GW vs BU guaranteed transfer

College Search & Selection
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21

No. I understand exactly. My point was- if you went to BU four years, it would cost you $80k more. Or what’s the #? I’m making an apples to apples comparison.

Also your transfer is NOT guaranteed no more than a 4-2 law school guarantee is guaranteed. It’s guaranteed IF you meet certain criteria. Frankly, as their transfer window is still open, they’d take you anyway. See they are harder on first year than transfer because that’s what gets put into the rankings formula.

You cannot say they are the same cost because they are not. 4x = 3.1y. I’ll give your first year at home .1.

Better in rank does not = better outcome. College should be the best time of your life. While your friends are meeting people, going to events, joining clubs - you’ll essentially be in a 5th year of HS. Neither, by the way, is ranked high in STEM but I assure you what you learn will be similar.

I may have mentioned b4. My son starts his internship at a major oem Monday. His school. Not ranked high. Alabama. His two roomies. GA Tech.

Your decision should be made on fit and finances. Or finding a great experience at a price you can afford.

You applied to GW. You made it in your final two. So it interests you. For STEM, neither is off the charts. Who cares. Both are great and there’s a near half chance you won’t end in STEM anyway…the facts don’t lie.

You are assuming BU is a savior. And that’s your mistake…in my opinion. It’s not MIT. Or even Northeastern for STEM.

BU, to me, would be the mistake. Someone b4 said go to GW. You still have the BU option if you hate it. My guess, unless you hate urban living, you’ll love DC just fine and find your four year home.

The choice is yours however…not mine.

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22

Regardless of what your decision may be, don’t subscribe to people claiming BU engineering, CS or STEM are no big deal. That’s why I asked you to check their faculty profiles. Some of them moved there from neighborhood MIT like President Brown who was a Provost at MIT, many have had their PhDs from MIT and Harvard, many are elected fellows of reputed institutions in their fields like IEEE, ACM … many have solid networking and partnerships with the thriving industry in Boston area.

23

USNWR rankings don’t pay the rent.

Yes, BU CS majors earn more on average than GWU CS majors- but that’s on average. CS is ridiculously hire-able and what you actually do in college will outweigh any ‘average’ differences.

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Most schools have accomplished presidents and provosts. The next one that finds someone a job will be the first. Their job is not dealing with individual students.

No one is denigrating BU. We are questioning the 2nd year start and excess cost vs GW.

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25

Sacrificing freshman year at GWU to commuting from home&local college is not worth it, even if after that year you end up at BU. Socially, it’s difficult for transfers, especially at colleges like GWU or BU which are very urban so by the time you show up everyone’s got their own thing going and it isn’t a “campus activity” because there’s no real “campus”.
Go to GWU. Do well. Show what you’re capable of in your major - in DC, CS majors are snapped up before graduation.

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26

GW, no question. But when is decision due?

27

If the only cons for BU are social reasons then maybe I can overlook that. As for classes being more difficult, I’d need to think about that a bit more. How much would I miss out on freshmen year if we’re only taking core classes. If it isn’t that bad then I’ll consider it. If it will mess up the rest of my three years then I’ll consider gw over bu.

Ranks aside, GW seems to be focused on poli sci and international affairs. Not to say it’s not good, I get that STEM is what you make of it. But, if a school would offer me more opportunities, then I’ll consider it over the other. As for costs, if they’ll end up being the same then maybe a degree + experience from BU seems more justifiable than gw? I get that really neither are worth it but as a student who doesn’t qualify for need-based (only loans), I sort of accepted my fate and now must decide which one will be worth the money spent.

Maybe I can even try to transfer to schools I like more than either of them. All in all, my parents seem to prefer the bu transfer. Thanks for the help!

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GWU seams to focus on IR, because they are T10 in that area. BU doesn’t have any standout programs like that. For everything else, they are both in the same tier. Right below the top public schools.

29

You clearly are against BU. if you can overlook the social, go to your closest state school, live at home. Save $$

College is about learning, participating and growing. The social benefit far outweighs the academics. You can get the academics anywhere.

It’s your choice but you don’t want to choose. You are fixated on the one that doesn’t love you.

And the cost is not the same. If GW was 100k so 25k a year. BU is 33.3k to get that 100k. And sure it’s a lot more than 100k.

One is a steak at outback. One is the same steak at another steakhouse but 33% more.

30

Go with your guts, that way then there won’t be any regrets. Yes, BU is tougher, that’s only to be expected from their star faculty, but that’s what gets the best out of anyone. No wonder their alumni do so well wherever they end up.

One thing you may also factor in, if you may also consider going pre med route, high gpa is one of the important factors in med school acceptances later on, in which case BU may or may not be ideal. Depending on the rigor of your high school preparation and confidence. GL with your decision making.

31

Late to the party, but I think there seems to be a lot of people trying to make the case that BU has some notable edge for CS and/or Engineering over GWU that doesn’t exist. BU probably wins when you split hairs, but the hiring for CS/engineering is not going to prioritize either school, and both will offer plenty of postgrad opportunities. They are in the end in a similar tier.

CS buildings are shiny recruitment tools and office space. It only says that a school is trying to build out their program with more resources, but the student effect is minor a best given that CS/DS majors will spend most of the time on their personal laptop wherever it’s comfiest to work. Though it’s certainly an upgrade over housing CS ironically above a Radio Shack circa 2015ish :wink:

Second, the ranking difference is also not significant, and both BU and GWU use similar tricks when it comes to getting money, rankings etc so that’s not a differentiator either, nor a reason to not go to a school so long as you understand college admissions is a business, and that both schools admissions departments absolutely know that.

A guaranteed transfer can be worth it if the school is of a significantly higher quality and you are also not a fit for your #2 option. I don’t think it’s helpful to add emotional considerations to the college process like the idea of a school “wanting” you. The college did not put personal judgment into this, admissions is a complex business formula despite how the US private schools pitch it as some “holistic” well-thought-out crafting. A few rare schools do the latter, but BU and GWU certainly do the former.

With that said, in this case, it doesn’t seem either is true. BU is at best a smidge up, maybe on a “tier” boundary, but it’s not like BU is going to make a big difference at the end of the day. The college scorecard difference is 10K or so, which in terms of CS salaries is not much. And as mentioned, that data is a limited picture.

So you’re taking away social opportunities freshman year for little gain, and really just adding more complication around transferring, being at home for a year, etc. And it seems like cost is neutral to advantaging GWU. I’d fully recommend GWU here. Plenty of resources for a motivated student to do well and you get to settle into your home for the next 4 years. No harm in considering a higher transfer, but beware of a “grass is always greener” mentality and focusing on making the best of wherever you go. Your own personal motivation and work is far more important than where you do it between these two quality schools.

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32

I think people are mostly saying what you are saying…BU may be slightly more prolific but it’s splitting hairs. Losing out on your Freshman year would be a huge mistake. My comment you printed was in response to someone saying BU has a lower acceptance rate which it does overall, not sure CS. To the person who is hyping BU faculty they both have Penn, big 10 schools, foreign schools. I don’t see anything discerning although that impacts research, not teaching.

33

GW. Great school, great city, great price. Go and get the most out of it!

Even if you subscribe to the ranking methodology, the difference between the two isn’t big enough to matter.

Is it possible your parents prefer BU because it would keep you closer to home? That’s understandable, but it’s good to be aware how that may impact their advice. GW would give you a chance to explore an exciting new city just a short flight or reasonable drive from home.

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34

I think I’ve given up on BU for now.

Last question, what are everyone’s thoughts on Illinois tech? I finally got my report back and got 30k in merit for a total of 39k a year. My cheapest out-of-state. Only issue, many adults told me it’s had a spotty reputation and they don’t offer neuroscience in case I want to pursue it…

I guess if I told you guys how much GW is asking me, maybe you might change your mind? It’s around 55k a year, which I understand is a lot even after merit aid. This is why I was hesitant because in my mind I thought I might as well spend money on a ‘better’ school (BU). BU would ask for full price for the three years. (GW) 4 * 55-60k ~= (BU) 3 * 70-75k, that’s what I meant.

The local school is UCF, I don’t want to attend it for all four years. Unfortunately, didn’t get into UF.

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Illinois tech is fine, but honestly I’d take UCF over it easily. I grew up in FL so I understand the desire to go elsewhere, but no way it is worth paying 39K a year for it over the super cheap UCF option. UCF isn’t all that much lower in quality and opportunities than GW anyways.

Given that it is now June and decision day is long gone, what are the actual options on the table here?

36

I asked for extensions. So, all three options are technically up for grabs, just want to make sure I’m not making a big mistake yk? Out of all three, I’d like GW. But, I keep going back and forth about it being worth it.

The thing is, I won’t be living in dorms for UCF, I’d be at home so a commuter. Wanted to know if anyone had info on iit, but yeah I suppose UCF would be safer + better between those two.

37

All 3 = what? You listed four schools :frowning:

Why not dorm if you go to UCF? Still way cheaper than GW if money is the issue. Otherwise, GW for all the reasons said before.

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GW, UCF, Illinois tech.
Parents prefer me to live at home if I go to Ucf. That will be the case for first year at least.

Yeah, I lean towards GW but wanted to mention the price because that could change a few things. My parents are willing to pay, I just wanted to make sure I’m not making a big mistake by attending bc I feel guilty for spending so much on college.

Thank you for all the help :))

39

Yep, 100% GW then! It’s not a small sum but don’t feel guilty, feel grateful. Your parents are the ones that have to make that financial decision, and unless you know something that says they are going to go into ill-advised dire financial straits because of GW, there’s no reason to hold back! Go enjoy!

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40

I’d go to UCF and tell your parents you’re living at school and they’re saving money. I wouldn’t give my money to IIT - nor GW.

Good luck.