Hey guys, so I was recently accepted at BC and at 'Gate and I’m really torn. I plan on double majoring in history and poli/sci, so both schools have great programs. I really don’t know what to do. What are the pros and cons of each? What makes them different? I really don’t know which one is a better fit for me.
My biggest concerns are:
-Academics (I want to be challenged but I don’t want to be studying every second for 4 years)
-Students (I want driven students who have school spirit, are friendly, looking to meet new people and know how to have fun.)
-Social scene (I want to have a variety of on and off campus activities available like parties, bars, restaurants, fairs, parades, etc.)
-Alumni connections/job placement
Of your concerns, this one clearly leans towards BC, IMO.
'Gate is a wonderful liberal arts school, but its located in a tiny town.
But really, you need to visit both and see what feels right to you. What could be ‘home’ for the next four years? LACs are excellent educational opportunities but too small for many. OTOH, a school like BC is too large for the LAC fans.
- Academics- Both schools have great academics and a work hard play hard attitude.
- You should visit both schools to grasp what the student body is like. Both schools have a reputation for being preppy.
- The social scene at Boston College is centered around dorm/mod parties and bars, but I have heard that it is difficult for freshmen guys to get into parties. Colgate's social scene revolves arouns frats and frat parties, and rush starts in the second semester. Colgate parties are probably more fun and "traditional" party scene, but BC has exposure to Boston.
Yes – Colgate’s social scene is centered on campus, while at BC you have access to greater Boston. I’m sure both sets of kids have fun, and that neither campus is homogeneous – there will be some diversity of interests, exieriences, and personalities.
Probably the biggest difference is going to be the setting – city vs. rural. At Colgate you’re closer to – well, you’re in – the great outdoors. BC is, as stated, in a suburb/city. So it’s the options of the city vs. natural feel of the rural campus.
Colgate’s classes will be smaller at the survey level – a typical LAC advantage – but once you get into your major at a U, classes tend to shrink.
Academically, both are pretty strong. Main differences there, again, are likely to be the usual LAC vs. U differences. (more research opportunities, majors and courses available at the U; smaller classes and more prof interaction at the LAC)
Visit both and factor in your experiences/reactions.
Colgate offers amazing internships and study groups all over, so you’ll get plenty of exposure to careers. You’ll have an amazing alumni network to support you. And you will have a prestigious education, as well as a solid education. Both BC and Colgate offer solid educations, but one is a “junior IVY” with all the prestige of an IVY in circles where it matters, and one is, well, a school named after the city it is located in.
@PNW I seriously would not take the term “little Ivy” for the LACs too seriously, especially if it is not the little three (Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore). Both Colgate and BC are prestigious, but neither are at the level of ivies or top tier schools such as Stanford, Duke, MIT, etc. Colgate doesn’t have the prestige of an Ivy, even by people who matter. Yes, employers will regard Colgate very highly, but comparing a loosely used term of “little/junior Ivy” with actual Ivies is a huge stretch. Also, BC has a bigger presence, alumni network, and probably more reputable since it is better known.
You obviously have a HUGE bias towards Colgate, which is fine, but you are self inflating the value of Colgate.
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@Dontskipthemoose - I agree with everything you said except the part about the alumni. Colgate has one of the strongest alumni networks out there, as measured by alumni giving, mentoring, visibility on campus etc.
@dontskipthemoose - you’re mistaken. Colgate, like Carleton and others, is a pedigree degree. This matters in some circles, but not others. If the poster wants to be a professor, think tank sleuth, or attorney, or get into graduate school, pedigree matters. If the poster wants to be a high school teacher or accountant, pedigree doesn’t really matter and BC is fine. That’s not just my opinion, but the general consensus.
@circuitrider my bad lol. I feel like Wesleyan has been falling behind in recent years.
@PNW that is just flat out wrong. CSOM is a top ranked business school and many graduates end up getting their MBAs at top graduate programs. You don’t think a BC degree carries a lot of weight if one wants to go to graduate school or academia? BC sends a lot of kids to T14 law schools as well as top med schools. Colgate’s prestige and weight is on par with BC in employment, graduate school admissions, etc. Both are good but neither are at the top tier level as you believe Colgate is. Don’t get me wrong, Colgate is a great school, but your self inflation of Colgate is laughable.
@dontskipthemoose, sorry, but it is you who is mistaken. CSOM is a great choice for a business major. I definitely think in certain select majors, BC would be the better choice. I don’t think that is the case in other majors, and I don’t think a BC degree carries the same weight as Colgate, particularly for things like history and poli sci. No self-inflation (I don’t go there and I don’t work there), just reputation among lawyers, doctors, professors and other degree-matters professionals who are family friends, etc. Plus, Colgate is listed in several journals as a school (like Amherst and Dartmouth) where the degree is worth the cost based on earning power following graduation; BC can’t compare. I don’t mean to ruffle the feathers of all you Boston folks who want to compare yourself to Colgate, but to me, the choice is obvious.
@PNW Looking at the return of investment, BC’s net ROI over a 20 year period is $494,000 and Colgate’s is $498,000. Colgate’s median starting salary post graduation is $51,800 and BC’s overall median starting salary is $55,000. The earnings accumulated post graduation is extremely similar and so are costs of attendance.
Boston College is also listed in several journals and websites alongside other schools as a best value school based on earnings. “BC can’t compare.” BC is literally right alongside Colgate in many of the claims that you have made…
Also your preconceived reputation of Colgate from the opinions of your family friends is an inconceivably small sample. If I lived in New Mexico and I asked professionals in the area and family friends, they would not have the same response as if I asked in the east coast… I am not saying professionals in the west coast won’t know Colgate because that isn’t true, but your illusion of Colgate is solely based on your immediate surrounding and your own bias.
Also do you have any concrete sources to back up your claims that Colgate carries more weight in things like history and poli sci? Regardless, I am not trying to discredit the importance of history or political science, but the “weight” carried by these departments is insignificant when compared to STEM related departments and Stem related researches. In terms of research development, resources, and programs, BC is superior to Colgate.
The fact that you have automatically labeled Colgate better than BC and Hamilton, two schools which are on par if not better than Colgate, without any solid or quantitative data proves that you have little knowledge about what you are talking about.
How’s the weather out there in San Diego, PNW?
You appear to be stuck somewhere in the past, when Colgate had substantially more ‘prestige’ than BC. It’s undeniable that in its past Colgate’s fortune/reputation easily surpassed BC’s (and I’m fairly sure that my great-uncle, Colgate class of 1921, would heartily approve!), but times have changed and BC’s fortunes have shot past Colgate’s impressively in the last 30-40 years.
Another thing you may want to consider is that the people that ‘matter’ in this country are no longer exclusively of the Protestant persuasion – this has benefited colleges like BC immeasurably. So, much as I dislike that vaporous term ‘prestige’, I’m afraid that BC is being engulfed by it.
Hard pill to swallow, I know.
Not a hard pill to swallow at all. II wish all those who pick BC over Colgate thinking they are equal in terms of reputation much luck. m hardly stuck in the past. BTW, I’m Catholic, so I’m happy, too, about the changing times. In 18 years, I lived in DC, CA, NM, WA and VA. Family is mostly lawyers, scientists, judges, doctors and engineers. All across the country, they knew Colgate, and Dartmouth, and Carleton, and Amherst. None recommended BC. Sorry. So I suspect it’s very prestigious locally, and that’s fine. I’ve said repeatedly that BC is a good school. It’s just not in the same league as Colgate outside of your circles. Sorry. It’s still a good choice for those wanting to be in Boston. I picked a school that will serve me well on the West Coast, which is where I intend to stay. Not sure it’s the best choice if I wanted to be in NY, for example. There are the book statistics, and there are the real reputations. Colgate still ranks high in the real world. I’d pick Colgate any day of the week over Boston. Sadly, finances prevented me from making that call.
@PNW ok
hmmmmm, whereforarthou, 'Gate? #52?
I see Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Middlebury, Swat, Tufts, Trinity, Weslayan, Williams…(and probably missing a few more).
http://www.inside-higher-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/wsj_college_092503.pdf
@bluebayou Is there an article following that chart? Can’t seem to find it.
yes, there was, but it was in the Wall Street Journal. If you have a subscription to the WSJ, you should be able to find it.
Personally, I found some holes in their methodology (leading to regional bias), but for those that like to tout ‘my undergrad is more preftigious than yours…’ 
“Sorry. It’s still a good choice for those wanting to be in Boston.”
PNW - That is a ridiculous statement. I assure you that BC’s presence extends far beyond Beantown. She has produced a significant number of cabinet secretaries, governors, senators, representatives and ambassadors. In the judiciary, business and academia the numbers are too large to enumerate. My gosh, one alumna even happens to be provost (chief academic officer - second only to the president) at Dartmouth, while another recently served as dean of the divinity school at Yale. Not bad for a school that can’t hold a candle to a small liberal arts college!
Oh, did I mention a well-known Speaker of the House of Representatives?
Now, don’t you think BC deserves just a little more credit than you’ve been giving her? Go ahead, it won’t hurt…