Chance me (my reach school)

Colleges & Universities A-Z Boston University
1

<p>Hi,
I’m a hispanic male w/ a
GPA:3.49 (yet 117/166) <<probably biggest problem
CR:630 M:570 W:630 (1830)
JuniorYear:
AP Gov’t, AP English Lang, AP U.S. Hist
SeniorYear:
AP Statistics,AP English Lit, AP Euro Hist, AP Spanish
Every other course i’ve taken freshmen-senior year is Honors.</p>

<p>EC’s:
President 2012-13 Speech and Debate team
w/ “Special Distinction” in the Nat. Forensic Leagu
Speech Captain 2011-12
Junior Class Secretary
Singer/Bassist of my own local band that has raised money for charities, played Sixflags :wink:
Bassist of my church for 4 years
81 hours of community service</p>

<p>w/ this an a good essay, what do you think, BU material?</p>

<p>p.s. ED or RD ?</p>

2

<p>My guess…CGS and ED would be better if you are able to do ED</p>

3

<p>Yes, i plan on applying ED. Thanks:) any others:D</p>

4

<p>any other advice, guys?</p>

5

<p>I would try and get your sat score up or try the act. Make sure your essay is amazing and have great recommendations. Even with all that, CGS may be your best bet.</p>

6

<p>CGS is a community college essentially, i’m looking to attend a 4year university right after after HS. Plus CGS offers no financial aid and i’m a <$60,000 income student</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>You are wrong on both counts.</p>

8

<p>isaac, go to the BU website and do your homework. Then come back</p>

9

<p>So i’m back. I did my homework and I’m applying to COC regular decision. I’m taking my SAT again this week and hope and bumping up a powerscored 1830, any other suggestions?</p>

10

<p>So le bump… BU’s is one of my two reach schools, the other being NYU, and i’m torn between which to apply ED for</p>

11

<p>For the life of me I can’t understand why so many people apply ED to BU, let alone BU CGS.</p>

12

<p>Terrier, have you attended CGS? How much do you know about it?</p>

13

<p>Nope attend SMG but am remorseful of my decision to attend BU.</p>

14

<p>Ok I respect your opinion of BU, but you need to respect other peoples choices of which schools they apply to and attend. There are plenty of students who attend CGS who are quite happy there and find it is the perfect fit for them. That is key when deciding which college or university one will attend, what is the best fit.</p>

15

<p>It’s a reach, but it is definitely worth applying!</p>

16

<p>@terrier, Remorseful you say? Can you explain a tad more as any bit of information (especially student experiences) is quite helpful at this point. I am applying ED, is there anything about ED at BU i don’t know about?</p>

17

<p>@isaacisnotcool: sorry for the delayed response I hope this isn’t too late since I see the ED deadline is 11/1.</p>

<p>I am remorseful of BU because I do not feel the reputation of the school and academics are where they need to be. For example, in the School of Management students are NOT required to take a foreign language which to me makes absolutely no sense given that we live in an increasingly globalized economy and workforce. The career services is definitely far behind where it should be, BU is a non-target school among bulge bracket banks (JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, etc) and the career center has limited opportunities available to students. Our alumni circles are not fluid or engaged despite repeated attempts by the administration to engage alumni. </p>

<p>BU is all about pulling people in with superior facilities like the Fit Rec center, new student center, STUVI residence halls, and keeps touting how they offer many majors and schools for students. They also tout the cultural attractions and resources available in the city of Boston. There are some good professors but you really question the value of your education here when the majority of your Economics courses are taught by PHD students or you see the university replace tables and chairs in the GSU every other summer when the outgoing furniture was sufficient. Quite simply this place really isn’t worth the money they expect people to pay, so unless you can get a good scholarship or your parents don’t mind paying I would encourage you to look elsewhere. I also would advise against applying ED to a school like BU. This school is a safety school for many students who were rejected from Ivys and other select schools or are here for an attractive scholarship like in my case. </p>

<p>In summary, I would encourage you to think long term about the investment you are making in this franchise. Remember that it is not just about the four years (or hopefully less!) you will be here it’s about the resources and opportunities available to your upon graduation.</p>

18

<p>No program is perfect. I see how frustrated Terrier 2015 sounds, and perhaps his experiences are different. I hope that you find other ways to fulfill some of the “inadequacies” you see at BU and in the program, and aggressively pursue alternative strategies to filling in the gaps. </p>

<p>However, as the parent of a sophomore in CGS and heading into the School of Communication, here is the opposite perspective:
1 - Over Christmas break of Freshman year, daughter is checking blackboard. “I’m just checking to see if there is a message from my writing professor - she said that she was going to take a second look at all our papers, and give us specific goals for next semester.” REALLY? Who had THAT level of dedication from writing professors in college?
2 - CGS classes arranged like all classes should be arranged: one time a week, a big lecture, rotated between several professors teaching the same subject. 2 - 3 times a week, 15 - 20 students in a discussion about coursework with a full professor. Extensive focus on directed projects and written work. Sure would rather pay for that then classes of 200 graded by autoscan!
3 - An unrequested, surprise scholarship over the summer for academic excellence combined with positive leadership. Doesn’t even know which prof recommended her, as she knows them all by name.
4 - Consistently excellent, passionate professors. Call DD by name and comment on her work when not even near their laptops, engaging her in discussion about study abroad. </p>

<ol>
<li> Tremendous focus on clear and persuasive writing - has been told by profs that CGS students are some of the best writers they have because of this focus.<br></li>
</ol>

<p>6 - An advisor who talks at length to her when she sees her in the hallway, invites her into her office regularly, and is generally a self appointed mentor. </p>

<p>7 - A fabulous study abroad opportunity, studying science at Stonehenge, etc while only a rising sophomore. </p>

<p>Gee - I guess she is just really missing out going to this “community college” instead of College of Arts and Science as a member of the 6,000 plus class of 2015.:slight_smile: </p>

<p>In all seriousness and without sarcasm, I am sure there are advantages to doing CAS as well (or another BU school) but given the recent media discussions on the weakness of writing skills in college grads, and the critical nature of personal relationships with mentors in college, I KNOW my daughter would say CGS has been twice as good as she imagined, and she was very excited before beginning. The most common comment from former CG-ites that we have heard is “I was a bit disappointed to not be accepted to XYZ program as a freshman, but I can’t believe what a great choice it has turned out to be. If i knew then what I know now, I would have wanted to do the exact same thing.” </p>

<p>Note: the only caveat is if you plan to go on to Sargent College - those are, indeed, more challenging after CGS because of the number of sequential courses.</p>

19

<p>Looks like BU is extending the ED deadline for anyone still interested in applying until Monday, November 5 due to the hurricane.</p>

<p>“Due to the predicted severity of Hurricane Sandy and the implications for our applicants, the Early Decision deadline has been extended to Monday, November 5, 2012.”</p>

<p>[Early</a> Decision Undergraduate Admissions | Boston University](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/early-decision/]Early”>Early Decision at BU | Admissions)</p>

<p>@Shoot4Moon: I am very glad things are working out for your daughter, I really am. As a parent there must not be many things more satisfied than knowing your daughter is enjoying herself, learning, making new friends, and in good hands all at the same time. You hit the nail on the head-programs and colleges can’t be all things to all people. Any organization or program will have high points and deficiencies, such is life. </p>

<p>I just feel students interested in attending BU should consider my perspective, especially those interested in SMG. In hindsight I came to BU for the campus tour on a nice spring day and fell for their sell “we offer all these great schools colleges, modern facilities, City of Boston, etc”. Increasingly people are considering the cost of attending these schools (even those with means to afford them) and questioning the ease of transitioning into a desirable job upon graduation. In my experience, much of my college application process was situated around finding an environment that I would be comfortable and successful in FOR MY COLLEGE YEARS and not as much upon graduation. </p>

<p>I’ll also add that I have secured a job offer in my field upon graduation. It isn’t exactly the job I’d like but still a decent opportunity with competitive pay.</p>

<p>My hope is to encourage prospective students to ask these questions and get the facts for themselves. I know several of the SMG Dean’s Hosts and have seen them conduct tours and handle questions from students and parents about rankings, job placements, etc. Students are making both a financial and human capital investment in this franchise and need to consider the benefits and implications of this decision.</p>

20

<p>Very good points, Terrier. I will say that as a business owner (who wished that I took more practical courses in business) I was really disappointed in the opportunities BU offers for practical undergrad coursework in what I would call entrepreneurship. I see that they have a very interesting grad program developing that I would love to have taken as an undergrad that is directed to working professionals as opposed to current students. I wish DD could take some of those courses.</p>