bluemagic,
I attended MIT for graduate school and received an excellent education. I agree with you that the research labs are exceptional and should have mentioned it.
But my point was different. I attended a midwest state school for undergrad that has roughly the same reputation as BU. I was part of the honors program and received an excellent education there as well. While the average school IQ was lower, my honors classmates were just as sharp as those at MIT (they all ended up at Stanford, Columbia, MIT, etc. for graduate school). I also found a great undergraduate research opportunity (only a few to choose from as opposed to hundreds). Career opportunities were notably different which is what I really noticed after attending MIT.
However, here is another key difference: My state school cost was less than zero. After considering all the scholarships I received, I even had beer money for the weekends. If I had gone to an expensive private school for undergrad, it would have completely drained my parents finances.
A clarification: I just saw that BU's Trustee scholarships cover full tuition, but not board. So it could be effectively free for a Boston area resident that lives at home, but those staying on campus would have to pay boarding fees. That is still an incredible educational value.
I agree with you that you can probably get as good an education at many state schools as BU for a lot less price. But then I have a bias against BU as I had a sibling who attended BU 30 years ago who doesn't look at it fondly. But I do know schools like BU, NYU, USC have been trying to become more selective and give the Ivy's a run for their money. I do know this reputation hinges on the fact that they attract students with higher stats.
On the other hand many of the top state school including ones here in CA are becoming ALMOST as expensive as some private schools. They have state of the art recreation centers that have been funding by additional student "fees" making the schools more expensive. And from what I know it isn't possible to at most UC's to get a FULL MERIT scholarship. Instead the state gives top students some scholarships plus perks like early class registration, admission to 'honors' programs and classes, and special dorms. So if your really in the middle income area where you can't afford the state tuition but make too much to qualify for most financial aide AND you are a top student financially you are better off going to a private school that will give you a full ride.
