Current BC Sophomore Answering Questions

<p>I will try to help and answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability. Questions can range from admissions, housing, or virtually any other topic.</p>

<p>when is parents weekend for class 2017</p>

<p>I have to admit that I did google this.</p>

<p>[Parents</a>’ Weekend - Boston College](<a href=“Home - Alumni & Friends - Boston College”>Home - Alumni & Friends - Boston College)</p>

<p>So they said they would announce it in February so my guess is that it should be determined any day now.</p>

<p>Why did you choose Boston College? What other colleges were you looking at?</p>

<p>Also, when did you find out (if you remember) and what did your acceptance package look like?</p>

<p>I heard that there is a lot of segregation at Boston College, in the sense that black people only talk to black people, white people to white people etc. Is this true?</p>

<p>kbhatt:
My decision to attend BC was primarily based on my desire to escape my comfort zone (in California) and go away to college. I was looking for a school with a good academic reputation, a reputable athletic program, and a student body that resembled my personality. Other colleges I was looking at included Duke (accepted), Vanderbilt (accepted), Notre Dame (waitlisted), Georgetown (waitlisted), and Dartmouth (denied). Personally, I would like to think that I made the right decision as I visited a few of my high school friends at Vandy and ND and didn’t get the same feel as I did with BC (but of course that varies for everyone and I am certainly biased). As far as my acceptance package went, it came in the larger 8.5x11 envelopes as opposed to the regular business-sized envelopes that they used for deferrals and rejections. I was an EA applicant and got my acceptance right around December 15. Hope that helps!</p>

<p>Jamaicancokid:
Honestly, I am pretty surprised at how large the white majority is at BC (not that it’s a bad thing it’s just a fact). However, I don’t really feel that this limits interactions betweens races. While initially similar races may feel naturally more comfortable with each other, my experience has been one in which different racial groups have interacted with others without any difficulties (in fact, my freshman roommate was black although I suppose that was more of a forced relationship). Put simply, I think other races don’t have any problems with the other and that differences in race don’t affect the social scene at all, however, it is likely true that races “stick together” purely for the sense of comfort. Of course I am speculating but that is just my opinion. </p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

<p>Thank you. It does help. Also, did you live on Newton or Upper and do you know much about the Carroll school? I’m sorry, but I may have quite a few questions</p>

<p>Hey! So, I know obviously BC is a catholic school but I was wondering truly how intensely Catholic it feels. I am a Lutheran and am not opposed to attending a Catholic school (my general feeling towards Catholic/Lutheran thing is that there’s just one heaven not one for Catholics and one for Lutherans) however, I know that there are some differences and I don’t want to be smothered in Catholicism so I was wondering if you feel like the Catholic roots of the school are ever too pushy or overwhelming?</p>

<p>Jamaicancokid:
No worries, I am happy to help answer any questions because I know that I had a ton when I was applying. I lived on Newton campus my freshman year and while it’s safe to say that Upper is definitely the better housing for freshman, Newton is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Living on Newton is actually nice in the sense that it’s easier to meet a wider range of people which is very important as a freshman. The down side is obviously taking a bus to and from main campus but it really was a minor inconvenience and I prefer it to making the hike back up to upper after a long day. As far as the Carroll school goes (which everyone calls CSOM), I know that it’s ranked in the top 10 of undergrad business schools and would advise you to apply there if interested even remotely because it is much easier to transfer out of the business school than trying to internally transfer in. For the current class of 2016, CSOM was heavily over-enrolled due to an abnormally large yield so that may affect admissions stats for the Class of 2017 but I am not positive. Personally, I am in A&S (Arts and Sciences) and find it totally fine and you are allowed to take various courses in CSOM even if you are not in that school. There is a bit of an underlying friendly rivalry between A&S and CSOM which is kind of funny but essentially irrelevant. I could probably go on so let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to know.</p>

<p>KS1996KS:
That is actually a really good question and I’m glad you asked. While Boston College is a Catholic (Jesuit) University, the stigma of religion is mainly behind the scenes and is by no means forced on you. Basically, if you would like to participate in religious affiliated events (Mass, retreats, etc.) they are totally voluntary and you will have to seek them out. If you attend BC, you will not be subjected to mandatory Masses or other obligatory religious events so the Catholic roots of the school are certainly neither pushy not overwhelming, in fact, quite the opposite as far as my experience goes.</p>

<p>Thank you! That’s great to hear :)</p>

<p>Thanks, I’d like to know what the evenings are like there lol. Are there a lot of activities to take part in? What’s the party scene like for freshmen?</p>

<p>Sure thing. As far as activities go, either the UGBC (student government), your RA, or a program called “Nights on the Heights” will host various events every weekend. As far as the party scene goes, most lowerclassmen only go out on Fridays and Saturdays (BC students typically follow the work hard, play hard mantra). If you are a freshman girl you will have a much easier time finding and getting into parties as opposed to being a freshman guy which will make things much more difficult unless you know somebody or have a good guy:girl ratio (1:3 is the norm). Most freshmen will “party” in the dorms due to the fact there is no substantial Greek presence at the school although others may find opportunities off-campus, in the mods, or in other upperclassman housing. Basically, it will be tough as a freshman because you won’t find any “ragers” in the dorms and the RA’s can be stricter on freshmen. My advice would be to join some kind of sport, club, or other organization that can get you connected with upperclassmen because that will make the “party scene” much much better.
The funny thing is that the party scene at BC is pretty prevalent but also pretty well disguised unless you know the right people.
As far as non-weekend evenings go as a freshmen, the majority of your class will likely not be going out. If you are a pre-med student, you can pretty much forget about having a social life.</p>

<p>Just wanted to say, this is all great info alphabeat, thanks!</p>

<p>How would you say athletics are viewed at BC? Are the varsity athletes arrogant, and are they revered/scorned? Do they do the classwork like everyone else? And is there a lot of school spirit when it comes to athletics attendance?</p>

<p>Glad I can help.</p>

<p>I might not be the best person to answer this question because I am a varsity athlete and am likely biased but I’ll give it a shot. Generally, BC athletics are well-respected nationally. This past year, our football team was dismal, but hopefully since we hired a new head coach things will turn around because we’ve been really good in recent years. For basketball, the upcoming years should be exciting as our team of nearly all freshman this year is in the middle of the ACC. I don’t think I really need to talk too much about hockey because they’re ridiculously good and it’s become the norm to “expect” a national championship from them. I’m going to move on so I apologize if I left out a sport you are interested in. Varsity athletes have their own, unique social scene because they spend so much time together playing their sport. Per my experience, it is extremely rare to find an arrogant athlete and most of us are just regular guys and girls who are above the curve when it comes to hitting a baseball, shooting hoops, etc. As far as class work goes, all varsity athletes take the same required classes and have the same word load as everyone else with the exception that we have an “exclusive” academic tutoring facility and most sports require a certain amount of study hours there (they don’t do your work for you if you’re wondering haha). As a side note, I find it funny that the majority of the football team is enrolled in CSOM. In terms of the school spirit, almost everyone goes to the football games (at least the tailgates) and almost everyone goes to the hockey games and the spirit is easily visible. Basketball has not had relatively high attendance on average but I can definitely see that changing in the near future with their promising outlook for future years.</p>

<p>Hope that helps and keep the questions coming…it gives me an excuse to take a break from school work haha.</p>

<p>EDIT: Forgot to mention that I dont think most athletes are really highly revered and they are definitely not scorned. However, the men’s hockey team is the exception to that rule and girls go absolutely head over heels for them.</p>

<p>How rigorous are the academics at BC? Comparative to high school preferably, given that’s where I am right now :)</p>

<p>Probably the most relevant question of all.</p>

<p>As far as freshman year is concerned, you will likely spend the majority of your class schedule fulfilling the core requirements and taking the introductory level courses to your prospective major. Generally speaking, the typical BC student (background in AP courses, high test score, good grades, etc.) will not struggle their freshman year which can be largely accredited to the professors who do an exceptional job at acclimating the first-year students to the pace and difficulty of college level work. Personally, I didn’t find it very difficult to make the transition and the only friends of mine that did find it difficult were bad at managing their time.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, in college you will have a lot more work, but also a lot more time to complete it. Your professors will give you a syllabus on the first day of classes with the dates for all major assignments, readings, homework, etc. so it essentially becomes your job to set time aside. Also, you really can’t BS your way through college because the professors are way too well read and have been doing this far too long to fall for our tricks.</p>

<p>If admissions determines that you are worthy of acceptance, they are basically telling you that they are confident you can handle the work.</p>

<p>Thanks so much! That’s encouraging to hear!!</p>

<p>I was accepted EA to CSOM but not Honors. Is it possible that as other Honors EA students choose not attend BC that I may move my way up “the list” to Honors? It’s not very clear to me how the decision is made. Thanks.</p>

<p>Alphabeat this thread is so helpful!</p>

<p>I’m currently anxiously waiting for my letter from BC. I have three questions for you:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Do you know anything about the ROTC units on campus?</p></li>
<li><p>I read an article that conducted a survey and found that women that attend BC are less confident when they graduate then they were before their 4 years, yet the men graduate more confident then they were. Have you ever noticed or experienced anything at BC that would coincide with these findings?</p></li>
<li><p>If I am accepted, I will be making a choice between the Honors College at FSU and BC. FSU is an in-state school for me and with the scholarship I received from the school and Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship tuition would be next to nothing. For this reason, my parents have promised me a new car if I choose to go there. BC, on the other hand, would be more of a struggle to afford. My family and I could make it work, but it would not be easy. Is BC worth it for an undergraduate degree?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you again for opening yourself up to help out all of the prospective and hopeful students out there like myself!!</p>