You might assume this is the report for Harvard! Nope! These are this year’s numbers for Northeastern University who collected more applications than USC. Why? “It comes down to our relevance as a university,’’ Mantella said. “Experiential learning really resonates with this generation, especially in this economy, with their concerns about job opportunities and getting an edge up. We are just so well positioned for today’s prospective students.’’ Good to  see students are picking relevance over reputation per se, with relevance will come a meaningful reputation.  No slam intended to USC, but all colleges and universities must put the needs of their customers first, tradition won’t carry the day any longer. For more on Northeastern see today’s article in the Boston Globe. http://Boston.com