<p>hey i was admitted into the science and engineering program in the metropolitan college. i applied early decision into CAS but was deferred. This past weekend i visited ohio state because when i made the hotel and plane reservations i hadnt heard from BU. I had no intentions of goin but… when i was there i really liked it. Since before i can remember i wanted to be in a urban environment but when i saw ohio state i was a little … um… not so certain. I dont kno if i should jus go 2 bu cause my deposit is sent in or forget about it. Ohio is about 20K after the money i am getting and bu is 43K(i got nothing from bu) but the money is not an issue. That is just how i would justify loosing the deposit. I dont kno if i am just getting cold feet or what. What do u think???</p>
<p>Alex, my dear -- YOU BELONG AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY! It was your first choice and I insist you intend...stop taking advice from strangers!!</p>
<p>xox,
Nikki</p>
<p>I live in Columbus, OH and I must say that if I were you, I would go to BU (well, I am...so I may be bias. Anyway) ohio state, in my opinion, is very overrated. Its a huge school, and everyone from ohio gets in there, so you are stuck with a lot of kids who just want to party and slack off, from what I've seen. BU is a much better school, with a much better reputation, unless you are into the whole go where there are a lot of sports, etc. Ohio State is almost as urban as BU and there is actually a lot of crime around there. Its not the best area. Anyway, as far as my impression goes, you would be better off at BU, but again, I don't know you so this is just my opinion. take it for what it is :) I hope you are happy wherever you end up.</p>
<p>this is a really, really late response but maybe it will help somebody out there out. </p>
<p>i think ohio state is a far superior school than boston university. i think the novelty of bu is that it's IN boston. the location is great. but i think in terms of education, osu is better and far more affordable. ohio state's med, vet, law, business, education, pharm schools etc are all top tier (top 50)... you can't say that about many of BU's programs. </p>
<p>but if what you're looking for is a big city environment with tons of culture and what not, boston is probably the way to go. educationally, ohio state is the stronger institution.</p>
<p>Not many BU programs are in the top 50? That's news to me.</p>
<p>Agree with skinnyfists. Not sure where this last poster came from since given his other posts there seems to be no direct understanding of BU so consider the source and that he dug up this thread from last spring so perhaps was searching under "OHIO STATE". Perhaps a OS grad. These are two such completely different environments. Both great schools but BU is far more sophisticated, international, and with a more noteworthy faculty and student body. For a big state rah rah school OHIO is great, and they do have football so that would appeal to many students. But its not BU and naturally we all think the BU urban campus and outstanding programs beat having football. Plus theres all the other BU sports for those inclined that way.</p>
<p>You should spend some time checking out what MET is so you can compare it more directly. They have their own [url=<a href="http://www.bu.edu/met/metropolitan_college_academic_departments/engineering/index.html%5Dwebsite%5B/url">http://www.bu.edu/met/metropolitan_college_academic_departments/engineering/index.html]website[/url</a>]. MET's science and engineering program will get you into the regular BU science and engineering as a junior. If you need what MET offers - more counseling, academic support, tutoring - then you should consider this for your needs.</p>
<p>BU is big. OSU is humongous, the largest single campus in the US. </p>
<p>The money is an issue; if the numbers are that much different and if OSU can do for you what you need then you're talking about $80k difference or more. Yes, Boston is much better than Columbus but that's still $80k.</p>
<p>Frankly, I would take Ohio State. It has highly ranked programs in engineering and science. It also has a LOT to do on campus. Also, for 23K less, I would pocket the difference and invest it. That $92,000 four year savings invested in an average performing mutual fund for 30 years would be worth about 1.4 Million!</p>
<p>Maybe I was unlucky, however, I met three people who attended BU and all either didn't like it or transferred out! I know this isn't statistically valid, but I would investigate BU more. </p>
<p>Finally, BU has a reputation for low grades and lacking grade inflation. This could seriously affect you if you apply to graduate or professional school.</p>
<p>The last line of the post above is silly. BU grads do very well getting into professional and graduate schools.</p>
<p>BU sends their students to better graduate and professional schools than Ohio, that's for sure. Personally, I think grade deflation is a good thing.</p>
<p>Lergnom and Skinnyfists, just ask ANY admission's officer for both law schools and medical schools. They use GPA and test scores period. If you have one kids with an undergraduate GPA of 3.6 from Ohio and another from BU with a 3.4, assuming same test scores, the Ohio kid will get in over the BU kid.
If you don't believe me, just do some research.</p>
<p>BU is addressing the so called deflation issue and once they researched it is relevant to just a small number of professors and one can avoid those classes by using word of mouth references and ratemyprofessor.com as well as BUnite on LiveJournal. com (the latter is for current students and this topic has been discussed numerous times there with few students able to give good examples of any so called deflation.) Work a little harder if you can't handle being a 3.6 vs 3.7 since that about the difference as it shows up in their reserach. Grad schools are well aware of state schools, private schools and schools where nearly everyone gets an A. LSAT and GRE scores are more relevant and good schools have so many quality applicants that a 3.5 vs 3.7 will not be a huge factor. This OP was from April so its irrelevant to compare. Ohio and BU are vastly different environments and one can make a case for either being the right fit for a given student. Most students are happpiest where they can be challenged but not overwhelmed and have a decent social life. So if that means frat parties then Ohio could be a better fit. If you like going to concert venues and participating in an urban campus lifestyle then BU is a great fit. Boston may offer better internships than Columbus but Ohio has a lot going for it especially given the cost difference. As we become a more global society BU's international student body, which is significant, and its international reputation is a bonus. Its all about fit.</p>
<p>I have reported taxguy's last post for being rude and insulting. </p>
<p>The statement that law and medical schools only use test scores and grades is idiotic. That is not how it works. I know this for a fact.</p>
<p>You know nothing about BU's record in graduate and professional admissions so you are merely spreading what is politely called FUD.</p>
<p>I didn't find it insulting but appreciate your attitude in "defending BU's honor". I question posters that surf forums where they have no association. I wouldn't beat up on another college on their school's own forum. There are "professional" posters on CC that do just that---no matter what school forum it is if "their" school is mentioned they must weigh in on the discussion. You'll see posters associated with school X putting down school A,B, C, D--whatever---no matter what the comparison. As I always point out it is about FIT. </p>
<p>As far as Law School, LSAT scores and GPA are very much what matters although additional pieces to an applican't's profile can help tip the scales. If you are looking at a huge spread such as 3.0 vs. 3.6 that may be an issue at some Law Schools but students that apply to good Law Schools tend to almost all be in the 3.4 to 3.8 range so the differences are slim. If one cares about such things and is afraid of such a difference you can choose an "easy" major to boost GPA but most people considering Law School are well served to work very hard for their grades while in college since Law School is intense.</p>
<p>To add a little more information. A close relative of mine did admissions at one of the top medical schools. He could describe in detail how and why kids were turned down despite high grades and test scores. They actually do try to admit people who might make good doctors and they try to direct people who they believe won't into non-clinical programs. </p>
<p>As for law schools, I have personal experience with admissions. The process has several layers. At the grade / test score level, each school generally has an inflator / deflator attached to it. </p>
<p>Think of it logically. If all that matters is grades and test scores, given relatively equals testing, a school with grade inflation should fill every place. That would competitively put a premium on raising grades to all A's, since that would guarantee success for your students. That hasn't happened and schools like BU, which have less grade inflation (not deflation), have seen much greater academic success over the years that grade inflation has been an issue. Schools and admissions people aren't stupid. </p>
<p>As one of the first screens, the school adjusts your gpa. It can be adjusted down or it can be adjusted up. The adjustments are partially scientific - meaning based on a pattern of applicant scores and real data - but there is a black art element. That is just a first screen. Grad and professional school admisisons is a different game than college admissions because the classes are almost always much smaller. Even the biggest law schools - of quality - have classes of 400 or so and many have half or less that number. This means each applicant gets screened more intensely. </p>
<p>The screens used by admissions are multiple - where you're from (in or out state if a public university), many other factors (including race and economic background). </p>
<p>I know very little about graduate school admissions, meaning programs like literature and archeology.</p>
<p>I know that this was posted in April, and the original poster is probably long and gone, but as someone who is from Columbus and has attended classes at BOTH Ohio State and Boston University, I can give a little bit of input. </p>
<p>First of all, honestly, (aside from academics) I don't think it really makes much of a difference in terms of choosing between Ohio State and BU. They're both very similar schools. Why do I say that? Well, first of all, both are incredibly diverse. However, they're diverse in different ways. BU is more internationally diverse. At BU classes are filled with international students or students whose parents hail from other countries. OSU, though it has a significant presence of international students, tends to be diverse in a different way. For one thing, you're going to find a lot of students from rural Ohio (contrast this with BU who has students from just about every state, though they tend to be a bit more concentrated from New England). Ohio State is diverse on a socioeconomic level. OSU has a lot more students than BU who grew up in rougher neighborhoods...I found this just as interesting as interacting with international students. </p>
<p>I feel like a lot of people commenting on this post don't understand the difference between Columbus, and Ohio. Columbus is actually a very urban city and, in my mind, is one of the most sophisticated cities in the midwest. The students aren't that out of it compared to other midwestern schools, especially the people from Columbus. I don't really notice too big of a difference in terms of the sophistication levels of BU and Ohio State students. I actually might give OSU an edge, just because Columbus is a really up-and-coming city. </p>
<p>Boston's a great city. But I think Columbus is just as great. I don't think that should really influence anyone's decision. I've lived in New York and Madison, Wisconsin. I'd say that Columbus actually has more of a New York feel than Boston does just in terms of people being quicker paced. Especially around the campus area. Boston is more of a family lovey-dovey city in my mind. Both are great though. </p>
<p>Academically, if you aren't in OSU's honors program (or maybe I'd say business school), I'd probably recommend going to BU. I think you definitely get more of an edge as a BU graduate than an Ohio State graduate (if not in OSU honors). I think it's ridiculous that anyone posting can state that grad schools completely ignore what school you graduated from. Sure, BU's grades are deflated, but that doesn't subtract from the fact that it is highly respected. If anything, someone needs to provide some kind of statistical analysis that shows that the grade deflation at BU outweighs the school's reputation in grad school admissions processes. And I'm sorry, but BU is more reputable than Ohio State (at least most of OSU's regular, standard programs). And you can give me the whole "But they're ranked next to each other on U.S. News & World Report!" Well, US News seems to be the only professional ranking system in the world that thinks that BU belongs where it is and it's hard to believe that there isn't something political going on there. I agree, OSU IS getting better. But it really still is a place where almost all kids from my high school go - whereas I don't think every kid from my high school could get into BU or be successful there. OSU tends to have a lot more kids who don't take school seriously compared to BU. That I can tell you for sure. </p>
<p>On the other hand, OSU has an amazing party scene compared to BU. BU kids sort of party... but it's in a very different way. It's in a go to indie clubs, more offbeat kind of way, which can still be very fun. But in terms of bars, OSU has bars just for students lined up all around campus, whereas BU doesn't really have that (and don't even try and drink if you're under 21 in Boston...whereas at OSU you can get away with this a lot more easily). OSU has a lot more school pride. If football games and frat parties are your thing, DO NOT go to BU. That's not what this school is about. Most kids are at BU because of its urban culture in the first place (and if you're expecting some kind of ladeda campus, please, dear god, do not go to BU. I'm so sick of people posting on these forums how much they hate BU because "it doesn't even have a campus!" Hello. Didn't you investigate BU AT ALL before you came? The kids at BU are at BU because they want an urban environment. And yeah, Columbus is pretty urban too, but BU is moreso. OSU does have an actual big, green space, midwestern campus). </p>
<p>Anyway, in general, if someone's in OSU Honors and they're deciding between BU and OSU, really, they're pretty similar. I can tell you this because I've attended summer programs at every school imaginable. So I'd just make a decision and not really stress about making the "wrong one" in this case. Really, you'll get pretty similar experiences so if you absolutely hate one, you probably won't like the other either.</p>
<p>Anyway, whoever started this post already made his/her decision, but I just thought I'd try to give an unbiased FYI from someone who grew up in Columbus and has attended both OSU and BU (I will be graduating from Boston University this May, and am hoping to attend graduate school at Ohio State).</p>