Boston University or Northeastern?

Question

I haven't been to either but am thinking of applying to both. Can you compare them? (selectivity, location, enviornment, size, tuition, what Bostonians think about them) Thanks!

Answer 1

Northeastern and BU are both within the city of Boston. There are huge numbers of students there, so everything you think of students doing, you can do it there.

Northeastern is a respectable school but not as highly ranked as BU, but Northeastern has a more practical reputation - more people who are actually in business, or working and going to school to improve their professional skills. BU is a very good school but it does have something of a reputation as a safety school for good students who missed getting into an Ivy, and who are trustfund babies -- spending a lot of money. Both of these schools are quite large - much larger than the elite schools like the Ivies or Duke or Stanford. And much larger than many other schools in New England. I think NE might be the largest New England university.

You can get a very good education at either of these schools.

Answer 2

northeastern is..........close to fenway (and has the ruggles T stop right there). other than a summer of teaching there, I have no experience with it.

I went to BU for a while, though. the price tag is insane, and most of the students I met were financially immature (i.e. they didn't work, spent a lot, and asked mom and dad for money all the time), but friendly. if you can deal with that atmosphere, it's actually in a pretty fun area, right across the river from MIT. as for size, BU is an enormous school. you _will_ be treated as a serial number by the administration, and not a name.