I disagree with the statement that UR is a science school with a liberal arts addition. It is strong in sciences and in liberal arts. There is more research in science because that’s where the funding is, but there is research in liberal arts and UR liberal arts departments do research too.
I have to say that I used to be able to see the statistics of kids who went to the various schools around Boston, meaning accepted and rejected plus data on who went. Most of this data is from a few large public school systems outside Boston. There was a clear divide in stats, not counting Harvard and MIT, with Tufts followed by BU/BC being very close (especially if adjusting for size) and NEU a fairly large distance behind. That doesn’t necessarily reflect educational quality versus status but it’s data. In terms of curriculum, I know a number of professors at various schools around Boston and in general I think NEU’s curriculum is a bit old-fashioned in the areas I know. That doesn’t mean that’s true across fields. A few other points. I don’t care much where anyone goes: life is yours to live and I have no stake in your life. Second, I applaud NEU for drastically changing itself from a commuter/part-time school which used to run ads about the vast number of people going there into a traditional school with a co-op addition. They’ve built a campus, cut the number of students (focusing on full time) and updated many other aspects of the school. (And btw one reason for co-op is they get more students into the program because you pay for things you use while on co-op, whether that’s classes or housing. I’m surprised more schools haven’t moved into this because it adds students without substantially adding demand for resources.) The only issue I have with NEU is they have a tendency to exaggerate (read: lie) about statistics. For example, they sometimes claim an absurd salary for graduates and when you get into the data you find they have very little and it appears to include people already in the workforce who go to NEU. I wish they wouldn’t do that but I think they still suffer a bit of a complex about their past and they over-compensate. It isn’t needed: NEU is fine as is.
That said, if you want a co-op, then NEU is a terrific choice. It isn’t as trade school oriented as RIT, which still offers programs in things like “lab technician” as it expands its more general offerings. It doesn’t mean you’ll get a job and others won’t because that’s not how the world actually works. It doesn’t mean you’ll make more money because that’s not how the world works. My advice is always: go where you can afford, where they have your program and where you feel comfortable.
*I love to mention this oddity: in the schools data, you see weird stuff and the weirdest is the kids who get into Harvard or MIT, particularly the latter, with absolutely terrible statistics. Bad grades and test scores. Legacy and money! But what I don’t understand and the reason why I mention this is I can’t imagine going to MIT without the ability to do the work. I say that as an Ivy graduate who knows he was not cut out for MIT.