I’m a senior at BC and I want to share some last-minute tips to ensure that all of you guys put your best foot forward in your application to BC (I also posted this on BC’s subreddit). I’m just a student and not on the admissions committee so take what I say with a grain of salt, and I’m open to feedback from other BC students if any of you disagree with what I think.
Tips:
- First, because it's most important - I would really encourage showing an understanding of Jesuit values in your BC supplement. The admissions committee has emphasized that they want people they think would be a good fit with the school, and what separates us from other schools is that we are a Jesuit institution. While it's certainly not required to explicitly mention "Jesuit ideals", I am very confident that the admissions committee would like to see something about either developing yourself as a whole person (cura personalis), being an agent of change in the world, or community service. Try to show an understanding of a broad and global world view, because it shows evidence of being an informed citizen and a future leader.
- The essay is only 400 words, so I would recommend making a one-sentence summary or thesis of your essay (I am/believe/want x because y) in your head and make sure that everything in your essay is relevant to that thesis. I've read a couple of supplements and think that a lot of essays have some irrelevant information that distracts from the main point and makes the essay less strong.
- This isn’t BC-specific, but try to include personal, specific moments as well as imagery in your writing. Also, try to include how something made you feel or what you gathered from something to make yourself more human to the admissions committee. So, for example, instead of writing something general or detached like: "volunteered at soup kitchen made me realize community service is important", try to think about a specific moment where you realized community service is important: "One time, an elderly gentleman at the soup kitchen thanked all of us volunteers profusely, telling us he hadn't eaten a full meal for the first time in days. His words of gratitude made me realize how fortunate I am to never have to worry about where my next meal is coming from and instilled in me a sense to give back to underprivileged individuals." I used the hypothetical example of a soup kitchen, but this applies to everything, what moments made you being the captain of your soccer team important? What specific events made you want to make a class on this? What moments in your background impacted made you become a person who thinks about the common good?
- Finally, it's not as vital as the previous points, but I'm sure that the admissions committee is aware of the lack of diversity that BC notoriously has. So, if you are not a straight, white, upper-middle-class Catholic applicant, I would encourage you tactfully include something about how your background has shaped what you want to do in the future. Obviously, don't stretch for how you are "diverse" and this won't make or break your application (most students are, at the end of the day, straight, white, upper-middle-class Catholics), but consider including it if this applies to you even if you don’t write the diversity essay.
I want to say that applying to BC was of the best decisions I ever made - even as a non-Catholic person of color, I’ve found BC to be a great home, even though it’s not perfect (no school is though). I think the sense of community BC has is very rare at an institution of our academic rigor, and I’ve found friends that I know will last a lifetime. BC has challenged me a lot, but that’s allowed me to grow tremendously as a person and I wouldn’t trade my experience here for any other school. Feel free to send me your supplements for more specific advice and let me know if you would like clarity on any of the tips. Best of luck in applying!
Edit: I also want to include some videos and quotes from people on the Admissions Committee, and I think these are worth a read/watch.
https://bcheights.com/2018/09/02/new-undergraduate-admissions-director-talks-yield-and-diversity/