What are my chances and what is BU really like?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston University
1

I am a girl, high school senior from a small town and I really would love to go to Boston University. From everything I’ve read online, the average ACT is 26-31 and the G.P.A is about +3.4.

What I have:

25 ACT plus writing, writing was 10/12 (waiting for September scores and signed up for October test)
3.4 G.P.A not counting any of my senior classes (so hopefully by the end of the year a 3.5)
Skills USA member 3 years
Skills USA President 2 years
DECA member 1 year
Engineering and Architecture member and leader at my school 3 years
Varsity Basketball 2 years
Senior Class Council member 1 year
Debate 1 year
Graduating with 6 AP classes finished and passed
Graduating with highest honors
Foreign Language Club Ambassador
Taken Engineering courses at my school (total of 4 courses)
Volunteer leader for the girl engineering camps held at my school
Volunteer at my local church running the nursery
Volunteer lake clean up member
Volunteer at Breast Cancer Run
Volunteer for Make A Wish to grant a wish for someone in my area every year
Not latino but speaks English and Spanish
I’ve had multiple jobs from 9th grade to 12th.

I’m really stressing out!!! I want to go to BU so bad all I’ve really heard is good things. I’m from the South and I’ve grown up here and school here is so different than in the North. Is BU fun?? How is the nightlife there? Are the professors typically helpful? Are the people as mean as they portray them?? Are BU hockey games fun to go to? Is BU hard to stay in or do most people drop out? I am really debating early applying but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea because it’s binding. It’s my top choice but I’m worried I’ll chicken out and change my mind. Sorry for 1000000 questions I just don’t have any answers!! I haven’t applied to anything yet but someone please help. No one in my family is really any help in college matters so plz help :frowning:

2

BU will cut slack on test scores, but they’re pretty hardline on GPA–the higher you can get it the better. Thus, I’d say BU is a bit of a reach for you. That doesn’t mean don’t apply, but it means you’re not a shoe-in.

And what I’m seeing in your ECs is a lot of volume but not a lot of long term commitments–lots of things you only did for one year. So when you apply, cherry-pick the things that show the most commitment and passion and will tell the best story. (ie: include Skills USA, but don’t bother with Debate or DECA unless you are desperately passionate about them… but only 1 year of membership is kind of a red flag to me–was it because you work?). Also, you’ll need to explain was Skills USA is. Instead of listing out all the volunteer work, I would roll some of them into an essay about volunteering, as well. If the reason your ECs are light is that you had to work, I would work that theme/information into your essay.

So you’ll need to really nail your essays to give you an edge on getting in. Being from the South will give you a small bump, as BU does fill regional quotas. If you can nudge up your test scores you’ll be all the more better off.

To your questions: BU is indeed fun, though IMO it’s a very nerdy brand of fun. Typically my friends and I would order pizza and watch nerdy TV/movies :slight_smile: You can find party groups, but it’s not a party school. Nightlife in Boston shuts down early, so it’s not really a nightlife city… there are some cool indie clubs that are worth going to for bands, but it’s not a clubbing city (T shuts down at 1:30!). If you like hockey/sports, yes the games are fun! Sport culture isn’t dominant at BU unless you do get into hockey–there’s a small but very passionate group of students who go to all the games.

Most professors are helpful, and I recommend you utilize office hours whenever possible/needed. Professors love it when students actually show up to those. Don’t worry, people in the Northeast aren’t mean! They can just be more brusque/have different social morays. It’s less kosher to just chat up a stranger in a line, for example, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make friends. BU has a very healthy student retention rate–not many students drop out, though it can be a challenging academic environment. That’s why GPA is so important in admissions–BU has real course rigor, so you have to be ready to work hard to keep your grades up (and maintain scholarships, if you get any).

Re: ED. It depends on your situation. Specifically, if you’re not sure you can pay out of pocket for BU, I wouldn’t apply ED. Instead, apply RD but apply as soon as possible.

3

thanks for your input!! @proudterrior I’ve decided I’m going to do early apply. I should get my September test scores back Saturday and hopefully it’s better, I spent weeks studying. Is there any way I could message you when I’m going through my essays my ideas? no one in my family is really any help because they don’t really have any knowledge of this stuff. if you’re too busy I understand.

But I started filling out my application on Common App and I’m going to take your advice about sticking to the things I’ve been dedicated to. I’m not passionate about debate or DECA so should I take that out? would it look better if I left it out completely or replaced it? I don’t know if I have any other things to replace those activity slots with.

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@redhead905 You can totally PM me your essays! I’m happy to take a look. Your “why BU” answer will be particularly important. If you do have extra space for DECA or debate, you could choose one to include, but if there’s isn’t extra space, I wouldn’t bother.