BC BU difference? Forum

[sissyclark]

It seems like, objectively, more thing point to BU (a little bit higher numbers, better ranking in most categories). But it seems like there are a few intangibles that point toward BC (allegedly better reputation among people who matter).

But part of me wonders if the BC intangibles of "having a better reputation among people who matter" are just things BC people say to make people think BC is as good as BU? I guess I won't know until I attend.

[deadlinguo]

If I had both to choose from, it would probably amount to who offered the better package.

that's. what. she...

[tram988]

It seems like, objectively, more thing point to BU (a little bit higher numbers, better ranking in most categories). But it seems like there are a few intangibles that point toward BC (allegedly better reputation among people who matter).

But part of me wonders if the BC intangibles of "having a better reputation among people who matter" are just things BC people say to make people think BC is as good as BU? I guess I won't know until I attend.

BU is definitely more numbers driven and more predictable. BC is more selective, 20% acceptance rate and really is unpredictable. BC tends to let some people in with stellar softs and lower numbers than in comparison with BU

[sissyclark]

Is BC more selective? not to me.....weak!

I thought BU was more selective because people with higher numbers generally apply to BU because BU was the "safety school" for a lot of T14s? Otherwise, it would be weird for their numbers to be higher than BC's.

[tram988]

Is BC more selective? not to me.....weak!

I thought BU was more selective because people with higher numbers generally apply to BU because BU was the "safety school" for a lot of T14s? Otherwise, it would be weird for their numbers to be higher than BC's.

Could be....But I think BU and BC receive applicants with similar numbers. Further, the # of apps they each receive are almost identical but BC has the 20% acceptance rate. BU may receive a few more "higher-numbered-applicants," I dont know and its difficult to determine. You can find examples of students who were accepted at BC while rejected at BU and rejected at BC and accepted at BU.

[kams]

Is BC more selective? not to me.....weak!

I thought BU was more selective because people with higher numbers generally apply to BU because BU was the "safety school" for a lot of T14s? Otherwise, it would be weird for their numbers to be higher than BC's.

Could be....But I think BU and BC receive applicants with similar numbers. Further, the # of apps they each receive are almost identical but BC has the 20% acceptance rate. BU may receive a few more "higher-numbered-applicants," I dont know and its difficult to determine. You can find examples of students who were accepted at BC while rejected at BU and rejected at BC and accepted at BU.

Interesting. BU and BC get the same number of applicants, with similar numbers, BC is more selective, yet BU has the higher numbers....

I think BU probably does get more applicants with higher numbers. That's the only way it could be justified.

[tram988]

Is BC more selective? not to me.....weak!

I thought BU was more selective because people with higher numbers generally apply to BU because BU was the "safety school" for a lot of T14s? Otherwise, it would be weird for their numbers to be higher than BC's.

Could be....But I think BU and BC receive applicants with similar numbers. Further, the # of apps they each receive are almost identical but BC has the 20% acceptance rate. BU may receive a few more "higher-numbered-applicants," I dont know and its difficult to determine. You can find examples of students who were accepted at BC while rejected at BU and rejected at BC and accepted at BU.

Interesting. BU and BC get the same number of applicants, with similar numbers, BC is more selective, yet BU has the higher numbers....

I think BU probably does get more applicants with higher numbers. That's the only way it could be justified.

I think this is probably correct. BU is definitely a number whore though-- BC is a little more holistic.

[bceagles182]

We're dangerously close to rehashing everything.

Haha /thread

Seriously. There should be a BU v. BC FAQ or a sticky thread or something.

+1

Can someone get Ken on this?

[tram988]

Part of the problem is that there really aren't "huge" differences between the two schools.

[GobiasIndustries]

Drunken Dartboard:
http://bc.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

Numbers First:
http://bu.lawschoolnumbers.com/stats

You can't see my green dot on BC's graph because it's buried under red and yellow. Seriously.

[whitman]

That's pretty wild. At BU it looks like you just need a 167 and you're in. BC not so much.

[Blindmelon]

That's pretty wild. At BU it looks like you just need a 167 and you're in. BC not so much.

And is this supposed to be a negative thing? BU has higher medians... meaning it more competitive to get into - more competitive generally means better rankings, which means more prestige and better job prospects. BC has a lower acceptance rate because it has a higher yield. It doesn't really mean all that much other than BU is a safety school for the T14. Also, it looks like BU doesn't YP - so it doesn't do those stupid games. A lot of people I know here took BU$ over T14 or even T10.

Its looking like BU's medians for next year's class will be 167/3.7... inching towards UT/UCLA, etc.

[tram988]

That's pretty wild. At BU it looks like you just need a 167 and you're in. BC not so much.

And is this supposed to be a negative thing? BU has higher medians... meaning it more competitive to get into - more competitive generally means better rankings, which means more prestige and better job prospects. BC has a lower acceptance rate because it has a higher yield. It doesn't really mean all that much other than BU is a safety school for the T14. Also, it looks like BU doesn't YP - so it doesn't do those stupid games. A lot of people I know here took BU$ over T14 or even T10.

Its looking like BU's medians for next year's class will be 167/3.7... inching towards UT/UCLA, etc.

Lol let's not speculate on BU's medians for next year's class.

BU and BC have almost identical medians-- the only difference is BU's .2 higher GPA.

A lot of people take schools like BU or BC that give them money over T14.

This is a never ending cycle. Both schools are roughly equivalent. In the case of BU and BC, BU's higher rank does not offset the fact that BC has more lay prestige. BU, by the way, has only recently overcome BC in the rankings. BC would still be there if they didn't take such a holistic approach and at times place less emphasis on numbers than BU.

I like how both of MA's senators, Kerry and Brown, are BC Law Alumni What happened to Coakley?

[JayTal]

FWIW...BU was and has always been my top choice in schools. So you can imagine how happy I was when I was accepted and awarded a generous scholarship. Anyways, I called up my parents to let them know that I had been accepted at Boston w/money, to which my mom said "Oh that's great! You'll be a golden eagle!" I called up my dad a few moments later and told him the same story: in at Boston w/money. His reply was similar - "Well I guess we'll have to go look for apartments near BC then, eh?" Anecdotal? Yes. But I suppose my point is that BC has more lay prestige. I'm from the Midwest, but when I tell people that I'm going to Boston, they are almost always surprised I don't mean BC

[tram988]

FWIW...BU was and has always been my top choice in schools. So you can imagine how happy I was when I was accepted and awarded a generous scholarship. Anyways, I called up my parents to let them know that I had been accepted at Boston w/money, to which my mom said "Oh that's great! You'll be a golden eagle!" I called up my dad a few moments later and told him the same story: in at Boston w/money. His reply was similar - "Well I guess we'll have to go look for apartments near BC then, eh?" Anecdotal? Yes. But I suppose my point is that BC has more lay prestige. I'm from the Midwest, but when I tell people that I'm going to Boston, they are almost always floored I don't mean BC

If that's not an unbiased perspective I don't know what is. It only confirms what Bostonians already know. Thanks for that info. Are you going to BU?

[JayTal]

FWIW...BU was and has always been my top choice in schools. So you can imagine how happy I was when I was accepted and awarded a generous scholarship. Anyways, I called up my parents to let them know that I had been accepted at Boston w/money, to which my mom said "Oh that's great! You'll be a golden eagle!" I called up my dad a few moments later and told him the same story: in at Boston w/money. His reply was similar - "Well I guess we'll have to go look for apartments near BC then, eh?" Anecdotal? Yes. But I suppose my point is that BC has more lay prestige. I'm from the Midwest, but when I tell people that I'm going to Boston, they are almost always floored I don't mean BC

If that's not an unbiased perspective I don't know what is. It only confirms what Bostonians already know. Thanks for that info. Are you going to BU?

Unless I get accepted at BC with more money

[tram988]

FWIW...BU was and has always been my top choice in schools. So you can imagine how happy I was when I was accepted and awarded a generous scholarship. Anyways, I called up my parents to let them know that I had been accepted at Boston w/money, to which my mom said "Oh that's great! You'll be a golden eagle!" I called up my dad a few moments later and told him the same story: in at Boston w/money. His reply was similar - "Well I guess we'll have to go look for apartments near BC then, eh?" Anecdotal? Yes. But I suppose my point is that BC has more lay prestige. I'm from the Midwest, but when I tell people that I'm going to Boston, they are almost always floored I don't mean BC

If that's not an unbiased perspective I don't know what is. It only confirms what Bostonians already know. Thanks for that info. Are you going to BU?

Unless I get accepted at BC with more money

Yeah I hear you. You'd be dumb to turn BU down with 60k for nothing at BC. I have a feeling you may get something good from BC though Good luck!

[Blindmelon]

Yes, because what non-law related people thing about the law school matters. FYI - it doesn't. Also, rankings-wise, BU beating BC for the past 10 years isn't so recent.

.2 GPA is not negligible. BC doesn't have more lay prestige, thats a TLS urban legend. It probably does in the non-legal world, but that doesn't matter at all. I'm not saying BU has more, but beause BC has a football team and therefore more people know about them, doesn't make it a better school.

[tram988]

Yes, because what non-law related people thing about the law school matters. FYI - it doesn't. Also, rankings-wise, BU beating BC for the past 10 years isn't so recent.

.2 GPA is not negligible. BC doesn't have more lay prestige, thats a TLS urban legend. It probably does in the non-legal world, but that doesn't matter at all. I'm not saying BU has more, but beause BC has a football team and therefore more people know about them, doesn't make it a better school.

Na it's not a TLS urban legend. You are just one big biased BU student BC definitely has more lay prestige, sorry. As you can see from this historical chart, BU only overcame BC in 2004, 6 years ago (like I said, recent.) I wonder how much longer it will last? http://prelawhandbook.com/law_school_ra ... 00_present

.2 is not very significant of a distinction to say BU is much more competitive. Especially since their LSAT medians are identical.

Again, like I said before, BC has been consistently a top 30 school, unlike BU. this is where BC has established the lay prestige I am talking about-- due to the fact that BC has been a top school for much longer than BU. I'm not knocking BU, but BC has a clear history in Boston.

Also, as mentioned, BC's undergrad is ranked #34 nationally while BU is #56, a TT. This also gives the school a better rep.

[im_blue]

Yes, because what non-law related people thing about the law school matters. FYI - it doesn't. Also, rankings-wise, BU beating BC for the past 10 years isn't so recent.

.2 GPA is not negligible. BC doesn't have more lay prestige, thats a TLS urban legend. It probably does in the non-legal world, but that doesn't matter at all. I'm not saying BU has more, but beause BC has a football team and therefore more people know about them, doesn't make it a better school.

.2 is not very significant of a distinction to say BU is much more competitive. Especially since their LSAT medians are identical.

It's not significant that BU's 3.70 median is higher than BC's 75th percentile of 3.68? Clearly, BC had to take a lot of weak GPA splitters to match BU's LSAT median. Are UVA (3.85) and GULC (3.68) equally selective because they both have a 170 median LSAT? Are Boalt (3.83/168) and Vandy (3.71/168) peer schools?

[JayTal]

Yes, because what non-law related people thing about the law school matters. FYI - it doesn't. Also, rankings-wise, BU beating BC for the past 10 years isn't so recent.

.2 GPA is not negligible. BC doesn't have more lay prestige, thats a TLS urban legend. It probably does in the non-legal world, but that doesn't matter at all. I'm not saying BU has more, but beause BC has a football team and therefore more people know about them, doesn't make it a better school.

Oh, Melon. I am on your side. I think BU is the better school/have always wanted to attend BU rather than BC (that could be because I'm gay and the thought of attending a Catholic school is not pleasant, however lax they've become ) My anecdotal story was merely an illustration that BC's reputation (perhaps due to college athletics) seems to eclipse that of BU's (but perhaps our non-law related, midwestern farmer mentality isn't capable of judging the quality of an institution). Of course, if older lawyers tend to think BC has more prestige while younger lawyers tend to favor BU grads, and if BC "probably has more prestige in the non-legal world", I'd have to give the edge to BC.

[sissyclark]

The people who I know (not people from Boston obviously) think Bu is the better school. Maybe that is what is pushing me to think Bu is better. But to be honest, I'm happy with my BC acceptance, but if Bu threw me a bone I think I'd rather go there. Maybe I'm a numbers whore, but I'd rather go to the school that has all the rankings on its side, rather than BC students on toplawschools telling me that BC has a better reputation. Maybe I'm just stupid, but i think that's logical. Also, i'm sure that if it were the other way around (BC being higher-ranked than BU in most categories), BC peeps would probably be throwing around the ranking and numbers card. it just seems to me that the objective ranking by professionals > toplawschools' opinions. Unless someone can prove that BC has a better reputation and that beats out BU's objectively better stats and ranking?

[imisscollege]

The people who I know (not people from Boston obviously) think Bu is the better school. Maybe that is what is pushing me to think Bu is better. But to be honest, I'm happy with my BC acceptance, but if Bu threw me a bone I think I'd rather go there. Maybe I'm a numbers whore, but I'd rather go to the school that has all the rankings on its side, rather than BC students on toplawschools telling me that BC has a better reputation. Maybe I'm just stupid, but i think that's logical. Also, i'm sure that if it were the other way around (BC being higher-ranked than BU in most categories), BC peeps would probably be throwing around the ranking and numbers card. it just seems to me that the objective ranking by professionals > toplawschools' opinions. Unless someone can prove that BC has a better reputation and that beats out BU's objectively better stats and ranking?

Here is the thing--the people that will be hiring you out of LS are considerably older than we are (no shit). They aren't frantic TLSers who check rankings everyday and speculate about what the new ones will be, etc. They are under the impression that BC is much better because when they were of the age to care about these sorts of things, it was. And it's not only that it "was better." It was much better and it remained the case for quite some time. And the two senators we have elected aren't doing much to change that.

So to conclude if you want to go on some small numbers difference fine but do you really think that hiring partners give a crap about .2gpa here or holistic admissions there? No absolutely not. They have it in their heads what are the t10's/t14's and then they have some sort of mental list of the good non t14's and I can guarantee that for the ones over 30 years old, BC is on that list and I don't think that the same can be said for BU (especially not for as many of these hiring partners).

And I'm not trolling. I'm in at both I don't care where you go but I'm trying to give advice and bring up a point that you might not have previously thought of.

[blerg]

Oh, is BU in a bad area? I definitely would like to be closer to the city, but not if it's dangerous.

BU is not in a bad area. I'm not sure why anybody would say that. It's within walking distance of the Charles River, Cambridge, Mass. Ave., Newbury St., Kenmore/Fenway Park, and a ton of great restaurants. Allston's a dump, but you don't have to live in Allston.

If you want to live in Boston, the commute to BC is going to be pretty tough, unless you have a car, and it doesn't make much sense to have a car in Boston. To get to BC Law School, you have to ride the Green Line B train all the way to the end (the B is the worst train on the T: It's a trolley with dozens of stops that's always getting stuck in traffic) and then board a shuttle bus at BC's main campus for the law school. Alternatively, you could take the D train into Newton and walk a mile and a half.

You can take the B, C, or D to BC's campus and then take the shuttle.

[therealfp]

random tidbit:

went to the LA admitted student reception for BU last night and chatted for a few hours with a couple alums and Prof. Pettit. The alums were of the opinion that BU tends to have greater reach outside of Boston (including the west coast--obviously, as all these people were practicing in the LA area), but that, regardless of placement stats, BC has a more prestigious national reputation. So in short, reputation does not equal reality for national job prospects when comparing BU & BC.

Both schools are great though...so you can't really go wrong.