Two very different schools in terms of location. Academically, both are strong. If you from the East Coast and have always lived there, visit Madison before you decide. Similarly, if you are from the midwest and haven’t lived in an urban area, visit BU before you make a choice. Also, the make-up of the undergraduate student body is very different. The vast majority of kids at UW-Madison will be from Wisconsin. At BU–you’ll have students from all over the US. (Although more will probably be from the east coast than the midwest.)