kansascity53

I was speaking with the NEU Admis Office and they told me something that seems both interesting and odd at the same time. I had enquired about listing two potential majors on their application and they told me that you can only list one and that is the only one they consider you for (but you can email admiss and ask them to add a second choice to your app file but it is very unlikely you will be considered for that 2nd choice).

Now here's the odd part. They said that you can apply to the College of Arts and Science with the major of Undeclared, but since that is their most popular major it is more difficult to get into.

So it seems that you have a better chance of getting in with the major of Sociology than you do with undeclared. That just seems backwards to me.

rodney

Have heard this before at NU; if you look at some of the threads from last year, this was confirmed....

Emily2007

Correct.

Admission is geared toward filling spots in majors, and there are only so many spots available in each major. There are 200 undeclared spots in each entering class, and a ton of applicants for those spots.

Sociology needs students to survive as a major. They want freshman to fill those spots, and they get very few applicants for this major. You automatically put yourself in a smaller applicant pool.

blinkangel44

This is very true. My friend applied undeclared Arts & Sciences RD and got waitlisted, while people with worse stats than her got in EA (not sure whether or not they were undeclared or not). But she got into her other schools no prob RD (BC, BU). But NU was her top choice. She ended up getting in off the waitlist AND getting in to the honors program-- go figure! So I highly recommend applying EA if you're undeclared!

jagralph

My adivce: Do NOT apply undecided. My son made that mistake last year. He had pretty good stats and applied early but was deferred. Then, at regular decision time, he got put on the waitlist! Ironically, an admissions officer told him that students on the waitlist who were "undecided" have a better chance of being accepted off the waitlist than someone who has declared a major. Fortunately for him, this was true and he was finally offered admission. He is extremely happy to be at NEU but it was not a pleasant ride getting there.

rodney

so let me get this straight....If one applied EA with a major they have a better chance of being accepted EA....if they are deferred, they are better off without a major...soooo, does that mean if you get deferred EA WITH a declared major, you should immediately undeclare and go undecided in case you are waitlisted....?
Got your scorecard out yet? rhetorical questions of course, but ya gotta laugh....play the game....

blinkangel44

It's if they are waitlisted, not deferred, that they have a better change undeclared, I believe. Exactly what happened to my friend who's in honors program now!

rodney

Yup....that's what I thought...mighty weird process but glad we have that straightened out before next year....maybe Northeastern will put us out of our misery and institute an ED process.....nah, why make things easier.....haha

neuchimie

ED at Northeastern would be a very bad idea. The best students that go here (as in, the ones with the largest merit scholarships) very often got in at equally good or better places, but received much more money here. If you did ED, you wouldn't be able to get out of it without a very difficult and complicated process fighting for financial reasons. That means only people who could be certain they could pay without a scholarship would apply ED, which doesn't mean the best students would be ED. Northeastern wouldn't be able to accept many people as ED because they'd have to hold out for possible better students who want to hear their scholarships before they say yes.

That's a very long winded paragraph, but to summerize, it wouldn't be in Northeastern's interest to have ED. Most schools that have ED are because they are so good and high up that they know even amazing students would kill to get in. Northeastern gets good students, but its still not amazing enough to be that high.

Emily2007

^agreed. Top students wouldn't apply ED--they wouldn't want to commit to NU when they probably have apps out to other schools that they want to consider.

I think EA's the better option. But I'm a junior, so guess it doesn't matter to me anymore!