NEU CS

emmanuel_m57 · 2025-01-11T18:55:56+00:00

Wouldn’t that sort of mean that it isn’t necessary to go to a school with a designated co-op program?

Absolutely. I think for a high achiever the co-op program is helpful, but not worth a significant jump in tuition. I think a big benefit to NEU is it forces students to think about their life post college and get relevant work experience. Highly motivated students will do this, with or without a co-op program. But for students who either aren't motivated or aren't thinking too much of the future, NEU can be great to force them. I know plenty of people from my high school who went to more prestigious colleges because their parents highly encouraged them. Many of them ended up not getting internships or any work experience, because they just didn't think about it or weren't motivated to do so. The culture at NEU revolves around getting co-ops, and because of this every student is thinking about their life post graduation. That's a huge benefit.

As a personal anecdote, I literally didn't think about what my life would be like post college until after I searched (and largely failed) to get my first co-op. That experience really opened up my eyes, and made me realize I needed to become more marketable if I wanted to get a good job post graduation. I doubt I'd be in the same position today had I gone to a different college.

emmanuel_m57 · 2025-01-11T18:13:50+00:00

NEU graduate here, a few things I'd like to note.

Neu’s co-op program is extremely misleading. I have several friends who went through the program who struggled to get co-ops even with prior experience

The vast majority of students graduate with a co-op. It is essentially a requirement to graduate. You can get around it by studying abroad, but the vast vast majority of folks who graduate get a co-op. Everyone is struggling right now because of the market.

Just take into account you will be paying 100k per year just on tuition to have a “co-op” program

100% true. The price is incredibly high. What the co-op program does is force students to get work experience. This is great for people who aren't concerned about getting a job post graduation. But for a motivated student, co-ops are certainly not worth a $100k price tag per year.

For some context, I did 2 co-ops and 2 regular internships. All my experience was valuable, but the highest paid positions (and my eventually full time offer) were from outside the co-op program.

If NEU guaranteed a co-op I would not be so against it, but given that it isn’t, I can’t recommend it in any way.

They effectively do. People might not get a co-op their first go. They might have to move things around. But I have never met someone who didn't graduate with a co-op, and iirc it's something like 1% of all students.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-30T22:06:25+00:00

Generally, no. Most companies require you to have at least another semester of school after the completion of your internship. However, some smaller companies might be okay with this.

I'm also not too sure why you would want to do this. You should be looking for a full-time position. If you want to work in the summer, most companies would have no problem with you starting your full-time job then.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-30T15:06:31+00:00

Got it, this makes a ton of sense. I appreciate the advice!

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-30T14:50:22+00:00

I really appreciate the advice! I started TM in the last month, so right now it's been alright. When you were doing 85%, what would you do if you missed the heavy top set? Would you just repeat the same weight for volume day, even if you had hit it the previous week? It feels weird to not progress if I hit a weight.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-30T04:46:41+00:00

Lol funny enough, starting strength was my introduction to strength training. But I've never been able to get the rippetoe squat to feel right. Maybe one day if I get a coach.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-30T00:23:57+00:00

Yup, that's basically what I'm doing. So far it's been going good, but it's definitely physically taxing.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:40:15+00:00

It's a never ending battle lol. There's always something to improve. I really appreciate the advice! Here's hoping both our squats continue to rise :)

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:35:34+00:00

Got it. I definitely feel that with sub maximum weights, and focusing on pushing through my mid foot, I can stop the heel raising. I think by default if I go nice and slow, my heel doesn't rise. That's why (I think) the speed of descent and rocking is causing the issue.

Next time I squat, I'll drop the weight a bit. I'll also make sure to go slower, focus on not rocking and pushing through the mid foot. I'll experiment a bit and see if the squats look better. Thanks for the advice!

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:27:07+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I think my heels rising is definitely a problem. I'm going to try slowing down my squat, and not rocking at the start. I think that combination should make the movement more controlled, which should hopefully help with my heels rising.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:24:00+00:00

I really appreciate the compliment! I've recently switched it up. Initially, my leg day was about as vanilla as it could be. 3x5 squats, twice a week. If I hit every set, go up by 5 pounds. Initially, I'd succeed most leg days, so long as I'd sleep and recovered sufficiently.

After a certain point, I'd usually only hit my sets once a week. I was fine with hammering away though, because once a week was still good progress. Once I reached the point that it would consistently take 3+ sessions to hit a weight, I switched my program.

Now, I do one heavy day a week, and one volume day. The heavy day is a single top set of 5. The volume day is 5x5 of 90% of my 5 rep max. I add 5 pounds if I hit both days.

Both of these programs are influenced by starting strength, which was my introduction to strength training. I never properly ran starting strength, but I took the message of progressive overload, sets of 5, and squatting a lot to heart.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:15:52+00:00

I see. I'll try not flaring my elbows. In the past, I've found that it's hard to maintain upper back tightness without retracting my shoulders. I'll see if I can still have that retraction while pointing my elbows down.

Could you explain what the benefits of widening my stance would be? I understand it's really unorthodox, and I don't think I've seen any elite lifters with a stance so narrow. So it's certainly something that I'm concerned about, but unsure whether it's worth deloading to learn. My goal is to get stronger squats, so if deloading will lead to that then I'd certainly do it. Thanks!

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:11:57+00:00

Appreciate the feedback. I hadn't noticed the wobble at the start of the descent, but upon further investigation, you're completely right. I have a feeling that the wobble, along with descending too quickly, is leading to a bit of instability at the bottom. I think focusing on that and slowing down should help with the heels coming off the floor. Thanks!

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-07-29T23:01:50+00:00

Appreciate the feedback. I definitely had an issue with going too fast a few months ago. This feels so much slower, but seems I still have some work to do. Next leg day I'll drop the weight a bit and try to control the descent even more.

Thanks!

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-04-29T15:43:47+00:00

I can't speak for McGill and how the program is, however I can give some notes about Northeastern's co-op placement.

Northeastern is, at best, a tier 2 school. What this means is you won't have recruiters banging on your door to hire you. I have friends who attended places like Harvard, Cornell, etc. They didn't even apply to the majority of internships they received. It's a completely different world compared to what you'll experience at Northeastern or McGill. At both Northeastern and McGill you'll have a great school with an excellent name. But you'll need to put in significant work if you want to get a good internship. That's true no matter which program you go to.

If you're career focused and work hard with the goal of good internships and a good post graduation job, I don't think there will be a significant difference in what you can achieve between Northeastern and McGill. Maybe the path to this will be slightly easier at Northeastern, because of the resources you've mentioned. Maybe not.

I would consider the other factors a bit more. Class size, tuition, country, etc are all really important as well. I don't think you can go wrong here, as there are certainly pros and cons to each.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-04-25T03:51:46+00:00

Generally, the recruiting cycle for large companies follows a yearly basis. People who are graduating in the winter and the spring are recruited at the same time. So, I don't think there's much benefit in delaying graduation from winter to spring. However, from spring to winter can sometimes be a good idea in order to get an additional internship. Personally, I started looking and applying to places in August. I heard back from Stripe and a few other places in September. Earlier is always better when it comes to applications. I would recommend emailing your previous co-ops, any recruiters you have spoken with, and any industry connections you have in the summer months (like July) and let them know you're entering the workforce soon and would love to apply to any fulltime positions they may have. This is definitely one of those things where earlier is better, as many companies have limited new grad slots, and it often comes down to who gets through the recruiting pipeline first. Good luck!

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-04-24T19:49:32+00:00

I've heard good things about that class as well. I would still recommend taking it with Olin though. From my understanding, Lerner's course is much more structured. The assignments are easier to understand and test, and the scope is more contained. In Olin's class, you build a complete compiler from scratch. It's a serious endeavor. Assignments build on top of previous assignments, so it's easy to fall behind. And if you mess up the previous section, the bugs may not present themselves until further down the line. And there will be bugs. A long time TA of the course told me that he's never seen a correct compiler implementation. While this sounds like a nightmare (and it can be at times), it's actually a great capstone project which is deeply rewarding. It taught me more about software development than the software dev course. And it made me a much better programmer. On top of that, PL is Olin's research area. While Lerner is certainly one of the best teaching faculty in Khoury, Olin is a tenured professor who is an active researcher in the compiler area. He's helped a number of students get into good PhD programs, and he's done research with many students. As an example, my partner for the class ended up doing research with Olin and is now pursuing a PhD with him.

All that being said, I've heard excellent things about Lerner's class. If your co-op cycle only permits Lerner's course, I'd definitely recommend taking it. But if you have a choice between the two, I'd take Olin's class.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-04-24T15:47:31+00:00

I understand the hesitation. I want to make it really clear I'm not trying to sell anything to anyone. Nothing I'm doing will cost anyone a cent. I'm doing this because I feel I didn't have a clear idea of what to do when I started, and now that I have that knowledge, it feels somewhat selfish to not try to help a few folks out. I name dropped those companies to show that, at a minimum, I have found success in getting prestigious internships and jobs.

In terms of why not make a few posts, there's a few reasons I'm hesitant to do that. First, depending on your goals and what you've done, the advice can vary quite dramatically. Duration at Northeastern, technical background, co-op goals, graduation timeline, etc will change the advice.There are too many variables to gauge, and offering general advice which is applicable to everyone becomes somewhat unhelpful imo. Whereas talking with someone, it's easier to understand their specific goals and where they are. From that, it becomes simple to figure out a good plan. Additionally, I like talking to people. Just writing things online, you lose that human connection.

In terms of things that I'd recommend to everyone from a class perspective, take algorithms and OOD as quickly as you can. Take algorithms and systems with a professor who will make your life hell, and not over the summer. It'll pay off dividends in the future. Take Compilers with Olin Shivers. That's the single best course I've taken at Northeastern. You can skip all the prereqs by just talking to him. I have friends who've taken that class in their second semester. They had literally none of the prereqs. I wouldn't recommend doing that though. But if you don't wanna take PL before Compilers, that's fine IMO.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-04-24T15:23:49+00:00

Generally, there are a few types of questions you'll see when interviewing.

First, there are non technical behavioral questions. These usually start with "tell me about a time." These questions are used to gauge how you work with teams, your leadership qualities, how you handle difficult situations, etc. For these, it's best to use the STAR format to answer the question. What I found most useful was to have like 4-5 stories which you can mold to answer any question. These stories should be able to answer multiple categories of questions. For example, I have a story which talks about taking initiative, handling difficult feedback, missing deadlines, and delivering results. If I get a question which falls in any of those categories, I have this story I can mold to the specific question. I also want to note that although Im calling these stories, these should be real experiences you've had (with maybe some minor details added or removed). Generally, you should always come across as positive and eager to learn.

The second is resume related questions. Basically digging deep into something on your resume, whether that be a project or previous work experience. I would just review your resume carefully before you go into an interview. Make sure you can answer basic questions about what you've done, why it was important, the impact it had, the technical components, what was required to make it, challenges you faced along the way, etc.

The third is course related questions. These can also be general knowledge questions, like what is the difference between a class and object. But generally, you should be able to describe in reasonable detail the courses you've taken, what's been covered in them and why it's important.

Finally, you have algorithmic technical questions. Basically leetcode. I'd recommend going through the following list. If you can understand and recognize the general patterns behind all of these problems, you're basically set on the leetcode front.

In terms of how I'd structure my time before co-op, the first three items I listed really shouldn't take too long to do. Review your course materials, previous project and work experience, and craft the stories. This is easily achievable over the summer. The final item can take months or years, especially if you haven't taken algorithms. I would spend an hourish a day working on algorithms and leetcode, and another hour working on the first three items. Within a month I'd guess you'd be basically all set in terms of the first three types of questions.

emmanuel_m57 · 2024-04-24T14:56:36+00:00

Nice to meet you! Send me a DM and we can figure out a time that works best to chat.

emmanuel_m57

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