<p>I'm planning on applying undecided. All I know is that I won't be doing engineering or math.</p>
<p>What are the positives/negatives of Boston University and the "lower" UCs like UC Davis, Santa Barbara, or Irvine. I know it's a broad category but...</p>
<p>And which would you prefer? I'm looking for a safety school.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I’d rank UCSB number one in your list, closely followed by UC Irvine. California is a great State with so many beautiful places that are perfect venues for rich learning. UCSB and UC Irvine are some of those places that will nurture your inquisitive mind and able to prepare you to a great future career. UCSB has a picturesque and huge sprawling campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I cannot comment on BU, but I would not study in MA unless I’d be going to Harvard or MIT.</p>
<p>I actually think UC Davis, Santa Barbara, and Irvine are all better schools.</p>
<p>My order:
UCSB >Davis>Irvine>BU</p>
<p>Bear in mind that Boston University is not a “traditional” campus. It’s a compact campus (132 acres) in the center of Boston, not that different from NYU in concept.</p>
<p>The UCs you’ve mentioned are all large, spread out, suburban campuses with lots of landscaping, athletic fields, and open spaces. For example UCSB is 989 acres, seven times the size of BU.</p>
<p>davis is 7000 acres, lol</p>
<p>You mean Boston University, not Boston College? Why would anyone want to go there? Boston University isn’t a great school. I would definitely pick one of the mid-tier UCs.</p>
<p>^ Boston University IS a great school. It isn’t as good as the mid-tier UCs though.</p>
<p>For a Californian the experience of going East for college is a big plus. BU is a fine school and much better known to the world than the lower UCs.</p>
<p>The big difference here is it costs another $20k per year and has crummy aid, so can’t be a safety unless you’re full pay.</p>
<p>“But I would not study in MA unless I’d be going to Harvard or MIT”</p>
<p>^ this weeks silliest answer…</p>
<p>Perhaps the poster forgot about Williams College, Amherst College, or 25 other top quality schools in Massachusetts…</p>
<p>BU is a fine school and has some outstanding programs. I’m not sure as a undecided major that it would be worth the extra $$$ unless your hoping to move to the East Coast and you wanted to get an early start by making contacts while in school…</p>
<p>they are all safety schools…except one you pay $$$ to attend (unless you are OOS in Cali)</p>
<p>^^^ I was just going to say that same thing ncmentor. Its downright ridiculous and ELITIST.</p>
<p>There are many excellent schools in Boston. Some large, some small, some well known and some not so well known. And then some not to far away from Boston, like Holy Cross, Amherst, Williams, and several women only excellent schools for anyone reading this thread who is female. The OP seems confused. The difference between Boston and California is huge. WHere is the OP from? Where does the OP want to work when finished school? Is the OP from instate California? </p>
<p>The UC schools are overwhelmingly California centric and their graduates tend to stay in California. They don’t get a whole lot of coverage east of St. Louis. </p>
<p>Quality of life is in the eyes of the beholder. Some like beaches and balmy air and some like big urban cities with bright lights and night life. </p>
<p>BU is a good school. I prefer BC, frankly. JMHO.</p>
<p>@ncmentor, in my opinion, there are at least 5 or 6 schools in California that are just as good as Williams and Amherst, if not a little better. I guess I would only sound redundant if I will mention these 6 great California schools to you.</p>
<p>
Redroses, you’re just kidding right? Perhaps you’ve confused BU with BC. But even BC is not more well-known than UC Irvine, UCSB or UC Davis world-wide.</p>
<p>I live and hire on East Coast and assure you Redroses is right, I would view BU as more impressive (though not particularly impressive) then the UCs you mention, which all sound the same. Only UCLA and Berkeley are impressive UCs to me.</p>
<p>Silly discussion. Google Nobel prizes and see how the UCs fare compared to BU. So much of OP’s question depends on whether he is a CA resident. If so, the difference in cost is substantial, with BU costing near 50K/a year (and little financial aid) with all costs taken under consideration. On the east coast BU may be better known; the opposite on the west. BU is a private so it will offer more ‘customer service’ while the UCs are notoriously sink-or-swim in the handholding department, plus have suffered many cuts. The CUs offer a very traditional college experience (its own campus, sports) while BU is an urban campus – some say it doesn’t really have a campus – scattered throughout. This is a decision that should involve a lot more thought than just underinformed wonderings about ‘prestige.’</p>
<p>
I don’t know… BU is HUGE for a private school, and comments from students on various websites do not give the impression there is much hand holding going on. </p>
<p>I picked this out of Wiki: "With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States[12] and one of Boston’s largest employers.[13]</p>
<p>BU actually has many more students than UCSB – 31,000 vs. 22,000. How much hand holding can you give 31,000 students?</p>
<p>I believe BU and UCSB have a somewhat similar number of undergraduates, actually. And yes, BU is huge, but it also has a law school as well as a medical school. True, compared to some LACs BU does offer less in terms of customer service. However, BU’s undergraduates also DO have easier access to classes and support services. As well they should: they’re paying twice as much.</p>
<p>BU is , indeed, quite large, and does not have a traditional campus. It’s urban, stretching mostly along a major street. But there is a definite cohesive quality to it, and given the huge number of college students in the Boston area, there is a lot to do on and off campus. It is broken into smaller units and does have resources for students who need some help. It has been improving fast over the last couple of decades too.
Financial aid varies - there are some very nice scholarships for classics students, and First robotics team members for example.</p>
<p>I believe that Davis, of your UCs, has best engineering. Not considered a safety for many though, incoming GPA average 4.2. (double check but Irvine, I believe, is least engineering oriented) OOS might have better luck since all UCs are strapped for cash, though.</p>
<p>You will get a fine education at any of the UCs and you won’t have to wear snow clothes except for your ski weekends in the Sierra!</p>