HELP an international student!! JOHNS HOPKINS VS BOSTON UNIVERSITY

College Search & Selection
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<p>still can't believe it...I got full tuition at JHU and at Boston University but I just can't decide which school is better...can anyone tell me their opinions?
some facts:
-don't know what to major in, but attracted to communications area, humanities (NOT SCIENCE which johns hopkins is famous for..woudl JH still be good for these courses?)
-is Bu almost as good as JH? will I still have good employment opportunities after college?
-How is JH social life/baltimore area compared to Boston university's?
-their rock music scenes?
-type of people at BU? type of People at JH? </p>

<p>please help guys with any suggestions as I have till late april to decide..</p>

<p>BTW i'm from Florence,Italy</p>

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<p>Do employers in Italy care which one you attend? Remember, it is extremely difficult to get a work visa (H1B) for the US.</p>

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<p>FORGOT TO SAY: DUAL CITIZEN, and proud of it :)</p>

<p>(the only reason why both schools gave me aid…with my sub par 1930 sat score a normal international would’ve never made it…)</p>

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<p>Congrats on your scholarships.</p>

<p>Are you really an int’l or are you also a US citizen? It sounds like you have US citizenship as well.</p>

<p>I think that for your humanities interests and social interests, BU would be better.</p>

<p>lol…crossposted…you are a citizen.</p>

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<p>I unfortunately can’t visit and never have visited anyone of them, which makes it even harder</p>

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<p>JHU is perfect for pre-meds or engineers or science majors. What of you change your mind and want to major in business? If you’re not sure of your major, you want to go to a university that has all sorts of majors in case you completely change your mind. BU would be better for this. Also, Hopkins doesn’t has the best night life. It may have several parties here and there, but it is much more studies based and you can go a month without there being a party.</p>

<p>BU is in the heart of Boston surrounded by other universities like BC, northeastern, Harvard, MIT etc and just walking downtown you can meet people from those schools. There’s always something to do at night because it’s Boston! Parties ofcourse. I think it’s important to be happy where you go to college, not just focused on academics.</p>

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<p>-don’t know what to major in, but attracted to communications area, humanities (NOT SCIENCE which johns hopkins is famous for…woudl JH still be good for these courses?)</p>

<p>JHU does not offer a major in Communications. However, JHU is very strong in the Humanities, particularly English, History etc… JHU is also strong in Economics (So is BU)</p>

<p>-is Bu almost as good as JH? </p>

<p>No, BU is not in the same league as JHU. JHU’s peers are Chicago, Columbia, Cornell and Penn. BU is a good university, but it is not as good as JHU. </p>

<p>-…will I still have good employment opportunities after college?</p>

<p>Sure, particularly if you take the initiative. Of course, if you wish to work in the communications industry, BU is in fact better than JHU.</p>

<p>-How is JH social life/baltimore area compared to Boston university’s?</p>

<p>JHU has a nicer, more cohesive campus community than BU, but BU’s location is more condusive to socializing with students from other universities.</p>

<p>-their rock music scenes?</p>

<p>I am not qualified to answer this, but I assume Boston rocks harder than Baltimore.</p>

<p>-type of people at BU? type of People at JH?
It is impossible to generalize, but JHU students will tend to be more intense and intellectual. </p>

<p>If you really prefer BU, go for it. If you are set on studying Communications and working in that industry, again, go for BU. However, if you are looking for a well rounded undergraduate education at a top university, JHU is a better option than BU.</p>

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<p>thanks guys. another thing, how is BU’s campus? is it true that it’s nonexistent or can you still feel it?</p>

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<p>While most folks have heard of Hopkins from its world-class med school, it is extremely strong in lit/hume as well. Hopkins has a top-notch classics program, for example, and is also highly ranked in International Relations. Academically, JHU is far superior to BU.</p>

<p>OTOH, Boston for four years is hard to beat, and Baltimore does not compare.</p>

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<p>making it an even harder choice…anyhow i’m just waiting to hear from both schools if i can get a discount from room and board too since I still have left 20000 $ a year to pay…probably will decide based on that…?</p>

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<p>Just so you know, the cost of living is much higher in Boston than Baltimore. Baltimore is one of the least expensive cities–Boston one of the most expensive.</p>

<p>BU is a fine school but, as others have said, it is simply not in the same ballpark as JHU. I know people who turned down full scholarships at BU to pay full tuition at Hopkins.</p>

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<p>Johns Hopkins is the far superior institution overall.</p>

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<p>bump? (really would like more feedback)</p>

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<p>*making it an even harder choice…anyhow i’m just waiting to hear from both schools if i can get a discount from room and board too since I still have left 20000 $ a year to pay…probably will decide based on that…?
*</p>

<p>BU isn’t great with aid. What was your EFC (I know you also had to do CSS)? I wouldn’t be surprised if all you get is that scholarship (which is nice) and a student loan unless you’re low income and qualify for a Pell Grant.</p>

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<p>bumpety bumpy BUMP…other opinions guys?</p>

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<p>Hey daniel</p>

<p>BU grad school alum here. The reasons to go to BU would be if there is a specific program that you wanted that was not offered at JHU or if you really really wanted to go to Boston.</p>

<p>Otherwise, I hate to say it, but JHU is the much better school. </p>

<p>BU there is some campus, but if you’re looking for grassy quadrangles and the like … minimal.</p>

<p>Good luck with your choice.</p>

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<p>zephyr!! i actually just started thinking that I may want to major in Communications. guess which school doesn’t have a com department? JH.
what to do? should i really just abandon the hopkins idea and go to boston because of this?</p>

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<p>I have to concur with Alexandre on every point. I personally would NOT pass on Johns Hopkins for BU - Boston COLLEGE maybe but not BU.</p>

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<p>You never mentioned what your EFC was if money is a factor.</p>

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<p>Johns Hopkins has non-science departments. It doesn’t have ‘Communications’ but then many universities don’t. People who want to study communications usually see themselves in a corporate setting, maybe in PR or advertising, so they usually also study some business, statistics and take a lot of writing courses (crucial in PR and of course corporate communications.) You could certainly do all that at JHU.</p>

<p>It IS the better overall school, with greater reputation. However, BU offers far more in the humanities, so if you change your mind about Communications but still want to avoid the sciences, it would have more to offer you, and a greater number of like-minded undergraduates. </p>

<p>This is the classic case of prestige versus fit. Only you can decide. People here will give you conflicting opinions, with a lot status-obsessed kids yelling ‘JHU.’ Explore all the options, but go with your gut.</p>