<p>I come from a lower middle class family and so I applied to Macaulay Honors at Baruch for college since they offer a full ride, with 2k cash a year as a grant, a free macbook pro, and priority for honors students on class signups. My mom really wanted me to go to this program if I got in since it would take a huge financial burden off the family. Additionally my little sister would be going to college 3 years right after me, so the costs would be extremely high. The only cons to this would be that Baruch, being a community college wasn't very well reputed and I wanted to major in business and finance, a major which demands that you come from a reputable school. Also, if I went to Baruch, there would be no campus life and my social life would be almost non-existent.</p>
<p>So since I had slots to fill up, I applied to Boston College on an impulse figuring it didn't really matter. The problem was that I was accepted and invited to a reception weekend at BC.</p>
<p>I visited Boston College today and it was beautiful. The campus was intimate and everything was just so well put together. I started feeling like I could really belong on this campus especially with the dorms and everything. Everyone on the campus seemed really nice and I was overall just liking the school a lot. The only flaw that I find with BC is that I am getting no financial aid and the EFC (expected family contribution) is close to 53K.</p>
<p>My parents say they are willing to shoulder half the financial burden but I feel incredibly guilty. </p>
<p>Baruch isn’t a community college. It has one of the best business programs in the city after NYU and Columbia. You should go, Baruch is very challenging and the honors program is even more challenging. And your being payed to go their. Go to Baruch nothing is worse than to graduate with debt. And Baruch just added some dorms, their right in the city just minutes from the school. If you do go to Boston College, how are you gonna pay the 100k+ of debt? But in the end of the day its your college, so follow your heart. </p>
<p>About 30 years ago, I went to Boston College - $1,000 grant, $1,000 loan, $1,000 from my mother and a part-time job. It was then, as you described though it’s a lot nicer today than it was back then. Nice campus, nice professors, very nice students. Today, part-time jobs can’t make a dent in college expenses at private universities. If I had your decision to make, I would take the free ride.</p>
<p>Your parents say they are willing to pay $27,000 a year but that would have to be an incredible burden on them unless they have significant assets (one can have a lower middle class income with a lot of assets). To spend $27,000, you have to make more because taxes are taken out of your income.</p>
<p>The other thing is that you’d have to take out loans for the other half and you’d be saddled with your own large burden.</p>
<p>I would agree with the full ride to Baruch. I am actually a freshman in the honors program now and I completed my first semester with a 4.0. I have a couple of co-workers who graduated from BU and a lot of them were laid off from the financial industry due to the massive recession. The debt they incurred upon graduation is a “pain the ass” as they say. Although you may have a happier four years you will be miserable graduating with over 100K in debt. </p>
<p>Quick question are you in Macauly or Scholars, cause it matters?</p>
<p>The classes are just as competitive as in any other school and you get priority registration in all of the semesters except your first (-__-, which really irked me since I didn’t know until they handed me my schedule). It isn’t a community college but its not as reputable as an ivy league school or another top private institution. The school has over 15,000 students, millions of clubs, many that serve no purpose at all. Most of your friends will be made in your first semester since you are taking classes with all the same people for the most part the whole week, but not all of your courses are honors. In fact, getting into honors classes is challenging because all of the honors kids are competing for a limited amount during registration. You usually get into the non-honors courses without a problem though. I work 35 hours a week and I am able to maintain a stellar gpa, although they advise that you don’t do more than 5-10 hours a week. As with any school you will find a lot of smart kids and a lot of dumb ones and you will ask yourself “how the hell they got where you are?”</p>
<p>Anyways, I am transferring to Cornell’s Hotel School this fall so I won’t be there. My suggestion is to establish yourself at Baruch, compile an impressive resume and try applying to more prestigious schools that will offer need-based aid!</p>
<p>I assume that you are planning to major in business. I’m also a senior choosing between certain colleges. I got into WUSTL (50k a year) and Macaulay Baruch (full ride). In the end, I chose Macaulay. </p>
<p>I actually attended a couple Macaulay Baruch receptions and one of the speakers made this point.</p>
<p>Since I will be entering the business field, work experience is extremely important. Macaulay knows that this is important and actually gives you the tools to make this possible. For instance, that $7,500 stipend could be used for GMAT preparation. Macaulay is concerned about you in school and you after college. </p>
<p>However, the point a student ambassador made was that you are in New York City, the city of internships and opportunities. If you attend Baruch, you will be able to handle an internship year around rather than a summer internship. If you do attend BC and come back to NYC for the summer, you will be competing against other students from other colleges for that one summer internship. </p>
<p>Yes, prestige is important but work experience, I say, is even more important. After talking with that ambassador, I knew that by choosing Baruch I am choosing NYC.</p>
<p>I agree with love. I am transferring for a variety of other reasons. the Macaulay Honors College is reputable and really looks after its kids (Like Big Brother almost). There are a million and one cultural events to attend during your freshman year and you cannot take classes after 4pm or 5pm. You get a mac book pro though! However, the name still is not comparable to the ivies and the other top priv institutions.</p>
<p>Just want to thank you guys for all your contributions but just as a follow-up question. Does anyone know anything about the alumni network for Baruch? Do they actually help you find jobs/internships in your senior year to set you up?</p>
<p>Also how hard is it to get into a top graduate business school coming out of Baruch with a good gpa?</p>
<p>If you didn’t get a chance to attend the Honors reception a few weeks back, they made it quite clear that internships were important from Soph year and beyond. All the student presenters had multiple internships and stressed the point that if you reached out to the Career center they would set you up.</p>
<p>additionally, i had the same question on grad schools. a rep from the school says that they have a bunch that go to nyu stern, columbia for mba. also, if you visit harvard business site, they have a profile on someone from baruch that is there this year.</p>
<p>Baruch has a large alumni, if your doing finance I herd the Investment Banking club is really good, and can land you a job at a BB. JP Morgan, I herd recruits there.</p>
<p>Boston is not worthy IMO. My sister-in-law graduates from Baruch, and he had an internship at AIG since he was an undergraduate. When the economy wen down in 2008, he got his job at AIG. He is making $60k per year, as a recent graduate.</p>
<p>What I am saying is that, comparing to school like Columbia, NYU Stern, UChicago and a few other famous one, Boston is not strong enough. Also consider that Columbi, NYU and Baruch are all located in NYC. If you are planning a career in fiannce and business, choose Baruch. </p>
<p>Unlike engineering, MIT will make a difference over other engineering schools that are not comparable.</p>
<p>Trust me, the Honor program there is very tough. It is very good school for your area.</p>