<p>Prospective Engineering student, I like more Northeastern University but there are 3 crucial factors that are delaying my decision: I think Boston is not for me, Northeastern is kind of big, Northeastern dorms have community bathrooms</p>
<p>These schools are night and day different.</p>
<p>Northeastern is more prestigious than TCU with better academics. It has better career prospectus and is arguably more well known. Northeastern is in a major market with high visibility and high career opportunities. Northeastern tends to lean fairly left politically, as it is a major research institution centered on science and research. Northeastern has an urban campus and is fairly expensive to attend. </p>
<p>TCU, on the other hand, is a fairly unknown school that is locally known in Texas but not nationally. It is located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas and is fairly conservative, even by Texas standards. It’s programs are not well known academically, particularly in the sciences and engineering fields. It has a more traditional campus with an emphasis on school sports. </p>
<p>With respect to your concerns, you should go where you want to attend, not to the better school.</p>
<p>1) Boston is a big part of why people choose Northeastern (or any school in Boston). If you aren’t ready for the big city, then you won’t be happy at Northeastern. </p>
<p>2) Northeastern is certainly bigger than TCU, but you have to consider all of the graduate programs and the fact that the undergrads are on co-op half the year, cutting the amount of people actually in class and on campus in half.</p>
<p>3) Not sure what the dorm bathroom thing is about. The dorms are apartment style after freshman year and are fairly new. Each apartment has its own bathroom. </p>
<p>"Northeastern is more prestigious than TCU with better academics. It has better career prospectus and is arguably more well known. Northeastern is in a major market with high visibility and high career opportunities. Northeastern tends to lean fairly left politically, as it is a major research institution centered on science and research. Northeastern has an urban campus and is fairly expensive to attend.</p>
<p>TCU, on the other hand, is a fairly unknown school that is locally known in Texas but not nationally. It is located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas and is fairly conservative, even by Texas standards."</p>
<p>You cannot be serious, informative. Northeastern isn’t well known outside of Boston at all. Just because you’re from Boston and that’s all you see, doesn’t mean that that’s reality. Both of these are fundamentally regionally-focused schools. BTW, how is Boston a “major market” and Dallas “not”?</p>
<p>Because Boston is on the east coast–duh.</p>
<p>In all seriousness, though, I would be willing to bet that TCU is better known nationally than Northeastern. It certainly was when I applied to colleges back in the dark ages. Also, even among those familiar with east coast schools there is a lot of confusion between Northeastern and Boston University.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl is right. What rot! You’re not very well informed, ‘Informative.’</p>
<p>Northeast elitists always looking down on the middle and south.</p>
<p>Between these two schools, I’d go with Northeastern. I’ve heard of both (unlike some), but Northeastern seems to be highly regarded and is ranked higher than TCU, if that matters to you. </p>
<p>Shouldn’t cost be a concern? I don’t think these are public schools.</p>
<p>TCU has big time football, so it is better known nationally. NE is a regional school, known regionally. </p>
<p>They are pretty different. </p>
<p>Are the two schools costing you the same? There is a pretty big difference in the student bodies. The average SAT score for TCU is under 1200 vs Northeastern which sits at 1390. I don’t think notoriety of the football team should come into play too much. Tufts and Emory are better schools than Oklahoma and Auburn, even if the average American hasnt heard of them as much. It is about what programs engineering firms and potential employers have heard of. </p>
<p>According to USNews Northeastern is ranked 46th for engineering. TCU isnt even listed as being considered for ranking and they currently only offer 2 specializations (electrical and mechanical), Northeastern has 11 programs. Figuring out whether you want to do mechanical vs industrial vs computer etc is something that is important as an engineer. I am not sure I have ever heard of someone studying to be a generalist so being pigeonholed into only two types of engineering seems like a risk. There is a big difference between having the support of a College of engineering (NU) vs simple a department (TCU).</p>
<p>OP, where are you from? The DFW area is more populated than Boston, if also more spread out. TCU may be more of a traditional college campus with traditional college activities. The climates, politically and meteorologically, are pretty opposed. </p>
<p>How set on engineering are you?</p>