CU Boulder vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute vs Boston University's Guaranteed Transfer Program

College Search & Selection
1

Intended major: Biology or Kinesiology
CU Boulder Major: Integrative Physiology
Pros:

  • Gorgeous campus, better dorms, excited about returning to the mountains, better food
  • social life
  • Interested in their Health Profession’s Residential Academic Program.
  • Excited about their Integrative Physiology major more than Biotechnology major at WPI.
  • More opportunities and flexibility between programs

Cons:

  • Way more expensive (out of state tuition) however money isn’t a huge issue
  • stigma due to party culture

WPI Major: Biology and Biotechnology
Pros:

  • Will build resume better with their projects requirement
  • Large Merit Scholarship

Cons:

  • Trimester schedule condenses classes to 7 intensive weeks
  • I am not currently interested in engineering (might be intimidating with the large engineering presence)
2

You didn’t put anything about BU.

Sounds like you like CU much better. What’s the cost differential to WPI and who actually offers what interests you?

3

I’d pick the smaller cheaper school where you’d get more faculty attention.

4

It concerns me that RPI doesn’t have a major you really like and money is somewhat of an issue at CU. What’s the story with BU?

5

I can be a part of CU’s Health Professions Residential Academic Program which will give me the small class sizes and faculty attention. I will also be surrounded by other people who are in my major. With that being said, CU is 2x more expensive

6

I do like CU much better and CU’s Integrative physiology major interests me more, but WPI is offering me a 30k/yr scholarship. Boulder is out of state tuition. We can pay it… but it’s hard to turn down the WPI scholarship.

7

BU is offering me a guaranteed acceptance for the 2022 school year into their College of Arts and Sciences as a sophomore as long as I maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA my freshman year of college.

8

Go with WPI: if you don’t like it, you have BU as a backup, and you save $30K. :slight_smile:

1 Like
9

Where do you do your first year then??

10

BU’s requirements is to go to any accredited college freshman year and get a 3.0 minimum gpa. I can turn down BU (nothing is binding) if I end my freshman year and decide I want to stay at my college. My current freshman year options are CU Boulder or WPI.

11

Yeah, that’s goofy. Go where you go and love it!!! That’s ridiculous (BU) but i suppose if you really hate your freshman year then.

I would choose CU - here’s why and you alluded. You are not an engineer. When I look at WPI most populous majors, the top 9 are engineering or computer science.

2X is a lot of money. You don’t have another CU type option but cheaper - like UMASS or a SUNY.

In other words, it sounds like you might be better suited for a regular school like CU, but money matters. I’m less concerned with the special programs - you can figure that out later and a lot of those are gimmicks to get people in (i.e. marketing) vs. substance.

Good luck.

12

A school in your state would have been better, but given the options, WPI.