<p>Hey All- o.k. --here's the deal....DD had pretty much committed to Ohio State with a full ride. Boston U. was number 2. BU offered full tuition and they called again today and are willing to relook at her fin aid and try help her out a bit more. So...we had not gone to visit BU but from what she learned from the net, CC and research, the poli sci dept is what she is really looking for. So.....I found some cheap tix and we are leaving at 0600 for Boston!!!! We had truly decided on OSU but today something told me that turning down all of the $$ and opportunity at BU without going out to look at it might cause regrets. AHHHHHHHHHHHH. But anyway....any advice??</p>
<p>Boston cost of living gets pretty insane...</p>
<p>I had talked to a present student who said that she still shopped at American Eagle and Target and ate at the cafteria ( which is what DD would do at OSU) and that she got along fine and loved BU. Her financial background was similar to ours. But I am aware (secondhand) of the $$$$$$ situation.</p>
<p>You go girl. Sometimes an impulse is a good thing.</p>
<p>Good luck momnipotent! My S has a couple of kids from his school who go to BU. He also has a girl from his class this year who has committed to BU. They are very down to earth.</p>
<p>Have a great time in Boston.</p>
<p>There are several posters with kids at BU. Hope they will chime in. Send me a PM if you'd like to meet and talk.</p>
<p>momnipotent let us know how it went!! pm me too if you have any questions about the area. Looking forward to hearing your report!!
andi</p>
<p>Here was a recent thread about planning a trip to visit Boston Colleges. A few pages in it gets down to recommendations for seeing the city. I would think OSU and BU would have very different feels, hopefully this trip will lead to a clear decision. Good luck and have a great time.</p>
<p>Boston is a WAY cooler city to spend four years in than Columbus, Ohio. If you can swing it and it's the program that DD wants--go for it!</p>
<p>momnipotent~</p>
<p>ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just when you thought you'd made a clean getaway.......................</p>
<p>This is quite EXCITING though! Best of luck with this decision!!!!! :eek:</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Momnipotent--- my S is a freshman majoring in political science. He LOVES BU. We are from northern California. This semester he took an honors course on American Politics and the Media. The professor was a visiting prof from Florida who had been involved in the anti-tobacco legislation there. S was so impressed by this guy, he sent me a link to his bio. There are so many opportunities because the school is so large--- for example, my S interned on a radio show fall semester, and this semester he hosted his own show. And he is NOT a communications major. He lives in the biggest dorm on campus with a fabulous location, right on Commonwealth Avenue with a T stop at the front door. His best friends are from North Carolina and New Jersey. S organized a pick-up basketball game twice a week at the FitRec, the gorgeous fitness and recreation center opened last year. He is involved in a student union committee and participates in a mentoring community service program.</p>
<p>My favorite moment this year was back in early fall, when my phone beeped and there was a text message from S: BOSTON ROCKS! He was downtown at a free concert featuring Cake and other bands. </p>
<p>I assume you're from Ohio. I am a strong advocate of attending college far from home. S did not even apply to UCs. This is the time
to take a risk and "expand your horizons" as they say. Size isn't a factor, as OSU is probably bigger than BU.</p>
<p>We visited both schools with my daughter. </p>
<p>I agree with others that Boston is a better town to go to school in. </p>
<p>Besides the differences between Boston and Columbus--what does your daughter want in a college. OSU is a crazy football school. A lot of school spirit, etc.</p>
<p>The four year graduation rate at OSU sucks big time.</p>
<p>OK CCrs-----we're back!!! Holy cow! Help me! </p>
<p>Here's the deal (or deals) :) Flew in early am. City is beautiful and more than anything else that struck us both as surprising--felt SAFE!! For 2 newbies to Beantown, we navigated easily and people were friendly and ready with directions. </p>
<p>First met with fin aid gentleman- who gave me a much needed lesson on grants vs. scholarships. There are some very interesting quirks to BU fin aid that I want all single parents to know! They only look at the non-custodial parent info freshman year and that is it! D exH makes very little money anyway and it did not affect the EFC anyway. So, they gave DD a grant and enough $ (covered the gap?) so that even for me- it is definitely possible. The travel will be difficult but I am wiiling to bust my butt to make it work. </p>
<p>One thing I have come to realize about BU is..it is not Harvard or Yale. They want DD. Not sure how to weigh out where she would get the best education. It entails much more. Like kinshasa said--it is a complete experience. I was moved by those really cool brownstones/dorms! DD was not phased. She is smarter than me (lots). </p>
<p>So- can I go ahead and send in the $ on Monday and commit there, and then decide in a few weeks after we hear about other scholarships? Then eventually decline at OSU (which we have both determined would be uncomfortable) because they have been so generous? </p>
<p>OK--all comments will be appreciated!!!!!!! Thanks all. If the choice belonged to me it would be BU----but I am keeping my mouth closed other than reassuring her about $$.</p>
<p>What about her preferred field of study?</p>
<p>Does one offer better programs than the other?</p>
<p>Getting out of state and going to a private school are big plusses to me. The life adventure and educational experience are definitely worth strong consideration assuming BU has a strong program for her (engineering?). Plus, with a gazillion college students in and around BeanTown, what could be better for four years?</p>
<p>Send in two deposits if you have to...the big public won't really care if she doesn't show up in Sept -- they must be used to a lot of strong kids changing their minds over the summer, particularly if wait list spots open up somewhere else.</p>
<p>btw: in earlier posts, you mention that D had always wanted to attend college on the east coast -- if the $$ is right, go for it. However, the mods will be all over you if you go back and change your asterisk on the Final Decisions thread. :)</p>
<p>BU has some really top notch profs and great students.</p>
<p>I would make sure about the finaid. Will the picture change after freshman year, or is the finaid guaranteed for all four years? You don't want a bad surprise at the end of freshman year. </p>
<p>That said, Boston IS a great city. So my advice: send in $ but also verify. Good luck!</p>
<p>bluebayou- thanks for turning up the pressure a couple of notches with that asterisk comment!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>marite- the finaid story is a long one. DD got a BU grant which covers full tuition. She had applied for the MLK scholarship and I told her the only way she could go ($$wise) was if she won the MLK (full tuition)- got several local scholarhips for the first year, and an RA job the following years, etc. So BU came back with a grant. The grant is generous but if she gets any outside scholarships then they will decrease the grant $. DD is in the running for the "Elks Most Val. Student" which is a lot of $. I asked the fin aid guy if she landed that one- would BU tweak anything for us so that she could attend without much difficulty in cost. I told him that the winners from the last few years are at Harvard and Yale, etc. Not to be too solicitous but hey--you don't know if you don't ask. Anyway- all he said he could do was increase the cost of attendance by @ 1700 bucks for travel, and maybe one or two other things so that she could keep some of the outside $. He said that the grant would definitely be there all 4 years and would increase with tuition increases. (Unless my income or assest ballooned---which they won't---likely they'll go down after DD leaves since she is my babysitter!) Just so her GPA is ok- the $ stays. Do people get written contracts stating this matter of business?? I let him know that we would be turning down a full ride at OSU. I am thinking if by some act of God she lands the Elks deal that I would call the head of fin aid and be certain they can't tweak some things for us. Ok---thoughts or suggestions. Sorry about the streamofconsciousness typing!</p>
<p>I don't think you need to get things down in writing. I just wanted to be sure that everything was clear, as I'd read that some families do get a nasty surprise after the first year in college (though not at BU).
It is common for in-house scholarships to be reduced by the amount of outside scholarships (this makes the scholarship $$ reach more students); but BU obviously wants your D and wants to make its offer competitive with OSU (good for her!).</p>
<p>Anyway, given that you both seem to be very keen on BU, my own question would not be so much whether it offers as much as OSU but whether you can afford it without dipping deeply into your resources, harming your retirement funds, etc... If the answer is yes, go for it!</p>
<p>Momnipotent, do not hesitate to send in 2 deposits. The big State U. will really not care, when you call them up and decline because of the other offer, and in the event that you decide to decline BU after giving them the deposit, well, hey, theirs was such a last minute offer. </p>
<p>More people send in 2 deposits than would admit it, and it a major 4-year decision.</p>
<p>The other thing you can do, is call BU on Monday, say your D is overwhelmed, and you have already sent in a deposit to your State school, and can they give you a week more. Extensions have been given, and since they are wooing your D, they should be delighted to allow her a few more days.</p>