I know this question has been asked before, but I just want to get a fresh perspective on the matter. There are things I love about both and I’m just having a hard time deciding.
Thanks!!
Again, some information?
What do you want to study? What is important to you in a college?
When my son was looking at colleges, he didn’t apply to Boston College because they were so stingy in granting AP credit. It may have changed since then. UVa has no maximum on the number of AP credits you can use and many people use them to have a double major.
You might also compare the number and types of required classes. Some Catholic colleges have some required classes that might not be appreciated by people who are not serious Catholics. However, I assume BC is one of the liberal Catholic colleges.
I apologize. My information was a it lacking, making it a bit difficult to help.
First, about myself. I from Pennsylvania so I’m pretty much right in the middle of these two school. I plan to major in economics, and try to focus on the more international end of the spectrum, as well as minor in German. In college, I obviously hope to get a great education and know that any school can give me that, but I also really hope to have fun, in areas such as clubs, intramurals, sports fandom, social events and parties as well as the surrounding area. At the end of the day, I hope to be able to look back at college and feel like I got a good mix of it all.
Some of the things I love about Boston College are: the campus and Gothic architectural style is just beautiful. Just sitting next to Gasson, while the sun is setting is so peaceful. The food is also great. As petty as that could sound, I am someone who loves to eat, and I am sure I would be happily fed at BC. The location of being near Boston is also ideal. Another thing I love is the friendliness/helpfulness of the professors, and the fact that I feel like the class sizes would be a lot smaller at BC, allowing for a more intimate education and relationship. In addition, the fact that I do not have to worry about getting into the business school once I am there is nice. Lastly, the thing I love the most, and always think about with BC, is the Jesuit ideals and how it seems like that drives all their pursuits. Though I am not catholic (I’m protestant), having Christian influences is nice, and I just feel like if I were to go to BC, that I would not only be academically transformed, but also changed in all other facets of my life, following the “cura perosnalis” and “men and women for others ideals.”
Some of the things I dislike are: the campus. Though I said I loved the campus, I meant so in an architectural standpoint. The things I don’t like are how it feels so small and like its stacked on top of itself. It also feels like there is so little green space compared to other places. It does not necessarily have that big campus feel, which is fine in its own respect, but I feel I would like. The weather could obviously be terrible, especially in comparison. Also, the dining plan seems a bit odd and I am just a little afraid I may run out. Another thing is the whole sports culture and stuff. I am quite a large sports fan, especially with college sports, and just seeing the packed stadiums and arenas, with full student sections seem so exciting. Whenever I would watch BC games on TV, Alumni stadium would look empty by half time and Conte seemed deserted before tip off. Though this won’t matter towards earning a degree, I have looked forward towards games, and that’s an experience I would not want to miss. Lastly, just as a product of being northeasterners, the students can sometimes not feel the most welcoming or kind.
As for UVa. I applied to this school on a whim, but once I got in, decided to do an overnight visit and had a blast! Just in general, everybody seemed so friendly! My host had to do homework at one point, so two strangers to me, but his friends, offered to take me to get food and ended up showing me around campus for two hours on a Sunday night. It just felt like a generally more relaxed and fun loving atmosphere. Another thing I loved was Charlottesville. Though BC is near Boston, I feel like the surrounding area is lacking, whereas UVa has the opposite. There is no city around, but the college town is very nice, so they both have perks in a way. Charlottesville really did just feel like an ideal college town with all the eateries and shops, which was cool to see a community interaction with the college. Like the students, I also felt like the professors were equally friendly and of good expertise. Lastly, the sports at UVa just seem all around better. Though the football team was equally bad, it seemed like it garnered so much more interest. As for basketball the fact that they have a lottery for student tickets, yet BC has to do giveaways to get anybody. It seems like UVa would be more fun in that respect. The last thing I enjoyed about UVa was the campus style and layout. It just had that bigger time feel, as well as a lot more green space.
The things I dislike: the food!! Just from my experience and the opinions of the students, the food at UVa is a bit disappointing, and since I will already be doing work study to pay for college, I feel like I won’t really be able to eat of campus much. Like I said, though Charlottesville is nice, it feels like there is not much else. Another thing is campus beauty. This is just a personal critique, but I enjoy the Gothic style much more than the southern style. Lastly, the class sizes, especially for econ, would stay too large throughout the years, so my intimate education would not exactly be there. The fact that I would have to apply into the business school also seems rather disconcerting.
The financial aid packages are very similar also.
In the end, just generally, I feel like I would get a better education at Boston College, but have more fun at UVa. That’s not to say I won’t get a great education at UVa and have fun at BC, those are just the impressions I got.
Thanks for any help!
Don’;t let UVa’s dining hall food turn you off. Most UVa students only buy the meal plan their first year. After that most have on-grounds or off-grounds apartments with kitchens or live in fraternities or sororities.
I’m sure you will get a great education at either college, and you said the prices are comparable, so it really does come down to which place makes you feel more comfortable. UVa is a fun place to go to college. In addition to the businesses near the U., there also are many interesting businesses on W. Main St. and Downtown, which are accessible by a free “trolley” bus from the dorms.
While Boston College is on the T light rail system, you might want to check how long it actually takes to get to major destinations in the center of Boston.
I also live in PA, and it was very convenient for my son to take Amtrak to Cville. The Amtrak station is about a 1/3 mile walk from the UVa bus routesor you can take the free trolley.
http://uvamagazine.org/articles/list_of_when_the_cavaliers_won_national_championships
There are many sports to cheer for other than football and basketball. UVa has first class baseball (2015 national champions) and soccer stadiums (2014 national champions) and many people enjoy watching the games.