EDIT: We called Northeastern. They took this supplement off their application as of 10/8/18, which we think is unfair to students who did the work and confusing to everyone in general. At the very least there should have been a notice on Common App. The only reason we can think of for Northeastern doing this is that they weren’t satisfied with their preliminary number of applicants so they decided to make their application easier. We’re not impressed.

A private research university in Boston, Northeastern is known for its professional co-op program, through which the vast majority of students engage in jobs and internships before graduation. The acceptance rate is about 27 percent.

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. 250 words

As we mentioned above, Northeastern puts a big emphasis on its co-op program. If you’re applying, you should know by now that the school integrates academics with real-world experience to give students a jump-start in professional development. As such, Northeastern values work experience of applicants in a way that other universities do not. This is the time to highlight that experience in your own life.

Northeastern doesn’t want to know that you performatively volunteered as a reading tutor six times over the last four years, but they actually do want to hear about that job you had as a summer assistant to a prosecutor in your town. One cautionary note: unfortunately, universities don’t quite hold blue-collar or service industry experience in the esteem they do fancy internships and research work. This tends to make building a competitive resume more difficult for high schoolers who come from less-affluent backgrounds. However, consider that Northeastern will value whatever work experience you have more so than other schools will, so use that to your advantage.

Tuition is not charged for co-op, which is also pretty interesting. You still have to pay room and board if you choose to live on campus while you’re working, and tuition for the academic portion of a student’s time at Northeastern is pretty pricy, but on the whole, Northeastern is more cost-conscious than other schools.

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