How to Answer the "Why BC?" Question

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

Dear Readers : Since it has been quiet on the board recently, I thought today would be a good chance to share some material that might help some upcoming applicants answer the question that I always pose : “Why BC?”

In many of the reviews and articles that I have published over the years (hard to believe that we are coming up to the start of year number eight), our readers have seen the “Why BC?” question asked over and over. Boston College knows that it is a wonderful institution with a great faculty, great libraries, and great students. The “Why BC?” question is not intended to allow you to answer why you want to attend Boston College. Instead, it is asked to allow you to explain why Boston College is BETTER because they accept you.

These video links help you see a cross-section of Boston College’s communities. What do you see that excites you? Where do you want to contribute? More importantly, what do you want to make better? Think about it since this is a critical question in the application process.

BC Funk : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oVeZC4Stzg

BC Shake It Off : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RF-cDH-Uy8

BC Happy : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_8I_w5v18I

Do these videos inspire or intimidate? Do you think “I want to be a part of those groups” or do you think “I could never do that” (yes, you can and you will!).

2

As a sidenote to @scottj 's post, a large proportion of BC students aren’t too supportive of BC funk. To quote Douglas Adams, “This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” Not that the admissions office shares the same view, but I would personally advise people refrain from mentioning that particular music video in your essay. It won’t exactly impede your chances of admission of you do, but, I mean, c’mon, it’s not that great.

To elaborate on the actual topic of the essay though, I personally feel that service history is a huge plus because it aligns so well with BC’s Jesuit ideals of service and using your strengths for the benefit of others. I personally wrote about my 2 year internship at the Make A Wish Foundation and strongly believe it played a significant role in my admission in itself. It’s obviously not the only thing that could be seen by the admission staff as a demonstration of your fit with BC, but it’s definitely a safer bet than other topics I’d say.

Good luck with writing your essays and feel free to pm me for any further elaboration or guidance. I’m sure the same could be said for @scottj , who I’m sure would like to hear from you, considering he took the time out of his day to write this post.