We can all breath a sigh of relief. News stories circulating around BU have been fairly positive this semester. Finally, Boston University is getting the recognition it deserves. Despite last semester’s reports of hazing, sexual assault, offensive jokes and robberies, BU does have great students and it’s about time that the world knows.
No, we are not the “ivy league reject” school. BU students do work and get recognized, despite Aaron Sorkin’s implication in the Social Network that one does not have to study “because you go to BU.” (Yes, I’m still bitter. Thankfully, Boston.com debunked this rumor quickly.) We have the rankings to back it up.
Recently, the New York Times released a survey of thousands of recruiters from top companies in 20 countries, ranking universities based on the employability of their graduates. The survey, conducted by Emerging, a human resources consultancy based in Paris, aimed to determine “What the job market wants.” Apparently, the job market wants BU kids, as we were ranked 7th in the country and 17th in the world. Take that Aaron Sorkin.
What’s even more astonishing is that BU grads were placed above such schools as Brown University, University of Chicago and the California Institute of Technology. You mean that I can graduate from BU with a better chance of getting employment than if I graduated from Brown, an ivy league school? Good to know.
What is often overlooked with BU’s rankings is what this survey is highlighting: BU has a better reputation abroad than in the states. U.S. News and World Report ranked Boston University as 51st in the country this year — why such a vast difference?
The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that the global perspective we gain from our university lends us an advantage in the international job market, “one that is particularly useful when unemployment in this country hovers around 8 percent.” The International Students and Scholars Office notes that the international student population composes 17 percent of the student body, representing 140 countries. Boston College, on the other hand, enrolls 3 percent international students. Even without studying abroad in one of BU’s many highly esteemed programs, students here live, work and study with international students. BU students have been proven to graduate with a better ability to adapt and a stronger world perspective.
In the end, after a plethora of Facebook and Twitter shares that mostly point to the obvious BU v. BC victory (who needs hockey when we’ve got this over them?), we should realize that this was obvious all along. As an enormous research institution in a major city, BU s naturally a top choice abroad. Here, we’re also well-regarded, just not quite as well. Moral of the story? Try working abroad. It’s your excuse to run away to Italy rather than moving back home promptly after graduation.
