HELP! Boston College vs UW-Seattle (only 1 day left to decide)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Washington
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<p>So I am a student who's been accepted at Boston College and UW-Seattle. I need help deciding which college to attend this fall and for four years of my life. I want to major in International Relations and possibly double major in Economics with a concentration/minor in East Asian Studies. </p>

<p>Below is the list of pros and cons of each school. I will truly appreciate your advices!</p>

<p>UW Pros:
- Cheaper, because I am an in-state resident of WA state and have received 7k in grants and 1k in loans for around 20k cost of attendance.
- More in-depth and various course offerings in the areas of my interest (IR and EAS), and I believe its international program is better especially with having a separate school (Jackson School of International Studies).
- Closer from East Asia: I am an East Asian-American student and this is not a big factor to consider but I sure will visit my home country during summer and winter breaks, and it takes only 9-10 hours of flight to reach there, compared to 14 hours of flight from the east coast.
- Good research programs/opportunities because it's a big school, although I'm not sure if I'll do any research as a IR/Econ major... maybe researches in history? (I love history!)</p>

<p>UW cons:
- I am EAGER to get my butt out of Seattle... even though I've lived here only for 3 years (moved here from Toronto, Canada almost three years ago). I want to go to the east coast and live there so badly, but staying here for a few more years won't be terribly bad either.
- UW is too big, with over 20,000 undergraduate students. TOO big........
- Didn't really feel like a true campus setting when visited many times because it's too big as mentioned above and Seattle's weather.... 300+ days grey and wet every year so the campus feels kind of gloomy and dark. I disliked the campus.
- Can't really meet new people and make strong bonds with other friends because I've been attending high school in WA state and so many people from WA areas go to UW... even if I'll get to meet some people from other schools, everyone's all connected here so they're not truly new people... (might be a bit biased, lol)
- QUARTER SYSTEM! I think this can be both pro & con but I heard in quarter system students' workload is heavier and they get more tests....@_@ </p>

<ul>
<li>When I talked to a Korean woman who studied International Relations with concentration in East Asian Studies at UW, classes get smaller during junior/senior years, professors were very good and knowledgeable, and she has many UW graduate friends living in East Coast, etc… and UW Jackson International School is well-respected.</li>
</ul>

<p>BC Pros:
- A completely different, new place! I want to meet new people, experience a different environment. Boston is a very good area to live in terms of quality of life (transportation, Asian markets and restaurants nearby, and BC is located in suburb so not too crowded nor rural).
- I've always wanted to live on the east coast and I think going to BC will have a much stronger alumni connection than UW if I want to get a job and settle on the east coast.
- Private and small. I heard there can sometimes be big differences between a private school education and a state/public education. Smaller classes also mean more access to professors, stronger bond in community, more involvement in school, etc. etc. Generally all the good things about small schools. However BC is not too small so it's sort of a perfect size for me.
- Connection/exchanges with other college students: I heard from a current BC student that people from Harvard, MIT, Tufts, etc. sometimes come over and hang out at BC. I also want to make good friends at other schools.</p>

<p>BC Cons:
- I've looked through both BC and UW's course list offerings for International Studies and East Asian Studies, and BC has way less courses for IS and EAS...... IS seems alright but EAS (minor) list is quite displeasing. Well BC has all the basic courses for both I think but I want to go more in-depth in IR and EAS..... this is probably the biggest con of BC and pro of UW. I want to know more about BC's IR and EAS programs. Anyone that has any ideas about them?
- More expensive, although I've got $30,000 in grants. My EFC on FAFSA was around $6,000 so I thought I would receive more but meh. My parents, however, say that I shouldn't worry about money that much because they want to let me go wherever I want to attend. I'm wondering if FA package is negotiable after submitting my enrollment deposit at BC, even $10-20k in loans will be okay. However that $30k was also awarded after appeal/negotiation already so I don't know if it'll work again.</p>

<p>*I've also talked to a current BC student on the phone and asked questions about the school, and I especially liked the fact that more leadership positions and opportunities are approachable at BC.. For example she said she was never in Student Government during high school but was selected as one for next year, which I want to try as well. I also liked when she said people make friends at Harvard, MIT, Tufts too and everything's very nice near the campus area.</p>

<p>I truly appreciate your time for reading this long thread.
Generally I think it's ACADEMICS vs. QUALITY OF LIFE, if excluding the $$$ problem, which my parents told me not to worry about, lol. After my undergraduate studies, I plan on going to a graduate school for an MBA in International Business or M.A. in International Relations. My career goal? Anything related to international field and foreign languages!!! </p>

<p>I would love to have any of your advices and opinions about my options ASAP so that I can decide before May 1........ sorry I should've thought about this earlier but I was appealing my FA packages at both BC and UW (can't really be a good excuse ugh).</p>

<p>THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!</p>

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<p>you know i WAS on the same boat as you! i was either deciding on uw, bc, or neu.
and all of the pros and cons that you listed were the SAME as mine…except about the course offerings i’m planning on doing pre-med and business (haha my brains gonna hurt for the next couple of years!) </p>

<p>but after some hard thinking, nagging all of my college cousins, family, and friends…i decided to go to uw.</p>

<p>why…?</p>

<p>well i wanted to go to NEU at first because they had the best co-op program in the u.s. and plus they had an affiliation with tufts medical school so that would’ve been a bonus for me when i apply for medical school</p>

<p>then BC was nice because it was a christian school and had a nice reputation…
and again with boston, i’ve lived in washington for 13 years now and i so wanted to get out of here and head to the east, heck i applied to 14 schools and they were all in the east except uw (the only school i applied to in washington) but after narrowing down my list of places i got accepted to and saw myself in it came down to boston or seattle…
the new york campuses just didnt have the ‘college’ feel to it and the north carolina schools were too ierno…southern? lol for me…</p>

<p>haha anyways, enough rambling (i read your long post, so you’ll read my long post :)</p>

<p>so whyd i choose uw out of all the other schools?</p>

<p>1.) i realized that i’d miss my family wayy too much (i have a huge family and they all live in seattle and we’re really close, always having family parties.)
2.) all my friends are still gonna be here and i’d miss them too much
3.) UW gave me a FULL RIDE :smiley: –> FREE MONEY!
4.) i can always go home whenever i need something
5.) –>this ones nice<– IF I DON’T LIKE UW…I CAN ALWAYS TRANSFER OUT!
6.) UW is considered one of the original public ivies
7.) UW’s colors are purple and i love huskies (lol i don’t know how important that is but i love purple!)
8.) lots of research opportunities
9.) ranked pretty high up there in the u.s. ranks and not to mention higher than some ‘elite’ schools in world university ranks
10.) awesome medical program and their business school is 1 in 4 schools in the us that has the european quality improvment system accred. </p>

<p>but, when it comes down to it, the main reason i chose uw was because my parents told me that i should just give it a shot for atleast a year and that way the transition would be easy because ill have my family and friends here for support and if end up not liking it i always have the option of transferring out and going somewhere else. plus we have our whole lives to go out there and live in the eastcost, in europe, in austrailia, anywhere in the world. i realized, why am i such in a rush to get out of washington? what am i running from? (and heck i’ve lived here longer than you have!) and plus these would be the last few years that i would really be ‘living with’ and seeing my parents, cause 10 years from now we’ll have a husband/wife and everything will be differnt. so might as well enjoy and savor the moment while it lasts.</p>

<p>anyways, i hope that helped you! and if i seemed vauged or unclear cause i rambled too much feel free to pm or just reply to this…</p>

<p>but, this theard actually probably helped me more than you because after typing why i chose uw, it reassured me that i didnt make the wrong decision (ive been having second thoughts lately as may 1 approaches)</p>

<p>good luck! </p>

<p>and please forgive me for any mistakes as it is 135 in the morning and im packing like crazy for my flight this weekend!</p>

3

<p>Well, I’m not sure how much this is going to help, but I figure I’ll say something here. I go to UW myself, but my fiance who I live with went to Boston College. (He’s from Seattle originally, too.) I also am originally from Boston, so I know the city pretty damn well.</p>

<p>Anyway, he made some amazing friends at BC. During his senior year, I went to University of New Hampshire and I hated it. So I spent all of my weekends down at BC, and I have to say, it’s amazing. It’s a beautiful campus, you’ve got the T right there to bring you anywhere in the city, and I mean, you’re in Boston… the best college city in the US, really. Socially it’s a GREAT school. He was an English major and I know sometimes was frustrated with his department, but he definitely made it through and now works for an internet company out here in the advertising department.</p>

<p>Both BC and UW have strong reputations. I will say that my time at UW has been wonderful thus far. I can see why you’d have issues with the campus, but it’s also beautiful. The professors are pretty awesome, though I can’t say much about your major since I’m an English major myself.</p>

<p>I think if you really want to branch out and find some independence, go to BC. It’s an amazing school, beautiful campus, awesome people, etc. However, beware that the East coast is way different than the west coast. Haha, we talk a lot faster, we have accents, we drive a little crazy, we get angrier faster… the list goes on. It’s a lot faster-pace in Boston compared to Seattle. It’s part of the reason I enjoy Seattle! (But I do miss Boston a lot)</p>

<p>And of course, it IS hard because BC is really up there in terms of tuition, but again, if you want the experience, go there. If you’re looking to save yourself the money, want a solid school with your major, btu maybe not the “college experience” you’re looking for, go to UW.</p>

<p>It’s a hard decision but I think you’ll make the right one. :slight_smile: Lemme know if you have any other questions!</p>

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<p>One thing I forgot to put: my dad works and lives in Korea right now and my mom is in Seattle with me but she’s moving back to Korea after I graduate High School, so missing my family and friends is not something I am concerned with (many of my friends are going away from WA anyway). I actually have many relatives living on the east coast, especially in New Jersey and Philadelphia so I can visit them during breaks, etc. </p>

<p>I also checked my updated Financial Aid online at Boston College and I got $39,000 in total which is pretty darn awesome!!! 31,900 in grants, 2,200 in work-study and 5,000 in loans! I’m happy with the new package and my parents say they can cover the rest. SO the money isn’t a big of deal anymore, and now it’s the academics and course offerings I’m very very concerned with. Any other help? OH and thank you very much to those who answered! GREAT HELP :D!!!</p>

5

<p>so my little piece of advice, though i havent actually attended either school, is to look at the study abroad or exchange programs at each school. since you are so interested in international relations and foreign language, i would seriously look into that possibility (if you haven’t already). some schools provide much more opportunity for success through those types of programs than others, so maybe use that as part of your decision. hope that helped some!</p>

6

<p>BC is the better school, and u shouldnt really be worried about proximity to asia, b/c either way, ur taking an overnight flight. junior/senior classes r obviously gonna be smaller, so u should be more concerned about smaller classes in the beginning. that way, u actually understand the material before u delve deeper. in the end, it all depends on what culture u want to be in for the next four years and what is the opportunity cost (lol. i’m an econ nerd, srry)</p>

7

<p>I’m an International Studies and Asian Studies double major at UW and I definitely recommend the program. Don’t do Asian Studies alone though because it is not as challenging, and the classes aren’t that great in my opinion. My focus is East Asia/Japan if that helps.</p>

<p>If you decide UW let me know if you have any questions about the program :)</p>

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<p>Hello everyone! Thank you very much for your opinions. I am going to Boston College! I just submitted my enrollement form last night. Course offerings in International Relations and East Asian Studies at both UW and BC was still a big factor for me but I picked BC because of overall undergraduate aspects, and someone told me that I can cross-register at Tufts to take some IR/EAS courses, which sounded freaking awesome! However I still value UW’s Jackson school very highly and respect its program and faculty. UW is a great school and I know I will miss Seattle. I appreciate your thoughtful comments again.</p>