I plan on declaring history at UW Seattle and was spring admitted to BU CAS for history too
Goals: I want to go either into law school or marketing (the creative aspect)
Pros for UW:
- Cheaper (but I’m still OOS)
- I really like the city of Seattle
- UW is ranked higher
- UW has more school spirit
Cons:
- Seattle is rainy
- Seattle doesn’t seem to have a strong market for a career in marketing
- I don’t know if I will like the quarter system
- Much larger than BU
Pros for BU:
- It’s easier to switch colleges (I only need prereqs to go to COM or Questrom)
- Questrom seems very good for jobs
- I heard East Coast cities like Boston are usually more exciting and vibrant
- I think I should go out of my comfort zone
Cons:
- School is very expensive
- Boston is even colder
- I don’t think I would fit in with the people at BU as much
- I was spring-admitted, and I’m afraid it’ll be harder to integrate with the school
Don’t have an opinion on schools but there are PLENTY of marketing opportunities in Seattle. What led you to this conclusion? Is this only in comparison to Boston? Such different schools and cities but I think a career in marketing would be equally advantaged.
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I would really ignore any perceived difference in rankings between these 2. Both are highly regarded academic institutions, especially if looking at history (or potentially business/marketing)… (If you were talking about being a CS major at UW, it could be different….)
Where do you want to live long term? If you want to live on the East Coast (Boston, NY, DC), then I would lean BU (if you can afford it) as there will be more connections..(not because UW or Seattle has “bad marketing” jobs).
The spring admit might give me some pause. Do you have any idea how many kids have Spring admits or may start at other places (if BU does that)? I am fairly sure they have a solid orientation program, but I would definitely ask what it looks like to be sure!
In terms of weather, both have pros and cons. Honestly, I think sunny and cold is better for one’s mood than gray and rainy (though I would prefer either over hot and humid!!). You can always add more layers:)
I’d also dive into course catalogs and see which is genuinely more interesting!
I think BU actually guarantees (if you want) housing all 4 years, which is a pretty nice option to have (obviously, many kids choose to live off campus, but if you don’t want to run around searching for city housing, you don’t have to).
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Based on what you said, n either seems really ideal, are those your two top choices or simply your two highest ranked acceptances?
Did you get into the Honors college at UW?
What would do you during your first semester if you attend BU in the Spring?
Are both affordable without parental loans?
What are you “ranking” on - these are the same level of school. For marketing, where you go doesn’t matter. Today, you can find jobs anywhere - you apply on line - you could go to Wyoming and end up in Boston, etc.
For a marketing or history degree, I’d go cheaper.
Here’s the question though - if law is in play, you need another $300K for law school - can you afford the 7 year plan?
If you can’t afford 7 years without loans, then do you have a cheaper school?
I would choose UW - so I could start in the fall - but I don’t think, given your interests, where you go matters - whether it’s history or marketing. All companies market - so to say Seattle doesn’t have marketing jobs seems a bit off base. They’ll be different type jobs - given the industries are often different than in Boston.
I do think budget matters - unless you can afford law school too at $100K a year.
Best of luck.
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How will you pay for law school ? It may be $300k. You can only borrow $50k a year, up to $200k.
See if your folks will give you the savings from UW to BU for law school.
Reality is - where you go to undergrad for law school, even the top law schools -is irrelevant. It could be UMass Boston or Western Washington instead of BU and UW so if you are 100% certain about law school, and at 17 you likely aren’t but if you are, take the cheaper option and hope your parents help or you likely would have no way to attend/ pay.
The government has made changes that will likely lead to less pursuing degrees like law and medicine in the future because they won’t have an ability to fund it. So you have to factor cost into your undergrad - now more than ever.
Good luck.
That’s a detail I didn’t realize. Thank you!