Hi guys! I am a current sophomore at BU. Since I know it is time to start making decisions about where to apply I figured I would post this thread so people can ask any questions they might have about BU and get answers from a students perspective. I was in the CGS january london program and I also have experience with COM. I have a lot of knowledge about other majors as well!
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Anyone is free to ask or answer questions in this thread.
Hey thanks for making yourself available! Lately I’ve been really looking into applying ED 1 for BU, but I’m worried that I won’t recieve enough financial aid and I will be stuck going to a school I can’t afford. BU has everything I want in a school and the only reason I’m hesitant about ED is financial reasons. I used the net price calculator and without merit aid it would be around 23k per year. The trustee scholarship is totally out of league but idk if I’ll have the chance to get the presidential because I’m ED (since merit aid is used to attract students). So basically, have you or have you heard of people who applied ED1 and still got the presidential scholarship? And if they did what were their stats, generally (gpa and test score)? and as a regular college student, is 23K in loans per year managable? Is it possible/too expensive? Thanks again!!
Hi Im currently a junior senior this september and i was a little nervous about applying to BU. My gpa is like a 3.2 but my Sat score is a 1400/1600 and i have done tons of extracurriculars im president of a club and treasurer of my school. Will it be hard for me applying for boston unversity?
@grafsmgms Hi there! I can understand how much of a struggle it must be wanting to apply ED but not knowing if you will get enough financial aid. I do not know of anyone who got the presidential scholarship while applying ED simply because scholarships are not typically something students talk to each other about. Of course, that does not mean it doesn’t happen. I would strongly encourage you to not apply ED to BU if finances are a major issue. I love BU and think it offers amazing opportunities to many students but 92K in loans is a lot to be graduating from college with. If you are really determined to make BU work then I advise starting to apply for merit scholarships in your community now, any amount helps.
@Multani17 Hi! Admissions will depend on your major. Some schools are harder to get into than others. That being said, if you are concerned about your chances of admissions when the time comes to apply, make sure to check the box on your application saying that you want to be considered for CGS. If you don’t get into the school you want directly, but they see potential in you and think you would do well with a liberal arts curriculum, they could place you in CGS.
@grafsmgms Are you applying for NEED BASED aid? Please be sure when considering my answer it is NOT merit only, and that you qualify for a good chunk of NEED BASED aid, based on EFC. If you aren’t sure, BU’s finaid dept. can be quite helpful leading you in the right direction.
I was in your same situation when applying. I needed a lot of need based aid to attend (my EFC was less than $1000, it sounds like yours is higher but I don’t like to assume), and I really knew I wanted to go to BU beyond all else. When you apply ED, there is a contract that you sign, which stipulates that if you apply ED but are not given enough aid to attend without having to put your family in the poorhouse (total paraphrasing and dramatization, of course) then you can actually be released from the ED contract, not be obligated to attend BU, and can apply to other schools. I did this, and it worked out for me as BU actually, on average, gives out more need based aid to ED apps. because a.) the funds haven’t been used up yet by RD apps. and b.) by applying ED you are committing yourself to BU.
That being said, I HIGHLY recommend calling the finaid dept. (or having a parent do it, or even both of you) to discuss the nitty gritty details as I am unaware of your exact financial situation, and how it applies to that ED contract stipulation. My house income is less than 35K a year, so it applied to me, but if your house income is, say 90K, is may different (I really don’t know exact amounts, so contact someone!) DO NOT apply ED until you talk with someone from the dept. But don’t rule it out!
P.S.- Did I mention to contact the finaid dept. yet? 
Really though, they were super helpful for me and my family when applying.
@laurrodes You mentioned being considered for CGS…I would love to be in CAS but if I’m afraid I won’t get in there should I ask to be considered for CGS? Will asking for CGS show that I can be thrown into any school and that I’m expendable or will it show that I’m really interested in just being a part of the university?
also I saw recently that it’s hard to get good grades at BU, what is your and @sms122397 experience with that? will it hurt grad school chances? (not that I want inflated grades, I like the challenge, but no one wants to work like a 3.5 and get a 2.0)
and any advice for the supplement thats not the generic (like Be You!! (pun or be genuine), like what you think made yours or any of your friends’ stand out?
thanks both of you for answering our questions even tho you should be relaxing on your time off from college!!
@grafsmgms …you pose some pretty good questions. I may not know the exact answers, but here are my experiences…
I applied to CAS, but I checked off the box to be considered for CGS as well (if you haven’t looked at the actual app, that’s basically all it is, a little checkbox, at least when I applied). I really don’t think it makes you seem expendable, if anything I feel like it shows you are really committed to BU, enough to accept your second choice of school even. I think a lot, maybe even a majority, of people opt for the CGS back-up, so it won’t look bad.
As for grade deflation…still a tough call. I will say it can be pretty tricky to get good grades in gen eds (mostly 100 levels) as these are larger lecture sections that are often graded on a bell curve. Higher levels typically don’t have this problem. Not every class though, but definitely a lot of the premed/other stem classes (if you are even in that). I have only been here a year, but I still managed a 3.64 with all these gen eds (More specifically, I got B/B+ my first semester, partially I think because college was a huge adjustment for me and I didn’t really get the hang of it until December lol). My second semester was a mix of 100 level and 200/300 levels; I got three A’s and two A-'s. This summer I took two classes, One A-, one B+ (in CH 172-Principles of Organic and Biochem. As a side note, if for some reason you need this class, don’t take it with Huang. God it was awful). So it really isn’t impossible to get decent grades, you will have to work a little harder, but I never had to pull an all nighter or anything and I’m happy with how things turned out. It will likely vary by major though. I was bio (not premed), will now be going to earth and environmental science. Grad schools typically only look for 3.0-3.5 anyway, so you don’t need a 4.0. Experiences are far more important than grads to grad school anyway, and BU has so many research experiences for undergrads of all years (research is not just for STEM btw!). I got an internship in a lab about a month into school, and it’s great.
Also, there’s the ERC (educational resource center) which has tutoring services for a lot of intro courses. If you end up here, I highly recommend taking advantage of it if you find yourself struggling/not doing as well as you might hope.
For the BU question, I highly suggest you do not make the mistake of accidentally answering “Why Boston?” instead of the real question, "Why BU?’. That is definitely a downfall of a lot of people. They don’t care why you might like Boston, they want to know why you like the school. Also, you have a very limited amount of words to do it in, so keep it genuine, and get your point across while skipping the corny BS. For example, I specifically talked about the Marine Semester and how I thought it was a great opportunity for my interests, unparalleled anywhere else (and something else, but I honestly can’t remember). Just pick one or two things, as specific as a program or something as broad as the great study abroad opportunities, and say why you feel you couldn’t get that experience anywhere else/why BU is the best for it.
Good luck!
Hi @sms122397
I wanted some information on CGS
Hi will you be able to help me with the following questions?
Thanks
I’d like to do the pre-med track and was curious about CAS vs Sargent. I’m worried that Sargent is harder to get into, so I was thinking of applying CAS and checking off for CGS, and if anything I could transfer over if I feel like I could do better in Sargent later on?
I’m also applying for Kilachand honors, and I had some questions.
Also, one last thing I forgot,
Should I major in Bio or Biochemistry with a pre-med track
1.) The core in CAS is a great program, but optional. It is a mix of social science, writing, humanities, and science courses and fulfills all CAS gen Ed’s. You can elect to also just take a bunch of other courses instead of core for gen eds. CGS is also mostly a curriculum of ss/humanities, and you can take an elective of your choosing. Your others classes are essentially picked for you, and at the end of CGS you have to do a group capstone. Some people like this, some people hate it. I would say CGS is good for those undecided, or who have a major in mind but want a strong liberal arts background. Your elective can be for your intended future major.
2.) The London program is compositional. You never have to participate if you really don’t want to.
3.) For CAS, the conditions are essentially that you complete the CGS program successfully (passing). It satisfies all of your gen Ed’s. You can pick any major, but some are much more hefty than others. Advisors are there to help though!
1.) Yes, everyone is admitted to one college and then additionally placed in kilachand. You can still be admitted without kilachand. There is also an option to do honors in the major senior year as well; this is independent of kilachand.
2.) Honestly, the people I know who WERE in it didn’t like it. Idk why specifically. I know there is a capstone project at the end, and I am sure they are higher expectations when in kilachand.
3.) It is highly likely profs in this class will have no idea you’re even in kilachand unless you tell them. So no, they are not looked at or treated differently in CAS classes.
Other question:
It really doesn’t matter actually, you can major in whatever you want. I would choose whatever you like best, as you will likely do best in classes you really enjoy.
Actually, if you are offered admission to the CGS January-London program that is a final offer and you must do the summer in London. From the BU website:
"Is the London semester required?
Yes, this is a required component of the January Boston-London Program and is an essential part of the interdisciplinary course curriculum."
^^ forgot to mention that. But if you don’t do the program, you don’t have to go to London.
Why don’t you want to go? (More for curiosity’s sake really, if it’s personal of course I don’t expect you answer!) I hear it’s really great, though I haven’t gone myself.
@laurrodes I actually have a question about COM! (Idk if you’ll have an answer, but I thought I’d give it a shot)…my (ex)roommate was thinking about switching to COM but wasnt sure if there were any internship/volunteer opportunities available to students…have you heard anything about this, in terms of quantity or quality? I know we aren’t really supposed to post for others for some things, but she doesn’t have an account and I promised I’d ask.
@SandDad To transfer after completing CGS you need a 2.0 or a 2.3 depending on the school you are transferring to.
^oooooo and also, I know CAS is the typical transfer, but just know that you can’t transfer to engineering after CGS, and there is talk (a.k.a., very unofficial at the moment) that they are going to stop letting people transfer to Sargent after as well. Just something to keep in mind if your goals lie in those areas
And yes, TomSrOfBoston is correct about GPA, those marks are what is considered passing @SandDad
Also @SandDad (srry for multiple posts) I think I may have slightly misunderstood ur London question. Also srry for typos, I’m on phone.
Anyway, if you do CGS and are admitted directly to fall program, you must go to Boston (so, regular CGS) in fall. If admitted to spring program, you start school in the spring semester in London, then spend the summer in London to finish first yr coursework, and then come to Boston the following fall for the beginning of sophomore year. For some odd reason, I thought ur original question was referring to if u were admitted to the fall program, if you still had to do summer term in london. Summer is mandatory only as part of the spring program, which again is not a mandatory thing unless of course you are admitted this way for the spring.
Applying to CGS you are automatically considered for both programs.
Again, srry for the confusion, I wrote the earlier response in haste on my break at work.
If you go to the CGS website, I believe there is a lot more info on this as well.
http://www.bu.edu/cgs/academics/programs/ This explains everything way better I think @SandDad
what would you say is the most competitive college to get into? I want to double major in business and communications, but Im not sure if I should apply COM or to questrom.
My gpa is a 4.6 weighted, ton of extracurriculars/volunteering, visited, 30C ACT (28M, 34E, 30R, 28S)