<p>I also applied to GWU, BU, and NYU. Personally, I love GWU so I'm biased. NYU and BU share equal footing with me, however, and if I was forced to choose between the two, than I would most probably pick NYU; chiefly because it does not suffer from grade deflation, which is an important issue for those considering to further their education.</p>
<p>grade deflation at bu? tell me more...</p>
<p>Better yet you can read a few of these articles:</p>
<p>In BU's defense though: </p>
<p>"BU and NYU have more restaurants and shops nearby than GWU, "</p>
<p>That may be advantageous for some GWU students.</p>
<p>Grade deflation at BU was a reason I did not apply, as well. Unlike schools like UChi and Reed, grad programs don't care much about the difficulty of doing well at BU.</p>
<p>Those stats are interesting (after my post) and do reflect the wide variety of educational opportunities at BU; NYU has a similar division of colleges within the university, where some are far easier than others to get into. I would not disregard the fact that when comparing the College of Arts and Sciences for each college, it is likely that NYU is more difficult to get into (basis: test score averages and the fact that many applicants will fall into this college) , as are Tisch and Stern.</p>
<p>those articles were very interesting, thanks. to be honest i don't know how i feel about BU very much anymore because i am looking to pursue further education after college...</p>
<p>If you didn't apply to BU then why are you posting in a BU forum? I really don't understand this. Why go to another school's forum to talk people out of going there or to knock the school? Seriously. Why? </p>
<p>Look, BU (like NYU) gets over 30,000 applications. They don't need any one kid or bunch of kids that read posts here. Maybe some tiny liberal arts college needs the help but there will be 4,200 freshman at BU (and NYU) next year no matter what. </p>
<p>Here's what I've seen at BU: the grading varies from class to class and school to school. If you put in the time and effort and if you take the time to understand what the grading requirements actually are in any class, you can do very well. </p>
<p>I also see that students get into graduate schools, which makes a lot of sense if you can put two and two together and realize the world would notice if thousands of kids from BU and other schools that don't give half A's couldn't get into professional or graduate schools. It's not like BU is radically different from other schools. </p>
<p>I try to be helpful with posts but sometimes this gets to me. I don't go to the Northwestern forum and talk about how the social life is almost half frats and sororities, complete with a social prestige ladder, and that scene divides socially with the south campus arts and it's not a happy mix or that Evanston isn't Chicago and no one goes into the city. That would be rude. Let the Northwestern people talk about their own problems.</p>
<p>i'm sorry did i say anywhere that i didnt apply to bu?</p>
<p>i did. and nyu. which is why i am on the forum getting different information about each. once again. sorry if this is also something that 'gets to you'</p>
<p>brand_182, I'm pretty sure you're right about that. I just wanted to make it clear that the distinctions between the two schools are more complex than can be communicated by a "harder/easier" binary. Thanks for clarifying.</p>
<p>incidentally the comparison between tisch and bu's cfa is relevant only to theater students; classical music at nyu is studied at steinhardt for some reason, and there's not much visual art at tisch, either-- while there's no dance, film, or recording at bu's cfa.</p>
<p>Lergnom you have become overly defensive of the matter, which may leave us to justifiably assume that grade deflation does occur. </p>
<p>"if thousands of kids from BU and other schools that don't give half A's couldn't get into professional or graduate schools"</p>
<p>You have quite a stringent definition of the word notice. Apparently, the student petition and numerous articles aren't "noticeable enough".</p>
<p>"I try to be helpful with posts but sometimes this gets to me. I don't go to the Northwestern forum and talk about how the social life is almost half frats and sororities, complete with a social prestige ladder, and that scene divides socially with the south campus arts and it's not a happy mix or that Evanston isn't Chicago and no one goes into the city. That would be rude. Let the Northwestern people talk about their own problems."</p>
<p>Yes, because you are not interested in those colleges, mastaTTTang though is interested in Boston University. He/She also never said anything negative about the school, but merely had doubts considering the possibility of grade deflation, which is a legitimate concern.</p>
<p>All of this is beside the point, however, as MastaTTTang has every right to inquire about such matters, especially since it could affect his/her entire future. As a current student, possibly talking to a potential student, you should be more considerate.</p>
<p>Fiddleforg:</p>
<p>I think you can compare the two. Yes, the CGS generally has lower standards, but so does NYU's GSP, so it probably levels out.</p>
<p>thank you so much qwilde, i really appreciate it.</p>
<p>however lets not turn this thread into a fight. i'd much rather talk about bu :)</p>
<p>i dont know if this makes me stupid or not but i searched the bu site and couldn't find anything about any honors. is there an honors program at bu? if so is it completely separate from the rest (i.e ohio state) or is it more like a smaller school where you take the same classes but must fulfill an extra requirement of some sort (i.e most LACs)?</p>
<p>and how is bu housing? i know someone touched a little on this subject earlier but i was searching the site and the john hitchcock (i think) apartments looked amazing! how are the towers? any other notable housing? (good or bad?)</p>
<p>Sorry, I have no intention of turning this into a petty squabble.</p>
<p>Yes, there is an honors program and here is the site if you want to peruse over it:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bu.edu/cas/honors/%5B/url%5D">http://www.bu.edu/cas/honors/</a></p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn't know about the housing as I am not a student...yet. From what I have read, heard, and watched (theu.com) though the housing seems to be somewhat mediocre for lowerclassman and superb for upperclassman, which is similiar to NYU and GWU.</p>
<p>My S chose BU Honors with merit aid over NYU but it was a close call. He liked NYC but BU had more of a campus in a college town. NYU's dorms are spread all over the city and its woven into the city much more than BU. If you are interested in working on Wall St NYU may have an advantage but for a more college like experoence, then for an urban campus I think BU has an advantage. These schools are so similar that I agree that the tipping point may come down to which one feels right for you.</p>
<p>My post was to a person who said he didn't apply to BU because of grade deflation. I believe it was brand something or other. My question was: why if you didn't even apply to BU are posting on the BU forum? </p>
<p>As for grade deflation, that has been discussed about 10,000 times. The links cited above describe the issue exactly: that BU has inflated grades at a lower rate than some schools. </p>
<p>Housing is completely luck of the draw. You fill out a housing survey. If you're in a program that has special floors - like COM has in Warren - then you can pick one of those as a choice. It really is a crap shoot. I know freshmen who live in suites with juniors, which can be good or bad. Kids who lived in the Hyatt last term got 1st choice so you now find freshmen in singles. (You pay extra for shared rooms in a suite with a private bathroom, and then more for a single.) </p>
<p>Housing really divides into 3 areas and each has its points. The Kenmore end has Warren and Towers, and all the brownstones. Some freshmen are placed in Danielsen, which is really in Back Bay, a few blocks in from Kenmore. The next area out is South, which is more in the middle of the campus and is separated by a small bridge over the turnpike. It's mostly apartment style. The farthest area out is West. It's close to FitRec and some programs, like CGS, SHA and CFA, and is close to all the cheap ethnic foods and stores in Allston.</p>
<p>That's the issue though Lergnom. A student at BU will be competing for graduate positions against an applicant pool with inflated grades and the admission officers won't care where you attained your degree from, they'll simply care about your GPA, which affects their stats and subsequently their rankings. It's unfair.</p>
<p>Sorry, if I was a "little" abrasive earlier.</p>
<p>Actually grad admissions officers, like college adcoms, know the difference. Thats why a GPA from a top HS compared to the same GPA from a low quality schools gets noted. Grad school and law and medical programs are almost entirely about the test since your degree may or may not be relevant but your ability to do the work is critical. Students who plan on grad school are often academically oriented and should be able to work hard and obtain a decent GPA no matter where they go to undergrad college. The difference between a 3.6 and a 3.8 is no big deal and thats about how it turns out. If its so important to get all As take easy classes and avoid the handful of professors, at any school, that are tough graders. Ratemyprofessor.com and other students are excellent resources to find out who they are at each college.</p>
<p>"Thats why a GPA from a top HS compared to the same GPA from a low quality schools gets noted."</p>
<p>That is correct, but the analogy doesn't apply to graduate admissions because it's an entirely different kettle of fish altogether.</p>
<p>"Ratemyprofessor.com and other students are excellent resources to find out who they are at each college."</p>
<p>I've actually used the site to decide, which professors I will chose for my freshman year...that is of course if I'm admitted ED.</p>
<p>"The difference between a 3.6 and a 3.8 is no big deal and thats about how it turns out."</p>
<p>That is definitely arguable especially among selective schools, but the difference between a 3.0 and a 3.6 is not. Not even a superb score on the LSAT or the GMAT could compensate for that difference. You are correct though: if a student is able to sustain a respectable GPA and receives a decent score on whichever standardized test the student may choose to take, it won't matter too much.</p>