My son was accepted to BC and is trying to decide between there and Northeastern. A few of his friends have said that BC kids are entitled and a bit snotty. I have told him that he will find pockets of these type kids wherever he decides to go. We have been to accepted students day and we both thought the kids could not have been nicer. Just some thoughts if anyone has any, thanks:)
With respect to your advice, your son should read and heed. You’re exactly right.
I doubt there is much of a difference. the high cost of both schools means the student body is upper middle class and rich. Not many can afford the $70K/ year cost. I think New England schools are pretty typical of schools across the country. there is so much diversity now that the schools are becoming more and more alike in terms of students.
The origins of that perception came from a period 2+ decades ago when NEU was transitioning from being a commuter college for regional students…especially those from lower-income/lower-middle class and average/mediocre HS GPA/stats to a higher profile university attracting much more academically impressive students nationally/internationally.
That perception was much more common when some older colleagues/friends from my post-college life in Boston attended in the '80s/early-mid '90s or when an uncle briefly had a stint there as an adjunct in their business school during that period*. That was already no longer the case with friends who graduated from NEU in the early-mid '00s and is far less so today.
- Interesting considering his educational background was engineering.
BC has a critical mass of students from wealthy families, which inevitably has an influence on the campus culture. “Snobby” is probably not the right word, but the affluent backgrounds of many students is more noticeable at BC, in terms of attitudes, leisure habits, fashion, and how students spend their vacations and summers. A recent study on family income of college students was published in the NY Times. BC has 16 % of its students coming from the top 1% of household income (defined in the study as $630,000 per year). Northeastern has only 6% of students coming from that income demographic. This is not a knock on BC as many other well regarded schools (Colgate, Wake Forest, Wash U, ND, G’Town, to name a few) have this type of student affluence.
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I have told him that he will find pockets of these type kids wherever he decides to go.
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Tell your son he should listen to you.
Northeastern has historically had a more vocational focus and the Coop program is still there of course. It sued to be more lower middle/working class in many ways.
BC is a Catholic institution, and while it has always had some lower middle class strivers was seen as more middle/upper middle class.
Northeastern is right in the city, BC is a pretty long ride out on the Green Line. The campuses are different.
There are many differences that should help with the decision. Rumor that is outdated is, as you have said, probably not the best one to go by 
These stereotypes are odd. Duke is very frequently bashed on this site for having horrid people attending and administering. My kid has a friend whose sibling attends Duke, & I asked how sibling likes it, and got a reply “Loves it.”. BC is another school that gets its share of criticism, but students (including offspring of celebrities like Tim Russert, Bob Costas, & Bruce Springsteen, who could probably go anywhere they wanted) are still clamoring to go there & usually seem to like it. Maybe once you are on the “inside” (a member of the college’s community, instead of an outsider looking in) you build up a resistance to the arrogance, pomposity, ostentation, & obnoxiousness that offend outsiders.
@moooop, I think you are making my point. Stereotypes are usually based on truth, and the fact that children of media and entertainment celebrities go to BC speaks to the culture of affluence. You will find a similar vibe at ND, G’Town and Villanova. This is not a bad thing…students from wealthy families are just as nice as anyone else, but a prospective student should be aware of the fact that many of his classmates come from upper and upper-middle class socio-economic backgrounds. Some students will be attracted to this, some not. As with everything else, it is a question of fit.
BC does not offer merit, and Northeastern offers quite a bit of merit. The upper middle class kids at BC are generally upper upper (can pay full cost at 65K). At NEU there are alot of “lower” upper middle class kids that can’t afford 65K but can afford 35-40K.
Both schools have Financial aid kids. Both schools have Uber rich kids. BCs “upper middle class” kids are richer. And preppier.
Yes
BC is need blind and meets 100% of financial need so I would think (maybe wrongly?) that there is economic diversity. My nephew was accepted with full financial aid, so I am curious about this, too.
I would hate for him to be somewhere he feels uncomfortable because of his financial aid status.
There are 9000 kids there. Plenty on FA…He will find his tribe.
My daughters 2 friends that are going there are two of the least snotty girls I know. They are probably full pay or close to full pay but very down the earth, nice and friendly. I’m sure there are some snobby kids at BC but I don’t think that’s the norm.
There isn`t really much economic diversity at BC, I feel as a current student. This year, it cost $71,000 to attend/board at BC. And they are not the best with financial aid.
I wouldn’t say BC kids are snotty, but they are in general very obviously rich. I’m a lower middle class student getting a lot of aid and most people I’ve talked to went to some private, prep, day, etc school. That isn’t inherently a bad thing though. Sure I can’t relate to going to a private school, but most people are nice enough and socioeconomic differences doesn’t segregate the students at all. It’s just weird at first being in such a different environment.
I understand this answer is coming fairly late, too late to sway your opinion, but it may help others in a similar situation see. I’m a freshman at BC, and from what I’ve seen, the people here are very friendly, very welcoming, and not at all the same across the board. Yes, there are some snotty kids, there will be at every school, but they are few and far between here. There are sporty kids, artsy kids, academically-centered kids, you name it.
The moment you involve yourself in clubs, you’ll find yourself amongst a group of people that share similar interests and may spark new friendships.
I definitely recommend coming to an admitted students day if accepted to get a feel of the general student body on campus, although it’s not necessarily the same as actually living around them and interacting daily with them.
hope this helped anyone looking for some sort of answer to this question!
There are “snotty” kids everywhere. They might just be insecure and expressing themselves with obnoxious behavior. I’m sure the kids in Boston are no different than all kids in major metropolitan cities. Sometimes certain areas breed people that feel entitled. This might be due to their parents . I would say that Boston is a great city that has a history older than most. I lived in Vegas where you would think that no one has a reason to be “entitled” yet sometimes that is all they have. It is never the kids fault. It is how we chose to raise our kids.