Boston University Reviews

For all the benefits they tout about working at a huge institution, it actually ends up getting in the way of career growth. There is no clarity on titles or career trajectory. Unless you have a direct supervisor/department lead that knows how to navigate the HR system, and is persistent, it can be difficult to get promotions or raises. Pay is extremely low considering the true cost of living in the Boston area. The expectation for staff to be on campus 3 days a week without proper pay to actually live near the most expensive areas of town proves how out of touch they are. Turnover is frequent. Tuition remission is nice but complicated to navigate unless you are pursuing a specific degree program. But the parental leave policy needs to be reformed. Four months is nowhere near enough time and the cost of childcare makes it impossible to continue working at BU with such a low salary. They should know from the cost of their own on-campus childcare (which comes with a lengthy waitlist). Read the fine print/do the math before you decide if the benefits balance the low salary. Also if they truly believed in DEI, they would pay their employees better. You're never going to attract diverse talent through low salaries in Boston.

No institutional plan for professional growth, promoting from within not a part of culture, salaries low compared to local schools and much lower compared to industry, minimal cost of living increases instead of performance-based raises, excessively hierarchical in structure and thinking, staff discouraged from thinking creatively or showing initiative because of a lot of very insecure, entrenched director-level and above staff who primarily serve the appearance of their value to the executive leadership. As at most universities, staff are at the bottom of the totem pole at BU and are openly considered expendable and easily replaceable.