<p>who went to admitted eagle day? We found it very helpful – the two department sessions that we attended were excellent. Also the alumni session, about what BC meant to them, brought to their lives, helped in their careers, etc. was really great. H and I still have concerns about the 3 year housing plan and how it is managed, but DD doesn’t seem concerned at all by this. She’s got BC at the top of her list now!!</p>
<p>i totally agree with you. i went to the poli sci lecture first and although it was quite dull (its impossible to make immigration engaging) the professor was clearly knowledgeable. i liked how BC made “mock classes” available to the students and parents. I learned a lot from the biology and pre-med presentations, and rather than intimidate me, they made me look forward to possibly pursuing a career in that field. the financial aid presentation was scary to be honest seeing all of those large numbers, but ive always known that BC was an expensive school anyway.
as for housing: i was guaranteed four years of housing so its not really a concern for me, but usually students live in apartments or study abroad for junior year to guarantee housing for senior year. it is difficult to find housing around bc so its best to start looking early. but you probably know all this already haha. truthfully i dont know how bc decides who gets 3 years and who gets 4 years, but only about 50% get 4 years while the rest of the enrolled students get 3 years.</p>
<p>Was this a recent figure you heard? In past years, far fewer than 50% of the students are granted four years of housing. Usually, though not always, athletes, minorities, students accepted into the honors program, and students who pay for a large portion of their tuition through Boston College’s financial aid program are granted four years of housing. Most everyone else is given three years.</p>
<p>At the residential life talk that I went to, they said that the top 15% of admitted students, full scholarship athletes, school of nursing students, and students with serious medical diagnoses get 4 years of housing. They also mentioned that the differential between beds on campus and number of students is about 1700. They have about 7300 beds and 9000 undergrads, so it’s the juniors that need to move off. Just by numbers, it looks like its more than half the juniors that need to move off.</p>
<p>Just fyi for everyone concerned about the housing, living off campus is not a big deal at BC. So many juniors live off campus that it just becomes a fun thing for juniors. I know some juniors who live on campus who wish that they lived off campus because they feel like all their friends have apartments. Don’t worry at all if you get 3 years, it shouldn’t affect your decision at all.
And I got 4 years, but I’m pretty sure I don’t fit those groups… I don’t really know how they decide, I always though it was random</p>
<p>I agree, 3 years of housing is no big deal and there is a good amount of housing around BC. We actually changed our apartment about a week before school started our junior year. Most people tend to live off campus junior year I believe. I know it sounds weird but that’s how BC is. I think there are few problems that exist around this issue.</p>
<p>Don’t let the housing issue be the deal breaker. Many, many juniors live off campus and there are plenty of apartments around, although the “good” ones get snatched up early. My D was given 4 years of housing (she didn’t fit into any of the “preferred” categories). At times during her junior year she wishes she had opted to live off campus, where many friends were and where all the fun seemed to be.</p>
<p>We also went to Admitted Eagle Day this weekend and thought it was really good. The lecture on the Viet Nam war given by the History professor was absolutely amazing. One comment he made was how polite, respectful and engaged in class the BC students were (different from his experience teaching at some other top schools).</p>
<p>My question is whether it is difficult for students to get into the classes they want? Forgot to ask it there but maybe some of you know.</p>
<p>My D did not find it too difficult to get into the classes she wanted. If she was closed out of a class, she just went directly to the professor and she was often able to get an “overide” into the class. Usually there was some shake-out during the add/drop period and seats opened up.</p>
<p>Off-campus housing is a good option, and many students enjoy their time away from the dorms. Just be aware that apartments tend to be booked well in advance of the coming lease term, housing in this area is generally extremely expensive, and students are responsible for subletting their apartment or paying the rest of the lease if they only live there for the school year, as opposed to the calendar year.</p>