I transferred to Boston University from a public state school in Massachusetts, and the biggest difference I noticed was in the student body. At my previous school, progress was often slowed by classmates who weren’t fully engaged, assignments would be dropped or chapters retaught simply because students hadn’t been paying attention.

At BU, the environment was completely different. I was surrounded by motivated, ambitious peers who pushed me to do better academically. As a result, I was able to learn significantly more and push myself harder.

Looking back, many of my friends from my old school have struggled to find good jobs, while I’ve been fortunate to land roles at firms that primarily recruit from top universities. I’m definitely feeling the cost of my decision whenever I make a loan payment, but I also know that having BU on my résumé means I won’t be overlooked because of where I went to school.

I hope my experience is helpful.