<p>No, it’s not the same. Students spend most of their time on campus, and when they need health services it’s typically very easy for them to find and get themselves to the campus health center, which also has hours and easy walk-in appointment schedules tailored to students’ needs. There’s a reason colleges and universities don’t just leave it to students to fend for themselves in the general marketplace for a broad array of health services. Of course students are free to go off-campus for health services if they prefer; but colleges know more students will avail themselves of health services that are provided right on campus, because of the convenience factor, because the information and search costs are lower, and sometimes because the cost is lower. I frankly don’t want my daughters to be at a school where contraception and reproductive health services are segregated from other health services, pushed off-campus, and thereby made more inconvenient and possibly more expensive. A question of personal preference, perhaps, but to my mind not a trivial one.</p>
<p>The Jesuit presence on the BC campus has not disappeared. On the contrary, in the year 2007-2008 there are 37 Jesuits who work full-time at Boston College: 24 teaching in different faculties and 13 serving in administrative positions. Some 65 Jesuits live at St. Mary’s Hall, while others live in small community groups at Barat House (Newton Campus), Roberts House (Beacon Street), Rici House (Quincy Road), and at other nearby residences. In addition to the members of the regular community, there are some 23 Jesuit graduate students from various foreign countries, as well as a number of visiting Jesuit scholars from other institutions. Altogether this community of 95 Jesuits is one of the largest at any college or university in the world. </p>
<p>Georgetown is most secular followed by Holy Cross while ND run by the Holy Cross fathers has more religious feel. HC and ND have the strongest alumni networks with alumni giving rates and endowment per student higher than Georgetown and the rest of the Catholic schools.</p>
<p>No one can stop someone from having birthcontrol, they just don’t give it out, Stonehill is like that too. I remember a student being surprised by that. I wouldn’t expect a Catholic college to give out condoms (although some may) you have to realize they adhere to some values being a Catholic college in hopefully good standing.</p>
<p>Holy Cross is more kind to gay students, allowing them to have funded clubs and groups, BC doesn’t. I was surprised by that when a Dad with a gay son at BC pointed that out and showed me a link comparing the two. It might not matter to many but I liked that they were welcoming and backed it up.</p>
<p>Since Boston College and Holy Cross are both run by the same group (the New England Province of the Jesuits) and they are located only 40 miles from each other in Massachusetts, it would be quite surprising if there are any significant cultural or policy differences between the two institutions.</p>
<p>Yes, Catholic colleges do not have the same policies as secular colleges and, surprise, they tend to be majority Catholic. If that bothers an applicant or a parent, they are free not to attend. Georgetown, BC, ND etc. offer few academic programs that are not available elsewhere.</p>