The time has come where students will log onto the Common App for the first time. Some are approaching the extensive process, while others have done all their supplementals. In fact, their college counselor mapped out their whole process. Yet a number of students have something in common. 25% of Hopkinton students who will apply to Northeastern University.

This might seem insignificant at first glance. After all, around 44% of Hopkinton students apply UMass Amherst. But, more people will apply to UMass as there is lower tuition and more applicable scholarships.

Still, there are underlying reasons why this 25% is important.

“I’ve always heard of my friends’ older siblings applying there,” senior Ralston Augsburg said. “Especially the smart ones apply, as Northeastern is a quality backup school.”

For some students, they apply because others do it. Northeastern is gaining popularity, like UMass Amherst, due t0 most students applying simply based on what they hear.

Senior Matt Carnes said, “All of my older siblings applied to BC and Northeastern and all of them went to one of those two schools. I guess I’m not being very creative but Northeastern is just a household name to me.”

“Also the co-op program lets me save one and a half years of tuition,” Augsburg said.

Yet this claim would be incorrect. The co-op program only stalls tuition, as well as graduation. This type of miscommunication during the college application process is common. But, miscommunication is resolvable. By experiencing and researching a college personally, the information can be more easily understood, more so than hearing details from family who have been to the college.

“I also really liked the campus. Plus, Boston is nearby to my family and is an awesome city,” Carnes said. Carnes experienced the school himself and drew his own conclusions. He talked to some professors as well as an admissions counselor, specifically about the co-op program.

Some students are thorough and do their research, so what they learned about Northeastern led to its enrollment increase.

Hopkinton alum Ben Fargiano, currently a freshman at Northeastern University said, “I applied to so many different schools, I even got waitlisted at Harvard. But I think we know how that turned out since I’m at Northeastern.”

But, Fargiano believes he made a great decision.

“I did a lot of research into each college. For Northeastern, I found that it had great value and I loved the atmosphere. Also, I am very interested in music but I’m still not sure what I want to study. With Northeastern, all of their majors are well respected and leave me with plenty of options.”

Perhaps Northeastern as a household name is a good thing. Most students can find what they enjoy from a selection of 40+ diverse undergraduate majors. The interest in Northeastern is influenced by its social reputation as well as its array of majors.