<p>for undergrad, im undecided about which of these two i should attend. please help me out.</p>
<p>-uw madison
-boston university</p>
<p>intended major is mechanical engineering</p>
<p>i like uw madison because its known well for engineering, and is pretty well ranked
however, i really like boston u because of its location, and madison doesnt seem as exciting personally.</p>
<p>i have heard that undergrad institution does not really matter. is that true?
if i choose one over the other, what will be the difference? (grad school opportunities?) do i choose engineering powerhouse or preferred location? ahhh.</p>
<p>Have you visited Wisconsin? I think you will be amazed at how hip and fun Madison is. And academically, although BU is excellent, Wisconsin is better, especially in non-Biomedical related Engineering fields. Finally, unless you are getting a scholarship, I assume BU will cost like $20,000/year more than Wisconsin. That’s $80,000 over 4 years. I really recommend you visit Madison and, unless you really have an issue with the environment, I strongly recommend you go there for college.</p>
<p>I agree with Alexandre, UW-Madison is a fabulous school both academically and socially. It’s also A LOT cheaper than BU also so you can use the money you save for grad. school or booze money. All the Big Ten schools are quite awesome except for Iowa…</p>
<p>Boston is a fun city also, and there are probably more career choices there than in Madison, WI. </p>
<p>However, Boston University doesn’t really have a college “campus” as such, but is just a collection of buildings along the Charles River. </p>
<p>Both schools are engineering powerhouses–and since my own son is at a Big 10 school (Indiana), I obviously recognize the strength of the Big 10 school programs.</p>
<p>This is a really difficult call. Like the others, I would say that UW-Madison is probably the preferred choice–but just by a whisker. My real suggestion is that you should go where you think you would be most comfortable.</p>
<p>P.S. If you are a Wisconsin resident, then you should definitely choose UW-Madison for financial reasons.</p>
<p>“All the Big Ten schools are quite awesome except for Iowa…”</p>
<p>I realize you were sort of kidding Jim, but Iowa is quite awesome too. It is very strong academically and Iowa City truly is a great college town.</p>
<p>yeah, i have visited wisconsin. i dont know, maybe i missed seeing something?
the reason i think its not as fun as boston is because im from a close suburb of chicago and am used to big city atmosphere. i have also visited boston. the reason why i would pick boston is because of the location, nightlife, and city-atmosphere, while the reason i would pick wisconsin is because of the ranking and engineering-ness. lol. </p>
<p>i did get a scholarship to BU, which brings it down to a comparable price w/ OOS for UW (but still a little more).</p>
<p>now, how do grad schools view uw and bu? which is more highly respected?</p>
<p>What are you smoking? All B10 schools are great, but I definitely would choose iowa over a number of the other one and for sure would not put it at the bottom of the heap.</p>
<p>Boston is a fun town, but I don’t know how fun BU is for a college experience. Madison is a claasic college town, the campus is a celebrated center for good times, and UW’s one of the great public universities in the U.S. I agree that for most folks, this would be an easy choice.</p>
<p>Many kids from UW go to California. I believe there is something like 14,000 alumni in San Francisco/Silicon valley. Post in the Wisconsin forum for more specific info. you should be fine though - wisconsin has a great reputation and connections on both coasts.</p>
<p>Don’t let the US News rankings make the selection for you. B.U. is an excellent school, and in most departments is comparable to Wisconsin, in both student and faculty quality.</p>
<p>If I had your choice I would choose UW-Madison. You get the combination of an engineering powerhouse and a well-known public university (football!) with a great location (I’ve only heard good things about Madison, WI). It’s probably also less expensive than Boston.</p>
<p>Graduate schools in my field would view UW as better than Boston; I’m in psychology and UW’s psychology department is in the top 10. I think they’re probably comparable though, and graduate school is less about where you go and more about what you do there. Whether you go to Boston or UW won’t really matter in that area.</p>
<p>I agree with some others that a smaller city might actually be more enjoyable for your undergraduate experience. Easier to handle, and it makes the atmosphere more collegial. I go to grad in New York now; it’s my hometown and my favorite city ever, but I’m glad I didn’t go here for undergrad. It’s the perfect grad city, when you’re a bit more independent (and looking for a job!)</p>
<p>Also, you don’t pick graduate schools based on location - you pick based on what program is best for you. With that said, UW and Boston are probably about equally recognizable nationwide for graduate departments.</p>
<p>Really, you can’t lose either way, so I would go where you feel more comfortable.</p>
<p>I’d go to UW-Madison. I know people there who absolutely LOVE it. It’s a great academic school and it has that “college” feel. BU on the other hand is in the middle of a crowded city and I don’t think that the cost is worth it for a school of its caliber. It’s a good school, yeah, but there are many other higher-ranked universities that will give you a better education for the same/lower cost.</p>
<p>I’d be the contrarian and go to BU. But that’s because I loved BU’s engineering program and opportunities, and I’d enjoy hanging out with kids who go to other schools, such as MIT and Emerson, etc. Boston is a great college city (especially around BU), and there’s opportunity to network with other schools (via activities such as debate, quidditch, etc.). Furthermore, if you’re interested in doing engineering internships and research and such, I’d imagine Bsoton’s an easier place to get them than UW-Madison. And the students I know from BU are great.</p>