Does BC require first year students to live on campus?

<p>I saw a statistic somewhere (I don’t remember where, so it may have been false) that said that almost 99% of Boston College first-year students live on campus. Does that imply that it’s required, or is it just really really popular? (if it’s even a true fact) I’m worried because, although I like the idea of being able to hang out with other students, I don’t know if I would be able to focus on my studies entirely if I lived on campus in my first year. I was planning on waiting until my 3rd-4th year to move on campus. </p>

<p>Also, if one were to transfer from a junior college and enter as an undergraduate sophomore or junior, would they still have to live in freshman housing? </p>

<p>@cmdrshe- I would agree that approximately 99% of BC freshman live on campus. I did not know of a single freshman that lived off of campus. It makes it very difficult in terms of a social life. Also, transfer students are only given housing based on availability. I highly doubt a transferring junior would be put into a freshman dorm. </p>

<p>@cmdrshe‌ </p>

<p>If your focus is to spend your college years “heads-down” in your studies, is BC really the place you want to apply to?</p>

<p>Can you answer the question “Why do you want to go to BC?” </p>

<p>@jpm50‌ </p>

<p>Yes. It’s in the location I’m looking for, and has an excellent liberal arts/business program, especially when you consider it’s relatively low tuition and higher acceptance rate. </p>

<p>Your comment seems to go against what I’ve already heard about BC. Are you implying that it’s a “party school” or something? I’m not trying to seem confrontational. I have just heard from many others that it’s a quieter campus and most students are sociable, but still academically focused.</p>

<p>@cmdrshe‌<br>
If the BC adcoms read your application and see you want to go there primarily because of it’s location, what will they think? Instead, (if you’re serious about BC), how about if you read up on the school and all that it has to offer - so that when you fill out your application, the adcoms will read it and say “wow, this person would make a great addition to our student body.”</p>

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<p>@jpm50‌
Honestly, my research thus far has been pretty preliminary. I’m only a junior in the fall. Is there anything specific you suggest that I look into? I’ve looked into the different student activities they offer a little bit, but I don’t know where to go from there. Would showing an interest in something (their school paper, literary magazine, etc.) improve my chances, you think?</p>

<p>I may not be the most informed person, but BC students typically are paying ~$28,000 yearly with financial aid. They have one of the top liberal arts programs in MA (Which is what I mean by ‘prime location’. I’m moving to Mass within the next year or so, and I’m going to attend in-state.) and their acceptance rate, while selective, is better than most of the other ‘elite’ programs that the area has to offer. Like I said, though, this is based off of a little over 2 weeks of statewide research. </p>

<p>I don’t really want to avoid the student-life experience, per se. I’m just somewhat concerned because I’m homeschooled, so I haven’t had much of an opportunity to learn how to juggle education and a social life. I don’t know how well I would do if I had to adapt to a new learning environment along with a new social environment. I’m actually really favorable towards living on-campus during my first year. Homeschooling can get pretty lonely. I was just wondering how much flexibility I would have.</p>

<p>BC used to have a few students who were local and lived at home – presumably for financial reasons. However, over the past few years, [nearly] everyone lived on campus first year.</p>

<p>BC only puts Frosh into Frosh dorms. Transfers are usually grouped together so that they can bond. Not all Frosh are assured of four-years of on campus housing – approximately half of Juniors live off campus, and then return to campus for Senior year.</p>

<p>Be careful of BC’s average costs. More than half of students are full pay. OTOH, many do receive need-based aid. You should run the financial calculator to see if you might receive need-based aid. (BC only offers a few merit scholarships.)</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>@cmdrshe‌:
As bluebayou noted, be careful of thinking BC will only cost you around $28K/year. In spite of their financial aid (which helps many), if you read through the “BC decision threads” for past years, you’ll see many heartbroken replies from those who were accepted to BC, only to discover they could not afford it. Do your homework ahead of time.</p>

<p>Only you can decide if you’re able to juggle the academic workload and the student-life experience. BC is an awesome school, and the academics is only a part of that.</p>

<p>I think the OP may be slightly confused when it comes to being in-state for BC. They offer no favoritism to MA residents nor do they offer a tuition discount. I would really suggest you dont count your eggs before they hatch. The BC admission process is difficult enough, 28% for the class of 2018 is nothing to sneeze at. Also I have heard many stories about students who thought they were hopeful for the fin aid package and got screwed. My advice would be don’t really focus on picking a school so early in High School, keep your grades up, perform well on the SAT/ACT and begin to build a stellar EC resume. Then at the end of this year decided where your scores/grades match up.</p>

<p>BC doesn’t <em>require</em> you to live on campus during freshman year. I know because I did live off campus freshman year. However, doing so is definitely against the norm, and in fact they automatically charge you for room & board, which you have to appeal. But they don’t officially require it, unlike some colleges.</p>