Boston College or Michigan State Honors College/Lyman Briggs

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

<p>I need serious help. It would be greatly appreciated by anyone - students, graduates of either, etc. I am absolutely torn between these two good schools, and am struggling heavily to make my decision by May 1st, next Friday. It is not as no-brainer as it may seem. I love them both, but I want to make the decision that’s right for me. Keep in mind, distance and cost in not an issue at all, as with financial aid, they virtually come out to equal. Distance is all relative to me, as I myself can make the place feel close or far depending on my personal approach.</p>

<p>First, Boston College:</p>

<p>Personal Positives:
Boston College is an absolutely phenomenal school, very prestigious, with great resources and spirituality. I would be extremely prepared for Med school going pre-med. My older brother is currently a sophomore there, loves it, and is studying in Spain next year. I love the city of Boston, which would be great to have in a college experience, in addition to the campus at Chestnut Hill which I felt quite comfortable in, easily knowing my way around. It is relatively small, awesome setting, with a very close-knit communtiy feel, particularly with all of the students - under and upperclassmen, and all of the classes are in a very small radius of one another. The people there are extremely friendly, and they have division 1 varsity athletics, pretty good teams at that, something quite important to me in the college experience. I come from a Jesuit Catholic high school, and continuing that tradition of service, Men for Others, and strengthening my faith, is also very important to me.</p>

<p>Negatives:
It is 13 hours away from Michigan, so I could only come home 4-5 times a year, and I would be the only student from my school attending. I want to expand my comfort zone in college, and meet tons of new people and friends, as I know I would, but I just think it would be difficult for me to go that far away with absolutely no one, and if I am struggling, or really need something, don’t have anyone very close whom I can immediately trust or talk to. I will be giving up some of the close friendships I’ve formed and could continue at MSU. But I know that everyone is in the same boat. When I visited, I didn’t exactly see the Jesuit/Catholic identity in the school/students that I was really looking for. There is hardly any diversity, economic or ethnic for that matter, contrary to my high school and something I want in meeting new people, and it seemed like just a place for preppy, rich, white kids. I know it is there, but I would just have to find it and seek that out on my own. I am not a huge partier, and also saw much of the party seen while there, and with it being small and close-knit, seemed that it is pretty active on weekends, as it will be everywhere. Everyone there is extremely fit, not an issue for me - a positive, but seemed like pressure to live up to a standard by some. I will be in a pre-med track, and I know theirs is pretty difficult, yet extremely resourceful if you stick with it. I am an artist, and want to continue that in college, not as a carrer, and would not be able to take many art classes until soph/junior years. But I know I could still do this on my own as well. I am not the greatest at putting myself out there and meeting new people, but love to do so.</p>

<p>Now Michigan State University Honors College/Lyman Briggs</p>

<p>Positives:
I love Michigan State, and always have, as my dad graduated there in '79. As big as it is, it feels like home, as I have been going there for games and visits my whole life. I know my way around the campus. I would be among the few in the Honors College there, in addition to Lyman Briggs College for science majors/pre-medical. First of all, Michigan State would not even be considered as an option for me if I was not in Lyman Briggs or the Honors College. This makes the school much smaller and more intimate for me. Being in Lyman Briggs, I would build strong relationships with my classmates - all having the same classes, and especially faculty, as their offices and classrooms/labs are in the basement of the dorm that all science majors live in, nice to have with communication, and help. At the same time, I would have few classes outside of here that would allow me to expand, take advantage of the larger school, and meet other people outside my dorm, something I am not limited to. It is nice to have people I know, in classes, halls, etc, with very few (a good thing) close friends in Lyman Briggs. It would be nice to have people whom I can talk to immediately who will listen and be there for support and help. Being in the Honors College gives me ultimate flexibility and resources for med school, with class selection above seniors, and particularly being a public school for research. I could take art classes right away, and use my passion freely as an outlet for stress and enjoyment. It would be nice to come home now and again if I need anything, but not that big of a deal in my decision. The athletics are also great, something I would enjoy and take great advantage of. Ethnic and economic diversity among students is abundant.</p>

<p>Negatives:
The school often gets a bad rap, and is not nearly as prestigious or well known as Boston College. Being a large public school, the party scene is even more evident and hard core, and the spirituality is not there. There is a Catholic church nearby and student organizations I can seek out to pursure my faith on my own. Having so many people that I know there can be a negative as a postive too. I do not want to limit myself to any group, or form one group/click, and I, after high school, feel the need to start fresh a bit, broaden and diversify my horizons, and step out of my comfort zone. With 40,000 students and living in a smaller community, it is possible if I put myself out there just seek it out on my own. Being so close could also serve as a negative, I don’t want to be held back by anything. The closeness among students, friendliness, and community feel is not there nearly as much as BC, being a Jesuit school. Competition could be more in the small Lyman Briggs/Honors setting.</p>

<p>Here is how I look at it. Doing pre-med and hopefully going on to medical school somewhere, my undergrad/school name doesn’t matter that much. If I focus and work hard wherever I go, do my best, get my degree, I can study for the mcat wherever and whenever. I am not looking for a job immediately after college. However, I want to prepared for one, and enjoy my undergrad experience as fully as possible, so I can personally grow, become a better person, and expand my knowledge and horizons, being influenced by the people I meet and encounter on a daily basis. I want to do what is right for me, and I just don’t know what that is yet. Each has pretty much everything I am looking for academically. I guess I can’t go wrong either way, but some people think otherwise…</p>

<p>Thank you so much for the help and comments.</p>

<p>It is greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>I graduated from BC about the time your Dad did from MSU.</p>

<p>Let me make a few brief observations about your post.</p>

<p>First, the party scene is a fact of college life. Short of attending some extremely restrictive schools you’re going to have to learn to deal with this issue. The question you’re faced with is, which school has the more intense/pervasive party culture? From your post, it seems to be MSU.</p>

<p>Second, no where in the positives for MSU do you mention spirituality or community service. As you are aware, the Jesuit tradition is one of education and service. I’m sure there are these opportunities available at MSU. I know for a fact that it’s part of the BC culture.</p>

<p>Finally, you seem to be very concerned about leaving your friends. With today’s technologies, you’re far closer to your friends than your father and I were when we left for college, (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth). With text messaging , IMing, Facebook etc, you’re far more in contact with old friends than we ever were. Plus one of the great things about college is being on your own and making new friends and exploring new places.</p>

<p>Obviously I’m biased toward BC. I found it to be a great place to get my education. The professors there forced me to constantly question and challenge my beliefs and ideas, not to change my positions, but to make me aware of their strengths and weaknesses. </p>

<p>There is no wrong answer to your decision. Good luck.</p>

3

<p>it’s kind of funny, because most of the negatives of BC that you pointed out are some of the same things that worry me about the school</p>

<p>i really want to go to a diverse school, and so i was trying to decide between Boston University and BC…my guidance counselor, a BC alum, was trying to lay out the differences between the two schools, and even though he admitted that he was BC-biased, he openly said that it was not very diverse at all, not nearly as much as BU…however, i didnt think any of my college choices were 100% perfect…BC may not be the most diverse, but i know that they are working really hard with the AHANA program and everything to drive up the diversity and it may be something that i just have to accept and hope for a diversity of ideas</p>

<p>i was also very worried about the partying…im not really a “partier” either…i really dont want the only social activity to be drinking in small dorm rooms all weekend…i dont drink (i mean, never to get drunk…ive had a drink before, but my intention is never to get drunk or wasted…i think all of that is just stupid and it doesnt interest me at all)…but i know that Boston is right there, so i am hoping to meet people who like to do other things on the weekend, like going into Boston…that seems like such a better time to me rather than partying in small dorm rooms…partying is just a part of college life, but wherever i go im hoping to find people who want to have fun other ways</p>

<p>i too will be pre-dental or pre-med and i was accepted into a very pre-med focused program at BU, but then I thought that maybe i would have more room to expand at BC not in a program that focuses just on pre-med, and if i ever changed my mind about my career i would be able to do adjust accordingly at BC</p>

<p>ive really been struggling with this college decision, going back and forth between BU and BC…one day i would wake up and be like “BU!” and the next day “hmm, maybe BC would be better…” …right now, with only a few days left to decide, im in Boston looking at both schools…im leaning towards BC because i feel that it would provide me with a better experience at the end of the day and would prepare me better for a career…it’s tough to pass up on some of the things i really liked about BU, but as i said, i dont think either of the schools are perfect so i have to choose the one that will provide me with more benefits</p>

<p>good luck with your decision…wherever you go will be great im sure…i justt wanted to let you know that there are other people struggling with some of the same things you are struggling with!</p>

4

<p>Speaking about diversity, on my visits to BC, I found BC to be more racially diverse than BU. But however diversity is more lacking socio-economically. Most of the kids I talked to descend from the upper-middle class spectrum of matters. A lot of them, regardless of race, went to elite prepartatory schools.</p>

<p>Racially, however, it’s diverse enough. The numbers support that easily. Socio-economically, it is a different story.</p>

5

<p>Thank you for your responses and feedback so far. It really helps coming from people with similar experience in either school, or just the general difficult thinking process I am going through. </p>

<p>Sorry its so long. I just had to explain fully how I felt about each one. It actually helped me to write it all out. Any help is again greatly appreciated.</p>

6

<p>Yeah, I second XX55XX. When I saw looking at colleges, everyone told me that there is no diversity at all at BC. When I visited, I found it to be a really diverse school. </p>

<p>But as XX5XX said- “Racially,it’s diverse enough. The numbers support that easily. Socio-economically, it is a different story.”</p>