Boston University

Date: Mar 31 2003
Major: Philosophy (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm a double major, philosophy and psychology. Both departments are very good, with some really awesome faculty. However, there is little structure to the philosophy program, and being lost in a huge sea of people leads to anonymity and having to figure everything out for yourself, with relatively little guidance. Also, philosophy is treated as an esoteric little club—some (not all) professors can be overly smug (on the other hand, I'd strongly recommend taking a course from Ferrarin or Webb) and don't really want to bring things down to the students' level (this is a huge problem in the freshman and sophomore years). The psych department is a lot more accessible, though the B classes are mostly a joke. The psych department has a lot of innovative and forward-looking faculty, and they are usually fairly absorbed in their research—which can be good, if you want to get involved. On the whole, though, BU is an academically stodgy place. "Postmodernism" is a word you will basically never hear in the English or Philo departments. But if you are really into 18th century literature or think that Heidegger is still fresh stuff, you'll love it here. As for social life and environment … this place makes me really depressed. Other people also say it's easy to fall into a depressed rut here. There is no sense of community on campus, our "campus" is several drab blocks of Comm. Ave., there are basically no extracurriculars to speak of, and everywhere the emphasis is money, money, money. Many people here are extremely snobbish and not all that smart. I thought college was gonna be the time to roll out of bed and put on your ratty jeans and go to class to really challenge your mind and then hang out with really cool people watching rock bands. I'm so disappointed, I could cry just thinking about all the snotty kids who don't give you the time of day unless you're sporting a Louis Vuitton bag, fake nails, and a tan (in the middle of February)—and don't even get me started on the COMPLETE lack of academic challenge. SO not exciting. Also, parties are super lame and although there is a lot to do in Boston, it is also very, very cold for most of the school year, and most people never leave campus. Clubs in Boston totally suck. However, all these kids driving Mommy and Daddy's BMWs seem to love it. Basically, the only reason I haven't transferred is because 1) I have a full scholarship that's hard to turn down, and 2) I got so depressed after coming here that my grades went from 4.0 to 3.0 (even though the classes were really easy, I couldn't make the minimal effort necessary to even *go* to class) and I completely lack the mental/emotional drive and energy to even try to get in somewhere else. I'm just waiting to graduate and be done …