BU Likes/Dislikes

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
1

<p>There have been some posts on this topic here, but I need more :-). I am trying to narrow down the list of schools to apply to next year, and would appreciate a more meaty discussion. Yes, I plan on visiting, but in the mean time I would appreciate info on the topics below. PLEASE BE SPECIFIC WHENEVER POISSIBLE.</p>

<p>Thanks - Da Geek</p>

<li><p>What are the top 3 things you like about ACADEMICS. I don’t not care about the social life/party scene.</p></li>
<li><p>Ditto for the top 2 things you dislike about academics.</p></li>
<li><p>How would you describe academic instruction - buttoned down/routine; focused on rote memorization; quirky/free-spirited; etc. Do instructors on average try to make it engaging, or is it a typical “lecture” thing?</p></li>
<li><p>How difficult it is to get into the classes you are interested in?</p></li>
<li><p>How would you rate the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies? I am mostly humanties-oriented, but I do like art and some of the sciences, and would not mind to get a broad taste of things.</p></li>
<li><p>When are you expected to declare a major? Do you apply to a specific college and then have to major there, or is it wide open, e.g., through sophomore year.</p></li>
<li><p>Are students generally helpful and supportive of each other, or is it dog-eat-dog? </p></li>
<li><p>Did you feel that you had adequate internship/practical experience opportunites. Please include your major when responding to this one.</p></li>
<li><p>Does the school feel like it is on the upswing or downswing? Are facilities properly maintained, particularly the library?</p></li>
</ol>

2

<ol>
<li>What are the top 3 things you like about ACADEMICS. I don't not care about the social life/party scene.

<ul>
<li>The classes are definitely challenging. I'm never bored because of something being too easy. The only time I've come close is when people ask repetitive questions in my Stats class. </li>
</ul></li>
<li>The approachability of the professors is a big plus. They encourage students to come to office hours and are always helpful and really nice when you go. I've sat for 30 minutes with my writing teacher talking about my paper and about my life at school.</li>
<li><p>The pace of all my classes is always good. We spend enough time on things so that I understand, but we don't dwell on things until they become boring. </p></li>
<li><p>Ditto for the top 2 things you dislike about academics.</p></li>
<li><p>It is almost impossible, in the classes I've taken at least, to get an A. I had a good GPA, but I feel like I need to work day and night to get an A for the semester.</p></li>
<li><p>The differences between TA's in big classes sometimes creates a problem. I've been on both the good and bad sides of this. If half the class has an amazing TA and the other half has a TA who confuses them more, it makes tests and such unfair. It gives some people a large advantage over others. This was big problem in my Philosophy class. </p></li>
<li><p>How would you describe academic instruction - buttoned down/routine; focused on rote memorization; quirky/free-spirited; etc. Do instructors on average try to make it engaging, or is it a typical "lecture" thing?</p></li>
<li><p>This all depends on what classes you are taking. Small writing classes are very focused on discussion and individual attention. Large lecture classes are going to be just that, but all of these have discussions where there are, you guessed it, discussions of the material. None of my classes have been straight memorization. All my professors have emphasized not just reciting the material but really understanding it, interpreting it, and being able to draw conclusions from it. Lots of essay tests....</p></li>
<li><p>How difficult it is to get into the classes you are interested in?</p></li>
<li><p>I've gotten all the classes I wanted, because generally, freshman and sophomores are taking the same classes, and seniors and juniors are taking the same classes. Because of that, you are not going to really get shut out of classes you need, because the upperclassmen are filling up different classes. You may not get discussion sections you want, but that isn't such a big deal. there is also a widespread practice of having upperclassmen holding classes for younger students. It personally bugs me, but people do it. </p></li>
<li><p>How would you rate the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies? I am mostly humanties-oriented, but I do like art and some of the sciences, and would not mind to get a broad taste of things.</p></li>
<li><p>Every school has general liberal arts requirements students have to fill. I'm in COM, but 75% of my classes this year and next year are in CAS. I also have to have a concentration in CAS. There are certain classes you can only take if you are enrolled in certain schools, but it is pretty easy to take classes in all fields if you want to. </p></li>
<li><p>When are you expected to declare a major? Do you apply to a specific college and then have to major there, or is it wide open, e.g., through sophomore year.</p></li>
<li><p>When you apply to BU, you apply to a specific school (and you can be undecided within that school), but you can switch schools once you get to school. It is a little bit a pain, but a lot of people do it. You technically declare a major sophomore year. </p></li>
<li><p>Are students generally helpful and supportive of each other, or is it dog-eat-dog? </p></li>
<li><p>I live on an all COM floor, and we were all in COM101 together last semester, which is a very intense weed-out class. We all helped each-other through, proofreading papers, helping with topics, etc. I think students are pretty nice. People in my writing and research class have loaned me books and such. </p></li>
<li><p>Did you feel that you had adequate internship/practical experience opportunites. Please include your major when responding to this one.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm a TV/Film major, and I'm planning on going to the LA Internship program, so I definitely think I'll get practical and industry experience there. Almost all upperclassmen in COM do internships in Boston as well. I also work on a campus TV show, which I started Fall of this year. (I'm a freshman, by the way)</p></li>
<li><p>Does the school feel like it is on the upswing or downswing? Are facilities properly maintained, particularly the library?
BU gets more competitive every year. I think the Library is pretty good, but if you can't find things there, they have connections with the Boston Public Library and most of the academic libraries around. You can get any book in the system within a week, I believe. There is more information about that on their website ( <a href="http://www.bu.edu/library%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bu.edu/library&lt;/a> ).</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I hope that helped a little. If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.</p>

3

<ol>
<li>What are the top 3 things you like about ACADEMICS. I don't not care about the social life/party scene.</li>
</ol>

<p>-SMG is a very innovative program
-Most professors do actively make an effort to improve every semester using the feedback they receive (you will evaluate every class you take at the end of the semester)
-A lot of classes do a great job of challenging you and teaching you in ways that other schools don't</p>

<ol>
<li>Ditto for the top 2 things you dislike about academics.</li>
</ol>

<p>-Some departments are stronger than others
-There are some professors that I feel shouldn't be teaching, but, honestly, you'll find that the case at any school</p>

<ol>
<li>How would you describe academic instruction - buttoned down/routine; focused on rote memorization; quirky/free-spirited; etc. Do instructors on average try to make it engaging, or is it a typical "lecture" thing?</li>
</ol>

<p>-Depends on the class. SMG does an excellent job of making a large school seem small--all of my professors know my name and face, whether I participate in class or not. Most SMG classes are case or project based, hence there is plenty of interaction required in addition to whatever reading and memorization required. My CAS classes differ widely--some are very interactive, some are primarily lecture. </p>

<ol>
<li>How difficult it is to get into the classes you are interested in?</li>
</ol>

<p>-SMG is wonderful when it comes to this. I have not had a problem until this semester (which is also my last). When I was registering, a required accounting class filled up and I couldn't fit any of the other sections in. I emailed Norm, the head of the undergrad. program office, and he replied within ten minutes saying that I was all set. I checked, and sure enough, I was registered for the section I needed. This was on a Sunday, BTW. I can't get that kind of fast service at McDonalds.</p>

<p>-CAS can be a different story. Psych classes are a pain, but, I have not had trouble getting what I needed.</p>

<ol>
<li>How would you rate the opportunity for interdisciplinary studies? I am mostly humanties-oriented, but I do like art and some of the sciences, and would not mind to get a broad taste of things.</li>
</ol>

<p>-Well, it's required that you get a broad taste of things--so, you're in luck.</p>

<ol>
<li>When are you expected to declare a major? Do you apply to a specific college and then have to major there, or is it wide open, e.g., through sophomore year.</li>
</ol>

<p>-I'm assuming you're applying to CAS, in which case you have awhile. You can change at anytime, assuming that you can fulfill the requirements of your new major.</p>

<ol>
<li>Are students generally helpful and supportive of each other, or is it dog-eat-dog? </li>
</ol>

<p>-SMG gets really competitive, but, otherwise, people are supportive of each other.</p>

<ol>
<li>Did you feel that you had adequate internship/practical experience opportunites. Please include your major when responding to this one.</li>
</ol>

<p>-Yes. I am in BUCOP (Business and Psychology) and am going into public accounting. SMG has its own career center that does a fabulous job. I didn't do a normal internship for academic reasons, but have been working for a small CPA firm since junior year. Although I did not pursue them, there were plenty of psych internships around if I wanted to go that route.</p>

<ol>
<li>Does the school feel like it is on the upswing or downswing? Are facilities properly maintained, particularly the library?</li>
</ol>

<p>That's a complicated question. There are some great things about BU and some issues that have not yet been adressed, but the school has most certainly improved vastly over the last 20 years.</p>

4

<p>1). Do students look down upon students in General Studies?</p>

5

<p>Can you elaborate some on the "issues that have not been addressed", Ryanbis?</p>

6

<p>Tabla, there are stereotypes about every school at BU that everyone kind of pokes fun of. I'm not going to lie and say that CGS kids don't get teased about being the Commonwealth Grammar School (or another popular one is Crayons Glue and Scissors), but it is really nothing horrible. Some people in other schools get upset about getting the same degree as CGS kids after they take "harder" classes, but it is a small percentage of students. I have a lot of friends in CGS, and they stress about class as much as I do, so I don't get the impression that they have less work, etc.</p>

7

<p>And are you pretty much stuck in CGS for the two years or is there a possiblity that you could transfer?</p>

8

<p>You stay in CGS for two years, taking a few electives outside of it sophomore year, I think, and then you transfer to another school. I think that you have to stay in it for two years though.</p>

9

<p>"Can you elaborate some on the 'issues that have not been addressed', Ryanbis?"</p>

<p>-I think that BU (particularly SMG) needs to do a better job of advertising itself and getting the word out about some of its strengths.</p>

<p>-Communication between trustees and directors and students is very poor, which contributes to the low giving rate, and there does not seem to be a lot of concern about that. This is not as much of a problem at the program-level, where deans are very active in talking to students.</p>

<p>-Some of the administrative offices can be a real pain. Housing, financial aid, office of res life and mail services are notorious for problems.</p>

<p>These are some of the issues that come to mind. BU certainly has plenty of areas on which it can improve (what college doesn't?), but none of them have ruined my college experience.</p>

10

<p>hey tabla, do u play the tabla, cuz I do and have been for 10 yrs.</p>

11

<p>Thrills4ever,</p>

<p>Sadly, I don't. When I was making my name, I was listening to "Tabla" by Jon Brion from the Punch-Drunk Love soundtrack.</p>

12

<p>ryanbis, is it possible to transfer from CAS to any of the other specialized schools?</p>

13

<p>Yes, of course. I would do it sooner rather than later, though.</p>

14

<p>thanks, that gave me a peace of mind, because I kind of changed my mind on what I should major on, but I still haven't made up my mind yet.</p>

15

<p>Can somebody tell me about the English department? Do the students majoring in English feel as if they get a great education or just an okay one?</p>