BC's Hefty Price Tag

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

<p>Having added everything up, BC comes to about $45,000. While I’m fortunate to have a good financial backing for my college education, 45 grand is quite a bit (especially considering that BC does not participate in the Independent 529 Plan). Is a Boston College education really worth the money being pulled from my Grad School funds? Though I love the well-balanced religious, academic, and athletic atmosphere the school offers, I could use some convincing (or discouraging) that BC is worth an application. </p>

<p>To top it, I’ve only got a 2070 SAT and 3.6 GPA (although it is heavily deflated because of my school’s well-noted college prep. curriculum) and only a few service/leadership activities (v tennis capt., Appalachia service, etc.) making me a fairly “average” applicant. Sorry if this has turned into a “chance me” thread (unintentional) but I was curious as to whether or not is would be worth applying (especially this late) and if it would be at all possible for me to receive some sort of financial aid.</p>

<p>Thank you for all of your helpful responses.</p>

2

<p>Costs at BC are comparable to the cost of any private nationally ranked university. The tone of your message implies that you will be paying full fare. If that is the case, you can expect to pay roughly the same at BC as at Notre Dame, USC, NYU, Tufts, Brandeis - the list goes on and on. Perhaps the better question is: for those of us paying the rack rate, is the cost of ANY private university worth it. IMO the answer is an unambiguous and resounding NO. You can get just as good an education at a public school as a private school, quality of education is much more dependent on the student than on the institution. Students that need the handholding of a LAC to thrive will usually not do well in the marketplace unless they are flexible and adjust. And if they are flexible enough, they will do well anywhere.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, most good public schools are in the middle of nowhere, and D wants to be in an urban environment. Oh well, Ramen noodles and early bird specials, here we come :-)</p>

3

<p>i've heard that BC isn't that great with financial aid, especially if you're middle class</p>

4

<p>BC caters more to the poor families than anything else, but if you are a middle class citizen, chances are, you'll get some sort of aid from BC. As for the 45k needed to attend BC, you're not paying for the education. You are however paying for the name or brand. It's all up to you to figure out if you want to pay 45k for the name, BC.</p>

5

<p>I have the same dilemma. Well, I guess I will soon have the same dilemma. I love everything about BC (it is my #1 school) and I applied to a few other private schools as well, but I'm pretty sure I will be admitted into my state school's honors program with aid and idk if I will be able to pass that up. :(</p>

<p>I guess I'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.</p>

6

<p>Well, GroovyGeek, I agree entirely with what you are saying. Luckily, I have a plan that allows me to pay for (some) private schools for a much lower price; for example, Wake Forest, one of my other choices, goes down to 33K from 45 or so, which is much more in my reach. My parents are a bit down on me applying, as they prefer that I go to a school covered in the 529 plan.
I guess my question is summed up in miragemage's response - is it worth the money at BC?
Well, it's not so much that for me, considering I would have at best an outside chance of even getting in. Chances are good that, even should I get it, the money would go (perhaps more deservingly) to a poorer applicant. My question stands, though- is it even worth applying? As much as I loved BC, it's hard to let go. I'm searching for a firm reason to apply despite the complications that would result from wanting to go there. Paying for certain private schools is not an issue for me. It's paying full-fare for BC- is the brand name really that well-regarded that I should possibly choose it over a better "bargain?" I guess that's what I'm trying to find input to determine.</p>

7

<p>BC is more known for football than for academic achievements. I am sure that this will stir up a controversy here, but if you flame me at least provide evidence to the contrary. My evidence? Go to bc.edu and read through the "about" section. Lots of info on athletics, academics is more or less a list of majors and degrees granted. Athletics drives many things at BC - fund raising, spending, etc. I wonder if anyone who has access to this information can plot a scatter plot with the football team ranking on one axis and the USNews ranking on the other throughout the 90s.</p>

8

<p>Well, BC has a pretty good business program. Aside from that, BC doesn't have too many other outstanding programs, maybe for the exception of pre-med. I personally think you should apply to BC and submit the financial aid stuff and see wahat kind of aid you'll receive. My reason for attending BC: I'll be a more competitive applicant when searching for a job because I have the BC name attached to my resume. Aside from that, BC provides better job opportunities than most other colleges, whether private or public. Is BC worth the price for me? I dont know yet, only time will tell, but hopefully my decision will pay off.</p>

9

<p>No school is worth 45k in my opinion. Not BC, not even Harvard (employers aren't exactly handling out bonus for those who have a degree from here versus elsewhere). Will BC give you solid education comparable to the Ivy? Yes. Would your flagship state school do the same? Probably yes, too. So you really are not paying 45k for an education, but rather A) the experience of being a student there, and a distant second, B) the brand name recognition.</p>

<p>As for(A), I really enjoy my time here and is fearing graduation like H. Clinton fears being wrong. Most of the places I went to recognize BC, except for Oklahoma who thought BU and BC the same school.</p>

<p>As for (B), it's growing and continues to be among the elite tier, not quite Ivy or Ivy-look-a-like, but a lot of schools look up to where BC is and want to be there. For example, this article from Fordham University:</p>

<p>"In determining its path to preeminence, Fordham has identified five schools whose rank it desires to join and five schools it now feels are its peers."</p>

<p>The "aspirant" universities:
New York University,
Columbia University,
Georgetown University,
the University of Notre Dame
and Boston College.</p>

<p>Peer schools:
Villanova University,
George Washington University,
Santa Clara University,
Boston University and
Syracuse University.
University</a> identifies peer, aspirant institutions in Strategic Plan - News</p>

<p>And about the sports, they serve two general purposes: (A)a rallying point for student body, a festive atmosphere on Saturday (in the case of Fb), and trash talking with college fandom everywhere; (B) But beside the tangible benefits, it's down at heart a marketing strategy. It gets the name out there and attracts students. Now, no intelligent students will choose football over everything else. We all know about Ohio State and LSU, but how many here wants to go to either school versus BC and co. if the prices were the same. FSU and UMiami were two football powerhouses of the college universe until recent memory, but their rankings are still behind BC. With BC spending a cool 1.6bil dollar in the next ten years, its ranking and fame are bound to grow. So think the 45k as both paying for the tangibles (education, sports, campus/city atmosphere) and the intangibles (school's growing prestige, and Jesuits)</p>

<p>P.S.
BC estimates that students' complete school year expenses come out to $49,500 (tuition, room+board, fees, books, travels, misc., and mandatory Christmas giftcard to Reddune for being awesome).</p>

10

<p>P.S.</p>

<p>GroovyGeek, you know we all enjoy your company and won't flame you for this. We will wait until you make a minor mistake and then double flame to compensate.</p>

11

<p>No school is worth the hefty pricetag each of the privates wants to charge. Some will be over $50K next year, and the estimates have been that in 2025 it will cost $650K for 4 years at Harvard! </p>

<p>That being said, DH told our D he was so thrilled with BC, he was more than happy to have her there than at our in-state UVA! It goes beyond academics and sports, it always has. There is an intangible being at a Jesuit school gives you--he went to one, S1 & 2 have gone to a Jesuit school for HS, all of my family has a history with Jesuit schools. Religion isn't forced upon you, but there is an infusion of a spirit, and a commitment to education and service that we completely appreciate. </p>

<p>D thought her education at BC was terrific! She took advantage of as much as she could while there--and couldn't leave Boston after graduation! She absolutely loved the entire experience--including the program that they are part of for her Study Abroad year in England. (In fact, their entire Study Abroad office is fantastic at finding the right program and place for the students--many participate during their junior year!)</p>

<p>Good luck to all of you who are waiting to hear! You will want to go to the Admitted Eagle Day that they have--it will help answer remaining questions! You can arrange for a day (before or after) to shadow one of the current students, if that helps. Our D did that, and she then had admitted students shadow her when she was a student there!</p>

12

<p>I just recently transferred to BC and coming from a middle class family, I am only paying 10K a semester (including room & board) with financial aid. Not too bad. Apply and see what happens. With my first school, I didn't receive enough financial aid, I wrote an appeal letter asking for more money, and was granted an extra $2000 a year.</p>

13

<p>Do you think that BC would match money given by Fordham?</p>

14

<p>just for the record, my Fin Aid thingy says the est. 2008 tuition = 51k.</p>