Northeastern is $68k a year (Boston Campus) and Northwestern is $90k a year.
Accepted into Northeastern Honors College and liked the co-op program, and into Northwestern’s School of Engineering. I have the money to pay so I’m not too worried about finances.
Northeastern pros:
In Boston (30 mins away)
honors program
co-ops
city setting
modern
Cons:
Northeastern isn’t as known/prestigious as a school, and from what I’ve seen online people often think of it as a lesser school because they “rigged” the rankings. Also, they are more pre-professional oriented than theory-oriented (based on what others have said), which is something to consider for a deeper understanding of computer science.
Not much of a community vibe and less social opportunities
Northwestern pros:
Prestigious
Great for post-grad recruiting (especially in finance & cs)
beautiful campus
modern
Can take more classes with quarter system
Work hard play hard mentality
good social life
community & sporting events
Cons:
literally just the quarter system: going to school in mid-September and coming back mid June is very different from other schools, so I won’t see many people from my hometown during the school year
Haven’t toured yet (will soon) but I feel as though Evanston isn’t as much of a city as Boston and is a good train ride from Chicago - I could be very wrong and like it a lot.
2 hr flight but not awful
My only other qualm is that I think I want to work in New England (like New York or Boston) in the future, and I feel as though Northeastern would bring a lot of good opportunities through networks. However, Northwestern is also very well known and Chicago is a great city where I could also get connections.
I’ll comment on this first . My kid was on the quarter system. She DID need to make summer job arrangements early, from college. BUT she was a lifeguard and her jobs didn’t start until June anyway when school ended here. BONUS…all the other guards left for college mid August and our kid picked up a TON of extra hours and money after they left. The employers loved her because she was there until the summer swimming season actually ended (our places were open afternoons and weekend until mid September.
She had plenty of time to see her HS friends…who were mostly working anyway.
Having said that, what does your daughter think of Northeastern? It’s an excellent college, and the co-op option will give her work experience as part of her studies.
Northwestern is an excellent university, but if the main reason for this choice is the prestige factor, I would say that perhaps should be put on the back burner.
The pre-professional emphasis at Northeastern is pretty clear from having the curriculum built around co-ops.
Do you prefer a more or less pre-professional emphasis?
In terms of quarter system at Northwestern, that would put you in a similar academic calendar as at Chicago, Dartmouth, Stanford, UCs other than Berkeley and Merced, Oregon, and Washington.
I think a mix, where I’m prepared for the real world but also have a really good understanding of how everything works and flows together–which I think Northwestern might have a better mix of
If money isn’t a factor, my vote would be for Northwestern. Evanston is amazing on it’s own, and you can get easily into Chicago via train, L, or free NU shuttle bus.
At Northeastern, your coops will have you working in the “real world”. And you will have regular terms of classes as well. I can’t think of a better way to understand the real world!
In case you haven’t given it much thought, Northwestern strongly supports students double or triple major or add certificate to their degrees. They charge more, the students can potentially get more too.
I’m going to be the outlier here and support Northeastern. CS is a competitive field, and Northeastern is ranked equally for CS with Northwestern. Also, if you can find co-ops, it’ll be great for your resume and help you find a future job and you have a chance of getting return offer after graduation. Although both schools are great, Northwestern is ranked better overall. Also, I know your parents said not to worry about money, but in the long run, you will save your parents a ton of money.
Have you visited both? They are very different vibes. It totally depends on your priorities and what you want out of your school experience. Personally I much prefer Northwestern, but that’s because I like a more traditional college experience.
Both schools are solid, but I believe Northwestern has a stronger reputation in your field. Coops are nice at NEU, but you can intern summers as well at NU. If money is not a factor, I vote Northwestern. Congrats on two fine schools!
Since you were accepted to NU and the Honors program at NEU, I believe that you are quite strong in academics.
My question for you is, do you like to be surrounded and challenged by high-achieving students on a daily basis? Or do you want to be a big fish in a smaller pond (in terms of talent)? The caliber of students is going to be wildly different between these two schools.
In terms of your future carer, a Northwestern degree is likely to open many doors across the nation, whereas one from Northeastern may be more valued around New England.
