid is at the bottom of the list for sophomore housing and may not have housing until July/Aug for the fall and it might not be with anyone they know (if they use the Paws system). Parents had been told "yes your kid will be eligible for housing all years once on Boston campus". What they were not told is that they are treated like 2nd class citizens and do not get to pick with all the other sophomores, but after them.
Sure your kid could get a place off campus, but how the heck do you do that if you are in London/Oakland and have never lived in Boston? Who do you live with, as you only know the people in the GS program.

See, that is not bashing. Just making sure people know details about the non-boston start programs. If that would bother you or your kid, then it might not be the place for you.

DP here. It seems the other PPs, as myself, understandably take issue with your posting misinformation, such as this. Your posts deserve to be removed, no matter how hard you stamp your feet.

It's not misinformation. Parents are posting this is currently happening to their kids on the NEU Parent FB pages. Sorry if you cannot possibly believe that NEU could do this to their students. But it is exactly the case. It's happening, why would GS parents make this up and ask questions about it? Perhaps because it is real?