The names are kinda similar to each other, and I’m sure both of them are great schools. But I heard that some people from BC feel some superiority to students at BU. Obviously BC has a higher ranking, but does that “differentiate” them from BU?
It’s obviously subjective, but for me the answer would be “no”. My impression is that historically, BC was more selective than BU or Northeastern. But the latter two schools have gotten much closer. If I were considering these three schools today, I would pay no attention to this factor; there are other points of “differentiation” that would be much more important.
3.2 miles according to Google Maps 
BC and BU are different types of school and would appeal to different people, unless you are primarily focused on being in the Boston area. I doubt the BU kids care that the BC kids feel superior, assuming this is even true. The schools aren’t near each other so you’d probably never even run into someone from the other school.
30 years ago it was harder to get into BC than to BU and Northeastern. BU and Northeastern have upped their game in the last decade. BU and NEU are also right in the heart of the city which appeals to more people. I also think kids looking for a more diverse population around them think they will find that at BU and NEU.
I don’t know which school has the lowest acceptance rate.They are all competing for the same type of student with ver good test scores and GPA’s.
In my experience of knowing multiple people who have attended both universities, I would say that there isn’t a rivalry or really any “poor feelings” towards each other because they are incredibly different schools. BU is more of a modern city school (think NYU but a little less artsy/liberal) with a very professional and sleek feel and BC is more of a traditional university with big sports, religious ties, and a more suburban campus. I think most students at BC don’t lay up at night thinking they were at BU and most BU students feel the same, happy with their decision. They’re schools for incredibly different people, in my opinion
Honestly, BC seems easier to get into than BU based on my research (neither are “easy”, but BU has a significantly higher reported average SAT than BC). That being said, they have similar acceptance rates and similar name recognition.
Alumni from any school are typically going to say their school is better than other schools. But I really don’t see BU and BC students/alums comparing that much - as mentioned, the schools are totally different - secular vs. religious, traditional campus vs. urban campus, size, sports - honestly unless someone has no idea what they’re looking for in a school most kids wouldn’t be considering both.
Um, yeah, what @CatLover20 said.
I’m not from Boston or the NE, but I cannot imagine there’s any serious rivalry between BC and BU, as these are two very different schools: one is a private, upscale, sports-loving, private Catholic institution (ND would be a close comp). BU is an urban university (NYU would be a good comp maybe).
Honestly, OP, it sounds like you need to do some more research. I’m less concerned about your “gap” question than I am with everything else: assuming that two schools that have “Boston” in their names implies competition, the obsession with rankings, voicing opinions based on what you’ve “heard.” Why not hit the guidebooks, visit the schools websites, and start learning more?
Best of luck. If you’re considering schools of BU or BC’s caliber, you must be a strong student. You’ll have lots of good options, trust me.
Oh my gosh, two schools with completely different feels. One has a suburban campus, the other lines a main road in Boston. BU is much bigger than BC. I will hazard a guess and say there are many more “preppy” kids at BC than BU. Not having spending money at BC will matter more.BC is only a short trolly/Uber ride to Boston. I know kids who have attended both. One was quirky (BU), one is the girl next door (BC). Both love it. If you are considering both, you should try to visit.
John Silber, the former President of BU, did wonders with the school during his reign from 1971 to 1996, and Chancellor from 1996 to 2002, and still hung onto his power under Interim and Emeritus titles until his death in 2012. Many faculty, staff and students hated him for his dictator-like administrative style (someone even tried to assassinate him once), but no one would discredit him for bringing what was once known as the “Sidewalk University” back in the 70’s into today’s prominence. No, I don’t see any sense of BC “superiority” whatsoever. If anything, BU has superior faculty and programs, thanks to Silber’s heavy recruitment of superstar faculty over the decades during his reign. He knew very well that any school’s rise to prominence has to begin with superstar faculty. Everything then follows, quality grad students and programs and undergrads. In fact, BU doesn’t even feel inferior to those institutions on the other side of the Charles River.
They are 9 spots apart in the USNWR rankings, so unless you’re the president of either place, that is hardly a significant difference. It used to be said that BC stood for “Barely Catholic”. It has fewer students and a campus whereas BU is a lot larger and feels like city blocks. If its only about Boston for you, you’ll probably be happy at either, otherwise they do have different personalities and you should try and visit both to figure out which is better for you.
You can easily look up the kind of data that influences some of the college rankings.
For example …
… BC … BU … factor
… $173K … $55K … endowment per student
… 100% … 85% … average percentage of demonstrated need covered by n-b financial aid
… 7% … 13% … classes with 50 or more students (but BU has a higher pct. with fewer than 20)
… 690/670 … 680/636 … avg entering SAT M/CR (but BU has a slightly lower admit rate)
… 89% … 81% … 4y graduation rate
… $20K … $41K … avg. debt at graduation
… $70K … $62K … median alumni salary 10y after graduation
Are factors like these important to you? Do you trust the numbers (from USNWR/Kiplinger’s/Raptor)? If so, do the differences seem significant? Can you find others that favor BU?
If you have an aversion to seeing crucifixes, religious statuary and the occasional Jesuit on campus (as some do) then avoid BC.
It would also depend on your intended major. For CS, Science and communication BU would be better. Also BU offers significantly more merit aid than BC.
@CatLover20 not that it matters that much but BC is not easier to get into and does not have lower average SAT scores. It’s the other way around. And BU does not have elite level division one athletes In the mix in its averages It’s just a bit more difficult to gain admittence to BC.
OP. No there isn’t a huge gap. And the students at each school are just different. Both super intelligent and driven for the most part. And they don’t give the other much thought until the Beanpot. Then there is a real rivalry.
@privatebanker I’m literally going off of what each school has published. In its 2017-2018 Facebook at a Glance, BC listed their middle 50% of SAT scores to fall between 1310-1450. BU lists on their class of 2022 profile that the average SAT is 1468. While I understand that BC includes athletes in its scores, I do not believe that the population of student athletes at BC who do not meet their traditional academic standards is large enough to heavily skew the data.
“It’s obviously subjective, but for me the answer would be “no”.”
“BC and BU are different types of school and would appeal to different people,”
I agree with both of these comments. I think that between these two schools, pick the one that you like and can afford.
The two schools for the most part are comparable, but very different environments.Boston Unversity is more in the middle of the city, larger, and attracts a wide array of students but lacks a central “campus feel.” Boston College is in more of the suburbs area, follows the Jesuit tradition, and has more students that went to prepatory schools and is generally a more affluent community. I just attended college orientation with my younger brother who chose to attend BC, and the first question he was asked by his roommate was “did you go to a public or private HS?”
The schools have very different environments and I would consider that carefully, far more than any proposed “gap.” I’m also going to put this out there for @tk21769 's statistics, but a considerably higher percentage of Boston College students come from more wealthy families, so it is not unreasonable to assume that this would mean that would affect student’s starting salaries and career choices after graduation. Similarly a school like Colagate for instance has a high earnings reported for students after graduation, but also has a high percentage of incoming students from more affluent families. While I am sure that a school like Boston College has many great resources and great college on its own, I would say not to put too much weight necessarily into the starting salary statistics as there may be extraneous factors unrelated to the school itself. Basically pick based on fit.
@CatLover20 Yes, but BC appears to giving the SATs for the enrolled students in the Class of 2021, while BU appears to be giving the average SAT for the admitted students in the Class of 2022. Elsewhere on the BU page, it states “admitted students”.
This is an apples-to-oranges comparison. At any school, the admitted students will have higher numbers than the enrolled students. Only a fraction of the admitted students will actually enroll. And the admits with the best numbers are the least likely to enroll, because they are the most likely to have attractive offers from other schools.
For a standardized SAT comparison, here are the numbers for the enrolled Class of 2021, as presented in the US Dept. of Education’s official “College Navigator” database:
BC:
660-760 SAT Reading
660-730 SAT Math
BU:
640-720 SAT Reading
660-760 SAT Math
The numbers are pretty close. BC (better known for humanities) has slightly higher reading scores, while BU (which has an engineering school) has slightly higher math scores. The ACT scores show a similar pattern. I don’t find this to be surprising.
Those who say they aren’t rivals or that their students don’t run into each other clearly don’t have first-hand experience.
They aren’t “crosstown” rivals like UCLA & USC…they are neighbors. They are both on Commonwealth Ave. They are both on the same trolley line: every outbound trolley that goes the whole length of Boston University says “Boston College” on it. You think BU students don’t notice that? Every BC student who goes into downtown Boston has to look at the entire BU campus before the trolley mercifully dives underground.You think the BC students don’t notice that?
Plus, probably 75% of the BC students have a friend from high school who attends BU. They get together for a beer. They invite each other to parties. They might not argue about whose academics are better, but they hate each other’s hockey teams like Auburn football fans hate Bama.