I know this question has been asked before, but I just want to get a fresh perspective on the matter. There are things I love about both and I’m just having a hard time deciding.
Thanks!!
No one can tell you anything with the information you provided here: nothing.
@Windhunde : I chose BC CSOM over UVA. Make a pros and cons list. Off the top of my head, this is what I considered (I’m a current soph at BC right now, just to contextualize my perspective):
Area: BC > UVA … Boston is my favorite city in the country. I’m also from Long Island, so BC is a good distance without being too close or too far). UVA is a bit too rural for my taste, and while the weather is nicer, it wasn’t superior-enough to influence my decision.
Business: BC > UVA … This is much more up for debate. BC actually just moved ahead of UVA on the businessweek rankings. It was UVA #2 v BC #4 when I was deciding, but it’s now BC #3 v UVA #5. I also loved that CSOM is a 4-year program and direct-admit, while UVA McIntire is 2 years, which means you might be in A&S all four years, despite your best efforts. Overall, the schools are on a pretty similar plane, with UVA as a university maybe edging BC out by a bit, but BC has been rising on the rankings fast and has dropped in acceptance rate over the last two years by a decent amount as well, which can inherently allude to a rise in prestige.
Recruitment: too close to call … Both schools are great in this area. Again, UVA used to have an edge, and I have some obvious bias now, but I don’t think they’re as differently viewed now as they were ten or even five years ago.
Campus: BC > UVA … Both are absolutely beautiful, but BC’s, to the best of my knowledge, is much more centralized (most on-campus housing surrounds the academic buildings, which lie in the very center of campus), and less rural (it’s a bit more right knit I believe). I could be totally wrong, I’ve never visited UVA, so I’m judging off of pictures. I love BC’s campus though. I wouldn’t change one thing.
Social Life: BC > UVA … BC is non-Greek, while UVA, to the best of my knowledge, is heavily Greek. I’m not a huge drinker/partier, and I love that I can have a much more organic experience, where I can pick my friends at my leisure as opposed to choosing a package deal (i.e. a frat) up front, and adjusting afterwards.
Sports: UVA > BC … Both have great sports. As of right now, UVA is better. BC went to the Pinstripe Bowl for football last year and tanked this year, with historically bad numbers between football and basketball. However, in hockey, our main sport, we lost in the Frozen Four and won the Beanpot, so that’s usually our standard of consistency.
I’m super biased, so that’s my disclaimer there. Let me know if I can address anything else.
I apologize. My information was a it lacking, making it a bit difficult to help.
First, about myself. I from Pennsylvania so I’m pretty much right in the middle of these two school. I plan to major in economics, and try to focus on the more international end of the spectrum, as well as minor in German. In college, I obviously hope to get a great education and know that any school can give me that, but I also really hope to have fun, in areas such as clubs, intramurals, sports fandom, social events and parties as well as the surrounding area. At the end of the day, I hope to be able to look back at college and feel like I got a good mix of it all.
Some of the things I love about Boston College are: the campus and Gothic architectural style is just beautiful. Just sitting next to Gasson, while the sun is setting is so peaceful. The food is also great. As petty as that could sound, I am someone who loves to eat, and I am sure I would be happily fed at BC. The location of being near Boston is also ideal. Another thing I love is the friendliness/helpfulness of the professors, and the fact that I feel like the class sizes would be a lot smaller at BC, allowing for a more intimate education and relationship. In addition, the fact that I do not have to worry about getting into the business school once I am there is nice. Lastly, the thing I love the most, and always think about with BC, is the Jesuit ideals and how it seems like that drives all their pursuits. Though I am not catholic (I’m protestant), having Christian influences is nice, and I just feel like if I were to go to BC, that I would not only be academically transformed, but also changed in all other facets of my life, following the “cura perosnalis” and “men and women for others ideals.”
Some of the things I dislike are: the campus. Though I said I loved the campus, I meant so in an architectural standpoint. The things I don’t like are how it feels so small and like its stacked on top of itself. It also feels like there is so little green space compared to other places. It does not necessarily have that big campus feel, which is fine in its own respect, but I feel I would like. The weather could obviously be terrible, especially in comparison. Also, the dining plan seems a bit odd and I am just a little afraid I may run out. Another thing is the whole sports culture and stuff. I am quite a large sports fan, especially with college sports, and just seeing the packed stadiums and arenas, with full student sections seem so exciting. Whenever I would watch BC games on TV, Alumni stadium would look empty by half time and Conte seemed deserted before tip off. Though this won’t matter towards earning a degree, I have looked forward towards games, and that’s an experience I would not want to miss. Lastly, just as a product of being northeasterners, the students can sometimes not feel the most welcoming or kind.
As for UVa. I applied to this school on a whim, but once I got in, decided to do an overnight visit and had a blast! Just in general, everybody seemed so friendly! My host had to do homework at one point, so two strangers to me, but his friends, offered to take me to get food and ended up showing me around campus for two hours on a Sunday night. It just felt like a generally more relaxed and fun loving atmosphere. Another thing I loved was Charlottesville. Though BC is near Boston, I feel like the surrounding area is lacking, whereas UVa has the opposite. There is no city around, but the college town is very nice, so they both have perks in a way. Charlottesville really did just feel like an ideal college town with all the eateries and shops, which was cool to see a community interaction with the college. Like the students, I also felt like the professors were equally friendly and of good expertise. Lastly, the sports at UVa just seem all around better. Though the football team was equally bad, it seemed like it garnered so much more interest. As for basketball the fact that they have a lottery for student tickets, yet BC has to do giveaways to get anybody. It seems like UVa would be more fun in that respect. The last thing I enjoyed about UVa was the campus style and layout. It just had that bigger time feel, as well as a lot more green space.
The things I dislike: the food!! Just from my experience and the opinions of the students, the food at UVa is a bit disappointing, and since I will already be doing work study to pay for college, I feel like I won’t really be able to eat of campus much. Like I said, though Charlottesville is nice, it feels like there is not much else. Another thing is campus beauty. This is just a personal critique, but I enjoy the Gothic style much more than the southern style. Lastly, the class sizes, especially for econ, would stay too large throughout the years, so my intimate education would not exactly be there. The fact that I would have to apply into the business school also seems rather disconcerting.
The financial aid packages are very similar also.
In the end, just generally, I feel like I would get a better education at Boston College, but have more fun at UVa. That’s not to say I won’t get a great education at UVa and have fun at BC, those are just the impressions I got.
Thanks for any help!
Your list is well thought out. As far as the meal plan, there is plenty of money to get through the semester. I think the kids who run out buy a lot of expensive coffee. I like the system they use as it makes students aware of what they’re eating as opposed to all-you-can-eat with dessert at every meal. Don’t underestimate the direct admit into the business school. I’ve heard plenty of stories of students who don’t make it in and then what? I have a kid at BC who has enjoyed the sports scene. There are plenty of kids who go to football games and hockey is huge. Basketball isn’t huge but hockey makes up for that.
That being said, you need to trust your gut and pick the place you want to go. Try flipping a coin and see if you’re happy with the outcome or if you want to flip again. That will tell you what your gut says. Good luck with your decision, they’re both great choices.
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Oops, ignore my last post. I’ve been accepted to BC and UVA as well. I have a brother at UVA and my dad went there. No connection to BC. Live in the Midwest. I think this is just a personal decision, and I agree with many of your thoughts. I guess here is my two cents:
Ranking / prestige: Same. Both are great schools.
Campus: I think UVA’s lawn (the area around the rotunda) is really beautiful. But my brother said you rarely go there (you can, but it’s not part of your everyday life). The rest of UVA’s campus is ok. I do agree it has more green space than BC, but it’s also a bit spread out for my taste. I give the edge to BC’s overall campus. Love the gothic architecture and the small / smaller campus. Everything seems like a 10 minute walk away. I also went over to that lake close to campus. Don’t think it’s part of BC, but it’s a big lake with a running trail over by the baseball fields. That was really nice. The new dorms on commonwealth (?) look awesome too, and it looks like they’re building a new gym complex on campus that will have some green space. Finally, and this may sound weird, but a lot of UVA’s building seemed like they needed some fresh paint and carpet (run down). By contrast, BC’s seemed very nice inside. I guess that’s the difference between private and public school?
Sports: I agree UVA at the moment is much better at basketball. Both stink at football. BC has hockey. I’d give the edge to UVA here. That said, if I wanted big sports I’d go to Michigan.
Food: Don’t really know. The food at BC’s admitted students day was awesome though.
Classes: I really like the idea of smaller classes. I sat in on a history class at BC and the professor said the largest history class is like 40 students. Other professors said many classes are less than 20 students. My brother has had some really big classes at UVA (100s). These were mostly intro classes, so I’m assuming they get smaller later on.
Weather: UVA
Location: BC. Boston is awesome. Not only is Boston right there, but there are a ton of other colleges in Boston. I read there are like 250,000 undergrads in Boston?! I like the idea of being able to go to a game at Fenway, a park downtown, or a rowing race on the Charles. You’re also close to the beaches and mountains. Charlottesville is really pretty, but the area by the rotunda seemed really small. A few restaurants and bars. It’s a personal choice, but I think Boston is a huge plus in BC’s column.
Students: they seemed very similar to me. UVA had a lot of kids from northern Virginia; BC had a lot of kids from New England. BC also seemed to have a lot of potential students from California, which surprised me.
Overall, I’d give the edge to BC, but it’s really a personal choice. If I were in-state UVA, I’d go there. But we’ll pay the same at each school…and I really like the smaller more personal feel at BC.
The difference that will probably impact u the most is frats. vs. no frats. Greek life offers a very different Social vibed