MGH or Northeastern??

[AMKersh]

Time is dwindling down, but I'm faced with a bit of a dilemma because I just found out I was accepted to Northeastern!  Any input you have would be most helpful.  I did visit MGH most recently (I visited Northeastern about a year ago), so I fully accept that I may have a bit of a recency bias.  Here are my thoughts:

 

MGH is more expensive, and nearby housing seems a bit trickier to get.  However, their full-time CSD faculty is about twice the size of Northeastern's, and there seem to be more opportunities for research (a big plus for me). MGH also has options for special concentration.

 

MGH is just a graduate school, whereas Northeastern is large university with SLP undergrads as well. (There are pros and cons to each, and I'm not sure which is better!)  Northeastern has an audiology program and clinic, whereas MGH does not much of an audiology/hearing focus. 

 

Finally, MGH had an admitted students event and a number of ways for me to get in touch for more information. I have found it a bit trickier to get post-acceptance information at Northeastern - everyone I've spoken to seems too busy to speak or meet with me.  That said, I realize that my admission/acceptance experience will likely have little to do with my actual graduate experience.

 

Again, any advice or experiences you can share would be EXTREMELY HELPFUL!  Thanks!!

 

TL;DR - see topic title.  HELP!

 

 

[Ready42]

I have not heard many good things about Northeastern. It seems that their administration is not very organized and I heard that they are the "odd one out" from the Boston area schools. What I think the person who told me that meant was that Northeastern isn't regarded as highly as MGH, BU, and Emerson when it comes to placements. 

 

Good luck!

[lisa19]

When looking at Boston schools, I noticed that Northeastern was the only one to require students have access to a car for external placements

[argslp]

When looking at Boston schools, I noticed that Northeastern was the only one to require students have access to a car for external placements

 

I noticed that too, which seemed a bit odd, considering that the majority of Boston is so reliant on public transportation. When I visited Northeastern, I had a great campus tour led by an ambassador, but I did not get the same positive vibes when I visited the clinic. In my opinion, they were not as welcoming as the programs at Emerson and Boston University. That's just subjective, of course. I'm still waiting to hear back from them.

[AMKersh]

Thank you guys for your input!  I remember that car requirement as well, but I hadn't actually considered what that meant; it may be that, despite their location, many students get placements outside of Boston simply because there are fewer clinical affiliations and placements.

 

I have recently been in contact with a student who attends Northeastern, and she said that she there are plenty of opportunities for extracurricular involvement, and it seems that she has time to do it, too!  This too me seems like both a pro and a con - of course I'd love to continue with my extracurricular music passions, but I am also planning on dedicating my life to SLP.  Other programs seems to really fill your schedule up academically/clinically, which gives me a stronger sense of commitment the career and studies in general.   It's hard to tell what the "right" answer is - are my concerns legitimate or bogus?  I don't know!

 

As for administration, I definitely agree thus far, Ready42.  Why is their response so late when 4/15 is a known deadline across MANY programs?  What is with the minimal support and resources for accepted students?  Even to find out my admission status, I had to check - no email or call!  (That would be fine if it were't so late in the game.)  I seemed to get some bizarre answers when I looked for ways to visit campus or get more info.  Hmmm....