<p>Again for 2011. Northeastern is now 69, was 80 last year. University of miami was 52 now is 47. Fordham was 60 now 56. Which are three schools i gave up to go to BU. Why has BU been in the same position these past years with no sign of change?</p>
<p>I can’t answer your question on why. I will say that rankings only matter to an extent. A bump for U Miami from 52 to 47 really doesn’t change anything. If you go to an Ivy League school or maybe a top-ten liberal arts college, you will reap certain benefits down the line. There are the other top ten colleges considered best too. Otherwise, I feel like schools are kind of grouped together. So unless BU falls dramatically, it doesn’t really matter if it moves up to 55 or 50. Only huge drops or increases matter (unless you’re at the top of the list).</p>
<p>Moral of the story: don’t stress the rankings too much.</p>
<p>I was in the same position a few months ago (with the exception of miami) and I would say that BU hasn’t changed much, which is probably the reason why they remain 56. At a seven way tie, they’re extremely lucky that they did not lose a point or else BU would’ve been in the 60s. When deciding what college I should attend back in March, my college advisor pretty much told me the right time to choose Northeastern would be now. BU isn’t becoming worst, other schools are just becoming better. However, the rankings shouldnt make you like a school less. After all, two years ago, Northeastern was ranked at 96 and students were still choosing Northeastern. If you feel confortable at your school, thats all that should matter. BU is still an awesome school.</p>
<p>I chose BU over NEU. I don’t regret my decision one bit.</p>
<p>Take college rankings with a grain of salt. They are completely subjective and entirely debatable. If a school is ranked 40 and another school is ranked 43, does that really mean anything? It’s a very arbitrary way of establishing order. I chose BU because it had the program I was looking for, and as far as that specific program BU is near the very top of the list.</p>
<p>No employer is going to say “I am going to hire this kid because his school is ranked 38th and the other candidate’s candidate’s was only ranked 70th.” BU has a solid reputation and good name recognition. As far as relying on institutional prestige for employment, that’s as much as you can ask for. The rest is up to what you do with your educational opportunities.</p>
<p>And that is my .02 on why you shouldn’t rely on college rankings for anything more than personal curiosity.</p>
<p>BU also ties with Ohio State, where a lot of my friends go. My spring break at BU coincided with OSU’s exam week. None of my friends studied and went out every night. BU literally shuts down for exams because the academics are rigorous and everyone studies. Senior year, my friends at OSU took Golf classes or classes that watched Kubrick films and required a paragraph response to them as the final exam. My senior year I took all 500 or 700 level classes. (not that I’m bitter or anything 
)</p>
<p>But OSU does have the Buckeyes…</p>
<p>so moral is, take em with a grain of salt, as others have said. I’ve moved to another part of the country now, and BU has a stellar reputation as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>I chose BU over BC, PSU Honors college, and Fordham. So no big.</p>
<p>EDIT: I see what you mean, BUBailey. I don’t see how huge state schools can compare, I have taken a few classes at PSU, and there is a huge percentage of idiots there.</p>