What exactly are the benefits of NU’s co-op program?

Colleges & Universities Northeastern University
61

Yup, I was just looking at the last year CDS since I was curious. Looks like they filled a little over half last year from ED.

This is from the 2023-2024 CDS (note if anyone happens to read this later on after they update the CDS, the URL just goes to the latest one so don’t be surprised if the numbers don’t match those below :wink:)

**NOTE: I oversimplified by assuming 100% yield on the ED (so I just subtracted the ED number from each total number listed to get the non-ED numbers). Of course that’s not going to be completely accurate as there are likely to have been a few students who backed out of ED. So take these numbers with a grain of salt (and I might’ve made a mistake somewhere too)

ED Non-ED
Apps 3672 92948
Admits 1420 4034
Admit rate 39% 4%
Enrolls 1420** 1318
Yield 100%** 32%

(of course, don’t forget to account for an unknown number of students out of the number listed in “Apps” who were not denied, but who were instead admitted to the alternate entry programs not included in the CDS, with unknown yield for those programs)

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62

Yea the alt entry programs are not required to be reported but numbers sometimes show up in the campus newspaper on some years. That is a lower ED admit rate than I’d expect as the6 have often said they target 50%, but that might inc the alt entry kids too. Their target for fall Boston enrolled students is around 3,000. (Used to be 2800 but is slowly growing) and usually they yield around 1,000 -1200 who will transfer in via alt entry programs making each class around 4000-4200… (not inc the full time London and Oakland kids now.)

63

Yes, it would be complicated because the “Apps” under ED will include ALL ED apps, but those admitted in the ED round to an alternate entry program would not show up in “Admits.” Some do seem to get admitted to alternate entry in ED. So both the ED and non-ED admit rate would be expected to be higher than shown if you included those admits.

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64

And yes, 21-22 had the hugely high yield with a yield of 4500 for Boston fall admits! Approx 1500 over normal plus their NUins etc. those students are finishing their third year and I’ve seen many complaints on housing, class availability, advising etc. a few popular schools who did well in covid in particular were heavily impacted but high yields that following fall as students wanted to be in class, etc. NU is having to do forced doubles and triples to manage this still… and they seemingly have had higher alt entry classes bc they’re still doing that to manage housing.

Fall 2022 was tightly managed and they yielded only 2500 fall admits.

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65

Hmm… so assuming 1000-1200 enroll into the alternate entry programs, in that case they are probably admitting at least ~4000 kids to these programs, wouldn’t you say?

That is, if the non-ED yield to the Boston campus is 32%, one would expect the (presumably lower) yield for alternate entry programs to be no higher than, say, 30% and maybe substantially lower, I don’t know. (Anecdotally, we knew zero kids who accepted their alternate entry admits. I think they would have considered Boston more seriously.) So at least ~4000 admits and perhaps more? But it would be interesting to get data some day :wink:

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66

The alt entry numbers I’ve shown usually come from parents on this board that say they attended orientation sessions etc and that’s what NU reports or from the campus paper. But yes, your yield rates are a good guess I’d think.

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67

Most schools offer fee waivers to those with demonstrated financial need, and you typically have to request it. But very few schools hand out fee waivers even to those without need.

68

I started to laugh when I saw the recent turn this thread had taken.

An analogy- I post that I don’t understand the appeal of WPI, MIT, Rose-Hulman and other tech oriented schools when you can get a degree in engineering from Rutgers, Michigan, Maryland, U Conn, etc.

And so folks point out the advantages and disadvantages of a tech U vs. a big, flagship U where you have people majoring in everything from Archaeology to Zoology and every letter in between.

A nice helpful discussion. Nobody goes into attack mode.

What is it about Northeastern that is so triggering?

Yes, Coops are great for some kids, neutral for others, not that helpful for some. Yes, Northeastern is much harder to get admitted to than it was when we were all in college, some of which is due to savvy marketing, some of which is due to shrewd financial management, some of which is due to actual investment in the academics. Yes, Northeastern has figured out a way to co-exist with its neighborhoods in Boston, which is a trick that not every academic institution has excelled at. Yes, they’ve expanded into non-Boston locations, they offer fee waivers, blah blah blah.

Most people on CC freely admit that no single university- however substantial the academic offerings- is the right choice for every kid. As far as I can see- Northeastern and High Point seem to trigger many, many passionate posts-- as if these two universities are immune from the lens we all impose upon every other institution.

I’ve interviewed Northeastern grads for entry level corporate opportunities. Some of them have benefited tremendously from their coops. Some of them either phoned it in or didn’t have that robust an experience, or were misplaced? Under-matched? Over-matched? and thus it wasn’t that helpful. And for some it was neutral. Kid learned what they didn’t want to do with their life- which is helpful- but didn’t graduate with anything besides “I hated my finance co-ops so maybe supply chain will be more interesting? I dunno”,

I know parents that are literally “betting the farm” (i.e. HELOC’s that they cannot afford; borrowing from their retirement accounts) out of the belief that Northeastern- which has come back with a financial package which they cannot afford-- is going to be their kid’s golden ticket. And I shake my head. These are kids with fine, affordable options. U Mass in-state, for example. But the parents are convinced that being stuck in Western MA at a U which isn’t “co-op, co-op, co-op” is going to leave their kid unemployed and unemployable.

A headshake for sure.

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69

I’d disagree - some don’t charge to begin with and others send them out, sometimes with special apps - like no essays required - like Santa Claus on a street corner passing out gifts.

Even schools that maybe you perused their website but never engaged - my daughter had zero interest with WUSTL and U Chicago - and yet their app waivers, please apply, came into her mailbox along with those from many other schools. She could have probably filled out the common app twice over with all the unsolicited waivers - and unfortunately only 4 or 5 were to schools that she had interest (but it saved us some money) And frankly, even if she was all in, had little to no chance at getting into either of those schools.

Other schools like Pitt (do a session, get the free code), Miami (take a tour, we’ll refund your app fee) and SMU (apply by Sept 30th for free) play the game a different way.

Many schools are padding!! Even the elites.

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70

That’s really unfortunate. I do get that feeling in some of the threads. Of course some parents do this to send their kids to other schools, too. I do not know if it is more common with Northeastern.

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Agree that folks often overlook their state flagship, and this is certainly true of Massachusetts residents attracted to Boston. My son is at UMASS-Amherst now and it’s is a phenomenal institution that really seems to work hard to promote opportunities for their students. And since it purchased Mt. Ida, there is housing available in Boston for those pursuing internships in the City.

While I support NU’s approach and have directly benefitted, it is not for everyone and I agree that student outcomes in experiential learning (at Northeastern and elsewhere) may miss the mark due to any number of circumstances.

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72

This happens with most every school, from my experience. Easy for someone to pick on a leader, and fail to defend each position beyond generalities. Not all schools have the career-orientation Northeastern does. Sure, there are no guarantees. And maybe you can get something similar some place else if you work hard enough. Likely, you won’t though. I have been on a board of a college that follows Northeastern quite closely, because they compete for applicants. Given your level of thoughtfulness, if you had more info, you would temper your words.

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73

What am I tempering? I’ve mentioned- repeatedly- that Northeastern is a terrific institution, and that if the academics work for a kid, and it’s affordable, the kid should apply (no guarantees on admissions). I’ve mentioned- repeatedly- that Co-op is terrific for some kids.

Your post sort of proves my point. What have I triggered by pointing out that some kids (not every kid) get lousy co-ops, or get great co-ops but don’t take advantage of the opportunities, or flounder after they graduate because they haven’t figured out a launch strategy? I.e. just like every other college in the US… NO college has a 100% track record of getting every single kid into the career of their choice within 6 months of graduation. And Northeastern- despite the pre-professional orientation-- doesn’t either.

If I wrote this about ANY other college- MIT, U Michigan, Swarthmore, Georgia Tech, Pomona, UIUC-- fine institutions all- everyone would agree- even with terrific career services, abundant internship and professional opportunities, strong alumni networks, etc. no college can guarantee that every single graduate will take advantage of what they have to offer. Even you would agree.

But post this about Northeastern and I’m told to temper myself? You’ve proven my point. Northeastern and High Point!

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74

It does happen but not more commonly than with other competitive institutions IMO.

75

I am suggesting that your strong opinions are based on generalities that you do not try to prove. I suggest you research further and see if you still feel the same way.

I could sub your posts for any college and include internships, jobs…

Yes, some kids do better than others, but what does that prove?

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76

I don’t need to research. I interview and hire hundreds of new grads a year from hundreds of institutions. I attend dog and pony shows on campus; I work with career services teams on the scheduling of presentations for both internships and fulltime jobs; I work with the administration (when necessary) when there is a policy shift (like a college no longer allowing “exploding” offers).

That’s my research- my actual, paid profession.

Northeastern has kids who will knock the cover off the ball in their careers, and kids who are duds at age 22 but will likely mature into someone successful, and kids who just can’t get it together. I don’t need to research- these are the facts on the ground from years of meeting college kids from NU and a wide range of other colleges. Some are ready for primetime right away and others were steered into majors or careers or sectors for which they really aren’t suited.

i.e. Northeastern grads are like other college grads. Alert the media!

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77

We agree, but… feel free to sub in the name of any school on earth.

The question is truly whether the structure of Northeastern Co-op has benefits beyond other schools? If you think think it’s the same as any schools career services and internship office… I just toured Tufts with my son and that’s not the way it looks to me.

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78

I’m sure during your tour of Tufts you met MANY kids who had graduated within the last few years who shared their intellectual, academic and professional journey with you (tongue in cheek since I know you did not).

Peace. I’m sure it will work out great for your kid!

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79

New here…
Would one say NEU is more of a “career culture” college? Son trying to decide between NEU and WU, IU, UMass all for CS.
Do these kids have fun, or do they focus on co-ops in their downtime? Which I’m fine with, just want to understand the culture, environment, competitiveness, etc.
And, for clarity, a co-op is basically a 6 month job in a related field, or is it more? Can a BU, UMass, WPI student get a co-op?

80

Doesn’t UChicago also garner heated discussions here? Both Northeastern and UChicago have admissions strategies that cause people to wonder about their academics, so maybe that’s what gets people talking.

Thank you @blossom and @michaelcollege for the lively discussion. You both have a better view of the real picture than a parent who just reads what the school and internet tell her. I’m rooting for @michaelcollege to be right but of course there are no guarantees. The thing I see that tells me a little bit about what Northeastern is doing, is that they do not restrict majors. A lot of CS programs only accept the tippy top kids, and to me, those students were going to excel at anything they decide to do. So if Northeastern has comparable outcomes, I think Northeastern is probably doing at least some of the heavy lifting.

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