<p>My fellow CCer's, In a quandry, my s has narrowed his choices to 2, Boston U, and UNC Chapel Hill. He received the Trustee at BU and a nice scholarship at UNC. The difference in costs would be negligible. We are oos for both. However, the quandry is that my s has always had an affinity for the city of Boston, big Bruin fan, Red Sox, etc. We are not from Boston, don't know where my s came from but he has always loved that city.
The fact that BU has no campus is a total turn-off to me and yes to him as well. He said that had he received a full ride to BU, UNC would win hands down, however the fact he received the Trustee Scholarship which shows to be a very nurturing enviornment. cream of the crop so to speak has made his decision that much more difficult.
Ultimately the deceision is his and his alone, but.... I think he would be much happier at UNC and told him there is always grad school he could attend in Boston, but then again I hate to influence him, yet I find myself doing just that. I couldn't find the store that sells that "Crystal Ball"
Any suggestions please,</p>
<p>UNC is the better school in every aspect (in my opinion). Your S should go there.</p>
<p>Is college about sports or learning?</p>
<p>Oh, and BTW- UNC has aswesome sports teams, ones that he can surely cheer for.</p>
<p>S is considering the University Professors Program combined with the Trustee Scholarship. A very cool program with oodles of faculty interaction and an attractive financial package. In the five colleges that remain in S's decision matrix, we are comparing the UPP/Trustee combo to Emory Scholars. </p>
<p>Boston is a fantastic town for college students, it is hard to imagine a better one. In addition, the area is sophisticated, cultured, and very well educated, with lots of internships. I agree that the lack of a campus is a negative, but it has a gorgeous view of the river and everyone strolls or jogs along the river path. In ten minutes he can be at the docks to take a harbor cruise. Can go to NYC on the train to a Broadway show, etc. etc. Why not let him do an overnight at both schools and go to the admits programs, then decide?</p>
<p>My friend's son at Boston U will get his Master's at the same time as his BA - just by taking 500's classes instead of 300's (MABA program). For my kids, that would be a very attractive perk... On the other hand, the Commonwealth Ave. instead of campus is quite depressive. Well, it's always possible to cross the bridge and go to the MIT's campus</p>
<p>Yeah, it's a good idea to decide after the visits.</p>
<p>Congratulations on the Trustee Scholarship! That is indeed a fanatstic opportunity. The standard BU tour does not include the western area which is a more defined campus and includes the new fitness center opened last week. Dogs and Thumper1, parents with BU freshmen who post frequently on the BU forum, could tell you more.</p>
<p>Here I am!! My son (he's a sophomore) attends BU and LOVES it. He lives on West Campus (no the dorms are not palatial for the underclassmen but they are great for the upperclassmen). The "lack" of a campus is greatly overstated according to DS. He says that the area along the Charles River is really nice. Commonwealth Ave is FULL of college students. The area "feels" like a college. AND the campus is the city of Boston which has a wealth of things to do all the time. The new fitness center and sports center are fabulous. There is always something to do on the BU campus....or nearby. Now....regarding UNC-CH and BU....they are both terrific schools but they are quite different. At BU...the only sport worth watching in hockey. UNC has a much bigger sports scene. The weather in Boston can be quite dreary and damp in the winter. I would think that Chapel Hill has a much milder and shorter winter!! The Trustee Scholarship is a wonderful award....congratulations on that.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your sound advise. I truly appreciate all. Point is: I feel my son is very flattered and feels special by BU's scholarship offer. He did receive a scholarship at UNC, (he didn't apply for the Moorehead, don't know if he would have gotten it anyway) but BU was way down on his list prior to the Trustee Award.
We have visitied BU, s never did the overnight, and we have never been to the west campus but we have been there. We recently returned from UNC honors week-end and s did the overnight there. So the dilemma continues....</p>
<p>My friend's son is a senior at BU with a Trustee Scholarship and I believe the University Professors Program. He has had an absolutely fantastic experience and would not trade it for anything.</p>
<p>Saul Bellow was a University Professor. That gives you an idea of the program's quality.</p>
<p>If the costs are the same, I'd consider UNC-Chap Hill first. I happen to work with recent grads of both. The UNC guy loved it so very much, but the BU girl was happy too.</p>
<p>UNC will have better environment as far as weather. Not to pick a college on it , but quality of life? They also have honors program, right? BU is huge, don't know much about it.</p>
<p>Ha Jin, a Chinese writer who is one of the most gifted writers today, teaches at BU. I took my D there to look at it because I believe if you are in the honors program it has some of the best professors anywhere teaching. Unfortunately, she didn't like the campus either.</p>
<p>Leslie Epstein has been the director of the Fiction/Creative Writing Program at BU for more than 20 years. I think his best known fiction work is "King of the Jews". </p>
<p>I think everyone has to define quality of life based on his/her priorities. If warm weather,a traditional campus, strong Greek system and college sports are high on your list, then UNC wins hands down.</p>
<p>BU is a good school academically but the campus is awful. It is located primarilly on Commonwealth Ave. which is one of the major streets in Boston noted for heavy traffic. </p>
<p>UNC is equal to or better than BU academically, has better weather, a much better campus, and offers a student a lot more.</p>
<p>2sonmon: looks like the BU scholarship awards committee has met its goal of intriguing your S, a fine student, to think of attending BU instead of some oher school. Sounds like a pair of campus visits are in order.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>BU is a good school academically but the campus is awful.>></p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Not according to the thousands of students who love it there. BU is an urban campus. It is not in a small college town. It is in a city. It has areas which are quite grassy and lovely. The whole area along the Charles River is nice. BUT it is URBAN. If your son wants a self contained college where the city is not intertwined with the school itself, BU would not be a good choice. If your son feels that the benefits of an urban environment are for him, BU would be a good choice. It's a matter of preference. My son thought those little LAC campuses were pretty awful ("mom...what in the world do the kids DO here?" he asked). Some kids prefer urban locations and others simply do not like it.</p>
<p>The BU campus has gotten a whole lot better since the 70s, with the acquisition of seemingly almost all the real estate along Comm Ave down to Kenmore Square, and all the rest of Bay State Rd. It has to rank among the nicest of the urban campuses, in part because of the way it blends in so well with Back Bay now. If you want a quadrangle, it's not for you, but it beats the heck out of a lot of other city schools, for sure.</p>
<p>Another Ha Jin fan! Woot woot! ( Have you read A Gesture Life by Lee Chaeng Rae?)</p>
<p>Central Boston would be considered a very attractive location for international writers and intelligentsia.</p>
<p>cheers: I just read the other book, not A Gesture Life, but his second one. Now I can't remember the name - Flying? - ah middle age. I am dying to read A Gesture Life. I have a real thing for Asian authors. Have you read The Namesake? Also just wonderful. And I have to know. What is this woot woot thing? I see a lot of the kids doing it too.</p>
<p>Pity my poor H who can never find anything I haven't read. He's had to return I don't know how many books....</p>
<p>At first, I thought I hadn't read The Namesake--but then I read the amazon reviews and I have read it! :p Loved it. I love Asian fiction too. Actually, I love fiction. In the last two decades, the Asian authors have really come into the English publishing world. Thank goodness! Asia is a vast area and history to comprehend.</p>
<p>Sorry 2son!
Have you read "Sky Burial" by Xin Ran?</p>
<p>What about "Brick Road"? If you loved "The Namesake," you'll love "Brick Road." (Sorry, don't know how to underline in posts)</p>