Common Myths about Boston University

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
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(Inspired by person500’s thread about CWRU, another amazing school)

Hello everyone. I am a current freshman at Boston University in the College of Arts and Sciences, and I think this school is phenomenal. However, I have constantly been hearing blatant misinformation about this school from other people, which is frankly quite annoying. Thus, I’d like to dispel each of these myths myself, so that applicants and parents can hopefully have a clearer picture of what this school is really like. I want to keep this introduction brief, so let’s get right into it.

Myth #1: BU is a safety school

This is just false. BU is a safety school for no one, period. Let me ask you all this: Do you honestly think that a school with an 11% acceptance rate, an average unweighted GPA of 3.9, and an average SAT of ~1500 qualifies as a safety for anyone? I certainly don’t think so. It always baffles me when people say that this school is a safety, yet schools like Northwestern and Dartmouth have similar admissions statistics, and some consider those to be reaches for everyone. Do you all honestly believe that a higher USNWR ranking (haha…) automatically makes these schools harder to get into or something? If so, I don’t see an actual correlation. If you want to bring up the difficulty of essay prompts, then that’s entirely subjective.

Myth #2: BU is a budget Cornell

There are four types of people that say something as ridiculous as this:

  1. People who are jealous that they couldn’t get in
  2. People who are obsessed with rankings
  3. People who just want to rile others up for the sake of whatever
  4. People who simply have no idea what they’re talking about

This school is pretty much good at everything it does, just like Cornell in fact. Humanities, business, communications, engineering… you name it. For example, BU and Cornell have some of the best Hospitality and Japanese departments in the world, let alone the country. Not mention that both schools have a plethora of resources. Though from what I’ve seen, people on this site seem to give Cornell a lot more deference though, likely because it’s an Ivy and BU isn’t (either that or they just refer to meaningless and arbitrary rankings). Admittedly, one school might have a program that’s a little “better” than the other’s, though again, that’s entirely subjective.

This school also has global recognition that is on par with a lot of top schools, which is why there’s so much geographic diversity here. The people here come from 100+ countries. And as for domestic students, most of them are from wealthy Massachusetts/New York/California/New Jersey suburbs/urban areas. In addition, BU has a really good financial aid program that rivals (or surpasses) other schools of its caliber. I mean, they just gave out $425 million in aid this year. How people can say that this school “only has regional recognition” is beyond me.

Here’s another thing: If people want to say that BU is a “Cornell/Northeastern/Ivy reject” school or whatever, I’ve met people who have taken BU over other top schools, such as…

  • Harvard
  • Yale
  • UPenn
  • Dartmouth
  • Northeastern
  • CWRU
  • UC Berkeley
  • Brown
  • Cornell

Among others. I myself took this school over Cornell, having been given the same financial aid packages from both. Does that make me stupid? I’ve even heard things like:

BU < Northeastern
BU < UMass Lowell
BU < Tufts
BU < Amherst College
BU < NYU
BU < BC
BU < USC
BU < UMass Amherst

Seriously?

If one were to do a little research comparing BU and Cornell, they would likely find that the two schools are very similar to each other. So it’s not hard to see why both of them are such fierce rivals (in both academics and sports). I’d say 80% of students I’ve met here know someone at Cornell (and oddly enough, the student population here seems to be a lot more familiar with Cornell’s than BC’s or Northeastern’s, at least from what I’ve seen).

“Cornell is like BU but better”. Give me a break… Is Stanford a budget Harvard? Is UCLA a budget UC Berkeley?

Oh, and I didn’t even mention BU’s stellar location. I don’t think that even needs an explanation.

One last thing: Before someone tries to pull data from College Scorecard, know that it is quite flawed. Just look up a recent article from Reed (criminally underrated school by the way), and you’ll see what I mean.

Myth #3: BU is easy, and the students who go there aren’t too bright

This one is just laughable; BU is known for having some of the worst grade deflation in the country (and believe me, that’s true). Just to give some context: I was Top 10 of my class in high school, and people would frequently come to me for writing advice. At BU, not only do I feel painfully average, but now I’m the one coming to others for writing advice. Here, I’m constantly surrounded by extremely intelligent and motivated people. Also, keep in mind that the school you attend does not necessarily connote your intelligence. There are plenty of super smart people that haven’t/aren’t planning to go to college.

Anyway, back to what I was saying. This school’s environment is also very competitive. Many people here will do whatever it takes to beat out the competitition. Such an environment was quite jarring for me when I first arrived. However, many people can be very collaborative as well. For those used to competitive academic environments though, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the fact that BU has excellent faculty and rigorous academics.

That’s really all I have to say. Hopefully anybody reading this now has a better idea of what this school is really like. To all those applying: I wish you luck!

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I don’t think anyone seriously entertains these myth’s - nor have I ever heard anyone express them?

Objectively, with an acceptance rate of just above 10%, it cannot be a “safety” school for anyone; the odds are stacked 90% against everyone.

Sure, will there be people who ALSO got accepted into schools with even lower acceptance rates, and then chose those - but that doesn’t make BU a “safety” school.
As you state, the reverse will also be true, people will look at all their acceptances by many other criteria than selectivity, and at the end will find BU to be their best match.

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I was getting ready to reply similarly to @DigitalDad. I haven’t heard any of these myths about BU. It’s generally discussed on this site as being a reach school for nearly everyone.

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It sounds like you have concerns with your choice - because you put out a lot of things that no one says (that I’ve heard).

What some do say about some schools is that they practice yield management - and may turn someone down who hasn’t engaged with the school - because they don’t want to be perceived as a safety for a student.

For some, BU will be perceived as a safety (in the applicant’s mind). Just like for others UMASS Lowell might be a reach. Individual perception is just that - at the thought of the individual.

Each situation is different.

Good luck in your BU studies.

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Where have you been hearing this?
On this site? Which threads?

I’ve been here on CC for quite a while now and haven’t heard anyone say any of these things.

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These “myths” don’t apply to anyone on this site over the age of, let’s say, 18. We don’t think BU is a safety or a “lower” version of Cornell, (which is sometimes -ludicrously- called a “lower Ivy” by some people who ARE over the age of 18 and who ought to know better.) :smiley:

Kidding aside, the people who need to hear this are probably still in high school. Sounds like BU is working out great for you!

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I did not get this impression at all…actually quite the opposite. I thought this poster is very proud to be at BU. I will add…I live in New England, and I have heard some of the things this student wrote. I think some of this is because BU really has upped its game in the last 20 years. Many years ago, BU was the Boston private safety school for a lot of students. That is not the case any longer.

I’m the proud parent of a BU grad. In addition to the other things this poster wrote about the college…they have a fabulous music performance major…a conservatory like program within the larger university. If you want to see a terrific orchestra, wind ensemble, choral concert, plays, etc…I can tell you BU has fabulous students doing fabulous productions under the guidance of fabulous professors.

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While they may not be on CC, they certainly do exist, especially in the Boston area. Old ideas die hard, even after decades of change. As recently as 2004 BU had a 70% acceptance rate. It was pretty much a safety school for a 'good" student. Today the acceptance rate is 11%, as was stated above. There are parents in the Boston area, and even some high school guidance counselors, who still think of BU as a safety for a “good” student. It is not.

While I mostly comment on the Northeastern forum, I see a similarity in mindset here. In the 1990’s Northeastern had a 90% acceptance rate, today it is 6%. I also remember the days when if a student at a Catholic high school had a recommendation from the principal or pastor, he or she was pretty much guaranteed admission to Boston College.

And remember, Many still think that Cornell is a safety school for Harvard, Yale, Princeton hopefuls!

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Back in the day, BC was a commuter school. Needless to say, things have really changed with all 3 of those schools.

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However the student writes, perhaps they are upset because they’ve heard ‘blatant misinformation.’

That tells me they feel others have diminished their success in gaining entry.

The truth is words like safety or reach etc are not true things. They are guesses, opinions, perceptions-nothing else.

And one can’t control what others think.

The student should be proud of their acceptance and have confidence in their choice.

They also say that people there got into Brown, Cornell, Harvard, Yale etc.

That is common at most schools, whether selective or non selective - such as your state flagships. Many choose various schools for various reasons.

OP - be the best you and worry about your path, not what others may think about the school. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

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I would avoid this line of thinking, as it both diminishes your own achievements and provokes the response “at (Harvard, Yale, etc…) everyone got in not just a few outliers”. BU is a great school based on its own standing, no need to validate by association.

Congratulations and glad you are happy unless you were just seeking a reaction in which case well done😀

One exception being if you choose BU over one of the schools mentioned please share specifically what drove that decision and why it was right for you. That would help inform others.

GO TERRIERS!

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The OP picked BU over Cornell. They didn’t specify why. Both excellent schools with very different campuses. BU is a true urban schoo,l and Cornell is not (Ithaca is a great small city/big town but not comparable to Boston).

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OP also hasn’t been back since OP which was the day they joined CC😀

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We know a number of students who chose BU because of the Boston location. And there is nothing wrong with that. Our kid chose the school because it was located smack in the city. Boston was the campus and he loved that.

I think in many ways choosing BU now is like choosing NYU now. Both schools used to be easier admits than some of the other colleges in the same urban area. Now…that is less the case.

Congratulations to the OP on making the choice that is great for him. Ignore the naysayers.

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We cross posted. They mentioned Cornell in their original posting. Who knows what it was for. I think most people acknowledge BU as an excellent school with a lot going for it. That being said, it isn’t for everyone as it is a true urban campus and you need to want that. S24 eliminated it from consideration because of that - also way too close to home.

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BU is a great school and Boston is a great city (lived there for over 10 years - sadly, now in the suburbs). If you want an urban location it is a great choice. And, yes, like many, many schools it is much more difficult to be admitted than it was back in the day.

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Never heard the word “budget” used when describing BU!! That must’ve been a typo in the original post!

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This is what the OP wrote. Some people actually do think BU is less costly than Cornell. It isn’t.

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@thumper1 BU gives merit aid, Cornell does not.

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Absolutely. That is one difference. And a big one for some kids.

Both are excellent colleges, but they have very distinct differences.

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