Northeastern University

Northeastern has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Here's what you need to know:

2005 U.S. News Rankings:

Ranked in the Top Tier of Doctoral Universities
Ranked in the top 20 for international business
Ranked in the top 60 for engineering
Ranked as one of the top internship/co-op programs in the country.
Location:
Boston, the Mecca of College Towns. During the school year, the city is ruled by college students. Northeastern is located in the Back Bay of Boston in an area called the “Fenway Cultural District” which is in between Copley Square and the Longwood Medical Area. Other institutions in the District include the Museum of Fine Arts, Huntington Theater, Symphony Hall, the Christian Science Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Academics:
Northeastern has created a unique academic model that combines pre-professional studies with liberal arts and paid internships that are related to a student’s field of study. This is a powerful combination and in my opinion, superior to the traditional form education (i.e. rote lectures which are solely based on theories which have virtually no practical application in the real world). The co-op program is also a huge confidence builder and a powerful networking tool. There are over 3000 companies in the program (more than any other school). Northeastern grads are heavily recruited by companies like Microsoft, EMC, Fidelity, IBM, and some of the top state and federal agencies

Faculty:
The majority of the professors are excellent. Most are very dedicated and make themselves available for students. Some professors will invite students to their homes for parties or out for lunch and a few will even show up at student parties which can be kind of fun. When the weather is nice, some of the professors will hold classes outside in one of Northeastern's grassy quads.

Student Life:
Student life at Northeastern continues to improve as the school adds more residence halls. The school has added more than 3000 beds in the last three years. And these are not your typical no frills dorms; rather they are like luxury apartments with amazing views of the Boston skyline. The university is planning on adding an additional 2000 beds in the next five years and has plans to build an on campus football stadium. These changes will only improve student life at Northeastern. On Saturday nights, students usually go to clubs on Lansdowne Street or to parties on Gainsborough Street which is a street with gorgeous brownstones (only a short walk from the frosh dorms). Northeastern is also directly across of the Museum of Fine Arts and Symphony Hall which is a huge plus if you are into the arts.

Campus:
Northeastern's campus is amazing. The school recently spent $500 million on new buildings and landscaping projects. In my opinion, we now have the nicest urban campuses in the country. The campus is also very safe for an urban school. Some of the newer buildings include a recreation center (the best in Boston), an engineering and science research center, state of the art classroom building, a new health sciences building, a new computer science building, a squash facility, two new parking garages, seven luxury residence halls, and several new computer labs. On the downside, the football field is located off campus in Brookline. However, the university recently announced plans for a new on campus stadium. Plans are also in the works for a new Honors Residence Hall.

Administration:
This school is constantly improving academically and administratively. What some students experienced in terms of administrative hassles a couple of years ago may no longer be relevant (i.e. red tape). Everything has been streamlined. Even the academic calendar has changed. In the fall of 2003, Northeastern dropped their quarter calendar in favor of an academically richer semester calendar. Another recent change is that Northeastern guarantees the same level of financial aid for all four years or five years if you choose the five year option (i.e. no more worries about losing aid after frosh year). The co-op program has also been strengthened with the addition of more Fortune 500 companies abroad. The trustees are really serious about making Northeastern a top school and it shows.

4th Year Female -- Class 2004

Surrounding City: A+, Education Quality: A

Northeastern is getting better every year and is showing substantial improvement in all major college guides. Some ranking to consider:

1. Ranked “Highly Competitive” by Barrons and one of the “Best Buys in Higher Education”;
2. Ranked #1 by U.S. News for co-ops and internships;
3. Rated as one of the Top Colleges in the Northeast by the Princeton Review;
4. Ranked in the top 60 for engineering by U.S. News and Graduates Online;
5. Ranked in the top 30 for EE by the NRC;
6. Ranked #1 by Computer World for High Tech Business;
7. Ranked #27 for Entrepreneurship programs by Success Magazine;
8. Ranked in the top twenty for international business by U.S. News;
9. Ranked in the top 25 by the NRC for Oceanography; and
10. Ranked as a Research II institution by the Carnegie Foundation (second highest ranking).
11. The Law School is ranked in the second tier by U.S. News.

4th Year Female -- Class 1999

Surrounding City: A+, Education Quality: A-

Top 10 reasons why I love this school:

1. Great location in Boston (near everything);
2. Good academics (esp. the Honors Program);
3. Top Notch Facilities (everything is brand new and state of the art);
4. Oustanding Faculty (most went to top grads school like Harvard and MIT, etc.);
5. Beautiful urban campus (grassy quads, sculpture, fountains, and tree lined walkways);
6. Super diverse student body (anyone will fit in here);
7. Growing National Reputation;
8. On campus recruiting (plenty of top companies
come here to recruit);
9. The best internship program in the country;
10. Very attractive students.

4th Year Female -- Class 2007

Education Quality: A+, Campus Aesthetics: F