Which school is better? Bentley or Northeastern?

[spiritedaway]

Hi OP,

It looks like you have already made up your mind on Northeastern, so I wish you the best since I "fondly" remember how tough it was for me to make my college decision a few years ago. (I was debating my options between BC and Bentley, and only ruled out Northeastern because its financial aid package was not nearly as competitive as others).

First, I want to echo two things that a few folks have mentioned:

1) Believe me when I say that where you ended up going to college isn't as important as what you do with your skills/talents. Name brand and recognition is important, but only up to a certain degree.

2) You're comparing between apples and oranges. Bentley is a small but excellent business school in a suburban area in Waltham, whereas Northeastern is a huge school with various programs (not just business) in Boston. If you are interested in accounting, Bentley may be the way to go since it's well known for its accounting programs. If you have doubts about what you want to do, then Northeastern is the right pick for you because they have a lot more programs to choose from.

As for the co-op, I think someone has mentioned that they try to place you in jobs, but there is no "guarantee". It's not so different from internships/ part time jobs that most college students do nowadays.

I'd like to preface that I ended up choosing Bentley over a number of others schools. It worked out very well for me. I have a full-time job in a field doing what I love, and I know most of my peers are doing well too. I also have relatives who attended Northeastern and they seemed to enjoy their experiences as well. My intent is not "market" my school simply because I'm an alumni there, but to provide some insight so you can get different feedback to make an informed decision. Personally, I love the small class size, the projects we did, the people I met, and the education I've gotten there. It worked for me, just as I'm sure there are NEU students who could say the same about their experiences.

It's all about how you put in and what you want to get out of your education. It's an individual decision and you have to find what "fits" your goals/needs best. If you haven't come to visit (both schools), then I'd highly recommend for a visit so you can get a better feel of what you like/dislike.

Best of luck in your college decision.

[ojin]

Im not sure I will change my mind after entering.
Thank you spiritedaway

[RLCMA]

I know people who have gone to both and they're both doing well. I'm a UMASS Dartmouth grad myself and dated a girl who was a Dartmouth College grad and I made a higher salary than her out of college so I don't really buy into where you go to school has anything to do with success. It may open more doors at the get go and impresses people over cocktail conversations but that's it. I could care less about impressing people. If you don't perform well, you're out the door no matter where you graduated from.

[Amerie]

I went to Northeastern -and the co-op isn't all what you make it to be. I would agree with the poster who said to go to Bentley. That said - I would actually opt for Fordham University over both. It has a sound program and many opportunities. I transferred from NU after my first year and went to college in NYC. Northeastern is way too expensive and you are more like a number. You can get a better bang for your buck and the same internship/co-op experience going to a 4-year college.

Have you thought about UMASS? I would look into Boston. UMASS Amherst and Dartmouth are okay. Dartmouth is very close to the city of New Bedford. I took classes there and my older brother graduated from there. Amherst is a good school but in the boondocks.

If you are thinking about NYC - you can actually get a very good education with many work opportunities going to a CUNY where tuition is much lower. Baruch College is the business school CUNY. Pace University's Lubin School (downtown) is also generous with funding and has a decent program with pretty good internship opportunities. Some schools actually have international funding programs too - so you may want to look into who will be willing to give you some financial help in the event that you need it.

Northeastern in my opinion is overrated and unless you are going for engineering (there are other majors with good programs as well, but you can get a similar education at a cheaper school) - I would opt for another school. State schools charge lower tuition and you can generally get the same education in a state school. College is what you make of it. I know a lot of people who are still paying off their NU student loans and they have been out of school for years.

Boston is a great city and a wonderful place to go to college. You will get to meet people from all over -but I enjoyed the NYC collegiate experience more.

Good Luck!

[azaleaeight]

If I were you, as long as I could get the education I wanted at Northeastern I'd go there.

[cvl105]

Hi Ojin,

I actually went to Northeastern for undergraduate school and now am attending Bentley part-time for my MBA.

I LOVEEEED Northeastern. I loved the campus, the location in Boston, and the school itself. I feel that I got a great education and also had a great opportunity to enjoy Boston as well. The co-op program is absolutely great, in my opinion. I was a finance major as well, and as I'm sure you know, there are many different types of finance jobs. The co-op program helped me figure out what type of finance I want to do and what I definately didn't want to do after graduation. Northeastern doesn't "Guarantee" you a job after you graduate. But if you do well enough at one of your co-ops, they may offer you a full-time position upon graduation. Even if a co-op doesn't turn into a full-time job, you build a great resume with applicable job experience that most college graduates don't have upon graduation.

Bentley is also a GREAT school. I would think that most people would say this is the "better" business school because it's focus is mainly on business. It has a Trading Room which is great for finance students if stocks/bonds/etc are of interest to you. Here I'm sure they can help line up summer internships as well if that interests you.

Northeastern is right in the heart of Boston, down the street from the Prudential building, Fenway Park, and is on the Green Line (subway). Bentley is out in Waltham and they have a shuttle that brings you to Harvard Square in Cambridge, which you can then take the subway into Boston. Both campuses are beautiful. It just depends whether you are looking for a school more in the city or more in the outskirts. Personally, if I could do it all over again, I would still choose Northeastern because I loved being right in the city and able to get anywhere in Boston easily.

If you have any specific questions or I can help you out any more...please let me know! )