Northeastern University (full tuition) vs. Georgetown (w/ 20k grant)

medman
Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:47:30 +0000

@4mykids2: I am sorry that you feel this way–undergraduate years are certainly, in part, about professional preparation, but given that your child was admitted to Georgetown, it is likely that he/she will be academically successful and able to procure employment/graduate school regardless of where he/she attends college; however, the undergraduate experience should be more than simply professional preparation. Personal, cultural, philosophical, intellectual development are the salient aspects of undergraduate life that require introspection, mentorship, challenge, fostering, successes, and failures–“Big fish in a small pond” should be the last thing an entering freshman should be aspiring for…

You also don’t seem to know DC very well–it is more than government and politics–it, unlike any other city in the country, provides some of the best opportunities in every discipline and professional domain–don’t forget, the National Institute of Everything is in DC–so yes, we have politics and government and international affairs–Capitol Hill, White House, State Department, Embassies–but we also have law (every major firm has an office in DC, Supreme Court, District Courts), pubic affairs, nonprofits, science + technology (Naval Research Lab, National Science Foundation, National Academy of the Sciences, Carnegie Institution for Science, technology firms, CIA), medicine/health (National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Drug Abuse, AMA, every major medical specialty association is housed in DC), business (The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Georgetown Corp, accounting/finance/investment firms second only to NYC on the east coast), arts and history (Kennedy Center, National Theater, Arena Stage (most acclaimed regional theater on the East Coast), Studio Theater, Smithsonian Institutions, numerous art galleries, National Archives, Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art)–and Georgetown students have the pick of internships and incredible opportunities to try out a multitude of potential interests, hobbies, and potential careers.

Northeastern is a good school with a unique co-op component. Although interest in Northeastern has grown considerably, it is still lagging in both academic strength, strength of student body, and sense of community/personal development. The co-op component is its trademark, but it is extremely varied in terms of the quality of the experience (it is important to talk to students in your area of interest to see what they have done and how they enjoyed it). I believe you can get a good education at Northeastern, but not a great one and not the type of experience and personal growth fostered by Georgetown and other strong, undergraduate-focused institutions.