I Didn't Like BC

I will share my somewhat similar experience with BC, and hopefully it will help you in some way. I toured BC late junior year, and wasn’t too crazy about it, but I figured I would apply anyways since it checked everything on my want-list for a college, and maybe I would have a change of heart later on ~foreshadowing. I applied early action, and come December I found out I was deferred (my stats were on the high end too), so I immediately disregarded it and crossed it off my list. But last minute, I decided to send in my new act score just to see if I would get in. In March, I found out I got in with 4 years housing (top 15%), but again, didn’t think I would actually go there. I happened to be in the Boston area during one of the accepted student weekends, which I attended, and it gave me a completely different feel then when I previously visited. The professors were amazing, the students welcoming, and just the feeling of the campus clicked with me this time around. I was also relieved when they stressed religion is only prevalent if you seek it yourself, since I also feared the school was too religious for me. So after visiting the rest of the colleges I was considering, I decided to commit to BC, which is where I will be attending in the fall.

I guess the point of my story is keep your options open. If you dreamed about going to BC your whole life, don’t let one bad visit keep you from applying. Worst comes to worst, you give it a second chance and still don’t like it there (or you get rejected). The best thing that I did was to keep pursuing it, even when I wasn’t completely sure about it.

When looking at colleges, it’s often tough for them to live up to high expectations. I kept telling my kids how nice Notre Dame was, and when they finally saw it they were not impressed.

I had always liked what I heard about North Carolina at Chapel Hill, & Bucknell, but was not blown away by either.

Sounds like you approached BC with sky-high expectations–maybe no college could live to expectations that high. So like other people have suggested, forget about it for now, but make a return visit in the fall, & try not to have any expectations, good or bad.

@privatebanker I am not willing to disclose the details of my situation but I will state it is closer to your second and third hypotheticals, though neither defines it properly or perfectly.

@GnocchiB That previous post was prior to a few key developments that I would not like to disclose.

@CatLover20

That’s Cool.

I think you would love it if given a chance. But no reason to force it if it doesn’t feel right. And it’s your life to live.

There’s no shortage of great schools.

And I love UMass Amherst. It’s got so much to offer and really good students. Tough school these days to get into compared to even ten years ago. And it was a really good public then. Gets a little overlooked because it’s the flagship in a small state with so many private elites like bc. And from the parents who remember what it was like in the 70s from a partying perspective. It’s not the same place. Ten years from now those memories will be replaced too with new parents of the 2000s

Do some research and find out why. Are the dorms unsafe? Do you know how much you would get back in financial aid? How much in student debt would be required? If it’s going to end up being over $30k, then you have your answer. Debt can cripple a career. If everything looks good on paper but you’re still uncomfortable, then no one is forcing you to go. Trust your instincts, say no and move on. You don’t owe an explanation to anyone. Just because you got accepted doesn’t mean it’s the right school for you.

OP:

As a parent, I’ve always recommended that kids visit a college and see if it feels like it could be ‘home’ for the next four years. But if you aren’t feeling it, you aren’t feeling it.

Your numbers are solid, but no slam dunk for BC (absent wealthy grandparents who make 7 figure donations). For example, ~85% of BC matriculants were in the top decile of their HS class. (You can assume much of that 15% is a recruited athlete and other hooked candidates.) As you are in the top 20%…so apply to make the parents happy, but note that the discussion with them might be moot.

on other threads, you’ve expressed an interest in all-women’s colleges and LACs, but your 'rents prefer a Uni. Definitely check out Barnard. Its a women’s LAC (meeting your goals), but with a Columbia University diploma (which your parents should appreciate). Definitely a reach, but might be worth an ED application. Do some research and see if there are any Barnard alums in your town that you might be able to meet with over coffee to discuss their experiences.

Good luck.

Congratulations! You know who you are and are trusting your instincts! Smart cookie! This is what “fit” is all about. Good for you. Follow your gut and go where the right fit is.

@CatLover20 , my question is what the heck is Simmons doing on your list? That’s a very weird choice for a fairly high-stats CS prospect who prefers a university setting.

If you want a good CS program and a university setting in Boston, you should be looking at Northeastern.

If you genuinely feel guilty about not liking it, visit again later. As someone who had that “gut feeling” that they didn’t like a school during their visit, I’m now extremely happy at that school and couldn’t imagine being elsewhere. I visited again in a completely different season, and loved it the second time. This may sound dumb, but environmental factors play a major role. Whether its the students you see, the weather of the day, or something else, many small factors contribute to give you that “gut feeling”. However, if you visit again and truly don’t like it, don’t stress about it, and definitely don’t try to rationalize going there. Because if you do, and end up unhappy, you’ll kick yourself for not trusting your gut.

Well said. CSOM is especially hard to get into. I’d like to see those stats.

What am I missing?

If you didn’t like it, don’t apply.
If you didn’t like it but think maybe you could, then apply. You can always say no.