Boston University

Date: May 18 2011
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
Alright, as typical of a college review site, this place suffers from a massive amount of non-response bias. Yes BU has its share of problems, but nothing like what people here are making it out to be. We live in an age where everyone dreams of going to a beautiful grassy quad campus with frisbees and professors smoking pipes and ivy-covered buildings, so when people come to BU and see our urban campus they get scared and confused. Boston University has a very nice campus actually, and it is meticulously groomed and the buildings are very well taken care of.

But that isn't the point. The point is that if you come to BU with the intent of working hard and fighting for the top spot in your class, you might as well be at Harvard. BU gets ridiculously competitive; there is no such thing as a "gentleman's B" here.. it's called an F. Some people complain about grade deflation. I don't know if it's true or not, but all I can say is that getting an A at BU is a rare accomplishment. Top students here are hyper-busy, involved in some of the most interesting and unique clubs and organizations, and have access to the top professors in the world.

Yes, BU has Ivy-League professors.. maybe even better in some departments. You will not be disappointed with the real professors (freshmen level intro classes can be hit or miss). Also, the College of Arts and Sciences is a very good school, don't let people trick you. The International Relations department in particular is one of the best in the nation.

Now here's where I have an issue with BU… we let in too many students who are not serious about learning. The school of General Studies (CGS) hurts BU's ranking big time, since it is basically a 4-year daycare for rich kids. There are not many frats or sororities, which I am thankful of.. I think only 5% of men and 9% of women belong to a greek chapter. There are great parties on campus, and at MIT frats, and of course in the wonderful city of Boston.

Bottom line: BU is where the serious and hard working students will get a world-class education. A few of my best friends just landed 100K+ jobs straight out of undergrad because they worked like crazy and took advantage of what BU has to offer. Very underrated school in my opinion… it sounds like many of these reviewers expected BU to hand them a degree on a silver platter… ain't gonna happen here.