Okay so I have no idea if i should enroll in BC or W&M (OOS) next year. Based on the following facts what would you recommend? I am considering going to law school but if not I will go on to business school. I want to make sure I get good grades and learn as much as I can but still have a very active social life by making great friends and attending parties. I love that W&M has Greek life but i also love that BC has great sports teams. I live in CT so I would want warmer weather. I like Williamsburg but I LOVE Boston and all it has to offer. I also hope to participate in theater or a cappella and mock trail. please help if you went to either school or know people who have experienced either!
Dear LetMeInCollege88 : Experienced with both schools as my wife was very interested in attending William and Mary (years back) and both of my children attended Boston College.
From a personal perspective, once the Williamsburg/Colonial America theme wears thin at William and Mary, you ultimately have a smaller liberal arts college as opposed to a major University in a major city such as Boston College. I have to be careful here to avoid being a “homer” however you ultimately need to think about where you want to build your network of connections as an undergraduate : Virginia (DC) or Massachusetts (Boston and perhaps New York). Based on your “LOVE” of Boston, it would seem that Boston College would be your best fit based on the limited information offered at this point.
The one point from your note that favors W&M is Greek Life. Personally, I have never been a fan of Greek Life as a decision point as I have a personal belief that social networks are built around business and academic interests as opposed to purely living arrangements; Boston College’s men and women for others forms a stronger social message for this contributor than you would find in a Greek Life environment. Admittedly, this view will differ with other contributors so please form your own view.
Also remember that if you live in Connecticut, home visits (not a minor point) at holidays and such will be much easier to launch from Boston. Do not underestimate the value of being home for your High School homecoming weekend, Thanksgiving, a weekend “relaxation visit”, or just to have the folks visit for a dinner. Far away is cool up to a point; only you can evaluatethat parameter with your family.
LetMeIn:
I try to examine these things from a value proposition, which I think is relevant since you mention b-school.
In essence, you would be paying $40,000 for an item (tuition & fees) that typically sells for $15,000. Thus, you are paying 2.5x for the same value as an instate student. What is the ROI on your investment?
(Full disclosure, this is the big reason that I don’t recommend paying OOS fees to attend another state’s public; its generally not a great value prop over your own instate public.)
OTOH, COA at BC will still total $10k more. What major? Academic interests?
IMO, a private generally offers ‘better stuff’ that may (or may not) be important to you: counseling, advising, housing, smaller classes, less bureaucracy, or the alternative, greater flexibility to approve uncommon requests…and BC, of course, offers Jesuit education.
So, it really comes down to how much can your parents afford and what is your value proposition?
Law schools only are about GPA+LSAT, so you could attend any decent undergrad and still be accepted into Harvard Law.