<p>okay so basically i'm a junior in HS, starting the college search process right now...and today i got mail from both boston college and boston university.</p>
<p>i am looking at competitive schools, i have a 4.0, rigorous courseload, decent sat/activities, etc, and would like to go into pre-med.</p>
<p>i know absolutely nothing about either school other than the fact that they're both in boston (haha i'm such a genius, NOT) and that bc is jesuit, which doesn't sound so great for me, but then again so is georgetown and i love georgetown, i actually want to apply EA there.</p>
<p>so could you maybe get me started? help me compare the two beyond the superficial and see which one would fit me better? which one is harder to get into, and better for an undergrad education in terms of academics? which one has a better campus/social scene? i want to apply to one of them b/c i'd love to go to school in boston.</p>
<p>thanks=)</p>
<p>do you have a 4.0 unweighted or weighted? If it's weighted than BC is probably a pretty good match. Unweighted than I would assume you will be able to get into better schools.</p>
<p>BC is smaller than BU.</p>
<p>BC has the edge in quality of undergrad. BU i think has a larger selection of courses tho. BC is more difficult to get into. Neither are really considered elite at all. BU is more research oriented than BC i believe. BU doesnt have a real campus. It's scattered over a few blocks. Both are respectable, but neither are particularly notable in academic circles really. I mean, no where near as well known as most top universities.</p>
<p>THey are pricey.</p>
<p>Good schools overall, but with a 4.0 you could definitely get into some better schools (one would assume)</p>
<p>Don't limit yourself to the city of Boston (or for that matter any region of the country), or the mail you receive.</p>
<p>yep. definitely don't limit yourself.</p>
<p>hey thank you both so much for your responses. i have a 4.0 unweighted (4.6-8ish weighted, i haven't checked in a while, but i will most likely be 2nd in my class) so i am definitely considering better schools (i.e. hyp and the ivies, mit, johns hopkins, duke, georgetown, u of chicago, wustl, etc.)</p>
<p>but i need more safeties/matches for sure in case i don't make it to the schools i'm shooting for so i wanted to find out more about these two places in particular.</p>
<p>i live on the west coast, but i really want to move far away for college. like the east coast, haha. i don't really know about appropriate safety schools there though, and can an out of state school really ever be a safety considering that i'd be having to pay a lot more than the scholarships i could probably get from my local public state university?</p>
<p>BC is like the USC of the east coast. Crazy alumni network, great sports, pretty social etc.</p>
<p>ide say that sounds about right^^^</p>
<p>What are your sat's/acts?</p>
<p>Some thoughts (I have not attended either school, but I attended a metro Boston school and live in metro Boston now, and have known people at both schools):</p>
<p>BU: Solid research university, a few incredibly good departments (e.g. BME). Life sciences and life science-related engineering are good in general, which might be a consideration for a premed. Larger, urban, and secular, neat surrounding environment. I have heard that it has poor financial aid unless you can get merit aid. Bureaucracy can be a hassle. Undergrads in dorms effectively live in a police state.</p>
<p>BC: Smaller, suburban, and Catholic. Seems to have good liberal arts, but I don't really know much about the academics. From what I have heard, many students are liberal, but administration is conservative. Less convenient location than BU. Social with good sports. Football players seem to get into legal trouble a lot.</p>
<p>You could just apply to both as safeties.</p>