I am parent of student who is accepted in BU class of 2030 as a CGS student. My son wanted to go to Questrom business school but he also applied to CGS program to be safe, in case he doesn’t get into Questrom. But now, as he got into CGS, I am not sure if it is worth paying 95K. He is also admitted to Northeastern business pregram (direct admit). Had he gotton direct admit to Questrom I would not have any dilemma but CGS makes me nervous.
I understand there’s a pathway program from CGS to Questrom with courses already aligned but I would like to hear directly from students or other parents their experience or guidance to put my mind at ease. I checked that Questrom and CGS buildings are about mile apart. Not sure if he will be allowed to join any business club from the first year as he will not be Questrom student. If so, won’t he be behind? Will he get any TAship etc. in his junior year at Questrom (because of the fact that he is new student there and professors prefer their old students?). Does he need to get 3.5+ GPA in CGS to get into Questrom? That will put a lot of pressure on him and he may not enjoy his college life. Starting semester in January seems wierd. I am not sure w how to use this time efficiently.
Should I send him in Northeaster rather (NY scholor program)? Tough decision.
Thanks in advance for taking time and reading my post. Appreciate all your thoughts.
There looks to be a GPA requirement of 2.0 to transition to Questrom, which he can do when all the CGS required courses and Questrom pathway courses (no grades below C, looks like one C- allowed) are complete. As far as I know, he can join business clubs, but not sure about the ones that may be competitive entry. But, he can ask questions of admissions and/or the CGS advisors.
Did you talk with him about this before he applied to BU CGS? I assume you are full pay at both schools. I would expect ultimately that the internship and job outcomes would be similar between these two schools, but something to research.
Generally, direct admit to one’s major is best. But in this case, if he is starting on NEU’s NYC campus, he won’t be able to join business clubs or integrate to the main boston campus until soph year. Something to ask NEU about. OTOH, being in NYC will likely lead to some good networking opportunities, provided your S will actively seek that out. It’s a new program, so there isn’t much info about the experience there (this is the first year.)
For me, it would depend on which he prefers (does he like the CGS courses? how does he compare the two boston campuses? which school’s business curriculum does he like best?, etc), and if you talked about any constraints with him before the application process.
I would not count on a TA position at any school - those types of things are very competitive.
Is he interested in the NU co op model?
Are there direct admit options he prefers over NU?
Many choose non direct admit schools - but it’s always dicey and always a “stressor” until it happens. Personally, I would not but we are all different.
One of my daughter’s friends did CGS - and had a wonderful experience - with the summer in Oxford. She really enjoyed it but she was not in school in the Fall and I believe it was a two year experience, so getting into the business core may be heavily delayed. If you’re good with the Spring start, it could be ok - but there is risk.