<p>Besides a cross in most classrooms, and a few priests around, I saw zero Catholic impact in my years at BC. There are lots of Jewish professors, and even the professors who are Christian didn’t push an agenda. People smoked pot; people got drunk; people had sex; people got in fights; people were catty, just like at any other college.</p>
<p>“There are lots of Jewish professors, and even the professors who are Christian didn’t push an agenda.”</p>
<p>There is no real need to push any agenda when 70% of the students believe in that agenda is there?</p>
<p>“People smoked pot; people got drunk; people had sex; people got in fights; people were catty, just like at any other college.”</p>
<p>Catholics tend to drink, have sex and get into fights Schmaltz. We may be religious, but we are also human. </p>
<p>Schmaltz, I don’t understand why people are so defensive when it comes to admitting certain things. I guess it is taboo stating that religion plays a role on campus. BC is Jesuit is it not? 70% of the students at BC are Catholic are their not? The university is run by a Jesuit Priest is it not? How can all of this be true and yet, as you and mom2collegekids suggest, there be no sign of Catholithism on campus? </p>
<p>Now, the OP has said that he does not mind if the campus has a mild presence of Catholithism in it, and since at BC, it is indeed mild (that we can agree on), BC shouldn’t be a problem. </p>
<p>Back to the OP’s question, should he wish to work in the East Coast after graduating from college, I would recommend BC. On the other hand, if he is returning to Europe after his one year in the US, it doesn’t matter which school he goes to as both offer an excellent, well-rounded college experience and neither really has a huge following in Europe.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much… This is really helpful. Thank you Schmaltz for the comparison, cool that you went to both schools! The religion issue doesn’t bother me too much, since it has a mild presence on campus as most of you have stated.</p>
<p>@ Alexandre I don’t know yet if I want to work in the US after graduating from college. I’ve always had some dreams about living in the US after college though. So I guess I’m going to find out during my stay whether or not I like living there. Do you think one or two semesters at BC (or Iowa) would improve my chances of getting a good job there? I mean it’s only some courses and will not get a degree there…</p>
<p>I personally prefer living in Europe, but the US is a great place for fresh college grads.</p>
<p>If you want to work in the East Coast (Boston, NYC, DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore etc…), BC is a better bet. In the Midwest (Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, St Louis, Minneapolis, Indianapolis etc…), Iowa will have more clout. Anywhere else in the US, both schools would serve you relatively well, but neither has a strong national reputation. </p>
<p>This said, as you pointed out, it is difficult to say how much spending one year in the US will help. You will obviously mention your academic experience in the US, but beyond that, I would recommend youtry to get an internship in the US at the end of (or between) your two semesters.</p>
<p>I would agree with most of what Alexandre said, as both are great schools and each do have their differences. Belgian if you would like to reside in the USA upon graduation it is true that BC will have more prestige on the east coast, and Iowa within the midwest. Though I also must say both would prepare you greatly for any graduate school ( if that is a option) which in turn may also have its prestige regionally. I myself have applied to Iowa and would be able to provide more information on that school but I do know both are great locations for a college student ( as Schmaltz also indicated).</p>
<p>Okay, well I don’t know much about BC like I said before, but it sounds like history would be the same in both schools. Iowa’s definitely known for their Writers Workshop, and their medical school. So, fairly equal I’d say. I think it really comes down to what YOU want. It is true that you could visit more places if you went to BC, Iowa is in the midwest, and there aren’t many big tourism cities out here – BUT if you don’t plan to travel here in the US, then I wouldn’t let that affect your decision of course.</p>
<p>Suggest checking out both schools on students review dot com. You may want to read the posts and see what you think.</p>
<p>Alexandre, I’ve attended 8 colleges (Leicester Junior College, Boston College, Indiana U., Iowa, Central Michigan, Chaminade U of Honolulu (Catholic), U of Toronto, and U of St. Andrews), and have taught at 4 more (all non-Catholic). So I’m pretty familiar with how things feel at Catholic colleges and how they feel at non-Catholic colleges. When I was at Boston College, I was in my rebel period, and was not religious at all. I never went to mass, and was quite wary of anybody trying to push their religion on me. The main reason I went to BC was that they didn’t require a foreign language–its Catholicism neither attracted me or repelled me. And I’m very honest when I tell you that the experience there was not significantly different from the non-Catholic schools I attended. I had several priests for professors, but they didn’t have a Catholic agenda, and some wore just regular clothing.</p>