Northeastern vs Notre Dame

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For better community input, please provide the below details about your college offers:

Net price per year at each college, after applying scholarships and financial aid grants.

Full ride to Northeastern and 2k for Notre Dame with the possibility of it increasing every year bc of my families income

Maximum parent contribution per year.
Can pay the extra 2k if needed

Major/division admitted to at each college, if applicable to the college. Also, any special programs like honors programs or combined degree programs (e.g. BA/BS->MD).

Got into Computer science and business administration for Northeastern and into Electrical engineering maybe switching to CS for Notre Dame

If you applied to regular fall term start, specify if you were admitted to start at a different campus, in study abroad, in an online/distance or extension program, or other than in the fall term.

Would start in Oakland campus for Northeastern + free study abroad. Would start in Notre Dame campus

Desired major and post graduation goals (including if pre-med, pre-law, etc.).

A little indecisive on Computer science but want to get a job as soon as possible after college

International or domestic student (and state of residency if domestic).

Would be out of state for both from California

Student preferences beyond the above (including weather, class sizes, campus culture, college demographics, fraternities/sororities, distance from home, etc.).

Both of them are far from home so wouldn’t matter, want an environment where career readiness is prioritized and want to have a lot of things to do around the area.

Preliminary assessment of each college based on the above.
I really like Northeastern because my first year is in the Oakland campus and since I live here it would help me over come my fear of moving so far away so soon. It might also provide a better opportunity to find jobs in my home area since they have a campus in Oakland meaning they might have partnerships around the area. Being in CS I would really need internships which co-op at Northeastern is pretty known for which will help me find a job as soon as possible. I also love that the main campus is in Boston around so many other schools too. It’s such a nice city with so many things to do in the area. (Yes I have heard the million of students that don’t even attend the school talk about their schemes and ways they try to boast their ranking) + free study abroad
I also have started to like Notre Dame a lot because they are very well known, prestigious, and have a very strong alumni network. It also has that more traditional college experience with a beautiful campus. First year engineering students don’t have to declare their engineering major until the start of the second year helping me decide if I want to go back into CS or chose an engineering major. A little scared that there isn’t much to do when it comes outside of campus a lot of people say it’s in the middle of nowhere.

PLEASE HELP ME DECIDE

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I don’t love the Oakland thing and you should check how the coursework there will impact a CS major. Will you fall behind?

But since you want career readiness, I think it’s the better choice. Of course, no one can assure a job. CS kids today are struggling.

Notre Dame is a more traditional campus and is Catholic.

Does that matter ?

NU will be easier to get to unless UND is paying for you to fly to Fort Bend.

Two people could reasonably pick opposite of one another.

Best of luck.

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I also do not like an idea starting a first semester somewhere. Dd started in Covid year the first semester online. It really delayed her to get integrated into campus life.
I would go for Notre Dame.

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You can’t go wrong with either choice.

If you were set on doing Computer Science, I would have said Northeastern since it has a career-focused education and strong partnerships with firms in the Boston area.

But if you’re not sure, then Notre Dame may be a better choice.

This is all true and these factors will open more doors for you.

I agree that your location preference needs to be taken into account, but if you’re flexible with that but unsure of which school to choose, I’d recommend picking ND.

Good luck. Again – no bad choice here.

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I don’t believe so I would only do my first year in Oakland and then transfer to the Boston location for my last three years. I don’t really care about college culture that much.

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If you are truly looking for career readiness right out of college, I would go with NE and its coop opportunities. Employers today are looking for job skills/readiness. I think it is also more difficult to switch majors/college of study at ND as well as the fact that you will have the required religion courses that take away from more practical courses you could be taking. It will be more costly traveling to/from ND as it truly is in the middle of nowhere. Have you visited both?

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Yes this is kind of my thought process I just want as much career preparedness as possible. Thank you for the comment!

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Thanks for the insight. Yeah fitting in when I transfer might be hard but a student told me 99% of Oakland students transfer to Boston and I would be living with a friend which also plans to transfer to the Boston location so hopefully it won’t be that bad idkkkkkkk???

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But you need to see what the CS curriculum is in Boston and if could be matched in Oakland. If not, you can fall behind.

That’s what I would research and/or ask NU.

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Northeastern offers the four-year majors in both CS and CS+Business at the Oakland campus, so there’s no reason to be concerned about falling behind or about first-year coursework not being available. (There’s probably less breadth of upper-division electives in Oakland, but currently the plan of record is to finish in Boston.) OP could even decide to remain in Oakland if he wanted to. (For reference, four-year majors offered in Oakland are listed here.)

I certainly hope OP already knows that ND is Catholic, lol.

OP, if you prefer a CS+business blend, have you considered the Business Analytics major at ND? Business Analytics Major Major - Notre Dame Mendoza ND is strong in business, and this might capitalize well on their strengths while seemingly matching your interests well. However, the option to enter Mendoza if not pre-approved when admitted is not guaranteed: Transfer Process - Undergraduate Advising Office - Mendoza College of Business - University of Notre Dame

I would be asking Northeastern how many of your peers would be transitioning to Boston with you, vs. how many would be staying in Oakland for their whole degree. First-year-away programs can be a positive experience if you bond with a strong cohort and then transition to the main campus with them - that isn’t an isolating experience like momsearcheng is concerned about.

However, you have to keep in mind that once you get to Boston, there will only be one semester before people in your cohort start leaving on co-ops. So the overall experience could end up feeling a bit fragmented, between switching campuses and then having peers on staggered co-op schedules.

However, your point about doing your first year close to home is well-taken, and also your interest in the co-op model. Plus, there are many blended CS+X and Data Science +X majors that you could choose among, and since the CS content is front-loaded, you’d have wiggle room to consider a lot of “+X” options if you’re not 100% sold on the business blend.

There are pros and cons to both options, for sure.

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Do they? I know they say they do, but their own website says that they had 460 students in Oakland in the first semester of this year. I don’t understand how they can possibly offer everything they say they do in Oakland with such a small number of students. I would seriously seek confirmation from them about what is actually offered in Oakland in August, 2025 when school begins.

One of the hallmarks of a quality college education experience is excellent student advising. This would seem to be especially important for a student who is still deciding between electrical engineering and computer science. Starting in Oakland will mean one orientation and one advisor in Oakland but then switching to a new advisor in Boston in the second semester and needing a new orientation there as well. The program is going to be chopped up enough at Northeastern by semesters dedicated to co-op. Introducing an additional element of choppiness and transition would drive me a little crazy. Frankly I see no benefit to a student in this approach.

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My son is about to graduate from ND and has loved every minute of it, I would highly recommend it. It’s about a 90 minute drive from Chicago Midway, there are many rideshares and buses available at school breaks and my son has never complained about being bored, but he loves sports. In the fall it is all about attending football games (and after that they have plenty of other good sports to attend). The dorm culture is really fun and there are plenty of dances, intramurals, clubs, etc. to participate in. You can take the train to Chicago if you want for time in a city, but my son hasn’t really found the need to do that. Good luck with your choice!

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I thought it was the whole first year in Oakland, not just a semester.

Your point about having enough students to sustain all of those majors is well-taken. That would be a concern if OP were to consider staying at the Oakland campus for four years.

However, CS is a very popular major, and the core first-year CS classes are the same for straight-CS majors and all of the CS+X majors, so I don’t see any way that the availability of this course sequence would be in question.

But yes, I alluded to the choppiness too. That’s the biggest downside IMO.

However, I’m reasonably familiar with the CS+X roadmap, since my D17 was admitted to CS+Design and considered attending. The first year is somewhat “CS bootcamp”-ish, because they’re front-loading the skill-sets that will get students ready for their first co-op. Most of the “+X” coursework is pushed off until later. So even with the small entering class in Oakland, I would expect enough of a cohort in those CS classes to get off to a fine start in that regard, assuming the teaching is of the same quality as in Boston. (And they have their CS curriculum well standardized so I’d hope and expect that it would be fine.)

It’s the concern about a choppy/fragmented experience that needs to be weighed, IMHO, vs. the potential benefits of the co-op model. (Plus, if the economy keeps faltering, will the ever-growing number of CS students being funneled to Boston from the various first-year satellite programs, in addition to those starting in Boston, all be able to secure said co-ops?)

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@aquapt, thanks for all of the good information.

You said that you “would expect enough of a cohort in those CS classes to get off to a fine start.” Yes, that would make sense. My advice would be verify, verify, verify. I wouldn’t take anything for granted about this program. I would only buy in if they can guarantee my a quality experience - which in this case means the cohort which you expect.

The lingering question, however, is that this student appears not to have settled on what his major will be. You’re right that it is the entire first year in Oakland. So, what happens if he changes his mind after the first semester? What’s the back up plan? What other courses are available to him? In his own words, he is “indecisive” about CS. If he wants to move over to engineering or something else instead, his hands are really tied as his options will be limited.

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Agreed. And the CS major, irrespective of “+X” or not, will hit the ground running and will be an intense year of immersion in the subject. I agree that if he has second thoughts, the off-ramp while in Oakland may be unclear. I think there must be first-year business courses too, but you’re correct that there won’t be an engineering option. CS is a high-attrition major, and ambivalence going in tends not to be a strong predictor of staying the course. That’s not to say that OP, as an individual, may not end up loving CS, sticking with it, maybe even abandoning the “X” and going for a full CS major or even a BS/MS. It happens and I don’t doubt that he’s capable if he got into both of these fine programs. But not having a Plan B would concern me. Plan B could end up being taking the spring semester off, if the desired alternate major doesn’t exist on the Oakland campus… and that’s if NEU doesn’t require the full year to be completed in Oakland before allowing students to transition to Boston. I would want to know that there’s an acceptable off-ramp if he finds out that he hates the CS program. And having a wider range of options right away could be a strong point in favor of ND.

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Those are two very different schools, in my opinion. Curious, what made you apply to ND? ND is very much a fit school and many who apply are passionate about the school for a particular reason. Sports? Faith? Community/Dorm Life? If you had a particular reason for applying, you may find an answer there.

But yes, if you are prioritizing internships and big cities, NE would seem to win there (although you can certainly get internships in big cities during summers and after graduation if you go to ND.) but if you were in search of the things I listed above, ND would be your answer. Their alumni are legendary and you’ll be a part of a community for life.

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I think that an acceptable Plan B would be a guarantee from Northeastern that he could transfer to the Boston campus for 2nd semester if he decided against CS. Without that guarantee in writing, I would not accept the Northeastern offer and would go with Notre Dame instead.

Engineering has a lot of required courses and he can’t afford to fall behind if he decides to switch from CS to EE.

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One other concern I have with this Oakland plan is that the OP has expressed concern that he has a fear of moving so far from home so soon. He feels that spending his first year in Oakland will ease the transition.

This is exactly the wrong way to think about it IMO. Being homesick when you’re away at college is not unusual. It is part of the adjustment. But postponing it will not make things any better. It will only disrupt sophomore year in addition to whatever adjustments he experiences in Oakland - which will come even though he’s still in his home state.

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THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS THEY’RE DEFINITELY HELPING ME DECIDE. I’m going to visit ND this week and will se how it goes. Thanks again to all of you!!!

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I’m going to be honest I had no idea what the school was and only applied because it’s a partner school to my high school and our college counselor was making us apply to two partner schools.

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