<p>vinceh,
thanks for making my point</p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t expect such passionate responses. You all definitely gave me some stuff to think about, so thank you for all of your opinions. The possibility of grad school has to play a role in my decision too, as some of you mentioned. And again, while I applied to a few other public schools such as W&M and UVA, I would have to pay out of state tuition. At this point I might as well add that we’re talking about Rutgers here as far as the full-scholarship option, so go ahead and fire away haha.</p>
<p>Realizing that this may be a tangent, I am also telling this student that we opted for private school from kindergarten through grade 12 for all of our children, when our public schools were considered some of the best in our state. We are in the Northeast. People think we are crazy. We think the money was the best money we ever spent, and we’ve spent more than anyone we know on education.</p>
<p>There is no comparison when you are discussing private versus public education. The same way BC will be superior to UWhatever, since you are paying for more. </p>
<p>Our state university is the top public university in New England. If yours is similar, this is why I think you should opt for private if you can. Again I stress if you can. The public place has its own zip code. That’s how large it is. With so many students, it’s like a small city. I am betting your public university will be similar. Will you feel comfortable there? Why do you think so many students covet the BC experience? Because of its reputation, location, student body, professors and overall experience. Yes, college is an experience. Maybe the best experience you’ll ever have. Or not. Education is the main reason to go to college, but given the choice, you will have a much better experience while getting the education you need if you opt for the private school. </p>
<p>Some contributors tell you to save the money. Your parents are really the ones who are deciding this question, I would bet. It will be their values that determines the choice for you, and answers the question, “Private vs. Public?” It is a very controversial topic, because it implies parents have to sacrifice in many instances so their children can have what they didn’t. In our family’s case, that is what we are doing. Why do we want it for our children now? Because we believe it is better. So if we can afford it whatever way we can, we are going to seek it out for our children, because that’s what unselfish parents do who do have a choice. I said “if they have a choice.” Parents want what’s best for their children, if they have the choice, that’s just the way it is.</p>
<p>It isn’t really about individuals giving their two cents. It’s about you and your family trying to decide what’s best for you. In our minds, given the choice, there is no comparison, and others who are trying to kid themselves into thinking that large public universities are equal to or superior to Boston College are doing just that, kidding themselves.</p>
<p>If you are talking about PennState, UConn, UMass, Rutgers or the like, Boston College is no doubt better (sorry but that is my opinion!) If you are from Virginia, lucky you, UVA is a great school. I really don’t have information on UNC, but it seems popular with parents from NC. Same with the guy from Michigan. But again, they are no BC. (they just aren’t, again, my opinion!).</p>
<p>Parents, be honest. If money were no object, where would you want your student to go, if they were accepted? Students, where would you want to go? </p>
<p>To this student: you deserve to go to a great school. You got accepted to a great school, and several other scholarship offers. Your parents may be able to afford some of it. How much is it worth it to them and to you to go to the school that you will look back on in ten years and say “wow, I’m so glad I went to X.” Could you say that sitting in a condo paid for with money you saved, or a condo they afforded in retirement with the money they saved, after going to Public University XYZ? Or could you say it living in a rental apartment, with your parents paying off the loans they took out for your college, knowing that you are a BC alum who thoroughly loved her college experience? How much is the money worth in the long run to you and to them? That may be the bigger question.</p>
<p>Yes, this is a controversial topic. Since you mentioned your full scholarship to Rutgers, congratulations! Boston College Honors is a great honor as well. Best of luck to you with that decision. I hope you can go to the school that is your “dream school.” And to your parents, congratulations to them as well, and hoping that a decision is clear as to what everyone should do.</p>
<p>pac:</p>
<p>you might want to check the facts: all UC’s, including Cal and UCLA, contain student bodies which are ~33% Pell Grantees, i.e., low-low income. No top private has anything close to that type of economic diversity; just one of the ‘walks of life’. HYP used to be ~50% full pay, until it started awarding need-based aid to those making up to $180k.</p>
<p>This same argument extends to going out to eat. Why does one choose to take their family out to a nice restaurant to eat for $250, when the local diner makes great good homemade food for $40/family?</p>
<p>If you can afford the difference and you value the experience of the more costly option, isn’t that enough to justify it?</p>
<p>For those in this thread who are arguing against the benefit of BC and have a child at BC, why didn’t you choose a state school instead ($200K of BC vs $100K of a state school)?</p>
<p>blue, right you are about low income, although I believe Stanford and USC are hovering around 20% low income. But as far as overall diversity I believe the biggest factor is race and culture, and income levels trail at a distant 3rd. And privates such as Stanford, USC, etc have a much more ethnically/culturally balanced student body.</p>
<p>Stanford:
Black/African-American 11.1%
International Students 8.4%
Asian/Pacific Islander 19.8%</p>
<p>Cal:
Black/African-American 4%
International Students 3%
Asian/Pacific Islander 43%</p>
<p>which student body is more diverse? more balanced and for that matter more representative of the California population. it’s a shame the UC system doesn’t represent more African American’s aka the population it is suppose to serve (a ethnic percentage representation of California citizens), which means the African American and Hispanic percentages should be a lot higher, and the asian percentage should be a lot lower! </p>
<p>USC has similar stats to Stanford, so does HYP and I bet BC as well.</p>
<p>i agree with jpm50</p>
<p>if better is not better, not valued, if the point is only the end-destination and not the ride (ford vs ferrari) then why not just pitch a tent over your grave site and wait.</p>
<p>pacheight:</p>
<p>you need to check your data sources. Cal is ~10% international. </p>
<p>So, in your opinion, a wealthy URM’s ‘culture’ is more highly valued than a low-income Southeast Asian? </p>
<p>Stanford is only 40% Californians, and doesn’t claim to be representative of California.</p>
<p>BC is 5% African American. (I’ll take that bet.)</p>
1 Like
<p>
I still want to know why BC is so much greater than public schools. Imo, there’s a large drop-off from the top 25 or so colleges to schools like BC as far as “superior” experiences with learning from fellow students. At Ivies and similar schools, most kids seem to be smart and incredibly interesting people. At schools like BC, most kids seem to have decent grades, SATs, ECs, and stuff but nothing amazing about them that would make them any different from people at public schools, they’re smarter academically but not all that different outside of the classroom. At least that’s the impression that I have.</p>
<p>Disclosure: I ask this because I applied to BC RD. It’s not anywhere near the top of my list but it’s not a safety either. To be honest I’m not really sure why I applied myself because my sister got accepted a few years ago and was several thousand dollars short in financial aid. If I get rejected from my top schools I may have to make a similar decision to the OP’s.</p>
<p>blue, I’ve seen your posts before. You’re generally wrong but you like to argue a lot, which unfortunately is a trait I see in too many UCLA and Cal grads. </p>
<p>Cal
International 3%
<a href=“http://metrics.vcbf.berkeley.edu/Berkeley%20Template.pdf[/url]”>http://metrics.vcbf.berkeley.edu/Berkeley%20Template.pdf</a></p>
<p>BC actually is exactly 5% African American
[U-CAN:</a> Boston College](<a href=“http://members.ucan-network.org/bc2]U-CAN:”>http://members.ucan-network.org/bc2)</p>
<p>wrong again!</p>
<p>btw: why the heck should Cal or UCLA have any undergraduate foreign students? I’m paying state tax so some off shore family can send their kid to a California government owned school such as Cal? that’s crazy!</p>
<p>the truth about UCLA and Cal is they are over crowded, poorly run, and way out of balance on their student body. And with tuition continuing to go way up they will soon fall out of favor with those who think it’s a good education for the cost.</p>
1 Like
<p>This is a great discussion and taking it all in. My son was accepted to BC Honors and will major in chemistry with the hopes of going to med school. He was also accepted to honors colleges at some great state universities. My vote is to save your money for grad school and go to the best state school for the program you are interested in. For chemistry, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and UNC are all in the top 20. How can you go wrong? They all have tremendous academic resources and alumni networks. Will BC be better? Will it give my son an edge when applying to med school or grad school? I don’t think so. I love the car analogy. It boils down to the driver and not the car when you are talking about all of these schools. </p>
<p>Personally speaking, as a hiring manager, do I give an edge to kids who graduate from top private universities versus top public universities? Absolutely not. I look at the entire package, what that person did at school for 4 years and how mature they are.</p>
<p>I think one of the best surveys done was last fall in the WSJ. It is based on what job recruiters think of college graduates. Its at: [Best</a> Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ.com](<a href=“Best Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ”>Best Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ)</p>
<p>I think there is an inherent flaw in looking only at “top 20” lists. Yes, they are good for initial comparisons and everyone knee jerks their response and oohs and ahhs when confronted with the top 20 list for this or that. In the end it’s about finding the right match for your student. Has your student walked around campus, sat in on classes, gone outside the four walls, traveled home, and been comfortable there?</p>
<p>For the student asking the question: which school feels the most right to you? Then to the parents: are you willing to do whatever it takes to send your student there, even if it means sacrificing? It’s not always about lists, and dollars and cents.</p>
<p>Parents, please remember it’s not your college. It is your student’s college. They should really have the “vibe” as our student puts it. Go there, put down the “best colleges” books, and see if it is what your student wants. If you give them a chance, they will probably be able to tell you. It shouldn’t be you telling them, it should be the opposite.</p>
<p>Premed-ers: Going to a hard college like Boston College will look more impressive to medical school admissions if you keep above a 3.5 than your state school. That’s because BC is harder. Period. So if you’re a star, go for it. If you are borderline, maybe getting easier A’s in a less competitive environment will be better. If you’re in an Honors Program, you probably will get A’s or B’s, but in Organic Chem and Physics, you may get C’s. That’s just the reality of the premed experience. And you’d better have at least a 28, if not a 30 on the MCATs. So all those courses you need to take: Inorganic Chem 1 year, Baby Bio 1 year, Organic Chem 1 year, Physics 1 year all will count towards your MCAT score since your knowledge is tested on that one day “test of your life.” </p>
<p>Premed-ers: It’s not always about lists and numbers. Yes you need a GPA >3.5, a Science GPA (Math and Science courses) >3.5, MCAT >30, but you also need other things. Boston College is in a prime location for interning, volunteering at top hospitals and has an amazing alumni network of M.D.s and professionals. Your state school may offer you basic courses, and some research, but what about help with your preprofessional committee letter? Will the professors really know you well enough to speak about your personality, drive and dedication to medicine like BC, where you start to form these relationships from day one? Is there an EMT basic course available to you on campus, with volunteer EMT corps? At BC there is. Do you do tons of service at your state school like students do at BC? It’s not just about where the “top” Chem and Bio programs are. </p>
<p>For this student: you have opened up Pandora’s box of questions. Folks seem passionate about Boston College, and others feel equally as strongly about saving your money and going to grad school. I still don’t think there is any comparison, but hopefully you will find the right fit at a school you can afford as a family.</p>
<p>This has really gotten out of hand. Instead of giving constructive input, some have become very defensive and antagonistic. Those adamantly defending public universities are now resorting to tearing BC down in the hopes of elevating public schools. In so doing you appear petty. Why do you have to attack other posters just for having different opinions than yours? I grew up in California. I went to Berkeley. Is it a good school? Of course it is. Do I want this for my children? No. I am also a minority and I am not Catholic. It is insulting when people discuss “diversity” and refer to “Catholic guilt” etc. I look at people as people, not what ethnic heritage they have.
- Is a private school financially possible for the parents and student? If not, don’t choose private.2) Is the public university in the OP’s state a school she would be happy at? In this case, Rutgers, not Cal, not UMich, etc. 3) The OP wonders if BC is worth the cost. Who can know what she considers very important in a school? OP, for our family, BC is worth every dime, its an incredible school and our child is having a wonderful undergraduate experience with opportunities I never could have gotten at Cal. But this is just our opinion. Discuss this with YOUR parents and make a list of your priorities. A proactive and positive attitude is key and with your stats, you will excel no matter where you go.</p>
<p>Hey Carla - relax</p>
<p>You got me there, vinceh. Touch</p>
<p>To the OP,</p>
<p>Back in March of 2009 a self-described “politically conservative, non-Catholic” high school student came to the BC forum and asked about BC vs. Vanderbilt, here is a portion of my response.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I loved my time at BC and I sell the place every chance I get but that does not mean I espouse “BC, right or wrong”. Indeed, if I took that position I’d be betraying the very thought process those Jesuits beat into me years ago. You can get a great education at any number of colleges, but if you and your parents are going to be burdened with the weight of a $200,000 expense you deserve more than ominous warnings of life-long regret and vaporous promises of BC offering “more” than your free in state public. I truly hope that the financial aid office comes up with an offer that will substantially narrow the gap but if they don’t I would be shocked and disappointed if anyone in the administration encouraged you to attend BC given the financial burden it would represent.</p>
<p>
I’m not a med school expert, but I’m pretty sure they don’t take school difficulty into context when looking at GPA, at least not to an amount that would give BC an edge.</p>
<p>^^totally off point, but in general, med schools don’t care much about a specific college, and definitely don’t differentiate between schools #20-50, or even top 100. (Small bonus points in professional school admissions for attending HYPS, and then a few others.)</p>
<p>And I can assure you vinceh, that BC is not harder than our instate public(s), which are cut-throat competitive for premed.</p>