I see that Boston College is ranked a bit higher, but in my town, more kids apply to Boston University. What would be the main differences between the two? Boston University seems more attractive to me, in terms of how they advertise and come off on their flyers and postcards (I know, not much to go on). I want to major in marketing, and I believe both BU’s marketing department is a little better than BC’s. However, BC offers a major in marketing, while BU doesn’t. Also, BC ranks higher on US News. Which college do you think would be better for studying business marketing?
Biggest difference is that Boston College is Catholic and Jesuit. BU does offer a marketing concentration. In business schools major and concentration are synonymous. You need to visit both schools. BU is easier to get into than BC.
BU is right in downtown Boston with no real campus. BC is out in a nice leafy suburb. BC has a huge local following for sports and if you are planning to stay in Boston there is a good alumni network. I don’t see the same type of thing for BU.
Boston College is the better school for business. It has the better job placement and the better reputation. With that said, it is more selective. They are different schools as people before have mentioned. Try to visit and see which one you like more.
BC is a bit more selective, will probably offer a higher percentage of small classes (and their large lectures may be smaller than BU’s), and – as mentioned previously – is a pretty/leafy campus abuzz with sports. BC has competitive football and hockey teams and, though they recently have been trounced in the ACC, they do have a D1 basketball program.
BU is urban and does have strong hockey, yet not the same overall sports culture of BC.
Both are pretty strong, and pretty equal, in terms of academic reputation. BC probably has the edge in some areas, while BU edges BC in others. In terms of academic fit, you should probably look at the programs and courses they offer.
For being so close geographically, the schools are quite different. Spend time on both campuses and consider the programs and courses they offer – this way you’ll get a sense for which socioenvironmental and academic vibe you prefer. Obviously, the third main ingredient is finances: if one would cost considerably less than the other, that would/should also play a role in your decision.
When my daughter was looking at schools, we visited BU and BC on the same trip. We actually left the tour of BU early because D could not see herself there. As others have said, it’s very urban, pretty, but no real campus. It also seems a bit more international than BC. Some people love the hustle and bustle of the city, my daughter preferred to be in the suburbs even though it does put one in danger of living in the “BC bubble” and not making the most of Boston.
The info above is incorrect. At BU, if you graduate from the undergrad business school your major will be Business Administration. You can have concentrations in finance, marketing, accounting, etc.
^^ But the course requirements and exposure to marketing courses are essentially the same. It is different terminology for the same field of study. If the OP is insistent on his record showing “major” in marketing then go to BC. Employers could care less.
BU and BC are very different, and you’d want to go to either/or depending on your personality and what you want out of your major/education. BC is a traditional elite private college with that “leafy Northeastern campus” vibe. As others have mentioned, it’s Catholic and has a major sports culture. It’s more difficult to get into than BU, and I would say in terms of academics it takes a more traditional/liberal arts approach to education (I would liken it closer to Harvard, which is not a comparison I would give to the way BU approaches academics).
BU is urban and a bit sprawling, and ideal for independent, social students who don’t care one whit about sports or religion. You have two choices for majoring in marketing (or close to it), and it depends on your interests and how you want to approach it. You can either apply to the Questrom School of Business and get a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, or you can apply to the College of Communications and get a BS in Mass Communication. I don’t know as much about Questrom except for when you’re at BU, the business school kids are thought of as pretty hardline BUSINESS! people. They’re hardcore and end up at major corporations, etc. It’s a good business school.
I was in COM (journalism major), which I personally feel is the better place to be if you want to end up in creative marketing work. The Mass Comm major/department offers practical courses in communication, PR, advertising, media, etc.–BU COM approaches all majors like a trade, so you’re taught by industry professionals and you don’t just learn theory–you do real writing and real work that is relevant to the industry you want to go into. It’s an excellent school that can connect you to jobs. Incidentally, I was a JO major who now works in TV marketing–the practical, trade-based aspects of my course work at BU absolutely helped prepare me for my job. I learned persuasive writing, deadline management, etc. (and if you want to do entertainment marketing, via the Film/TV majors at BU, there’s an extensive alumni network in Hollywood)
If BU feels like a better fit based on material, it may be a better fit for your personality. I’d advise looking into both schools a bit more, maybe doing campus visits… learning more about Questrom especially if you want to do business marketing. BU has a lot of pros and can be an ideal fit for a lot of students; for others BC is a better fit in many ways. But I’d say for marketing, BC won’t give any special bump because of where it sits in the rankings; BU has a very good reputation for business, marketing, journalism, etc.