<p>first, an embarrassing admission...until 3 years ago or so, I didn't even realize that BC and BU were separate schools...in fact, I sometimes thought that people were saying "Boston College" when they meant to say "University." And vica-versa. :( So please understand that i know very little.</p>
<p>My D (junior) would like to attend college in Boston area and we're starting to look at the two...realizing some of the differences (BU is bigger, one is suburban, other urban, etc.), but is there sort of a one-liner that folks use when coming up with difference between them? Or are they completely different beasts?</p>
<p>BC is not right in the city (very close, however), where BU is mostly located right on Comm Ave. I’d venture to say that BC has a more tight community feel, being an actual college campus, where BU is a spread out city campus. BU has about double the undergraduates that BC has… However, that’s all up to personal preference and personally, I am more interested in BU.</p>
<p>BC is also well known to have a strong religious affiliation, but I’m not sure exactly how prevalent it actually is, whether it’s something you can ignore or not.</p>
<p>BU has a slightly higher acceptance rate, but dropped dramatically from 2012 to 2013 from 46% acceptance to 36%, so who knows what could happen in the future. BC’s right around 32% acceptance rate. Something to take note of is that BC requires two SAT subject tests, but it looks like your daughter has plenty of time to plan for that.</p>
<p>Is there a particular subject or field your daughter is interested in? A visit would also be a good idea if you’re close enough.</p>
<p>Two totally different animals! They don’t have much in common beyond having Boston in their names.
Here are some listings and info about Boston area schools…</p>
<p>As a more general comment, I would suggest that you pick up one or two of the good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide to name but a few) so you can read up on not only these schools but others you come across as well. If you don’t want to buy them they are probably in the local library or the HS guidance department. Also every college also has a website which is usually full of helpful information.</p>
<p>Yes, making assessments based solely on an institution’s name can be quite problematic. After 35 years, I can still recall the tagline of a BC mailing I received: </p>
<p>Boston College. Not a college and not in Boston.</p>
<p>The FAQ on BC’s website actually posts this question:</p>
<p>While BC definitely has a suburban feel, technically approximately half of its main campus is inside the Boston City limits. So in that aspect, part of it IS in Boston.</p>
<p>But in reality, BC is still a 20-30 minute T-ride (name for the subway system) to downtown, or what most folks consider the “city”.</p>
<p>BC is a Jesuit college, but folks of all faiths – or no faith – are welcomed, as long as they believe in scholarship and service. (One of the more popular Philosophy & Theology professors is Jewish, so while a Catholic institution…)</p>
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<p>While both are great schools, personally I would not make that same connection. I don’t see someone who likes BC as being much interested in Tufts or Brandeis.</p>
<p>Like everyone else said, completely different schools (and really big rivals!). I’m a recent BU alum and loved it, but it’s not for everyone. It’s a much bigger school, diverse, and right in the heart of the city. I visited BC but chose not to apply because it was secluded from the city (it’s actually in Chestnut Hill, not Boston technically) and there was no diversity. Everyone was mainly rich, white, and preppy. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing…</p>
<p>I would visit both schools to see which one fits her better. Also each school has it’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to academics. BU has an engineering school and the sciences are generally much better. But again, you really should visit to see which school is a better fit. I can answer more questions about BU specifically as well if you’d like!</p>
<p>Small nit: “technically”, Chestnut Hill is a ‘area’ that includes part of the City limits of Boston… :)</p>
<p>(Chestnut Hill became the area’s name back in the dark ages because that was the USPS branch office that served the local area, including the far west region of the City of Boston.)</p>
<p>Academically, I think the two schools are probably pretty comparable, though BC’s (smaller) entering class has somewhat higher stats. The biggest difference is atmospherics: BC is a medium-sized university with an attractive, self-contained campus in a quiet suburban location, with easy public transportation access to Boston, while BU is a large urban university centering on a busy urban thoroughfare, with a campus that spills over into and intersperses with the surrounding parts of the city. BC has more of a rah-rah big-time sports scene; at BU campus life tends to blend into city life, though the two schools are fierce rivals in hockey, a sport at which both excel.</p>
<p>Another potentially significant difference is that BU doesn’t meet full need (though on average they meet 89% of need), while BC does. And BC’s Jesuit heritage and affiliation is an important part of its identity, though you don’t need to be Catholic to attend.</p>
<p>BU and BC are very different although they are big hockey rivals. IF interested in BC, might look at Holy Cross(1hour from Boston), Villanova, Notre DAME. BU is the larger of the 2 and has limited sports tradition, BC is member of ACC and Catholic school founded by the Jesuits.</p>
<p>I used to assume that because BU had an Engineering program, that their sciences would (naturally) be stronger. But that is not necessarily the case. </p>
<p>In Bio they are ranked pretty much the same. BC beats BU in Chem, while BU beats BC in Physics.</p>
<p>One difference is size in that BU offers more majors in each science field.</p>
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<p>Beyond SAT/ACT scores, the number I like to focus on is class decile. Approx 90% of BC’s matriculants were in the top decile of their HS class. In the case of BU, that number is 57%, which in my mind, is a significant difference. (Yes I realize that many high schools do not rank but that is true in both applicant pools.)</p>
<p>As others have said, BC is the better academic school. BU (and nearby Northeastern which is similarly ranked as BU and for which I’ll include information) have done well in recent years, but they don’t have the cache or name recognition of BC.</p>
<p>The atmosphere at BC, NU and BU are all very different. BC is a “traditional” gothic campus outside of the city. It is typically considered one of the prettiest looking schools in the country. Northeastern is a more modern campus that has won numerous awards in recent years, particularly with its focus of putting students in high-rise luxury condo-style housing rather than dated dorms. BU is an urban campus in a great location, but the campus is a bit run down. Students at BU typically live off campus in apartments unaffiliated with the university. While its campus is not great, BU’s prime location in the city is an attractive selling point (although you do get a similar prime location with Northeastern, which also has a much better campus). </p>
<p>Culturally, BC students typically performed very well in high school and are looking to pursue careers in business, law or study the humanities. Students at Northeastern are usually more career oriented, going into finance, private enterprise, sciences, or engineering. BU students are typically looking for a more rounded educational experience that provides a little bit of everything, but not a lot of specialization. </p>
<p>SAT Ranges for Each School:
Boston College - 1960-2150
Northeastern University - 1990-2160
Boston University - 2016 (only gives a composite)</p>
<p>I went to both schools, although it was quite a while ago…</p>
<p>I’m not sure why informative thinks BU students don’t specialize. They have a College of Engineering, College of Communication, School of Education, School of Management and more…there is lots of specialization.</p>
<p>The schools are very different. Going to BC is more of the traditonal college experience with a traditional campus. BU is spread out and very much in the city. I enjoyed both schools. I was at BU for undergrad and BC for grad. I loved living in Boston!</p>
<p>I don’t see any particular reason to be comparing just these two schools. As noted by many, they are very very different, so it’s an arbitrary exercise based solely on the name “Boston”. Why not look at all the Boston area schools–and there are plenty of them–and determine which of them are the best for the student’s credentials and interests?</p>