Bu vs nyu?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
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<p>I know a lot about medical and law school admissions. I'm not a student anymore. My father did medical school admissions and I've been involved with the other. </p>

<p>The system is not like undergrad admissions, except on a 1st cut at larger programs. For example, a law school will take a gpa and apply a modifier because the school's gpa - which is reported - needs to be adjusted and because they assign a rough quality ranking. Even the 1st cut is mostly for division of the group purposes not for yes or no.</p>

<p>The reason is the programs are much, much smaller. The total number of med school applicants for the entire country was about 39,000 and the total number of matriculants about 18,000. (That's from the AAMC.) BU's medical class is about 170-180 kids a year. If you scan the list of medical schools, the class sizes are mostly 120 or so. Each person admitted gets looked at in more detail than when you're one of 12,000 admitted.</p>

<p>When you talk grad school, the same thing happens; programs are small so the applicants get examined differently. How many graduate anthropology students can you find at a major university? A smaller school? Not many.</p>

<p>BTW, ratemyprofessor is liked by many but it's not gospel and you have to expect most posters are either disgruntled or in love (or on their own wavelength). You need to talk to students about their classes and take advantage of the drop period. The hardest thing is to get info for your first fall term because you register at orientation in the summer - go to an early one to have the best slots. By your 2nd term, you have a much better idea of who to take or avoid.</p>

<p>Also, it's not hard to get good grades but you can't simply show up and get a high B or an A. BU is standards driven, meaning they require work and test you to make sure you've learned it. That may be a shock for some in freshman year. BU also has a wide range of abilities and interest levels. That's what happens at a big school; people go to college for a bunch of different reasons. BU is not a wonk / nerd school where everyone works. It is hard to get a 4.0 because it's easier to get an A-.</p>

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<p>I attended UW-Madison before attending NYU for a summer (where I had a total blast). However, after visiting Boston University, I only applied to transfer to BU and will graduate from there in May. I know a great deal about both schools and I absolutely love both schools. But these are some of the main differences I saw:</p>

<p>I think the administration at both schools is about the same - as well as the education. BU is known for the quality of the professors (seriously, some will blow you away), while the general quality of NYU is considered better by a lot of people who matter - grad school admissions, rankings, and such (and, well, this is important). We're also right across the river from Harvard, so, well, that definitely gives us an inferiority complex. </p>

<p>I loved NYU when I first attended. However, New York is definitely changing and isn't the same as it used to be. The average person who lives on Manhattan is pretty rich, whereas the population of less wealthy people in Boston is much more prevelant (in New York, they seem to only concentrate in Chinatown and Harlem). Additionally, as a majority, the rich people in Boston, unlike New York, are not business people but are professors or from old money. Thus, because NYC is wealthier/has newer money, New Yorkers tend to wear flashier clothing/care more about what you're wearing. Being seen at the "hottest" club in New York is much more important than it is in Boston. I know I'm not talking about BU and NYU, but these are important differences in the overall feels of where you're going to be. </p>

<p>However, to give New York more credit, NYC has about twice as many neighborhoods (that are known for their own feels, etc.) than Boston has. ...But all just seem to be getting stereotypically wealthier and wealthier to me. </p>

<p>BU is located in a more commercial, run down area. There are highways all around us (which I think is rather unsightly), while NYU is situated right next to WS Park and Broadway and is surrounded in skyscrapers on all sides.</p>

<p>I'd say the students are as similar as it gets if I were to compare NYU and BU kids to those at all other US universities. However, BU kids definitely are much dorkier than NYU kids. But they're nice dorks. BU is famous for its international population, and I'd say that groups mix pretty well compared to other universities. My good friends have been from China, New Zealand, Mexico, Bolivia, Bulgaria, London, Japan. And I'm definitely not alone in that. </p>

<p>I'd say in general NYU kids are more into the scene, whereas BU kids are just there. The NYU kids definitely feel more pressure to pay attention to what they're wearing (though BU definitely has some well-dressed people, but I think the pressure at BU is a lot less than what you get in New York). </p>

<p>And yeah, BU's grade deflation is not fun. It's not THAT bad. It's not like you'll think you're getting an A and you'll get a B. But it is like, you think you're going to get an A and you get an A- or a B+. This happens frequently. My semester grades are always lower than what I expect them to be - whereas at NYU and Wisconsin, my semester grades were almost always what I expcted. And this is incredibly frustrating. I can't even name how many classes I've been sure I got A's in at BU and then ended up receiving B+s. I think a lot of the professors hand out tons of As on the midterms before teacher evaluations, and then completely change their grading methods on the finals. It's frustrating but you get used to it, and this doesn't happen in all classes - but it sure does happen a lot. So, yeah, at BU, I feel like I don't always get the grades I deserve. I just took a class with a bunch of intelligent, hardworking kids - there were about 15 of us. My professor gave me a B+ when I'd worked harder in that class than any other. She apologized but said that she had to draw a cut off somewhere. I don't really see this happening at most schools where if the professor sees you doing the work, they give you the grade. </p>

<p>Anyway, hope I helped.</p>

43

<p>Couple of points, including one for NYU. As Nicole shows, it's not grade deflation but slightly harder grading; it's that half grade not a whole grade and it's definitely not, as someone said, the difference between a 3.6 and a 3.0. </p>

<p>For what it's worth, the Chronicle of Higher Ed does a ranking of how many departments at schools rank in the top ten in publications. NYU ranks very high in departments in the top ten, up with Stanford, while BU is middling. (FYI, Brown ranks very low, with only two departments in the top ten, same as BC and Northeastern.) BU is not as big a research university as NYU. Take these rankings for what they are; they don't evaluate teaching and certainly emphasize those schools with the most research programs and resources (which, again, doesn't necessarily translate into education).</p>

<p>To disagree (or expand) slightly, the areas around BU are Allston, Back Bay and Brookline. Allston is funky, a real mix of cultures and incomes, with tons of great ethnic restaurants and markets. Back Bay is rich. Brookline is rich, particularly the area next to BU, which is Cottage Farm. (The BU president's house is there.) </p>

<p>The worst thing about BU is that the turnpike cuts through it between CFA and the GSU (the student union). I wish they'd cover that part with a deck and make a park. Also, there's no way to the river from West Campus; the closest is the BU bridge, which crosses the river at the turnpike.</p>

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<p>I prefer BU over NYU. I live right in the NYU area so it could be because I'm sick of NYU lol I think it is a wonderful school but after getting an actual tour I just don't feel like I'd like it. The students seemed stuck up and obnoxious. A couple live in my building and I'm not too fond of them, not to say everyone that goes to NYU is like that and I don't like the fact that there a quite a few classes taught by TAs. NYU buildings are also very spread and they don't have a real campus, no matter what they say Washington Sq. Park does not equal a campus lol I think it depends what kind of school you're looking for and what kind of people. Visit both and go from there =)</p>

45

<p>wow. those were two amazingly informative posts nicole and lergnom. thank you so much.</p>

<p>nicole-from what you saw how did the bu dorms compare to the nyu ones? i went and stayed at 2 of my brothers dorms and i was quite impressed, both were quite bigger than the hole-in-the-wall i was expecting and came with their own bathroom and kitchen.</p>

<p>lergnom-could you post those rankings from the chronicle of higher ed? or maybe post a link (if they are on the internet)?</p>

46

<p>
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why if you didn't even apply to BU are posting on the BU forum?

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</p>

<p>Why does that matter? I didn't think the BU forum was exclusive to BU students, and I'm sure others aren't aware of that either.</p>

<p>I am just stating what I've heard. If you are so easily offended by the common perception of BU's grading policies, avert your eyes or come up with a decent response instead of subtle insults.</p>

47

<p>Sorry. There was an article about it in some BU thing. As I said, those lists are pretty silly. Is a school like Wesleyan - reasonably sized but a liberal arts college - worse because it has fewer departments listed? That would be a stupid conclusion. The lists may measure certain kinds of prestige, but may also reflect more on hiring practices (more emphasis on publication than on teaching?) and on the ways pressure to publish varies by school. If you want a chance at tenure at some schools, you must publish a lot. Besides, why top 10? Why is that a meaningful cut-off? How many publications does it take to be #8 or #15? What if the difference is 4 articles? Are many publications by the own university press? Do 5 insignificant articles really trump an important book? Publishing more sometimes relates to whether a person is a better scholar - though not teacher - but in science a more usual measure is the number of times your work has been cited by others. </p>

<p>You do realize, I hope, that you can't answer all your questions and, further, that answers from different people will vary?</p>

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<p>i dont get how you guys are even comparing BU and NYU, NYU blows BU out of the water not only are you in one of the worlds largest urban areas but you are also going to an incredibly prestigious school, i applied to NYU and BU and i would without a doubt go to NYU over BU, though i doubt i will get into NYU.</p>

<p>I guess it depends on ur major cause mine is Economics soo the NYU Biz schools is without a doubt better then BU's soo</p>

49

<p>they are being compared because they are both
a) large(er) private institutions situated in a very urban enviornment
b) they are both good schools
c) they are in the same region of the US</p>

50

<p>Sorry, but neither school is that prestigious. They should both be better regarded but are penalized for their size, for having a CGS or General Studies and, in BU's case, for years of having a President who polarized reactions toward the school.</p>

51

<p>Lergnom, I'm not sure that's a very accurate assessment of Silber's presidency at BU. Prior to Silber, opinions of the university were uniformly fairly negative, excepting a few areas of strength (creative writing, theology, and music were all excellent and prestigious pre-silber, and remain so today); Silber pushed BU into the ranks of reputable research universities, and shaped the place into what I think is a fairly unusual and impressive institution, if not super-prestigious. Silber polarized opinion more by being a sociopath and by stepping on locals' feet for BU's sake than by changing the university. No one would seriously claim that BU did not improve dramatically under his leadership.</p>

52

<p>
[quote]
Sorry, but neither school is that prestigious

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</p>

<p>NYU is highly regarded for a good undergrad program and excellent graduate/professional programs. It depends on what you want "prestige" to mean. If it is limited to the top 20 schools, that's one thing, but I like to think there are more than 20 prestigious universities in the best nation for education in the world.</p>

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<p>Silber absolutely made BU. It probably would have happened anyway because higher ed has become so competitive, but he was BU's driving force. He also alienated much of higher ed. When he said, essentially, that women professors are overpaid, he made many enemies - and that was one of his milder statements. If you look at how most rankings work, I'll bet there's a continuing negative Silber effect. I expect that will change under Brown.</p>

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<p>NYU for sure.</p>

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<p>I was accepted to both NYU and BU last year and chose NYU based on their highly regarded economics department - I guess it depends on what you want to study. Engineering, for example, is a lot better at BU than at NYU. Other than that, if you wanted to study anything else, I would go to NYU for sure based on the generally high perception and prestige that NYU has - I spoke to several employers before making my decision, since I will probably get a job straight after undergrad, and they all said this.</p>

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<p>I'm amazed at how people rationalize their decisions. The prestige differences between these schools are minor. For example, outside of N.E. or the Middle Atlantic states, most people - not applying high school students - think NYU and BU are public schools, if they've heard of them. BC probably has more name recognition because of sports. Neither school is high prestige on the order of an Ivy. That's reality.</p>

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<p>To continue, since the system cuts off the response, your undergrad degree matters very little for the rest of your life. Your performance does. I can tell you bluntly that having a Harvard BA gets your resume a better first look at a top consulting firm but then each candidate is abused in repeated interviews and tests. If you're hired, you're expected to leave in 2-3 years for an MBA. Unless you were a star - low probability - you will then be in the MBA pool applying for jobs. Same if you want to work on the Street. If you trade, the only thing that matters is your bottom line. Life is about performance not the few percentage points in relative prestige between schools.</p>

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<p>"I'm amazed at how people rationalize their decisions. The prestige differences between these schools are minor. For example, outside of N.E. or the Middle Atlantic states, most people - not applying high school students - think NYU and BU are public schools, if they've heard of them. BC probably has more name recognition because of sports. Neither school is high prestige on the order of an Ivy. That's reality."</p>

<p>That's complete B.S. and you know it. NYU is one of the most well-known universities in the U.S. - maybe the people you are talking about are farmers who live in the middle of no-where and didn't go to college themselves. In fact, BU is extremely well-known as well. I have no idea where you pulled this idea from. </p>

<p>And I agree with you that the name of your undergrad degree matters very little in the long run, but if NYU and BU charge basically the same tuition, why not choose the better school and get a better education?</p>

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<p>FBI - I agree. I'm always amazed at how many people go "oh NYU" whenever I say I'm applying to New York University. It's well known, even down here in the boonies.</p>

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<p>When they see NYU on your resume you will automatically get a **** load of points because no matter the major NYU is really damn good, BU is a load of BS compared to NYU especially in terms of Biz, but on the other hand NYU is a load of BS compared to NYU in terms of Engineering. BUt NYU all the way if you are doing anything other then engineering</p>