Northeastern University Top Questions

Freshman year people leave their doors open in the dorms. After that you go to appartment style (which are great!!), so it's not as commonly used. People are friendly though and even in apartment style I'd meet a couple new neighbors. I met my best friend on co-op. And that group of friends knows each other from freshman year (most in same dorm). My other group of friends I met through being involved on campus. I met my two other really close friends in a student group called RSA. It is through them that I met my boyfriend. Greek life isn't important, per se... however it is popular depending on who you talk to. I've talked to people who say "I don't know anyone in greek life - it's so small it's not worth it." However the majority of my friends are in fraternities and sororities (I'm not), and I hear all about them. So to me, it seems like a big deal. If you are in the greek community, it's big enough that it has a significant presence. If you're not in the greek community you don't feel as though you necessarily should be in order to have fun.

Wide array of clubs to choose from. Broom ball is very entertaining and fun. Want to party? If you are a freshman male you must have at least two women per man in your company. That's just the way it is, the apartments are incapable of throwing full-blown ragers.

The Resident Student Activities, and Center for University Planning (RSA/CUP) are the most common clubs, and bring everything to campus from Ludacris and Ben Folds to Nickelodeon's Wild and Crazy Kids and Legends of the Hidden Temple. Your friends mostly come from people you lived with in a dorm, or the people you take classes with. I don't know if I have 5 friends who don't fit in either of those categories. There the ones who are in your room watching Sex and the City re-runs when you have an 8am class and its ticking into the early morning hours. there the ones you go out with on Saturday nights to parties all around Boston (and Cambridge...and Chestnut Hill) If your not into drinking, there the ones your going out to dinner with, going to a movie, or a show, or just walking around the city and soaking in all it has to offer.

I live off campus so it's harder for me but there are lots of student groups maybe even too many the fraternities and sororities are not a very big thing a Northeastern but they do exist

Utsav is the main club to join if you're indian. Students should usually join clubs that are similar to their major just to get tight with their professors and other networking sources.

Greek life is pretty active, as are student government and sports. In dorms students do tend to leave their doors open sometimes. Speakers come to campus very often. I met my closest friends in my dorm freshman year. People party on weekends but for the most part this is not too excessive. Every year there is springfest, which is a big concert in the spring. On a saturday night, you could go to the movies or stay in and watch a movie. Most social activities involve drinking on weekends.

Sports is pretty popular at NU. You have the official teams that play for the school but you also have the intramural teams. I am in the Entrepreneurship club. Its a fun club. We start our own mini business throughout the year. We'll make money and then invest that into more ventures. In freshman dorms, you find that it is more common for students to leave their doors open. In upperclassmen dorms, not really. The dating scene is pretty good here. You find a lot of coupling off in the spring time. I met my closest friends in freshmen year in the dorm. We lived on the same floor. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am probably partying. Some traditions and events every year are Springfest. These are always good. Always try to get tickets. And always get two. It is basically the biggest event of the school year and everyone goes. Hardcore partiers party a lot. The nights to go out are Tuesdays, Thursdays-Saturdays. This is when the bar scene is big. If you're not a big partier, then its mainly friday and saturdays. Greek life isn't all that big on campus. You'll find a couple of frat parties here and there. But you usually have to know someone. Last weekend I went out to the bars to celebrate a friend's 21st. Good times. Saturdays nights you can work if you don't drink. But everyone usually drinks. When I am off campus, I am usually working or spending time with friends. We'll go to sit in restaurants.

Clubs are great for meeting people, if you have time for them.

Again, there is something for everyone at NU, and in close proximity in the city. My biggest involvements have been with NUHOC, the outdoors sports and skiing club, of which I am the president, and also afterHOURS, the coffeshop/full performance music venue on campus, which I was a sound technician at. NUHOC has a lodge that is completely student run, and funded through the club about 4 hours north in New Hampshire/Maine. We lead trips, run educational sessions and are just generally involved with almost every kind of outdoorsy activity you could ask for. Check out www.nuhoc.neu.edu. Its a really cheap way for people to learn new skills, get out of the city, or just find like-minded people to go adventure with. Hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, backpacking, mountaineering, skiing, snowboarding, camping, kayaking, rafting, caving, mountain biking, cycling... the list goes on. We do it in the woods. (Pun intended.) afterHOURS is our local small venue. We have local NU bands and larger acts play, and the venue is largely student-run, although well supported by the school. We usually have activities six nights a week. I've done sound for the likes of Zox, Soulive, Duncan Sheik and Hanson (yes, really, Hanson - they're all grown up.) We've had many, many more... Check out www.northeastern.edu/afterhours. Depending on the night you can have hours of jam bands, reggae-jam, rap, hip-hop, punk, gospel, a capella. We do it all...

Tons of opportunities on and around campus in Boston. Anything for any type of experience that a student wishes.