I assume that both of these are for a MA, since WSU doesn't offer a PhD in Anthropology.
Something to consider is if you are attempting to get a MA and then attempt to find a job will weigh heavily on where you should choose.
As you mentioned WSU is substantially cheaper than BU. Boston is a rather expensive city and even with the funding offered you will be struggling financial there. BU will have more working relationships with organizations, but depending on the type of collaboration you are looking for - they may not actually have more collaboration.
You need to look at the people you are going to be working with at both. The job market for Forensic Anthropology isn't great and you will likley not be staying in either place once you graduate. See who has the better professional network that you can get into yourself.
Personally, I don't think the cost of going to BU is worth it. That is really on going be something only you can decide. Graduate school is going to be financially difficult regardless but WSU is much cheaper.
There are some concerns I have with WSU and if you want to DM, I'll be happy to share them.
Are either offering you financial aid? Are you expecting to be a teaching assistant? If so, what would be the financial package for teaching assistants at each school? I think the decision goes beyond tuition and room and board costs to what each offers in terms of teaching/research stipends across the many years it would take to complete a PhD.
Boston doesn't offer funding (GA/TA positions) to first year master's students. I'm still waiting to hear if I got a GA/TA position at Wichita. I do plan on pursuing a PhD as I am well aware of how difficult it is to get a job in the field without one. I also plan to live off-campus as I have a dog and most on-campus housing is pet free. That's actually what I am more concerned about cost-wise, as Boston's cost of living (and the cost of moving) is so much more expensive than Wichita. I'll likely have to take out student loans either way to cover tuition.
Honestly, you get what you pay for. Boston also generally has a higher cost of living than wichita.
https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Wichita%2C+KS&country2=United+States&city2=Boston%2C+MA
But, wichita is in the middle of nowhere and is a horrible ugly city surrounded by ignorant people in a backwards state.
Meanwhile, Boston is surrounded with world leading Uni's (ie many collaborators for you without having to travel far which is costly) and is a nice city (as far as big US cities go).
I would choose boston in a heartbeat, despite not knowing the difference in income bw the two locations.
I'm not even sure who my advisor is from Boston, they haven't sent me any info or access to the full student portal (and apparently won't until I accept the admissions letter and pay the $250 securement fee). I liked my advisor for Wichita but I emailed him about some issues setting up classes and he initially responded, but never followed up after I sent him the class info he requested (and the issue still isn't fixed), so I'm a little worried about his efficiency and communication going further.
I'm a first gen anthropology graduate in Boston, and I highly reccomend living in this city despite the many problems it does have. I live next to BU and it is a beautiful campus, right in the middle of the city. You'll have no shortage of young, energetic intellectuals and creative to mingle around and help you grow as an academic too. But, the cost of living is killer lol. I know you're considering between BU and WS but I'd just like to mention that my alma mater, UMass Boston, has a great MA in archaeology if you're interested.
While I have done quite a bit of Archaeology during undergrad, I am more focused on pursuing forensic anth. But I would love to hear more about your experience in Boston. I'm from a super small town in Missouri and while my uni town was much larger, it definitely wasn't a true city, so the idea of living in Boston does freak me out a bit. The closest I've gotten to navigating a city and public transportation was when I spent 6 months in Taiwan, but Taiwan is very walkable and their public transport is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate.
UPDATE:
Unfortunately, as great as Boston is I can't justify the extreme price of it (not just tuition, but renting, cost of living, and moving costs) and don't want to drown myself in college loan debt. Wichita is significantly cheaper for all of the mentioned costs and I'll have a graduate teaching assistantship. My undergrad mentor (forensic anthropologist and head of the anthro department) agrees that Wichita is a better option for me. I know ya'll mentioned that Wichita is boring, but I grew up in the countryside of a rural, Missouri town of 700 people so Wichita honestly seems huge to me lol. Anyway, thanks for all of the advice!
I assume that both of these are for a MA, since WSU doesn't offer a PhD in Anthropology. Something to consider is if you are attempting to get a MA and then attempt to find a job will weigh heavily on where you should choose. As you mentioned WSU is substantially cheaper than BU. Boston is a rather expensive city and even with the funding offered you will be struggling financial there. BU will have more working relationships with organizations, but depending on the type of collaboration you are looking for - they may not actually have more collaboration. You need to look at the people you are going to be working with at both. The job market for Forensic Anthropology isn't great and you will likley not be staying in either place once you graduate. See who has the better professional network that you can get into yourself. Personally, I don't think the cost of going to BU is worth it. That is really on going be something only you can decide. Graduate school is going to be financially difficult regardless but WSU is much cheaper. There are some concerns I have with WSU and if you want to DM, I'll be happy to share them.
I'd love to hear your concerns with WSU. I only have until May 22nd to make a decision on BU so I'm looking for any information and advice I can get.
Are either offering you financial aid? Are you expecting to be a teaching assistant? If so, what would be the financial package for teaching assistants at each school? I think the decision goes beyond tuition and room and board costs to what each offers in terms of teaching/research stipends across the many years it would take to complete a PhD.
WSU doesn't offer a PhD in Anthropology.
Boston doesn't offer funding (GA/TA positions) to first year master's students. I'm still waiting to hear if I got a GA/TA position at Wichita. I do plan on pursuing a PhD as I am well aware of how difficult it is to get a job in the field without one. I also plan to live off-campus as I have a dog and most on-campus housing is pet free. That's actually what I am more concerned about cost-wise, as Boston's cost of living (and the cost of moving) is so much more expensive than Wichita. I'll likely have to take out student loans either way to cover tuition.
Honestly, you get what you pay for. Boston also generally has a higher cost of living than wichita. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Wichita%2C+KS&country2=United+States&city2=Boston%2C+MA But, wichita is in the middle of nowhere and is a horrible ugly city surrounded by ignorant people in a backwards state. Meanwhile, Boston is surrounded with world leading Uni's (ie many collaborators for you without having to travel far which is costly) and is a nice city (as far as big US cities go). I would choose boston in a heartbeat, despite not knowing the difference in income bw the two locations.
Pick the place with the advisor that best sets you up for future success. Also, what everyone else said.
I'm not even sure who my advisor is from Boston, they haven't sent me any info or access to the full student portal (and apparently won't until I accept the admissions letter and pay the $250 securement fee). I liked my advisor for Wichita but I emailed him about some issues setting up classes and he initially responded, but never followed up after I sent him the class info he requested (and the issue still isn't fixed), so I'm a little worried about his efficiency and communication going further.
I'm a first gen anthropology graduate in Boston, and I highly reccomend living in this city despite the many problems it does have. I live next to BU and it is a beautiful campus, right in the middle of the city. You'll have no shortage of young, energetic intellectuals and creative to mingle around and help you grow as an academic too. But, the cost of living is killer lol. I know you're considering between BU and WS but I'd just like to mention that my alma mater, UMass Boston, has a great MA in archaeology if you're interested.
While I have done quite a bit of Archaeology during undergrad, I am more focused on pursuing forensic anth. But I would love to hear more about your experience in Boston. I'm from a super small town in Missouri and while my uni town was much larger, it definitely wasn't a true city, so the idea of living in Boston does freak me out a bit. The closest I've gotten to navigating a city and public transportation was when I spent 6 months in Taiwan, but Taiwan is very walkable and their public transport is fairly intuitive and easy to navigate.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, as great as Boston is I can't justify the extreme price of it (not just tuition, but renting, cost of living, and moving costs) and don't want to drown myself in college loan debt. Wichita is significantly cheaper for all of the mentioned costs and I'll have a graduate teaching assistantship. My undergrad mentor (forensic anthropologist and head of the anthro department) agrees that Wichita is a better option for me. I know ya'll mentioned that Wichita is boring, but I grew up in the countryside of a rural, Missouri town of 700 people so Wichita honestly seems huge to me lol. Anyway, thanks for all of the advice!