Would it be fair to compare BU to these schools?

Colleges & Universities Boston University
1

<p>Rice, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Michigan, USC? </p>

<p>Anymore?</p>

2

<p>Rice and Vandy are top 20 schools, with USC and Michigan not far behind, so if you mean peer schools when you ask for a comparison to BU, the answer would be no. Purdue, however, is definitely a peer school.</p>

<p>[National</a> University Rankings | Top National Universities | US News Best Colleges](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities]National”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities)</p>

3

<p>@Kelly37:</p>

<p>Whether a school good or not is totally in USNEWS editor’s hands.</p>

4

<p>I agree, “good” is what you make of it, and is so vague as to mean almost anything, while rankings are only guidelines. BU is a great school without a doubt. But if OP is referring to peer schools, Rice and Vanderbilt are not peer schools of BU.</p>

5

<p>Then what else besides Purdue? Vandy and Rice are actually ranked lower than BU in some of the world rankings.</p>

6

<p>New peers? Purdue, Tulane, UT-Austin?</p>

7

<p>The ARWU and other world rankings focus heavily on graduate study and especially research while USNews focuses on undergraduates. In terms of research, BU is #3 in the Boston area, not so for undergraduate study. A most likely peer school for BU would be Syracuse.</p>

8

<p>Syracuse? No, Tulane, Purdue and Pitt more likely. </p>

<p>I think that really regardless of the rankings, BU is seen in a much better light than reflected in the rankings game. No one looks at Tulane or even LSE in the UK as lower schools yet the rankings have them in a pretty low position. </p>

<p>From my experience it’s much more respected as a high level research institution on par with other high research institutions, than what is reflected in US News.</p>

9

<p>George Washington?</p>

10

<p>GWU is a good comparison. It is a high research university in a major city alongside another top school; Georgetown. It also has a huge international student body and is well regarded abroad. And just like BU, it’s looked at as a safety school. </p>

<p>Yet, BU to me seems a bit more well regarded than GW. That’s why I said I preferred to look at BU at the same caliber as UT-Austin, Purdue, Tulane, Pitt and maybe Carnegie Mellon.</p>