Would going from Harvard to BU be a huge step down?

[Jude84]

My brother decided to take the offer at BU that give to him right out of undergrad.

He went to Harvard but is now going to BU.

Is that a step down from Harvard? I am not too familiar with New England schools outside of the Ivies. Is BU a well regarded school?

Would he be OK with a BA from Harvard in Economics and Masters in City Planning from BU?

Does that sound like a winning resume? I worry about him and hope that he is making the right decision. With this turbulent economy will employers really care?

[alleycat]

My brother decided to take the offer at BU that give to him right out of undergrad.

He went to Harvard but is now going to BU.

Is that a step down from Harvard? I am not too familiar with New England schools outside of the Ivies. Is BU a well regarded school?

Would he be OK with a BA from Harvard in Economics and Masters in City Planning from BU?

Does that sound like a winning resume? I worry about him and hope that he is making the right decision. With this turbulent economy will employers really care?

BU is a great school and it is pretty hard to get in. So what did BU offer him? WHy did he deside not to go to Harvard? Your brother must be very smart and have SAT score to pull off getting into both schools. Urban Planning can be a very rewarding field, but it can have alot of bureaucracy.

[Jude84]

Well he finished Harvard for his BA.

He is going to grad school now for his masters.

His grades were high, but not high enough for Harvard grad school, so he decided to take the offer BU gave him with assistantships and ample aid to pay for his tuition.

I was just wondering what the general perception of BU is and if it would be seen as a major step down by people and employers.

[alleycat]

I am in New England, BU is huge here. Huge.

I do not think any questions will be asked why he did not get his Master at Harvard. Sounds like they gave him great package. Many people go on to different schools for their grad studys. Also he really doesn't have a choice. He didn't get into Harvards grad program. So Bu is a great choice.

[Jude84]

Huge as in good reputation or huge as in just known in the NE area?

What is the academic reputation of BU?

[alleycat]

They have a very good rep and I am sure it goes further then Boston.

The school is fine, it is just over shadowed by it neighbors Harvard and MIT.

Are you the one that is worried about this or is your brother the one that is worried about this since he is the one attending the school?

[Jude84]

I thought he would mess up his resume or employers would look down on him for going to BU.

I was wrong.

[alleycat]

He will be fine. If he doesn't think he should go there then he should apply and look at other schools. BU is a fine school. A very expensive school.

[abbyzelda]

BU is meh but maybe I am biased since there are so many better schools in the area. I know a number of people who went to BU. My roommate in jr year of college at UMass Amherst transferred out of BU to go to UMass. One of my close friends from college went to orientation at BU but they were so dead set on charging her exorbitant tuition and fees that she decided at the last minute to transfer to UMass. She double majored in two hard sciences. She was in the Honors college at UMass and got lots of scholarships and selective internships. BU really missed out on that one because they were so overpriced. I know a couple of rich local kids that went there too. I think they got where they are because of who they know not what they know if you know what I mean. Their families had money and they would have been fine no matter where they went. I do know they did lots of drugs and partied a lot while there...

I got my paralegal certificate at a CC. A girl in my class was 28, had been laid off for two full years. She graduated from BU and was going back to CC to get a one year cert to be a paralegal. She was hired as a receptionist at a local law firm. If you pay $50,000+ a year for undergrad I would think you should not have to pay to go back to a CC a few years later only to get a job as a receptionist. Way to waste $200,000+ dollars.

Those are my experiences with BU, only undergrad though.

Anyways it all depends on the reputation of the grad program your brother is in. The ranking of the program in his chosen field is more important than the name of the school. The fact that he went to Harvard and probably has a lot of influential connections will only help him in the long run.

[Maniac Craniac]

By all accounts, Boston University is an excellent school, and Maniac Craniac isn't one to throw around the word "excellent" very lightly. Anyone should be proud to pursue graduate studies with them.