<p>Hey guys. I was just accepted to CGS after applying to SMG for business administration. BU’s my top choice and would love to go there but I’ve heard mixed opinions on the CGS program and some saying it’s not worth it. Anyone in CGS now and has some input on this or anyone familiar with this school want give me some suggestions on what to do?</p>
<p>Also keep in mind I didn’t get much financial aid and was accepted to Penn State’s business school</p>
<p>i don’t know what kind of business you’re trying to get into (finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, etc) so that depends. CGS is a general studies program and you would be locked into their program for 2 years following their curriculum which is based on humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, etc. It’s a liberal arts curriculum so if you don’t like those subjects, keep in mind that you will have to complete it before you are allowed to transfer to SMG. See the link below for info on CGS.</p>
<p>[Interdisciplinary</a> Liberal Arts Core Curriculum General Studies | Boston University](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cgs/academics/core-curriculum/]Interdisciplinary”>http://www.bu.edu/cgs/academics/core-curriculum/)</p>
<p>I’m looking to get into business administration and I understand the 2 year lock in but how is the curriculum of a CGS student and compared to a SMG student after 2 years? Will CGS students be “catching up” and will they graduate in 4 years?</p>
<p>CGS students will graduate in 4 years like any other student. SMG students begin taking SM121/122, a yearlong business class at the beginning of freshman year. As a CGS student, you will take a class called SM299 which is a condensed version of the year long class to catch up in that sense. </p>
<p>You will still need to take the requirements that SMG has which are 2 semesters of econ, accounting, organizational behavior, law, etc. I do not know how many free electives you have in CGS but I am sure you will have some free spots to take these requirements. The classes during the 2 years at CGS will fill up general education requirements that SMG has which are liberal arts requirements like humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. (convenient right?) </p>
<p>I find that most CGS transfers to SMG don’t have to catch up a lot but they often take classes after most of the original SMG admits have already taken them. This won’t really matter in junior/senior year when people start to scatter all over the place since everyone takes a different concentration.</p>
<p>If you have more questions, feel free to ask!</p>
<p>Thanks Alectricity for answering so quickly. Your really clearing things up and giving me direct answers that I can’t find anywhere else and I’m sure this will help others. </p>
<p>Just a couple last questions…I’ve heard that CGS students are looked down upon (Crayons, Glue, and Scissors)… Does this affect you at all socially? Are you looked down upon? </p>
<p>Also, I am hearing about a Bell Curve. Do you feel this is still present in CGS? or is it fairly easy to fulfill the 2.3gpa required?</p>
<p>Sorry last one… Junior and Senior year, will the course load be equivalent to a regular SMG student? or will “CGS-to-SMG” students be taking 2 or 3 more classes than everyone else?</p>
<p>Overall my opinion is that it’s pretty much going to be like high school for another two years at a VERY HIGH cost… but I feel in the long run its going to be worth it to have a business degree from BU.</p>
<p>I got into CGS also but applied to COM. Has anyone ever been able to switch their acceptance by talking to admissions?</p>
<p>Yes, there is a stigma attached to being in CGS. One of the main questions when meeting new people is always “What school are you from?” and when CGS is heard, no one will make fun of you to your face but they will somewhat look down upon you. These are only some people though! I was an original SMG admit and one of my good friends was from CGS! She said she was used to the whole “Oh…you’re from CGS thing” but she even made fun of herself sometimes because it was so ridiculous and funny.</p>
<p>BU does have grade deflation but the average university GPA is 3.0. Classes aren’t that difficult. The majority of people struggling in school are those who don’t really care and just blow off their work and classes. You would have to try to get a 2.3gpa. Not a problem at all.</p>
<p>Your course load in junior and senior years will be the exact same as any other SMG student (unless you’re trying to double or triple concentrate). If you have AP/IB credit, you could even take more classes without overloading.</p>
<p>I can’t even tell apart the transfers from the original admits unless I’ve already met them in freshman year. The school is so big no one will even care to ask since you’re already in SMG. In the end, your degree will say SMG and not CGS. </p>
<p>I feel like you’re only taking into account the academic aspect of college with its price. (Although, it doesn’t hurt that BU’s SMG jumped to #18 this year in BusinessWeek Rankings haha). While academics are very important, the atmosphere is equally as important. Do you see yourself at Penn State with more of a campus feel, football, and space? Or can you see yourself at BU with almost no campus feel, a large city, and tall buildings everywhere? Make sure you think about those aspects too. College is all about the experience and academics as a combination.</p>
<p>I’m always glad to help so don’t feel shy about asking more questions if you have them!</p>
<p>Well I visited both schools and definitely want to be in Boston. I love the city atmosphere and I can see myself being there 4 years. Ofcourse i’ll sort of miss the football school spirit and the campus chemistry that comes from it but academics wise I see BU being a better choice. The tuition is gonna be a slight problem though. Do you know how willing the financial aid department is to modify packages or to increase aid? Right now I can see that being really the main issue.</p>
<p>@soccerplayer. I replied to a similar post and to sum up what I said, I think CGS is worth it. I was accepted into CGS yesterday and I’m definitely going to BU. CGS is a great program in an excellent university. Of course I wanted to get accepted into COM but I’ll be there in my junior year so it’s fine. All I can say is go where you can imagine yourself for 4 years and afford! Don’t reject or accept a place simply because of the college you were accepted into gets ‘mixed opinions.’ I ignore those mix reviews because I can form my own opinion by experiencing CGS myself. I hope that you make the right decision for you! Best wishes.</p>
<p>@ca1594: i am positive that BU can always change their decision but i personally don’t know anyone who has done it. i figure a strong letter of appeal would be your best option but i’m not very creative so maybe you can think of a better way! </p>
<p>@soccerplayer55: hardworker4 makes a good point. i am only one person so you should ultimately be the decider when picking your college (even though opinions from everyone else will make it difficult).</p>
<p>it is not unheard of for BU to make modifications to your financial aid package. if you plan to do so, you should do it as quickly as possible since funds will run short as time goes on. you also have to make a strong case for yourself. most colleges don’t look at senior grades. did you do really well this year? maybe that will tip the scales. did some unforeseen circumstance come up? that could affect your financial aid. you have to make them want you so they’ll offer you more money. talk to your friends and family to see if you can come up with a way to appeal to the financial aid officers.</p>
<p>Cgs—>SMG = a lot of summer courses if you wanna grad in 4 years</p>
<p>@coolkid617 how so? <a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cgs/files/2011/07/SMG.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bu.edu/cgs/files/2011/07/SMG.pdf</a> According to this its one summer course, and you can even opt not to take it in the summer. Also, anyone have experience with traveling abroad while in CGS? does doing this affect a lot of things?</p>
<p>Many of my friends were in CGS their freshman and sophomore years and are now in SMG - I can definitely confirm from their experience that you’re not behind anyone at all when you continue (officially) into SMG your junior year.</p>
<p>soccerplayer55 - I know CGS offers a London abroad program either the summer after freshman year or first semester sophomore year, and of course the abroad programs from other schools are open junior and senior year. Lots of people from CGS have gotten to go abroad twice in their college career.</p>
<p>CGS uses a bell curve to grade. It is one of the hardest programs in the nation to get a good GPA at. If you are wanting to go to grad school- I recommend you choose a different college. </p>
<p>^ This just isn’t true.</p>