Is one school better academically than the other? I know BC has better name recognition but HC ranks higher on several rankings - how do they stack up academically?
I very much doubt there is a difference
There is no straightforward way to measure “academic quality”.
You could argue that BC is more selective, enrolls students with higher test scores and class ranks, and offers a broader variety of courses and majors. BC also has broader name recognition, due to its larger size and big-time sports.
Alternatively, you could argue that Holy Cross offers a better classroom experience, with more small classes, fewer large classes, and a better student/faculty ratio. Holy Cross also has more satisfied graduates, as measured by alumni giving rate.
You will have to figure out which of these factors represent “academic quality” to you.
BC is a university. Holy Cross is a LAC.
No difference.
are you considering premed?
I’d say they are closely on par with maybe BC edging out the other academically by a hair. Holy Cross afterall is in Worcester, the arm pit town of Central Massachusetts, so the campus is in not the greatest area versus Chestnut Hill, the Westwood of Boston suburbia. Academically, Holy Cross holds its own but lets put it this way, as far as Jesuit universities go, it’s not the jewel in the crown that Georgetown is, followed by perhaps BC.
I am not considering premed - I’m thinking English, Econ or PoliSci. I know BC has a better national reputation but would I have the same opportunities coming out of both schools or would one give me an advantage? I am from the Midwest as well, would BC be better to get a job after college because of name recognition? I like the small size and campus of HC and felt more comfortable there when touring. Just curious as to whether BC’s slight edge in name recognition/national prestige is worth it.
No, I don’t think BC will confer some significant advantage. In the Boston and NE area, I think both colleges hold sterling reputations, and if your heart is with one over the other, I’d say go with it. BC will not get you better jobs or opportunities over HC.
And of course there will be the bottom line cost or can you afford to be full pay?
To a large degree your opportunities are going to depend on you.
If you’re thinking grad school then getting to know some profs so you get strong and personalized recs is important, and at a LAC you are in small classes. At a larger college classes may be bigger but perhaps get smaller upper-division, and you can always take the initiative to go to office hours.
For employment after college the big differentiator is coop or internship experience. Finding progressively impressive summer work is up to you in large part. However it may be easier to go in for interviews if you are closer to Boston. Proximity and size play a role in on-campus recruiting. If there are more kids to talk to then a recruiter is more likely to visit.
I shouldn’t have issues with cost for either school
USAToday ranked HC the #2 Catholic school in the country ahead of Georgetown and BC, Niche has them at #3 ahead of BC. Does this seem accurate? It’s just surprising because from my experience they are not regarded nationally as a top Catholic school but still seems to be very academically strong.
Does anyone know anything about the HC Prebusiness program?
Different rankings have different methodologies. Stop paying so much attention to miniscule differences.
I agree with others that there is little difference in quality, and that a reasonable comparison might be: “doesn’t matter, either is very good”.
I don’t agree with the negative comment about Worcester. I live not all that far from Worcester. While I will admit that I don’t get there all that often, it has always seemed like a perfectly pleasant small city. To me location also does not seem like a reason to prefer either over the other.
Full disclosure- my D is at HC. We also know many kids at BC and Georgetown. All truly excellent schools. We did get a kick out of the ranking that put HC ahead of G’town! Though that perhaps is not truly accurate. HC probably did better than BC in that ranking because of the very strong alumni network and accessibility to professors. My D liked HC better than BC because she wanted a true liberal arts setting and preferred the size. But others we know chose BC because the liked the university feel. True BC has a better location, but Worcester has pleasantly surprised us and my D frequently goes out in town to eat out and shop. It is a college town with 7 or 8 schools in town, so lots of young people. And she has been to Boston a few times too, as it is easily accessible. As for political science, HC has a Washington semester which includes an internship as well as an Homors program for upperclassmen. It was also ranked as a top 10 English program a couple years back. Think that may have been a college factual ranking.
Both are excellent schools. Both are very well regarded by those who know Northeast schools. Can’t go wrong with either. Our D chose the LAC approach for higher ed and is very pleased with small classes and the personalized attention from professors at Holy Cross. Campus is gorgeous.
I agree with DadTwoGirls that the Worcester comment seems unnecessarily negative. Worcester is a nice sized city that is experiencing a steady economic upswing. There are many good restaurants and ethnic eateries, a nice museum, shopping and good hotels that service the many colleges in the city. It really is a nice college town.
I’m an HC alumnus who chose it over BC. Keep in mind that was 1988 and I’d say the comparison between the two schools was different then. Agree with most of the comments above. You’d be splitting hairs to say there is a meaningful difference between the two schools in term of reputation or the excellence of academics, or the composition of the student body/type. They are both great schools. It really comes down to whether you prefer a LAC or a university. The Boston area is obviously a great place to go to college, and Chestnut Hill is beautiful, but Worcester is not without its charms (good restaurants, theaters, great small city art museum, etc), and is also in a good central location in terms of proximity to VT skiing, the Berkshires, the Cape, Boston, etc. Because of its size, it’s also very easy to manage. BC does have greater national name recognition b/c of its size and sports. In the DC/Phila/NYC/Boston corridor, they are perceived as equals.
Agree both are excellent schools and I don’t expect there would be any overall meaningful difference in academic quality. BC is a bit more well known but that is because it is a larger school with D1 sports (Doug Flutie did a lot for BC’s name recognition). If you feel you would be more comfortable in the smaller LAC type of school as opposed to a larger university then I’d go for it.
Holy Cross and BC are both run by the New England Province of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). HC was founded 20 years before BC and had been traditionally the better school but in recent decades the gap has closed and they are nearly identical in terms of academics now with HC being a single liberal arts college and much smaller and BC a university comprised of several colleges and graduate schools.