Hi,
I know this is a common question, however, some input would be greatly appreciated. Some background information about me is that: 1. I am undecided (No idea whatsoever) 2. One offers slightly more money 3. Two of my siblings have attended one of these schools 4. My parents prefer the school that neither of those said siblings attended (though they liked the school).
Thank you guys in advance for any input you can give me!
I recommend people to look at test averages for matriculants rather than the admitted pool. That is a far better measure of student quality.
^I would agree. Thatâs why I posted stats for enrolled students in #10.
The OP hasnât been back to CC since May 1 â I expect he/she decided on a school.
BU is a bit more selective and it also has a smaller freshman class. Here are the stats for 2018 admissions:
Boston University
22% acceptance rate
3300 total freshmen
1468 mean SAT
32 mean ACT
Boston College
27% acceptance rate
8400 total freshmen
1448 mean SAT
33 mean ACT
UrbanMum, BC does not have 8,400 freshmen. It has 2,400 freshmen. Otherwise, your data seems about right, although I am not sure there is enough of a difference in the admit rate and standardized test scores to suggest that BU is more selective than BC.
Itâs not more selective itâs less so. Bc has division one sports in the averages and bu is not at the same level.
BC is a higher ranked school than BU universally in the US and especially in business. BU has a bigger presence internationally.
Bc has a a target of 2297 freshman. 2400 was an over enrollment in 2021.
Bu has many more applications and bit the pool isnât necessarily as deep or talented pool once you get out beyond the a certain number of applications
People make a big mistake looking at admit rates as a sign of selectivity. Itâs a sign of application volume. If all students were equal then it would be true. But a school received 60k applications and 4000 were great the rest not competitive School b has 10k apps because they are Jesuit and expensive. But they 4K admitted non athletes have higher stats tha school a. You would have one school with a less than 10 percent acceptance rate and school b with a 40 percent acceptance rate. Your chances of getting in were not determined by acceptance rate. Itâs the quality of the pool you are swimming in.
Agreed privatebanker. The strength of the applicant pool must be considered.
BC, as a Catholic, Jesuit school has a self selecting applicant pool. Many students do not even consider applying to BC because of its religious identity. Also families in search of merit aid are less likely to apply to BC.
The best-known college-rankings, from USN&WR, include an evaluation of âstudent selectivityâ (among other things). And as far as USN&WR is concerned, acceptance rate is only a minor factor in determining selectivity. They evaluate selectivity using the following factors:
65% weight - SAT or ACT scores for enrolled (not admitted) students
25% weight - fraction of enrolled (not admitted) students in top 10% of their high school class
10% weight - acceptance rate
In other words, âselectivityâ is not really determined by the number of students that a school turns away. Instead, itâs mostly determined by the quality of the students that a school attracts.
In the 2018 ranking, BC was ranked #28 for selectivity specifically, while BU was ranked #45. Note that these are just the ranks for selectivity, which is only one component of the overall ranking. BU ranked higher than BC in other components, like âfaculty resourcesâ, and so the overall rankings were closer.
So there is a good case that BC is the more âselectiveâ school. However, it would be foolish to choose BC over BU solely on that basis.
I agree on admit rates not being a great indicator of selectivity. The modern phenomenon of low admit rates is largely due to the relative ease of applying to multiple schools combined with marketing programs to get as many to apply or not whether or not they are qualified. A cynical view would be to say they are inducing unqualified students to apply to be rejected. The number of high stat kids has not skyrocketed (although high school grade inflation is rampant). Unfortunately, other metrics used by USNews are open to manipulation as well.
I would say historically, BC has had the better reputation and a more traditional campus experience. BU has made some significant gains and is experiencing some of the trendiness that some urban campuses are experiencing. It is difficult to say if that is going to continue or whether trends will change.
I think they are probably close enough in reputation that I would suggest going on fit.
When I was in college if you had a 3.0 average and an 1100 SAT both BU and BC were safeties. Times have changed!
@corbett. The case was being made the other way. The original point was being made was the opposite bu being more selective over Bc. BC is a bit harder to get into in general but a poor reason to choose.
i love how the discussion got carried way and OP is nowhere to be seenâŠ
BU has pretty much caught up BC in terms of selectivity. Lots of momentum. Academically, BU is more robust in more academic areas than BC.
Yeah. BU is has always been great. Everyone should just go there and be done with it.
BC does not have the alternate freshman entry option that BU has: CGS January-London program. The stats for those students are not reported to USNews.
At my kidsâ high performing suburban Boston HS, the edge in terms of selectivity goes to BC. BC attracts the preppy kids (my dadâs in financial services!). BU gets more a mix that is reflective of our HS which is almost 1/2 Chinese/Indian/Korean.
That said, you can do fine at either. It is completely about fit; they represent two polar opposites of Boston schools. Good luck!
Tom. Donât bother with the logic. Some posters are very interested in anti BC rhetoric. Maybe they where waitlisted there and canât let it go.