Hi there! My 2021 daughter was accepted to BU this week. She was also accepted to a prestigious state university which is 1/3 the cost. So we have a lot to consider and were wondering if anyone out there can speak to these issues as we haven’t been able to visit BU due to COVID travel issues:
Is the tuition “worth it?” Is your student getting that much more in terms of support, enrichment, etc for the extra cost?
We are Jewish and are wondering if there is a vibrant and welcoming Jewish community?
Does a degree from BU offer something special in terms of applying to grad school?
Anything else you can tell us about BU and your student’s experience is so appreciated!
We are making this decision with so much info missing and would love input. Thank you!
For us, we did not think that full cost at BU was worth it when compared to a very good in-state public university (and we do not drive a BMW).
One daughter who attended a very good public university just got accepted to a very highly ranked graduate program which suggests that she did just fine with a degree from a public university. My wife and I also have experience at highly ranked graduate schools studying alongside a very large number of other graduate students who had graduated from a very wide range of universities, most of which were probably in-state public schools.
I went to undergrad across the river from BU, and did know a few Jewish students at BU. They seemed to have a large and active Jewish community and were fine with it. Some of them did date non-Jewish guys from other universities in the area.
I would save my money for undergrad. I am more willing to shell out the big $$$ for graduate school.
Why did you allow your child to apply ed2 if you were not sure? If you’re financially able to afford the school, you signed an agreement for your child to attend, not weigh one school over another based on cost. My daughter was accepted to other universities prior to BUs ed2 decision and received full tuition aid at each school, but we were willing to roll the dice and accept the offer that BU made and reject the other schools once accepted. Now you want to look for the flaws in the school to avoid the higher cost of tuition and rationalize rejecting BUs offer? You can reject BU, but just know you cost some kid their spot in their dream school because you supposedly did not know your state school would ultimately be cheaper to attend than a private school with an advertised high price tag that they were not keeping a secret.
Applying ED2 unless you’re absolutely sure is a no-no. It really does make other students and parents upset to see this kind of post. My D, for instance, applied RD and is still waiting to hear back from BU. But, BU will let your D out of the ED2 contract if attending is not affordable for your family. Some schools are pretty flexible on this, I think. It happens.
And, no, I would not think it was “worth it” for my D to attend BU if there was a comparable, equally prestigious option available at 1/3 of the price.
BU (and Boston) has a strong Jewish community, but in my opinion, the state school is the obvious choice here.
Don’t feel bad about having applied ED2, and then declining for financial reasons. BU has banner ads all over the internet about “merit scholarships for test-optional applicants” which imply that there’s plenty of merit money awarded - I don’t believe that is the case. I think that they’re just trying to goose their application numbers. If she really wants to go there, contact the admissions office and ask for more financial aid. Explain to them that your family’s economic circumstances mean you will have trouble with what they’re expecting you to pay, and that you will be forced to decline for financial reasons if they cannot improve the deal. And if they cannot, I’m sure she’ll do very well at the state school, too.
Don’t feel guilty about having applied ED2 and then realizing that you couldn’t swing it financially. You didn’t set the rules of the application process, and surely you aren’t the only family that would have realized that they cannot pay the price asked, after having received the acceptance letter.
No, feel bad. Those scholarships you speak of aren’t guaranteed with acceptance and are available to regular decision candidates that want to weigh opportunities. They have net price calculators on every universities web page that allows you a ball park of what you can expect to pay. Stop encouraging people to game the system for better acceptance rates compared to regular decision pool candidates.
I assume BU’s early options and dates imply that this applicant applied early decision. I did not see that in the post. I would also like to know the state school as more of an FYI.
Anyway, CC active participants seem to have had many more positive “i can’t afford it” broken ED experiences than I have witnessed. Be aware that they often go badly for the family, so it is much better to stick with your commitment and attend the school you said you would.
In other words, you need to go to BU. The jewish population and activities will exceed exceptions.
What is your C’s preference? What was the rationale behind applying ED2? Plenty of people go to expensive private schools in preference to state schools, not uncommon. Cs of colleagues and acquaintances preferred to go to NYU, without any price breaks in preference to flagship state schools. During C’s admissions cycle about half a dozen from their high school went to BU. Some of them had price breaks like presidential scholarships (like 20k/year or so) and others didn’t. Nevertheless with or without, they all were prepared to go paying lot higher than the state schools which was nominal because even the state schools gave them price breaks on top of low instate tuition. So finances are not a forbidding challenge, may be better to go to a private school of one’s liking. You get to enjoy the location, low student to faculty ratio, higher internships and placements assistance, well connected and well placed alumni network etc, etc.
Thanks everyone! She is going to BU - just was hoping to hear from the parents of current/recent BU students about the added-value of the cost. Surely there is support from the college, professors, etc that makes it special? What resources did your student find most helpful?
Few things at a high level. Some of the fields of study at BU are supposedly very good, from my limited knowledge, Physics, Economics, Business, Engineering, public health …
Secondly, BU attracts high caliber faculty as well as students from around the world because of the location. You may want to check the profiles of the faculty in your area(s) of interest. Many are members or elected fellows of prestigious organizations in their fields. The class sizes usually smaller than large public universities.
The caliber of students is high and keeps going up consistently. I have seen acceptance rates go from 25% to 18.5% in 3 years. That is a 26% drop. This year the overall acceptance is going to drop further because of record number of applications, like 76k.
Also the location offers so many opportunities like working in an industry of interest part time during the year and full time during summer. Of course they don’t have a co op kind of program like the neighboring NEU, but support is still supposedly good. One has to work for opportunities though, nothing is going to come served on a plate. Depending on the major, there can be plenty of research and opportunities within BU itself. There are especially many health care related organizations and research institutions all around.
Regarding the quality of student life, people seem to love studying in a vibrant city like Boston area. Lot of clubs and student activities to pursue. And lastly, the benefits of a legacy for future generations, kind of paying up front for it.
Can’t one get all these in a public university? May be, you have to find out. That is an individual choice to make.
These are the types of things to find out before one applies ED. I also would be interested in knowing what prestigious state uni your D was accepted to, and what her intended major is.
There’s really no choice to be made, but IMO BU is not worth 3x the price if we are talking UVA or UMich, and probably some others, depending on major. Hopefully BU is affordable without any loans, or just the $27K in the Federal Direct Student loans.
Here’s my thought. College really is a form of vocational training, and it need not be expensive if you can help it. If the emphasis is on gaining marketable skills, then it’s an advantage to go the the less expensive school. If not, then neither school will help him much…and he would be better off paying less. Either way, you’re better off at the less expensive school.
After reading #1, I was going to say it’s not worth it. However, if your daughter plans to be active in Jewish life/Hillel at BU, she will have an instant built in friend group and support system. I’m not even exaggerating – the kids in that community are great to each other. I wish I had been a part of it, would’ve made finding friends at BU much much easier!