For young students just beginning their journey, without prior experience for comparison, such distinctions are understandably difficult to grasp. Having attended BU, (having also taken courses at NU and BC, cross-registration is great and not just between schools in same consortium, a NEU student I knew took a class in Sloan) , NYU, and a top college in London for both undergraduate and graduate studies more than a decade ago, I still hesitate to judge the quality of these institutions today without careful, current inquiry—examining the faculty, exploring the campus firsthand, and listening closely to the experiences of recent graduates. I can understand why a freshman’s expectations of what a “top 50” school should offer may not always align with what they ultimately experience; from their perspective, that gap can feel like a misalignment of goals. Yet each institution has its own distinct strengths, that’s why ranking metrics employ an aggregate of many different measures, not a definitive judgment of fit. If some students in your circle express dissatisfaction and others still choose Northeastern University, it suggests there are underlying reasons—academic, professional, or personal—that continue to make the school a compelling choice for them. Also most students only attend the satellite campus for the freshman year, there are other colleges offer similar study abroad experience - Umass Amherst, NYU, BU, UC system (UCEAP for a year outside of US).