Hello, I just have a question that I would like to ask about BU as I’m making college decisions. To me, it seems that BU has been becoming more and more difficult to get in to, but many people I have talked and seen post on CC and reddit to don’t seem to think that highly of BU. Don’t get me wrong, I understand it is a great school and all, but it’s admission standards for the past 2-3 years make it seem like a top 20 college where it really doesn’t seem to be at that status right now to me (I could be wrong)
So I guess I’m just wondering, is BU actually that good right now, or are they just climbing at the moment? It’s a great school, but historically BU has always been at around the top 50 college level, and never really been “elite” but their last few admissions stats have been really high. I don’t really think their high admission standards matches their current reputation in terms of prestige so to me it seems that their trying to climb the ranks and the gap between their admission standards and reputation will maybe close in a few years? Not sure, so I’d like to hear what others have to say about it. Thanks for any input.
Top 50 is elite. That’s the myth. There are 1800 universities and equal number of colleges +/- if you are in the top 5 percent of anything you are elite imho. Student body. Professional athletes. Professors. Salesmen. Hospitals. Corporations. Employee. Nurse. Doctors. Whatever. Etc.
The term “elite” is relative. BU is not HYPSM and never will be unless they can add maybe $8 billion dollars to their endowment. BU, along with BC, Northeastern, NYU and USC, has always been a good university that has become increasingly selective in the past 20 years. The level of teaching and the expectations of faculty have also increased at all those colleges. And while an 18% acceptance rate is impressive it is far above the 4-6% acceptance rates at HYPSM.
As a private university class sizes will be smaller than at big public colleges like University of Wisconsin. You will also find it easier to make one on one contact with faculty.
Of course, if you are not admitted to a top 20 college or you cannot afford it if admitted then discussing relative eliteness is pointless.
It is an awesome school with a great reputation nationwide. I wouldn’t think twice about recommending someone go there. Whether or not it will rise in the rankings, I don’t know.
My BU education has served me well in terms of career and grad school opportunities.
I wouldn’t use the word “elite” like I would for HYPSM (as mentioned above); if someone has the opportunity to go to one of these schools, then by all means I would recommend they take it. However, if you are comparing BU to other peer schools, it is a great option.
What does elite even mean? BU is a good school. You can do quite well in many fields from BU. The question for you is are you elite? Can you take what BU, or any school, offers and engage to turn that in to a great situation for yourself?
Another thing to consider is the actual program you’re interested in pursuing. What backgrounds do the professors have? Where do grads get jobs right out of school? Where do they go to grad school? What resources does the program have for internships? You’ll find some “average” schools overall have fantastic programs in specific areas.
As an example, niece is interested in neuroscience and is considering Quinnipiac and some other schools. Q isn’t considered “elite” by most ranking systems but happens to have one of the best neuroscience and dual degree programs for her specific area of interest. She did some research. Turns out Boston Children’s Hospital (one of the finest in the world) has a program she’s quite interested in. They have 16 people in their program and 8 of them are from Q. So, are they elite? For that they are.
I suggest losing the labels and the hunt for prestige. The good stuff is really in the details. And as @privatebanker properly states, there are over 3000 schools out there in the US. Top 50 seems pretty good to me. So does 100.
Yes there are many, many elite runners in the world. Only one usain bolt.
74 or so nfl qbs. One Brady. One Rodgers. One mahommes. Is number 34 a mahommes. No. Are they close. Yes.
Are they better than the next 3000 qbs in the world. Most likely. Are all 74 elite. Yes.
It’s what yardsticks are being used.
That’s all. The elite vs not elite conversations are so superficial, irrelevant and first world.
Good luck OP and hope you can attend or be admitted to have the choice. 8 out 10 really smart and hard working students don’t get have that option or privilege after being denied.
@Yankeefan20 I’m a parent who is getting ready to retire in the next few years and pass the torch to the younger generation ; however, I have never had issues finding opportunities in my field. I had acceptances to great law schools and have worked in the fields of law, finance, and consulting over the last 30 years. Graduated from Questrom, which was called SMG (School of Management) back then. I feel like BU has good name recognition, not just in Boston, and that it has helped me along the way.
Best of luck to you!
I agree with @AlwaysLearn. I’m also a BU alum and am pretty shocked at the evolution of the university’s reputation and admissions status since I attended in the mid-90s. I feel like BU set me up very well professionally and personally–and I attended when it was not a top 50 school. I’m sure it’s only gotten better. We looked at it for my D, but she decided she wanted to be on the west coast, but I would have been very happy if she had ended up at BU.
As to whether it’s elite, I would put BU, NYU, USC, WUSTL, and I’m sure a few others into the same basic category. They are private, large, research universities with a lot of offerings. The main difference between them is the location. Academically, I strongly suspect that these schools have much more in common than not–and differences in rankings are probably not particularly meaningful in terms of the overall experience and outcome.
Is BU (and others like it) “elite”? It’s semantics. These schools will never be in the tippy-top tier (ivies, Standford, CalTech, MIT). But I think the schools on USNWR top 50-75 and Forbes top 100 are world class universities (Forbes doesn’t have a separate list for LACs and National Universities). I don’t think BU is elite, but I think it’s a great school with name recognition. If it’s a good fit for you, you can’t go wrong.
; however, I have never had issues finding opportunities in my field. I had acceptances to great law schools and have worked in the fields of law, finance, and consulting over the last 30 years. Graduated from Questrom, which was called SMG (School of Management) back then. I feel like BU has good name recognition, not just in Boston, and that it has helped me along the way.