<p>If your interest is Biology - Boston/Cambridge will bring you more opportunities for internships etc. since there are many biotech firms there. I live ouside of Boston and that is my opinion.</p>
<p>I think you’re making the right decision. You’d feel awful if you went against your “gut” and enrolled at GW based on the skewed sample available in this forum. Both are fine schools but if you’re not looking to tap into the political vibe in DC (one of GW’s main calling cards) then I’m not sure what the upside is in going against your inner feelings. Both BU and GW have similar national reputations so you’re going to be fine either way if you decide not to settle in the Northeast. </p>
<p>Going to school in Boston is an amazing experience and you can’t beat BU’s location in the heart of Boston (as I’m sure you saw during your visit). I spent some time at BU (grad school) so PM me if you have any questions. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Some find it hard being at GWU and not being interested in politics/IR/law. As you say you’re interested in Bio/Computer Science, I think all the pharmaceuticals in Boston/Cambridge could be really beneficial. They recruit from local schools and hire interns for the academic year. The tech companies around MIT/Kendall Sq. is right across the Charles River from BU and could provide more opportunities for jobs and internships in your disciplines. (BTW, a lot of these companies recruit for the NEU co-ops, but BU is more respected than NEU in my opinion. As long as money is not a consideration, I’d go with BU. Also they have a med school, while NEU doesn’t, so that can also provide research opportunities).
GWU also doesn’t really have a campus and is in fact more separated. Walking along Comm. Ave, everyone will practically be associated with BU. It won’t feel that much like a city school.</p>
<p>You happened to pick the two most overpriced schools in the U.S.</p>
<p>Both are incredibly expensive, I’ll grant you that.</p>
<p>IvyGrad2007, what are you doing on a BU-GW thread to pump Northeastern? You seem to have quite the inferiority complex with your choice of NU as you’re on multiple threads trying to convince people of the school’s superiority over BU. You do realize you’ve got an issue here don’t you?</p>
<p>"You happened to pick the two most overpriced schools in the U.S. "</p>
<p>Well, it does depend on the financial package, but I would agree that GW has always been pricey and neither school will be on a ‘best college value’ list anytime soon. </p>
<p>I was accepted at both BU and Northeastern and went Northeastern. If you really want a Business program, NU is the place to be in Boston. There is a Boston area competition of Business programs and I think NU has won 8 out of the last 10 years. If you want to discover and try a wide range of possibilities, NU is the absolutely wrong place for that. BU has several different colleges and is a very good choice for those with multiple but diverse passions (e.g., History and Music). </p>
<p>I’d rather be in a lousy dorm in BU then in a great dorm at George Washington. If you adopt the mindset that Boston is your campus you’ll won’t regret missing the traditional campus quad etc. </p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>I’d pick GWU over BU
and as for the NEU - BU debate.
I too know tons of people who chose NEU over BU (and I’ll be doing the same this fall) In fact there’s a bunch of people who transfer from BU to NEU
the statements about NEU having the ‘first one in family going to college niche’ and ‘less affluent student body’ are pathetic…where do you get your information from?
and ctyankee: I’ll be doing the Business program at NEU too so thanks for re-assuring me that I’m making the right decision</p>
<p>I would definitely go to BU if that is what your gut is telling you, although I definitely believe that GWU has the same type of diversity that BU has. Also, GWU is also near other universities (American & Georgetown). At GWU, iyou have the opportunity to live on a campus if you wish to do so (Mount Vernon). </p>
<p>Also, I don’t know why you say being in DC is a con. DC is awesome; there is so much to do there. I know a few people at GWU, and none of them are snobby. I think that wherever you go, you will find snobby people, but I do not believe in any way that there are more snobby people at GWU then BU. </p>
<p>I personally liked GWU better than BU, but this is a very personal choice. If your gut says BU, than I would definitely go with BU. BU has many pros! Good luck.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Debatable. I could definitely see where the money at GWU was going when I visited there. Security, securing excellent adjunct professors, transportation, the Vern (although I wasn’t impressed), financial aid, etc. But yeah, they are both incredibly expensive.</p>
<p>Red_Glory,</p>
<p>Welcome to Northeastern! You’ll love the B-School. </p>
<p>At one point (40 years ago) these ‘first generation’, commuter school, night school labels all had some basis in fact. Much as Back Bay was a second rate neighborhood in Boston. No more and not for a long time. Some labels are rather meaningless too … how does being a ‘second generation’ student help you a lick in the classroom? Commuting? Well, if I lived in the Boston area someone would have to do a lot of convincing why I would ever want to leave Boston (in the first place) to pay housing costs to go study somewhere else. </p>
<p>My freshmen year roommates did okay. We teased one guy who went to work for government in D.C. He worked for 20 years (including the 1 1/2 years he got for co-op experience) took his pension and lifetime health benefits and went on to be a partner in a consulting firm. Another I lost track of (pre-Facebook days) … when he left NU, he was hired by HP ($24,000 in 1979) where they paid him while he went to Stanford University for grad school (free ride). I was hired by Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) out of NU where I had 12 direct reports (starting out) in a division that was growing 40 percent per year. </p>
<p>When I left NU, a professor in my major told me that if I wanted to go to grad school to give him a call. Three years later I made the call and told him I was applying for schools for my M.B.A. Next thing I know, I’m interviewing with the Dean of a top B-School. He tells me, 'Bob Lieb called me and personally recommended you, do you know what that means? What it meant was a full tuition paid ride at a great school and a research assistantship stipend that paid for room and board. </p>
<p>A great thing about the co-op program is not just finding out what you like but finding out what you DON"T like. When I went to grad school, I had three friends that were at grad school primarily as a way of getting out of accounting. They all worked for big six accounting firms and all hated what they were doing. At NU, an accounting major figures that out by their first co-op job and he or she has moved on or figured they love it. A nursing major I knew was ready to drop out of nursing until she got a job working with premature babies, an area that she has specialized in since and LOVES. </p>
<p>There are a lot of great schools out there, NU is one of them. Sorry for the off-topic post guys.</p>
<p>It’s funny, you can tell which people have inferiority complexes by how much they drone on about their school choice over others. In no way is the person who started this thread interested in hearing about NU. And yet these folks come out of the woodwork whenever they see the initials B-U. And why is that?</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is, BU is still much more highly regarded than NU and these people know it (BU is ranked 60th, whereas NU is in the high 90s). Putting rankings aside, having been in the business world in New England for over 20 years, I can attest to what people think about the reputations of these schools. Now before all of the NU wanna-bees get their panties in a bunch, NU has made great strides in the last 10 years and it will continue to do so. It’s a fine school and their co-op program is something that benefits the right kind of student. But it’s not BU. </p>
<p>But this thread is about a person’s choice between BU and GW. And that’s what we’re talking about.</p>
<p>p.s. By the way, I hope we can get some closure on this issue soon as I have to pack. Off to Washington, DC you know, to see the Terriers in the Frozen Four.</p>
<p>I’m going to take the contrarian view to DaddyWarBucks statement. I find it very difficult to believe that BU is that much more “highly regarded” than NEU. Both schools have great programs but they are different and makes it impossible to compare. My son matriculated in 2008 @ NEU. From the slide show that was presented to us on parents day NEU’s stats are very impressive, especailly the caliber of students that are enrolling and their expansion plans as a research university. It would not surprise me if NEU surpassed BU in the rankings in due time. As to the Original Poster BU and GWU are great programs. I believe BU is famous for its communications school and GWU for Political Science. Either way I wish you the best.</p>
<p>Alright people, thanks so much for all the info. I think the topic here is nearing saturation in terms of what I can get from it.</p>
<p>I’ll be discussing this with other people I know from the states.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you when I’ve decided.</p>
<p>Alex,</p>
<p>Have you attended some classes in these schools? </p>
<p>My oldest son was 99 percent convinced about the school he wanted to attend. He told everyone in school that he was going to X. He then attended classes at his final picks and changed his mind. It can be quite helpful to see the engagement and the level of engagement between faculty and students (and students with each other). </p>
<p>Best of luck with your decision.</p>
<p>Nah, I live in Morocco, never have been in the US for more than 3 weeks in one go. So that’s 6 weeks total. No way I’m going to the US just to decide. Thanks for the tip though.</p>
<p>ctyankee
thanks for all the great information…I’m really looking forward to attending Northeastern.
And yea a lot of people have told me about the great job offers you get through Northeastern especially as a business major.</p>
<p>That’s great. If you’d gone to BU you would have received a better offer. Bye bye now.</p>
<p>Boston is more diverse than DC? Try again.</p>
<p>yea if I choose BU I’ll receive offers like grade deflation, ‘the city is your campus’ bull sh it and an average business school with lesser internship opportunities
great offer daddywarbucks…thanks but no thanks.</p>