[BU or BC PhD]

BU seems very snobby and they don't have the greatest reputation. I once called the English Department to get information about applying to the program after being out of school for several years (and working as a lawyer in Boston). The woman on the phone was fantastically rude and kept preceding all of her useless advice with the phrase "reality check." The real reality check is that US news and world report ranks them around 60th. I don't know much about BC, but they have to be better. Tufts has a pretty good reputation too. They are ranked a little higher and professors and administrators were very nice in responding to my questions and even offered to let me sit in on classes.