<p>I’m from the Boston area so I’m only looking for on campus negatives. Thanks</p>
<p>On campus meaning living in the dorms as opposed to at home?</p>
<p>Most BU students find the housing policies very restrictive. They have a "one strike" rule. So four freshman students in a quad can lose their on campus housing if an empty beer can is found in their room. If a student is drunk, their room is searched. You can only sign in one other student at a time into your dorm. You must fill out a form and have it signed by your roommate to have an overnight guest. Etc. If you follow the rules, you won't have a problem but it is good know.</p>
<p>Trixie...weren't there some changes to the BU housing policy last year with regard to guests? I'm sorry...but I don't see the problem with a roommate having to sign giving permission for an overnight guest in those dorms. The rooms are SMALL.</p>
<p>Now...back to the OP's question...the only negative I can think of about BU is the cost.</p>
<p>Actually, most people's guests are very complimentary when it comes to describing our rooms. My friend's friend--who goes to Penn--said that they were nicer than their dorm-style rooms. If money is no option, the new Student Village rooms are beautiful, and StuVi2 is going to be ridiculously nice.</p>
<p>The only real negative I can think of--in terms of on-campus living--is that there are no really good dining plan options. I like the dining hall--the food is really good at Warren and West--and the food at the student union is good, but many of the on-campus restaurants don't take dining points (which you get for buying a plan with fewer dining hall "meals"). Other than that, I have no real issues with dorm life here.</p>
<p>trixie, did u graduate from BU a few years ago? they have changed the guest policy. you can sign in 3 people and you only need your roommate's verbal consent. u have 7 3-day guest visits per semester. and there is no one-strike rule; i work for residence life and all of the "punishments" depend on the circumstances, there is no set policy. and if the roommates werent drinking and there was only one beer can, i could tell u that they would NOT get kicked out of housing. getting kicked out would be having an excessive amount of alcohol while under 21 and serving to others under 21 while having a party in your room...or using marijuana.</p>
<p>Yes. This is for on campus students</p>
<p>Regular dorms are dumps. The RAs for the most part are on witch hunts, which with the extremely strict policies makes life difficult.</p>
<p>Since you are from Boston, you already know the negatives of the campus itself, as well as the old line that BU stands for "Big and Ugly".
Academically, the school is not as highly regarded as others with the same price tag and the presence of very rich kids who flaunt their wealth, as well as staggeringly wealthy internationals who go beyond flaunting is irritating to some.
That said, my sister attended, loved Boston, made some great friends, including staggeringly wealthy internationals, made good use of internship and study abroad programs and landed a very nice position in NYC upon graduation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Academically, the school is not as highly regarded as others with the same price tag and the presence of very rich kids who flaunt their wealth, as well as staggeringly wealthy internationals who go beyond flaunting is irritating to some.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That pretty much sums BU up.</p>
<p>Never having visited the campus, I was wondering about what broetchen was referring to... What are the negatives of the campus itself?</p>
<p>Your view of the campus really depends on where you're living and where your college and classes are. West is next to FitRec, next to Allston (a neighborhood in Boston with beaucoup restaurants & where many people live off campus & thus where there are many parties), next to CGS, CFA, SHA. Danielson is in Back Bay, where the rich folk live. South is over the bridge across from the GSU and is more like a neighborhood full of BU kids. BayState is a quiet BU street next to the river and the whole river park system.</p>
<p>The old saying "You can't judge a book by its cover" applies pretty well to BU and our students.</p>
<p>If you go to college anywhere you're bound to find some rich kids flaunting their wealth. You don't have to hang out with them. Or you can try to be their roommate and share their big screen tv :) Really, though, the majority of students I've met here have been very grounded, kind, hard-working, and service-driven. Lots are on scholarship, almost all greatly appreciate where they are and how they got there.</p>
<p>BU freshmen dorms aren't dumps...they're the same as most other freshmen dorms in the country. It's part of the experience. I lived in West and endured a moderately cramped room while making some great friends. The difference is BU housing for upperclassmen is the best of the best. Most brownstones are gorgeous, and StuVi and StuVi2 are state-of-the-art. The sweeping generalization that all RAs are on witch-hunts isn't true either...most people who get caught are basically asking for it. The same as any other college. Our policies have greatly relaxed over the past couple years, and the only one-strike instance is if you're caught smoking marijuana in your room (which is illegal...) or if you throw basically a kegger in your room and you're under 21.</p>
<p>And to the big and ugly comment...have you been to BU recently? Comm Ave actually looks great. They've just about finished the beautification projects, and there are now trees lining the streets and brick sidewalks.</p>
<p>If I were to choose a negative about the campus, I'd say the library isn't the best. It's definitely got character...but it's not the most comfortable place to study.</p>
<p>I would also argue that BU is only getting better in rankings of academics. Sure, US News and World Report snubs us because we haven't got an endowment and until about 20 years ago were strictly a commuter school, but law school and med school admissions paint a different picture about what others think of us.</p>
<p>That was a lot...can you tell I love it here?</p>
<p>as in the last forum I replied to, i must agree with BUBailey
people only accuse the RAs of being "on witch hunts" if they were written up for doing something against the rules. it happens at all schools, just be sure to abide by the rules when you're in the dorms. the library is a bit uncomfortable to study in, but you can find certain places with couches that can make you feel a bit more relaxed. regarding the academics (and this is just something i heard, i don't know if it's totally true but just figured i'd share anyway), apparently to be in the top 50 in U.S. news you have to pay for it, which is why BU has been at 53 or 56 because our president hates these rankings and refuses to give into them. BU also has world renowned professors that chose BU over any other school, such as Elie Wiesel (Nobel Peace Prize winner, author, Holocaust survivor), Howard Zinn (world-famous historian), and others renowned in their respective fields.</p>
<p>Some schools are much less tolerant than BU. Some are more, but some are less - and I'm not talking religious schools.</p>