<p>I had a kid at BU and have one at UR. If one school fits you well, odds are the other won’t. BU is very large research university while UR is small research university. There are smaller universities but they barely qualify as research universities. UR actually gets more in external funding than BU in total, but both have extreme strong points: UR in optics, BU in biomedical engineering. BU is divided into colleges, while UR really isn’t. In terms of campus, UR is more like McGill, having a real campus - though not a huge hill - while BU is more like the massive UT but without the big lawn and with a river. I’d seriously consider what you want to study. In terms of life, a few months is meaningless. You shouldn’t be in such a hurry. </p>
<p>At least weather isn’t an issue. </p>
<p>The new dorm, btw, is 150 rooms and will not house freshmen.</p>