YourCollegeProfile.com • Become a fan of YourCollegeProfile.com on Facebook

Access Security Profile!

Northeastern University Profile

Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University Profile

Northeastern University was established in 1898 as a private institution offering cooperative educational programs in liberal arts & sciences, business, and research. The university is composed of 6 undergraduate, and 8 graduate schools within the City of Boston’s South End neighborhood. Northeastern University’s network of private educational facilities offer comprehensive undergraduate, and graduate programs in several different fields including biological sciences, business, public health, engineering, social science, and communication arts. Northeastern prepares students for careers in the above-mentioned 6 undergraduate schools through cooperative educational programs. The school itself is located within a 10 minute walk to Fenway Park, which makes it a student friendly spot, not to mention the surrounding schools along Commonwealth & Fenway Avenues which make the area feel like a college town.

The university is unique because it’s located within the center of Boston’s academic neighborhood of the South End, Back Bay, and Kenmore Square, not to mention Cambridge across the Charles River. The area is also unique for it’s cobble stone streets and revered Colonial Style Brownstones lining several of Northeastern’s surrounding streets. The school is very spread out geographically for a city school with facilities starting on Columbus Ave to the east and continuing along Gansborough Street up to Hemenway Street to the west. The northern point of the campus footprint lies on Massachusetts Ave, the southern edge of campus lies on Ruggles Street in the heart of the South End of Boston. Northeastern also has several nature preserves including the Back Bay Conservation Area off Park Drive to the southeast of the campus.

As you can see, the university’s footprint is large for a private city school with 73 acres. Northeastern’s educational landscape offers students a professional education while still allowing students to enjoy a close-knit city community. The South End campus offers students a college town community without boundaries within one of the nation’s most popular cities. The campus has approximately 81 buildings including lecture, residential, research, studio, resource centers, and dining facilities. The internal campus setting also provides students, employees, and alumni with several types of services including health, physical fitness, library, cultural meeting places, and several large green areas.

The issue of student housing on campus is a challenge for Northeastern University because the school is located within a mixed residential/ commercial area in a very active city. Northeastern has purchased several local residence buildings and commercial properties over the years to convert into new academic, and residential facilities for students to enjoy. Student housing at Northeastern is guaranteed for students freshman year only through a first come, first served basis, upperclassmen at the school can apply for on campus housing through a lottery system each year. Northeastern has approximately 7,389 students living in several different types of facilities within the city landscape. The university also has 52% of it’s students commuting to class on a daily basis.

The physical layout of Northeastern’s campus isn’t unique for a city school because the facility has no manmade barriers to the campus along the perimeter of Huntington & Columbus Avenues, and only has one set of metal gates in the rear of campus along Parker Street by the West Village Residence Complex. This type of physical layout allows students easy access to campus facilities along Huntington Ave including the Orange “T” Line. Northeastern is a city school that has several large concrete plazas and green squares that welcome students and parents to the area including Centennial Common, and the square outside of the Curry Student Center.

Another interesting observation about this educational community is the students themselves. Northeastern University is a very mixed community with local residents, students, tourists, and commercial facilities all within a 10-block radius. You will find a small number of students wearing Northeastern apparel, and you also have students and local residents embracing the city culture by not relieving school colors. The footprint of the school also allows students to travel underground through a tunnel network situated in the middle of campus to reduce exposure to weather, which, is unusual for a city landscape. The tunnels connect to several main student life facilities including the library, student center, physical education center, and the main academic buildings on campus.

Northeastern has developed new student housing villages on the southwest, and northeast sides of the campus landscape to provide facilities in close proximity to several green areas, lecture halls, athletic fields, and the student center. This type of footprint allows for easy access to all of Northeastern’s student life facilities. NEU is a large city school that is linked to Boston on a 24-hour basis including government buildings & services, music & theatre productions, sporting & cultural events, museums, nightlife, and restaurants. The university’s South End location also allows students to enjoy natural landscapes within a city environment while having the ability to engage in professional activities.

The internal campus setting provides students and employees with several types of student services including physical fitness, library services, and cultural meeting places and dining halls. Northeastern University’s observed focal points of reference during the campus tour were the academic buildings around Centennial Commons including the Behrakis Health Sciences Building, Shillman Hall, and the Egan Engineering Center. The quad around the Curry Student Center adjacent to Snell Library was also full of students enjoying the outside courtyard during my daytime visit. The west end of campus off Huntington Ave also has several campus life facilities including the Marino Athletic Center, and Cabot’s fitness center for students to enjoy.

NEU’s external focal points can be found along Huntington Ave with students enjoying several small restaurants within a very short walk from campus. Students also enjoy the “T Line” Trolley along the main line for transportation links to everything Boston because the train is located at their doorsteps. Northeastern also has several green areas including the “Commons” in the middle of campus and the Carter Playground off Columbus Ave. Students use these multi-story facilities and green areas to socialize and enjoy campus life. These exterior meeting places were full of students enjoying the city landscape during my visit.

The published demographic information for the university describes a culturally diverse student population with students from all across the world. Northeastern University has developed several different schools, within it’s cooperative educational network to offer students a Liberal Arts and Science, Research, and a Comprehensive education format to enhance it’s commitment to different types of career endeavors. The university has also developed independent affiliates with several global universities to highlight it’s commitment to global learning. Below is a description of demographics for Northeastern’s campus in Boston Massachusetts.

The school is home to approximately 7,536 male, and 7,803 female full time students. Northeastern also has a large graduate school population with 2,646 male, and 2,608 female students enrolled. The average age of a freshman is 18 years old. 65% of students are from out of state, mostly the northeast States. Students on campus provide a diverse multi-cultural makeup including students from all 50 states, and 94 foreign countries, and Canada. 65% of students are white, 11% are African American, 13% Asian Americans, and 8% are Hispanic.

Published Academic Standards for Admission Programs

Northeastern University has a large educational system for a private school, which offers 6 undergraduate cooperative programs. Below is a list of under graduate admission requirements.

Freshman Class: 30,349 applied, 11,958 accepted, 2,871 enrolled. SAT Verbal 665, SAT Math 680. ACT 29 Application Deadline: January 15.

Student Housing

The purpose of student housing is to provide safe and reasonable accommodations for students living away from home. The issue of housing and dormitory life is a critical element of overall campus life because students spend a large amount of time in their rooms. Student housing units historically come in 3 different styles including traditional corridor, suite, and apartment style units.

Northeastern University only guarantees housing for freshman students who have filed their intent to reside on campus by the stated deadline. Housing is available through a first come, first served basis. The school has a lottery system for upper classman seeking on campus housing that has continuously registered as full time students. Northeastern currently has 7,389 students living on campus, which is approximately 48% of it’s students. Housing resources on campus are situated within several different villages including a new multi-story residence hall complex called the West Village on the western edge of the campus off Parker Street, the eastern residence halls off Columbus Ave, and finally the northern halls off Huntington Ave. Information about housing can be found on the quick links page of this document.

Off Campus Housing

Northeastern University has been described as a mini-city situated within a mixed residential and commercial community in Boston. The reason I have mentioned the overall community of the South End is to re-assert the point that Northeastern’s network of affiliated campuses has encapsulated it’s real estate holdings within the area. The campus footprint allows almost every student to have housing within walking distance to the campus. Information about off campus housing can be found on the Northeastern’s quick links page of this document.

Campus Life

Northeastern University is a multi-cultural campus environment that provides students with an excellent social, and educational atmosphere. The admissions demographics paint a picture of a very diverse community with students from all over the world. The local community of the South End/Back Bay Boston only adds to the university’s international status because the community has multi-cultural roots as well. Northeastern also addresses the issue of ecology in a positive way. The physical environment is reasonably clean and well maintained and the economic conditions are favorable to students and local residents due to the available services in walking distance to the school.

The emotional climate and culture of the entire Northeastern University community is a combination of intellectual and social due to it’s close relationship with the overall community of South Boston and Back Bay. The school’s mature student population, educational, and athletic resources makes Northeastern an attractive institution because it offers students real world professional experiences in Boston, while providing social relationships with local organizations and community groups through student activities for everyone to enjoy throughout the year.

The university also thrives on it’s physical and intellectual relationships with several local colleges and universities including Boston College in nearby Chestnut Hill, and Boston University located in the nearby section of Kenmore Square in Boston. These schools connect to each other on the Green “T” Line as part of Boston’s mass transit system. Students at Northeastern can also enjoy student life in Cambridge, which is across the Charles River along Back Bay. Harvard and MIT are located in this student friendly location. Students flock to Boston each year to enjoy the city campus lifestyle in regard to activities, socialization, theatre, sports, history, and affordable housing resources. The City of Boston can be considered one the nations main college cities because it has several distinguished institutions, and a mass transit system that can connects them to the Boston cityscape.

This issue of school culture is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community. Northeastern has done a great job developing positive social systems with it’s students by providing a series of coordinated programs including workshops and seminars for freshman students to advance their studies. This type of process provides a foundation for learning and personal growth providing over 225 academic clubs, student organizations, and over 36 intramural sports activities. Northeastern also has a strong Greek presence on campus with 4% of it’s male students belonging to 6 national fraternities, and 4% of it’s female students belonging to 9 national sororities.

Campus life at Northeastern is more than academic excellence; it’s about building personal relationships with students and facility that continues throughout each student’s career. The school also offers students the ability to develop real world professional relationships through it’s cooperative education programs, and it also allows students to enjoy school sports, performing arts, history, cultural events, restaurants, and local museums throughout the year. For example, Boston has hundreds of venues to enjoy the previously stated activities including the theatre district, Boston Garden, Fenway Park, Boston Commons, and Harvard Square. Northeastern University also participates in 20 NCAA varsity sports for women and men and the overall exercise facilities within the campus are fantastic with students enjoying the recreation center on a daily basis.

Public Transportation

The Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) has several trolley stops on Huntington Ave in the heart of Northeastern’s campus. The transit authority also has a large facility in the middle of campus called the Ruggles Train Station. This valuable train service connects to all of Boston’s transit lines and regional train services for Amtrak and Logan Airport. The train service can also be considered a vital transportation service for 52% of Northeastern’s students who commute to school on a daily basis.

Regional Public transportation resources can be found within Back Bay, North, and South Stations that link with trains to suburban Massachusetts, lines to Rhode Island (Providence), and New Hampshire commuter service through (MBTA). Amtrak also uses North Station as a major hub within it’s Northeast Corridor. This complex train system also allows riders the ability to travel to downtown Boston and Logan Airport in a matter of minutes. People who live, work, and visit Boston usually travel by some type of mass transit. Students should be encouraged to purchase a metro card to get around. Mass transit information can be found at: www.mbta.com

Boston itself is located within close proximity to the 4 northeastern states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, which make it convenient to several suburban communities and highway networks. The city itself also has several main roadways that connect the community to major state highways including the Mass Turnpike (Route 90) and Routes 91 & 84 that links Boston and suburban Massachusetts and Rhode Island to Route 95, which is the main highway corridor on the eastern seaboard. Shopping, restaurants, and national hotel chains can be found within these major transportation networks after a short drive from the campus.

Community Profile

The South End of Boston Massachusetts has been described in different ways, including a busy student friendly urban community centered around it’s local university and a tourist heaven due to it’s geographical location within the City of Boston. The South End, Back Bay, and Kenmore Square have a relatively high number of restaurants, retail, and entertainment resources within the area. The area can also be considered a working class residential community with historic brownstones, town homes, and modern apartments buildings lining several streets. Northeastern is also situated in walking distance to Fenway Park, which makes it a very active community for local residents, tourists, and students throughout the baseball season. Student population and historical neighborhood architecture can be found mainly within 10 blocks of the main academic buildings within the overall neighborhood. The greatest number of residents in this area is in fact students, and employees of Northeastern and Boston Universities.

The South End can also be considered a commuter area because large numbers of local residents travel to downtown Boston to work. The Suburbs, and local neighborhoods of Boston are a maze of cultures that are unique to the people who live and work in them; Back Bay, and the South End of Boston are no exception. The overall neighborhood can be considered a mixed residential area because you have commercial, residential, cultural, and intellectual all within the same block with people walking through the Northeastern campus on their way to work, or home. The areas around Huntington and Forsyth Streets are the major pedestrian walkways in the neighborhood for students, residents, tourists, and commuters because it’s really in the middle of the community.

Community demographics: The following demographics for Boston Massachusetts describe a multi-cultural community within a total population of 590,763 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A Census Bureau community survey highlights several characteristics to describe the population including: 48% of residents are male, 52% are female. 56% of residents are white, 26% are African American, 8% are Hispanic or Latino, and finally 8% are Asian. The median age of population is 33 years old. 81% of residents are 18 years old or over, 74% age 21 and over, and finally 10% of city residents are over the age of 65. The issue of housing in Boston is also interesting. 91% of all housing units within the city are occupied. 62% of housing units are renter-occupied, while 38% of units are owner-occupied.

Local weather

Weather is also an issue to consider for students preparing for a university experience. Massachusetts enjoys all four seasons of weather including rain and snow. Northeast weather patterns sometimes allow for temperatures to drop below 32 degrees for a considerable amount of time during the winter. The City of Boston also gets it’s share of rain during the spring and summer months as well.

Northeastern University Quick Links Page

The Your College Profile web site also contains an “Everything in Boston” document for families who wish to explore the City of Boston while visiting Boston University. This site contains a full list of hotels, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment, and tourism resources for families enjoying the region. Below is a sample list of local hotels and restaurants in the Back Bay Area of the city.

Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel
138 Saint James Ave
Boston MA 02116
Four Seasons Hotel Boston
200 Boylston Street
Boston MA 02116
Taj Hotel Boston
15 Arlington Street
Boston MA 02116
Colonnade Hotel
120 Huntington Ave
Boston MA 02116
Courtyard by Marriott Copley Sq
47 Huntington Ave
Boston MA 02116
Marriott at Copley Place
110 Huntington Ave
Boston MA 02116
Ritz-Carlton Boston Commons
10 Avery Street
Boston MA 02111
Omni Parker House Hotel
60 School Street
Boston MA 02108

Back Bay & Beacon Hill Restaurants

Comments!

Login to comment on this profile.


There are no comments to display.

Take action now!