BU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know several kids who attend BU and they love it. They've made great friends at the school and since Boston is a college town, they've made friends at several of the other universities in Boston. Academically, it's challenging and there isn't grade deflation as another poster mentioned, but they have maintained the same rigorous grading structure that most universities had 30 years ago (i.e., other national universities have grade inflation). I feel this helps students realize their actual standing relative to others and better prepares them for the realities of the workforce. Most employers hiring from BU understand the grading structure so we haven't noticed it impacting future employment.

Its a very selective school to get into and the bar is high (average 1430 SAT average / 32 ACT) but it's not the most selective. I know we need to take university rankings with a grain a salt, but it is a top 50 nationally ranked school and has been for years.

It's incredibly expensive for what it is though, and they are sheepish on merit unless you're a super stat kid or have something else unique to offer.

Isn't that kind of the point of merit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BU had around 18,000 applicants this year for the freshman class. The huge increase in applications at many schools is reflected in the decreased acceptance rate. (My own kid was waitlisted at BU this year.) My advice: don’t let your kid fall head over heels with any one school. Even if applying ED! Be optimistic but realistic. And apply to lots of true matches and true safeties.

For the class of 2026 over 80,000 applications resulting in an acceptance rate of 14%

Oops, PP here who cited the wrong figure-- thanks for the correction. A crazy high number!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When did it get so competitive? I honestly didn’t think it had a great reputation, either academically if for the experience, and thought it was sort of equivalent to GWU, decent school for kids really wanting a full city experience but apparently it has gotten more competitive?

My DS and I were using collegevine and BU is coming up as a reach with less than 20 percent chance of admission, equivalent to a lot of schools in the 10-20 range. It just surprised me.

DS is finishing 10th grade and I can tell this whole experience is going to be a PITA.

BU has always had great faculty. And it’s in Boston, the Athens of America, has extensive undergrad and graduate schools, has its own med school and law school. I don’t see any valid comparison with GW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did it get so competitive? I honestly didn’t think it had a great reputation, either academically if for the experience, and thought it was sort of equivalent to GWU, decent school for kids really wanting a full city experience but apparently it has gotten more competitive?

My DS and I were using collegevine and BU is coming up as a reach with less than 20 percent chance of admission, equivalent to a lot of schools in the 10-20 range. It just surprised me.

DS is finishing 10th grade and I can tell this whole experience is going to be a PITA.

BU has always had great faculty. And it’s in Boston, the Athens of America, has extensive undergrad and graduate schools, has its own med school and law school. I don’t see any valid comparison with GW.

You may be right, but GW posses both of those schools too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BU had around 18,000 applicants this year for the freshman class. The huge increase in applications at many schools is reflected in the decreased acceptance rate. (My own kid was waitlisted at BU this year.) My advice: don’t let your kid fall head over heels with any one school. Even if applying ED! Be optimistic but realistic. And apply to lots of true matches and true safeties.

18,000 applicants this year? Nope. Try 80,000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know several kids who attend BU and they love it. They've made great friends at the school and since Boston is a college town, they've made friends at several of the other universities in Boston. Academically, it's challenging and there isn't grade deflation as another poster mentioned, but they have maintained the same rigorous grading structure that most universities had 30 years ago (i.e., other national universities have grade inflation). I feel this helps students realize their actual standing relative to others and better prepares them for the realities of the workforce. Most employers hiring from BU understand the grading structure so we haven't noticed it impacting future employment.

Its a very selective school to get into and the bar is high (average 1430 SAT average / 32 ACT) but it's not the most selective. I know we need to take university rankings with a grain a salt, but it is a top 50 nationally ranked school and has been for years.

It's incredibly expensive for what it is though, and they are sheepish on merit unless you're a super stat kid or have something else unique to offer.

Very expensive “for what it is”? What do you think it is? And what colleges in cities that are expensive to live in do not come with high price tags?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When did it get so competitive? I honestly didn’t think it had a great reputation, either academically if for the experience, and thought it was sort of equivalent to GWU, decent school for kids really wanting a full city experience but apparently it has gotten more competitive?

My DS and I were using collegevine and BU is coming up as a reach with less than 20 percent chance of admission, equivalent to a lot of schools in the 10-20 range. It just surprised me.

DS is finishing 10th grade and I can tell this whole experience is going to be a PITA.

BU has always had great faculty. And it’s in Boston, the Athens of America, has extensive undergrad and graduate schools, has its own med school and law school. I don’t see any valid comparison with GW.

GW also has med schoola and law school although I don't the the connection to the undergrad education.
They both are in a city and has no campus.

[Anonymous]

I have always thought of BU as Boston’s version of NYU. Every top 50 college has become insanely competitive as the number of graduating high school seniors continues to grow every year and will continue to do so at least through 2025. This is the largest generation ever, bigger than the baby boomers.

As the number of applicants increases and colleges don’t expand to meet, the increasing demand, applicants will turn their attention to the next tier of colleges and they will become just as selective as the top tier have been in the past.

[Anonymous]

I graduated HS in 1990. BU, NYU and GW were considered good but not difficult to gain admittance colleges then. They were targets for college oriented but middle of the road students from my public HS (and I don’t think admissions was as “holistic” back then - your gpa/sat were pretty determinative of where you were admitted). Now NYU is extremely competitive, BU is very competitive and on the rise, and GW doesn’t seem to have changed much. Not sure why but this interests me (like the eay certain SLACs have becoke much more competitive since that same time period, and others that at the time were similar have become less so).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated HS in 1990. BU, NYU and GW were considered good but not difficult to gain admittance colleges then. They were targets for college oriented but middle of the road students from my public HS (and I don’t think admissions was as “holistic” back then - your gpa/sat were pretty determinative of where you were admitted). Now NYU is extremely competitive, BU is very competitive and on the rise, and GW doesn’t seem to have changed much. Not sure why but this interests me (like the eay certain SLACs have becoke much more competitive since that same time period, and others that at the time were similar have become less so).

Yes, this year:

NYU - 105,000 applications, 12% acceptance rate
BU —- 81,000 applications, 14% acceptance rate
GWU - 27,000 applications, 49% acceptance rate (not sure if this is class if 2026 or 2025)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know several kids who attend BU and they love it. They've made great friends at the school and since Boston is a college town, they've made friends at several of the other universities in Boston. Academically, it's challenging and there isn't grade deflation as another poster mentioned, but they have maintained the same rigorous grading structure that most universities had 30 years ago (i.e., other national universities have grade inflation). I feel this helps students realize their actual standing relative to others and better prepares them for the realities of the workforce. Most employers hiring from BU understand the grading structure so we haven't noticed it impacting future employment.

Its a very selective school to get into and the bar is high (average 1430 SAT average / 32 ACT) but it's not the most selective. I know we need to take university rankings with a grain a salt, but it is a top 50 nationally ranked school and has been for years.

It's incredibly expensive for what it is though, and they are sheepish on merit unless you're a super stat kid or have something else unique to offer.

It's a campus located right outside of downtown Boston in the middle of a great place for students to live. That alone makes it attractive

"Great place" is in the eye of the beholder. It's not just a little urban, it's very urban, the campus is a mile long strip of Comm Ave. The campus is not traditional or distinct from the surrounding area. Whether that's what a student really wants will vary tremendously from person to person.

OP, I suggest visiting if at all possible. The Northeastern and BC campuses nearby offer contrasts that may be very helpful in deciding which style campus feels right for you, so try to at least drive by those if you can.

BU has taken to some of the same ways as Northeastern for score reporting, not including spring admits (though unlike Northeastern, BU may include internationals, I'm not sure). And of course note that classes of 2025 and 2026, as everywhere else, was test optional, which further skews score ranges. Nonetheless, BU remains popular for those looking for an urban university, especially with a sizeable international presence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know several kids who attend BU and they love it. They've made great friends at the school and since Boston is a college town, they've made friends at several of the other universities in Boston. Academically, it's challenging and there isn't grade deflation as another poster mentioned, but they have maintained the same rigorous grading structure that most universities had 30 years ago (i.e., other national universities have grade inflation). I feel this helps students realize their actual standing relative to others and better prepares them for the realities of the workforce. Most employers hiring from BU understand the grading structure so we haven't noticed it impacting future employment.

Its a very selective school to get into and the bar is high (average 1430 SAT average / 32 ACT) but it's not the most selective. I know we need to take university rankings with a grain a salt, but it is a top 50 nationally ranked school and has been for years.

BU does rank #1 for hardest grading. So yes there is grade deflation.

It is a fun college town. Social life before you are 21 is difficult. Fake ids don’t work and cops are extremely strict.

[Anonymous]

I went to BU in the early 2000s and it was competitive, meaning above 3.0 gpa from a good school and 1300 sat. Now it seems impossible and highly competitive with the sat needing to be above 1500 if you’re coming from a top dmv public. It’s changed!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to BU in the early 2000s and it was competitive, meaning above 3.0 gpa from a good school and 1300 sat. Now it seems impossible and highly competitive with the sat needing to be above 1500 if you’re coming from a top dmv public. It’s changed!!!

Also BU has some slightly easier “back doors”

College of general studies - do two years of gen Ed and then can transfer to Arts and sciences, communications, education or management

Education then transfer college within bu

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to BU in the early 2000s and it was competitive, meaning above 3.0 gpa from a good school and 1300 sat. Now it seems impossible and highly competitive with the sat needing to be above 1500 if you’re coming from a top dmv public. It’s changed!!!

Also BU has some slightly easier “back doors”

College of general studies - do two years of gen Ed and then can transfer to Arts and sciences, communications, education or management

Education then transfer college within bu

Also look at a spring semester start date, fall gap, summer in London. Or I think you can also do Fall in London.

COVID changed a few things.