<p>Hey guys, so I’m now a college freshman at Cornell, but last year I got into Notre Dame EA only to find out it was much more religious than I had counted on. I know that BC is also ostensibly Catholic, but I’m not sure to what degree.</p>
<p>I’m not asking on behalf of myself, but rather for my sister’s sake. She’s a junior in high school right now, and the only schools which match what she’s looking for are BC, Tufts, and Brown, so this is important to her. </p>
<p>Basically I just want to know how seriously the school/students take this matter. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Speaking from personal experience and the experiences of relatives, ND is “more Catholic” than BC. However, you make it out to be a bad thing? Catholic institutions typically employ the most learned men and women to teach the brightest students in the nation. At BC, the Jesuit order demonstrates this. Professors at BC will typically have at least 12 years of education.</p>
<p>BC is around 70% Catholic students, but sometimes I feel like I know more non-Catholic students (Muslims, other Christians, Jews, atheists, etc.) than I do Catholic students. Notre Dame is definitely more Catholic (around 80%) and conservative than BC is. Jesuits tend to lean to the left. The good thing about BC in my opinion is if you want the religion, it’s here, but if you don’t, you really don’t have to do anything with it. The only requirement I guess would be two Theology courses but there are a number of options so you don’t need to study Catholic theology. A lot of the students who are “Catholic” don’t even practice the faith at all. So, basically, the “Catholicness” of BC should not be a turn off to anyone who don’t want much religion or who do.</p>
<p>I agree with GoldenDomer. The OP sounds like he and his family may have issues with the Catholic church. If that is the case, they may experience diffuculties at BC or any Catholic college. If you are offended by seeing crucifixes on classroom walls or people in clerical garb, you may want to go elsewhere. </p>
<p>A Jewish friend went to BC and got into many spirited debates about religion with her classmates and faculty members. She enjoyed being able to express her views and ended up learning a lot about Catholics and other religions.</p>
<p>Agreed tom. Catholic universities do require theology, and you know what? Most students will end up studying a religion other than Roman Catholicism. I have a Jewish friend that currently attends ND, and she is amazed by the openness of the university and the student body. My sister currently is pursuing Japanese and thus has studied Buddhism as well as other eastern theology. BC is very similar.</p>
<p>in regards to bluebayou- the priority list is this:
-university, not LAC
-fairly reputable
-in New England
-in a decent-sized city
-Not a tech school (MIT)
-Not impossibly hard to get into (Harvard, Yale)</p>
<p>@Colonization…have you seen Brown’s acceptance rate or increase in apps this year? Also, don’t think for one second BC or Tufts are safeties or necessarily matches for that matter. I’ve known of kids who got deferred EA to BC with over 2250s on their SATs and 3.9UW. My point is that from the list you gave, nothing is certain. I’d have your sister definitely add more options.</p>
<p>Last ime I checked, Brown (was next) to impossible to get into. And, given the economy, Tufts has gone back to its need-aware policy, which is great if you are full pay, but a negative if you need aid. BC’s stats are lower, but they tend to look for something else. (I was surprised at the high rank/2100/32’s that were WL’ed last year.)</p>
<p>But my point was that the culture of all three is extremely different, with BC being the odd-man out.</p>
<p>I love that one. Out of curiosity, what would you consider an example of a disreputable college? Perhaps those reprobates over at Holy Cross? ;)</p>
<p>As a non-Catholic at BC, I have encountered no problems with the religious culture on campus. I also considered ND when I was applying, but was turned off by the very strict parochial environment there, and instead found that I enjoyed the Jesuit ideals promoted by BC. </p>
<p>While the theology core is a bit annoying, it gave me a good opportunity to view the Bible as a book of literature, and respect the religious viewpoints of my classmates.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I went on the kairos retreat (which if anyone went to a catholic high school, I assume you have some idea of what it is). It focused on spirituality without relying on overwhelming Catholic themes, and I found it to be a fantastic occasion to look at my own religious views within the context of BC’s religious influences.</p>