Boston University placed first in “dorms like palaces” and second in “students from different backgrounds interact” in the 2002 Princeton Review rankings, although many students said they disagree with the survey.
Out of the 345 schools that were considered, BU also placed second in “gay community accepted” and “great college towns” and third in “long lines and red tape,” meaning the administration is not readily accessible to students.
Students said they were shocked to learn BU placed first for best dormitories. Maggie Weber, a College of Arts and Sciences senior, questioned whether the people from Princeton Review had actually looked at the University.
“Have they ever seen BU?” Weber questioned. “My ceiling fell on my head every night.”
Weber also said the “diversity in dorms,” or the discrepancy between the best dorms on campus and the worst ones, stunned her. Students listed the Student Residences at 10 Buick St., Bay State, and South Campus as being comfortable, clean and attractive, while most said Towers, Warren Towers, Rich Hall, Myles Standish Hall, and Hamilton House were described as dirty or “dingier than expected.”
Jeff Devine, a College of Engineering senior, admitted Warren Towers was “fun for about two weeks,” but afterwards he said the elevators and overall layout of the dorm became “too much of a hassle.” However, Devine later lived on Bay State and said he liked the accommodations much better.
Many students, like School of Education senior Jessica Venarchik, said they arrived at BU with high expectations of dorm life, but in their first few years, those expectations were rarely met.
“Compared to most colleges, students come to BU with higher standards because of the $37,000 tuition,” Venarchik said.
Justin Char, a School of Management senior, criticized the availability of on-campus housing.
“What good is [great housing] if you can’t fit all your students on campus?” Char asked.
However, other students said they enjoyed their dormitory life. Joel Arak, a College of Communication senior, said he enjoyed his time in Warren Towers.
“I feel that if I had lived anywhere but Warren, I would have been miserable,” Arak said.
While many students thought the dorms were nothing like the review claimed, BU spokesman Colin Riley said the school was “happy to be recognized in providing safe, maintained residences,” but made it clear the rankings did not constitute “a serious survey.”
Riley said the survey “purports to show a variety of upsides and downsides,” although the guide said it receives all information from students attending each university.
Students also had mixed reactions after hearing that BU ranked second in “students from different backgrounds interact.” Char said he thought the ranking was accurate.
“I’ve met so many different people from so many ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds,” Char said. “BU definitely has it all.”
Bethany Budde, a SED senior, said she thought the University was lacking African-American students.
“I haven’t had a class with more than one black student,” Budde said.
The majority of students said they felt BU was far less diverse than they had expected, but conceded it was common for students to befriend members of their own race.
Chris Lord, a CAS junior, said students don’t plan with whom they are going to be friends; it just happens naturally.
“You can’t be like, ‘well, I’m going to meet an Asian person today,'” Lord said.
BU also placed seventh in “great college theater,” eighth in “happy students” and “great food,” 12th in “best college libraries,” 17th in “diverse student population” and “students ignore God on a regular basis,” and 20th in “teaching assistants teach too many upper-level courses.”
The Princeton Review is a division of Random House publishers and is not affiliated with Princeton University.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
