BU vs. BC

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
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<p>This questions was posed on the Boston College message board that I came across earlier. I only recently began to consider attending a college in Boston, and am looking into both of these. Obviously they are both very different schools from what I have gathered, but I’m interested in people’s opinions here. Why should one person choose one or the other? I have never been to the Boston area, thus I don’t know much about their reputation/feel/etc. Any input would be appreciated. You can only tell so much from going online and reading books about each. Thanks. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Personally, I’m looking more into the social sciences/education/environmental science, if one has a stronger program than the other in those.</p>

2

<p>I wish they would still allow you to search back further than two pgs. on this forum since the BC vs BU topic has been addressed many times. I'll summarize some of the thoughts. </p>

<p>BC is suburban, has a green traditional enclosed campus, is Catholic with about 80 "retired" Boston priests living on grounds, has a football team which makes it more of a school "spirit" kind of college and many think its more like HS. If lots of lawn is important you'll feel more at home at BC.</p>

<p>BU is an urban campus along the Charles River, in the city of Boston , on the edge of it but not in the center of it. There are enough "green spaces" and areas along the river and the brownstones on Bay State Rd and South campus and the new Student Village area and Rec Center but it is a city campus so the campus is just as much about the cafes, music venues, stores and all the urban elements that intersect with BU. BU has a more cosmopolitan and international vibe. Visit both. Neither is better or worse. They are similar in many ways but way different in others. You'll feel one is right for you but not the other, its all about fit. Boston is a great college town. You can't go wrong with either school. Check out the virtual tours on their web sites.</p>

3

<p>BU has an Honors Program and merit scholarships. I asssume thats also true for BC but I don't know for sure. Each college within BU---from SED to The University Professors Program to CAS to SMG etc. has its own feel so when you go on the web site open up the specific colleges individual site links for more info.</p>

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<p>I am not 100% sure about this information (a friend from HS who got into BC told me this) but BC only gives out 15 full scholarships and nothing else. So unless you are one of the top 15, I wouldn't count on any merit. BU, though, gives a ton of merit money (I know a ton of ppl who got at least the $10,000 scholarship (per year).</p>

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<p>Let's see---BCers hate BUers.</p>

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<p>They are big rivals in hockey. BC plays bigtime college sports - football and basketball - while BU competes in only a few, notably hockey, soccer, etc.</p>

<p>BU is a national school, with 20% from MA and the largest number of foreign students of any university. BC is quite a bit smaller. BU is a major research university - over $200M in federal grants last year vs. BC's $30M. </p>

<p>With BU you apply to an individual college. Each has its standards. The main liberal arts college is CAS but there's also COM (communications), SMG (management / business), ENG (duh), etc. These include SHA, which is hospitality administration, and UNI, which is hard to describe except imagine a small school taught directly by senior, often famous professors. BU also has CGS, which is like NYU's General Studies; a 2 year program with lower admissions standards that gets kids into the school and then, after they complete the CGS curriculum, into one of the other colleges. In other words, BU is a lot of things.</p>

<p>A lot depends on your interests and if you know what you want. For example, CFA (fine arts) has an excellent music school. If you're interested in biomedicine, BU has a speciality. </p>

<p>As for Boston, BU is in the heart of the city, literally surrounded by 100's of restaurants and feet from the entire Back Bay shopping experience (like Madison Ave). The campus is long and spreads out along the river. It's an urban campus. You can run or walk or rollerblade or bike on the paths along the Charles. The views are fantastic. It's about 5 miles from the BU Bridge down in a loop over the Mass Ave Bridge (to MIT) to the Science Museum and back. There are concerts and movies on the Esplanade in the summer, if you're around.</p>

<p>BC is at the end of the trolley's B line while BU is at the beginning. Only about 4 miles but a world of difference. As has been pointed out, BC has a more traditional campus. There is also a campus slightly further out, reached by a shuttle bus. The feel is Catholic though of course BC does not discriminate. BC is in a residential area - I've lived between them for years. Not much in the way of restaurants, etc. until you get on the T and come in town - which is about 15-30 minutes to reach BU, after you walk to the T stop and, as any Bostonian knows, wait for the train. BC is next to a big reservoir which is nice to run around (1.5 miles) but you have to walk past it to reach the only real commercial area near campus (Cleveland Circle). Eagles Deli in Cleveland Circle does however have great hamburgers and if you can eat a Godzilla Burger or bigger you get a button - the Godzilla is a pound and a pound of fries. The most famous is the Reilly Burger, named for a BU kid. It's 3 pounds with like 10 slices of cheese and 5 pounds of fries. They go up to something that might actually kill you. </p>

<p>Both schools are good. Both have a lot of alumni in the area if you want to stay here. Both are in safe areas.</p>

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<p>the info about BC giving out only 15 merit scholarships per year is correct (its called the presidential scholars program (PSP)). its only available if you apply EA, and sometimes there are more than 15 because they offer it to around 30 and expect 50% yield since they are giving a full ride. For the class of 2010, there are 18 in PSP</p>

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<p>well if you're into the U.S. News, BC is top tier (37th) but BU is second tier (68th)</p>

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<p>But BU does much better than that in every other ranking.</p>

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<p>Please, no more talk about the garbage US News rankings. It's been done to death.</p>

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<p>I think the diversity is greater at BU than at BC. Mind you, both schools are expensive, but at BU you're going to find students from many different cultural backgrounds and social classes (especially since BU is pretty good with financial aid), whereas BC has more conservative students from high class families. </p>

<p>BU is closer to downtown and has an urban setting along the Charles River, while BC is a more private suburban campus. It takes about 20 minutes to get from BC's campus to BU's campus...certainly a bit further from downtown.</p>

<p>Also, I think BC's standards may be a bit higher than BU's, but I think at both schools you will find a quality education; however, I go to BU and don't know specifically about the educational programs at BC. Good luck!</p>

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<p>BC's standards aren't higher, certainly not in any meaningful sense, but it is a smaller school. If you look around the threads, you'll see many posts discussing the differences. BU is an urban campus stretched out along the river and surrounded by the heart of the city. There isn't much around BC at all in terms of restaurants or stores - I live near it - but it has a more traditional campus.</p>

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<p>BC's standards, I thought, were a tad bit higher than BU's. For example, they required SATII's (which I think BU now requires) and the SAT range was higher than BU's. But as I said, you're going to get a quality education at either school. It just depends what field you want to get into and whether or not you want a very large school in an urban setting or a more secluded school that isn't as large.</p>

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<p>For the record BU is 57 not 68 on US News but anyone that thinks less than 50 points difference in these so called rankings, even the world ones where BU scores high, are kidding themselves. Does anyone really think that since this year BU "beat" BC in top 20 Law Schools that there is anything important to that number? This is nothing more than one magazines attempts to make money off of people's insecurities and need for prestige. Some consider top 25 or 100 or 200 to be top tier so does that mean that number 101 is vastly different? Come on. BTW any large private school must have slightly lower so called standards since applications are at such an enormous number to fill such a class. Because of CGS BU's admisions may be slightly lower than some but when you look at the stats for the 4 yr colleges within BU. especially the more competetive ones, they are high. Because these CC boards are full of high achievers one forgets that these schools are drawing from the same top 5-10% stats wise of the overall population. The faculty at all top schools, including BU and BC, come from the same so called top schools --go on line and check their BIOs. Anyone that knows anything about real life will tell you how little any of this matters. The "fit" of the school and your overall happiness with it is more about the setting and social life. Most students can be challenged at most schools but you need friends---and full and interesting and fun weekends.</p>

<p>BU and BC are both excellent schools. Some kids would thrive at either while others might find BU's urban environment unappealing others would consider that it's greatest draw. Some kids visit BC and noting all the Catholic statues and crosses get turned off while others would find that to be a plus. BC may be a more comfortable setting for many kids since it seems more like HS and with 80% Catholic many are from Catholic high schools so this is an extention of that experience which many like while others find that confining. You may have to stretch yourself more at BU, personally, since an urban setting requires more effort as you try new experiences. You have to navigate more and interact with the city in ways you can avoid in suburbia. Again, BU and BC are both quality schools, similar in many ways and different in others so prospective students need to see what feels right for them. Consider ALL the data then trust your gut.</p>

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<p>Oh and BC is 40 not 37. Just a fact check. I still find ranking to have only minimal meaning but wanted to clarify bpth errors.</p>