I was accepted as a transfer student to both schools, and I am having trouble choosing. Cost is not an issue. Looking more at my intended study and social life.
If I go to Emory, I would apply to Goizueta after 1 year at Emory College. I know it isn’t a guarantee, but I hear that it is relatively not difficult. At Boston College, I was accepted into MCAS, and I would major in Economics and minor in management. Which would be better for investment banking/consulting?
Not looking for a party culture like a state school, but social scene is also a big factor in my decision, and any insights would be helpful. A good balance of academics and social life.
Boston College has a reputation of being homogeneously white, preppy, and may be snobby (Obviously not saying everyone is, but that is the image of the stereotypical BC student). Lack of diversity is also a concern at BC.
Emory has greek life, and I am not sure if that is a positive or minus, because this also caters to white and preppy. Emory seems more diverse on paper, but I read that the groups self segregate themselves so it isn't really a cohesive community in reality.
I know Emory is ranked higher, but I am from the Northeast and it seems that Boston College is more known to the general public than Emory, simply due to location in Boston and D1 sports.
Goizueta BBA is ranked 15 and has great placement and employment stats. Although BC is a GREAT school it is not prestigious. If cost is no issue, I’m surprised this is even a debate. However go with your gut and choose the school with best fit.
@VANDEMORY1342 – regarding your suggestion that the OP “go with [his/her] gut and choose the school with best fit” I wholeheartedly agree; however, I believe that insight into fit is exactly the kind of information which s/he is after. I appreciate that you agree that BC is a “GREAT” school, but to say it is “not prestigious” when compared to Emory is, in my experience, not true. Of course, given that prestige is highly subjective and depends very much on geography, your experience might be different.
Emory and BC are a handful of schools apart in terms of ranking, BC has slightly (NOMINALLY) higher SAT/ACT ranges, and BC’s business school (I know that OP is in MCAS) is often ranked higher than Goizueta. Of my 10 friends that applied to both BC and Emory (because they are such peer schools, there is considerable overlap), three were rejected from both, three were accepted to both (one was Oxford at Emory, though), two were accepted to BC and rejected from Emory, and two were rejected from Emory and accepted at BC. In short: these schools are truly well-matched and I agree that the OP has a difficult decision to make.
@edgeook8 well if you compare scores from several years ago sure, but if u compare from class of 2020 and class 2021 Emory’s stats are higher. However that’s besides the point as Emory is (and has been for decades) prestigious and BC and Emory are not peers there is overlap because of similar campus culture. Again BC is still top 1-2% school in the nation so it doesn’t really matter I guess. Still, every single one of Emory’s departments and graduate schools are ranked higher than BC’s corresponding departments and graduate schools. SAT scores shouldn’t matter much beyond a certain point, and Emory doesn’t/ hasn’t valued it as much as it’s peers as it could have raised score long ago if they wanted to but they admittedly have/ had a different mission.
BC is in the BC, BU, Brandies, NYU, U Rochester, Case Western etc peer group which is still excellent imho.
I view them both highly academically, so I am not worried about that. I am more concerned with personal fit and the social scene. I have read on sites like Unigo and Niche that Boston College is heavily dominated by extremely rich, preppy, and white kids. On the other hand, Emory has a greek system, and that also seems to cater to rich preppy kids.
They’re probably a wash in terms of preppy/snobbiness (I don’t know but am guessing). Relative rankings might not matter to you, but if you’re interested in investment banking/consulting, they will certainly matter to employers. Especially if you’re coming out with an arts and sciences degree. BC alumni network is amazing. In greater Boston. Outside there, I am not so sure.
BC and Emory are similar academically, but very different culturally. You will be able to find a social life at either school, but the socio-economic/ethnic profile is quite different
Well, first and foremost BC is a Jesuit college…about half the students went to Catholic high schools, and about 3/4 of the students are Catholic. This can be a source of comfort or not, depending on your point of view. At Emory, about 1/3 of the students are Jewish. 16% of the students are international (most from China/India). About 20% of the domestic students are Asian. Again, this may be a positive, negative or neutral factor, depending on your perspective. Geographically, the majority of the students at BC are from NE,NY and NJ. at Emory, about 1/3 of the students are from the South, and about 1/4 from the Northeast. Emory has Greek Life, BC does not. BC has Div I sports, Emory does not. Both are great schools, but have a different “feel” which might be important to your decision.
@dtrain1027 post is dead on and much of that is evident after visiting each school. As an Emory grad, I could argue all day for the merits of Emory, but both schools here are top schools and your fit, whether its demographic or what you want to study should be the biggest deciding factor. Of course, there’s something to be said for being in Atlanta between September and May.
Emory has the edge in academic rep overall due mainly to superior sciences/pre-med and the relationship with the CDC, but business/econ is perhaps BC’s strongest area… so in terms of your intended major they’re probably peers (Goizueta is also great…).
I think if you changed your mind on major, Emory would be better due to that greater breadth of quality programs.
In terms of atmosphere, it’s suburban Boston vs. suburban Atlanta – both afford the opportunity to sit under pretty trees and cavort in lush parks or to head downtown for city life. Both are going to have preppy kids, but there is bound to be some diversity.
@prezbucky
Is right, it is more about fit and where you want to live/work after school. I would consider there undergraduate business programs (and only the BBA programs) peers as Goizueta is 15 and Carrol(BC) is 22 on US news. If you do well at either one you will have great placement. However if you are not certain about business go to Emory.
BC is not a one-dimensional place, as some would characterize it. While the business school is (for some inexplicable reason) apparently ‘top-dog’ there, it wasn’t long ago that the College of Arts and Sciences, with its humanities based focus, was far and away the best BC had to offer.
The fact that the Carroll School has made great strides in improving its quality does in no way diminish the really outstanding faculty and course offerings of the “College”. It was founded, after all, as a liberal arts college and it remains true to that calling. Even CSOM requires an impressive array of the liberal arts along with its business related curriculum.
True, but that is only bcos of Emory’s grad programs, many of which are excellent, particularly in BioSci. That being said, the OP ain’t going to grad school.
As noted by leanid. BC is first and foremost an liberal arts school. One of the few colleges left with a real Core curriculum. (Columbia and Chicago are the other big holdouts against simple-to-achieve distribution requirements.)
Im not sure if you made a decision already, but hopefully this will help others: I am currently at BC. There is a lack of diversity here definitely. Just take a walk around campus. I dont know too much about Emory. A lot of the student body, I feel, is a bit snobbish- just my feeling although I have only been here a year.
