I was admitted into both BU and Wisconsin Madison. I’m planning to study Engineering, but both schools are really good in their own way. BU is in a big city, and have more opportunity. Wisconsin Madison is well known for its engineering program, and the major ranking is higher than BU. However, BU has a higher over all ranking. What would be your suggestions?
What is BU?
Boston University
Rankings don’t mean much, and overall ranking really means next to nothing when it comes to engineering. There are some very highly ranked schools with pretty weak engineering programs.
More opportunity for what at BU? Certainly there’s more opportunity to do city things as a student. Boston (and the surrounds) is a great area. You won’t get more engineering opportunity at BU than Wisconsin though.
What’s the difference in cost? Do you have to take out loans? Why did you pick those two to apply to out of the myriad of options out there?
Price difference?
Watch out for the engineering progression requirements at Wisconsin. Some majors require a GPA as high as 3.5 technical and 3.0 overall to stay in the major.
I’m an international student, so price is not a big factor for me, since both of them are pretty expensive. I did apply to a few other schools, but after visiting the campuses during Spring Break, I believe that Wisconsin Madison and Boston University are the right schools for me. Wisconsin has a reputable Engineering program. BU’s engineering program is not bad, but it’s definitely not as good as Madison. However, BU is in Boston, and from what I’ve learned, there are more opportunities for internships and jobs. I also heard that you are able to take classes in Harvard and MIT. BU has smaller class size too. I wonder if the academic advantage at Wisconsin itself can tip over so many other goods things at BU.
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Yes, it could. It’s rather subjective, and is based on how much value you place on it. The same with the Boston area vs Madison area. BU would be a perfectly valid choice, based on those factors. It’s up to you.
When it comes to internships/co-ops, if you do get one, it’s likely that it will NOT be located in Boston or Madison. That’s not a bad thing. For example, UW-Madison is recruited nationally, and internships/co-ops are recruitment tools.
When looking at BU, keep in mind that they offer a more limited range of engineering programs than UW-Madison. They offer only 4 ABET programs, Biomedical, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical (they do offer "concentrations in fields like aerospace, etc.). Make sure you want to major in one of these 4 fields.
https://www.engr.wisc.edu/academics/student-services/academic-advising/first-year-undergraduate-students/progression-requirements/ lists the progression requirements at Wisconsin.
Biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and engineering physics are the most aggressive weeders, requiring 3.5 technical and 3.0 overall GPA to stay in the major. Civil engineering, electrical engineering, and geological engineering are the least aggressive weeders, requiring 2.8 technical and 2.5 overall GPA to stay in the major.
I appreciate everyone’s suggestions. In terms of the GPA. I’m going to work hard no matter where I go. With the GPA deflation at BU, I think I will have to work hard, but I have confident to pass the minimum progression requirements. I’m thinking about Electrical or Computer Engineering at this point, which is offered by both schools.
Be aware that BU does not offer civil or chemical engineering.
I’m not planning to study civil engineering, and definitely not chemical.