<p>I know that this was posted in April, and the original poster is probably long and gone, but as someone who is from Columbus and has attended classes at BOTH Ohio State and Boston University, I can give a little bit of input. </p>
<p>First of all, honestly, (aside from academics) I don’t think it really makes much of a difference in terms of choosing between Ohio State and BU. They’re both very similar schools. Why do I say that? Well, first of all, both are incredibly diverse. However, they’re diverse in different ways. BU is more internationally diverse. At BU classes are filled with international students or students whose parents hail from other countries. OSU, though it has a significant presence of international students, tends to be diverse in a different way. For one thing, you’re going to find a lot of students from rural Ohio (contrast this with BU who has students from just about every state, though they tend to be a bit more concentrated from New England). Ohio State is diverse on a socioeconomic level. OSU has a lot more students than BU who grew up in rougher neighborhoods…I found this just as interesting as interacting with international students. </p>
<p>I feel like a lot of people commenting on this post don’t understand the difference between Columbus, and Ohio. Columbus is actually a very urban city and, in my mind, is one of the most sophisticated cities in the midwest. The students aren’t that out of it compared to other midwestern schools, especially the people from Columbus. I don’t really notice too big of a difference in terms of the sophistication levels of BU and Ohio State students. I actually might give OSU an edge, just because Columbus is a really up-and-coming city. </p>
<p>Boston’s a great city. But I think Columbus is just as great. I don’t think that should really influence anyone’s decision. I’ve lived in New York and Madison, Wisconsin. I’d say that Columbus actually has more of a New York feel than Boston does just in terms of people being quicker paced. Especially around the campus area. Boston is more of a family lovey-dovey city in my mind. Both are great though. </p>
<p>Academically, if you aren’t in OSU’s honors program (or maybe I’d say business school), I’d probably recommend going to BU. I think you definitely get more of an edge as a BU graduate than an Ohio State graduate (if not in OSU honors). I think it’s ridiculous that anyone posting can state that grad schools completely ignore what school you graduated from. Sure, BU’s grades are deflated, but that doesn’t subtract from the fact that it is highly respected. If anything, someone needs to provide some kind of statistical analysis that shows that the grade deflation at BU outweighs the school’s reputation in grad school admissions processes. And I’m sorry, but BU is more reputable than Ohio State (at least most of OSU’s regular, standard programs). And you can give me the whole “But they’re ranked next to each other on U.S. News & World Report!” Well, US News seems to be the only professional ranking system in the world that thinks that BU belongs where it is and it’s hard to believe that there isn’t something political going on there. I agree, OSU IS getting better. But it really still is a place where almost all kids from my high school go - whereas I don’t think every kid from my high school could get into BU or be successful there. OSU tends to have a lot more kids who don’t take school seriously compared to BU. That I can tell you for sure. </p>
<p>On the other hand, OSU has an amazing party scene compared to BU. BU kids sort of party… but it’s in a very different way. It’s in a go to indie clubs, more offbeat kind of way, which can still be very fun. But in terms of bars, OSU has bars just for students lined up all around campus, whereas BU doesn’t really have that (and don’t even try and drink if you’re under 21 in Boston…whereas at OSU you can get away with this a lot more easily). OSU has a lot more school pride. If football games and frat parties are your thing, DO NOT go to BU. That’s not what this school is about. Most kids are at BU because of its urban culture in the first place (and if you’re expecting some kind of ladeda campus, please, dear god, do not go to BU. I’m so sick of people posting on these forums how much they hate BU because “it doesn’t even have a campus!” Hello. Didn’t you investigate BU AT ALL before you came? The kids at BU are at BU because they want an urban environment. And yeah, Columbus is pretty urban too, but BU is moreso. OSU does have an actual big, green space, midwestern campus). </p>
<p>Anyway, in general, if someone’s in OSU Honors and they’re deciding between BU and OSU, really, they’re pretty similar. I can tell you this because I’ve attended summer programs at every school imaginable. So I’d just make a decision and not really stress about making the “wrong one” in this case. Really, you’ll get pretty similar experiences so if you absolutely hate one, you probably won’t like the other either.</p>
<p>Anyway, whoever started this post already made his/her decision, but I just thought I’d try to give an unbiased FYI from someone who grew up in Columbus and has attended both OSU and BU (I will be graduating from Boston University this May, and am hoping to attend graduate school at Ohio State).</p>