Be careful when you open your decision from Boston University!
BU is not honest with applicants. If you have not been accepted, the decision notice may say something like CONGRATULATIONS…YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED…
In that moment, a typical applicant gets excited and celebrates. They tell their families and friends. They post to social media.
But…later they read the entire decision notice…they have NOT been accepted. Apparently BU does not wait list applicants. It shunts them to CGS - College of General Studies, even if they applied to CAS - the College of Arts and Science and presumably other schools and colleges. The CGS appears to basically be an expensive junior college with a pathway into BU.
Others have called the CGS High School 2.0.
BU suggests students apply to CGS if they don’t know their major. The curriculum suggests that CGS is for students that didn’t have an adequate high school education. But, highly qualified AP applicants that applied to a specific BU college/school and a specific major get shunted by BU into the CGS.
BU CGS does not start until January, requiring applicants to take a gap semester. Which means that CGS students do not have a true 4-yr college experience.
In business this is called BAIT & SWITCH which is considered highly unethical.
BU should be honest. Tell students they have been declined by the school to which they have applied and then offer the CGS. BU’s current CGS is letter is dishonest and cruel. College applicants open every decision with excitement and trepidation. They deserve to be told the truth.
My kid is a BU grad. One of his roommates along the way started in the BU CGS. He raved about the program and how well it prepared him for his final two years at BU.
I think you are ranting about the wrong thing. CGS students segue into the bachelors programs at BU seamlessly.
If you want a Bachelors from BU, this is one way to get it.
And really…you need to read the whole acceptance packet to every college. Not just the first line.
Thumper…do you even remember how high school seniors think and act?
C’mon…how do you think an applicant will react to: CONGRATULATIONS…YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED…
Do you think it is OK for BU to not be clear in the first words of their acceptance? This BU CGS shunt just happened to two top 5% high school students I know. Both thought they had been accepted to the CAS. Both discovered the truth later that day.
So…of course every applicant should read the entire acceptance packet for every schools to which they have been accepted. But the the decision notice should be honest, from beginning to end. An applicant should not have to read the fine print to understand.
UC Berkeley has a program with California junior colleges that provides a pathway to transfer after two years. When Cal declines applicants, it does not say…CONGRATULATION YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED to junior college. Cal is honest. It says something like " we regret to inform you…"
It bears repeating…Boston University’s BAIT & SWITCH tactis are dishonest and cruel.
Many schools are now offering January start or first semesters elsewhere. All tell students they have been accepted to that program…because they have. It’s a legitimate and respectable pathway. This is not bait and switch.
This is not bait and switch and the various pathways are legitimate and appreciated by many students.
However, I can see how an excited teen could be misled initially by the wording as you’ve provided. While we did not post any acceptances to social media, I recognize it is a trend and some even stream when opening decisions. Hopefully BU will take note and revise the verbiage to make the offer clear from the start. I’m sorry the kids you know were disappointed.
College of Basic Studies at BU has been around forever. Now called College of General Studies, it tends to accept students who are not quite qualified for BU and are full-pay. These types of programs are popping up more frequently these days, but BU was a pioneer. For some reason, these student stats weasel their way out of entire school stats and that makes schools feel better about taking their money, lower grades/scores and the eventual higher drop-out rate.
For those who make it through the program, the kids do learn a lot. As far as the question as to whether this is a bait and switch, it is certainly poor form if the acceptance letter is written that way.
This is not bait and switch because it is admittance into a legitimate program of study. Agree that the whole letter needs to be read because many colleges have alternative January start programs, alternate starting locations or admit to a program other than the primary major the student applied to. An admission is a successful outcome, even if it isn’t the first choice program or start date.
It is unfortunate that your student is embarrassed because they shared acceptance information without being fully aware of the situation. Hopefully there are other acceptances to choose from because your family shouldn’t start this 4-year relationship with a bad taste in your mouth.
My son had a CGS acceptance. He was undecided on major, which is why I think he got it. His stats were excellent (34 ACT, 4.0/4.7 GPA, 5s and 4s on APs including Calc BC and Physics C, Nat’l Merit Commended and AP Scholar) so I disagree with @michaeluwill’s post he “was not quite qualified” for BU. He did not want the Jan start but I watched the virtual programming and the teachers/program sounded interesting.
I agree that the wording in the decision letter could perhaps be improved but not sure I’d call it bait and switch. Also, BU does waitlist thousands of applicants.
Not sure if that was addressed to me (but asking, since I was the last poster above your message). But the answer is no - don’t have a denied current or past student.
A good lesson at a young age to read everything. We have a client who did not read our contract which clearly stated our estimated fee. She signed it, we did the work, and now she is furious at our invoice. When we mentioned the contract, she said, “I didn’t read it! Why would I pay that much? That’s not what you told me on the phone!” (It is what we told her on the phone, I think she just misheard.) So she will be hearing from a bill collector soon.
Reading documents is critical and the consequences fall on you if you don’t read them.
Tom - I don’t know if you are referring to me. No, I was not denied at BU, nor was our daughter.
Our daughter was just re-directed by BU to CGS. She is a top student at her top tier high school with a high GPA, an amazing SAT score, and tons of AP classes under her belt. She applied to BU’s CAS with a major in political science. She was was giddy with excitment when she intially read her notification from BU. Only to break down in tears later when she realized that she had not been accepted to her BU college of choice. BU did not tell her that she had been rejected by CAS, only that she had been accepted to CGS.
In the end, our daughter will be fine. She was accepted to some amazing schools. I just think BU needs to change its approach.
Maybe something like…“While you have not been accepted to BU’s College of Arts and Sciences, we are excited to offer you a spot in our College of General Studies.”
Again, many universities do not accept applicants to their first choice of major, program of choice, or desired timeline, but do accept the applicants to their university. I would venture to say that none of their acceptance letters have the verbiage you desire.
I understand your daughter’s disappointment, but your response is misdirected.
There are valid points on both sides of this debate.
The OP suggestion of rewriting the message as “while you have not been accepted … we are excited to offer …” is a good suggestion.
The lesson about reading the entire document is an equally good suggestion.
It also may be important to point out the OP complaint does oversimplify the details, which is misleading in some ways. The student has not lost the ability to proceed into CAS. CGS is perhaps more accurately a different path, with alternative benefits and consequences, combined with a postponement of studies in the intended major. It is not a rejection. It is not a transfer. Although waiting 4 additional months is involved, it cannot be characterized as a waitlist because acceptance with the ability to matriculate into the university is practically opposite of the slim chances on a waitlist.
The OP complaint about the university’s message boils down to individual value systems. Should institutions be less inclined to maximize their return in a marketing opportunity moment where the consumer-student is primed for an instant reaction? Or should individual students in a culture of powerful and instant feedback technology be more responsible in all sent and received written communications?
Both sides of this debate show there is room for improvement. It would be a good outcome if improvements take place on both sides as an after effect of this debate.
FWIW, DD received the “CONGRATULATIONS” message with confetti. The family immediately celebrated in the living room and with close family on limited social media. An admission to BU is an exciting opportunity–no shame in that!
Soon after, we each read the entire message so as to make a fully informed decision when the time is right. We are grateful for the opportunity.
The lower stats comment seems inaccurate, at least for this year’s cycle. I’ve seen some kids with very high stats get an offer to CGS. Might be a way to protect yield?