A Mixed Bag

Introduction
The biggest piece of advice I can give to a high school student considering Northeastern is simple: Don't believe the hype. I chose this school primarily because of the Co-op program, which it continually touts at every orientation session and at every parents luncheon. But I wonder if the program actually lives up to the hype. I admit I am a freshman, so I have never actually gone on Co-op yet, but from what I hear, it's not always what you may expect. Not all Co-ops are paid (which is misleading) and some majors are hard to Co-op in (i.e., photography).

Northeastern is mainly known for its Engineering school, so if you're a high schooler who wants to be an engineer, then this school is arguably for you. I've heard that the engineering program is rigorous, you'll probably get around $20/hour for your Co-op job, so I imagine it'll be worth the hard work. That said, I'm a journalism major, who while talking to older students who have Co-op'ed, have gotten the impression that they think it's an overall good experience, depending where you go and how committed you are to it.

Campus Life and Social Life
Northeastern at first may seem like a big party school, which it is, but I don't think it differs that much from the partying scene on any other college campus, and certainly not close to the partying-caliber of UCONN or Lehigh. Overall, it depends on who you hang with. Yeah you can be part of the partying and clubbing crowd and play beer pong every weekend if you want. But you can also find that close knit group of friends who just like to chill and watch movies on Friday nights. It depends on your personality and what you like to do. To be honest, those chilled, relaxed students are a lot easier to find than one may think. As to sports, Northeastern is known for its hockey program, but considering they didn't do well this season, I suppose that's a moot point. For the most part, students don't really turn up for games, in all sports, because we don't have an on-campus stadium and because of the recent transition from a commuter school. As to clubs, Northeastern offers 200+ clubs on campus, but you definitely have to be one to take the iniative and go find them yourself. We did have a few activities fairs in the beginning of the year as well, and that's where I first got involved with the campus newspaper. Advertisement
Academics
From what I've experienced, the academics aren't really thart hard. The classes aren't that difficult if you keep up with work. And most of the professors I've had are also pretty accessible. I've only had two journalism professors so far, but both of them have been really good. I can't really speak about other majors or departments, but we do have a solid journalism department. As for TA's, I've only had two, and one of them always looked bored out of her mind and the other genuinely cared about us, so it depends on the luck of the draw, I guess.

From what I hear, the hardest majors that require the most work are definitely engineering, architecture, business and pharmacy -- but that would be typical of most schools.

Student Body
I'd like to say the typical student here is probably the rich, overpriviledged bro-dude who loves playing whiffle ball on the quad and the girl in UGG boots and Chanel sunglasses who watches. But there's also a good diversity of students here too, they're just harder to find. Most of the students are from the New England area (N.Y., N.J., C.T., etc) but I've also met a good amount of people from the West Coast as well. Again, our sports program isn't that big here, and students generally don't have a lot of school spirit either. So expect low turnouts at most on-campus events.

In Closing...
Overall, I think Northeastern is a good school, academically. But in terms of the social scene, I think that could use some work. If you're into the backward baseball caps and whiffle ball on the quad, then I suppose this your dream school. But if you're into more intellectual convesation and deeper meaning, definitely apply someplace smaller and more liberal artsy.

Also keep in mind that Northeastern is extrememly close to Roxbury (i.e. shootings, etc). The administration doesn't like to put an emphasis on that fact at orientation, but it's definitely something to keep in mind.