I got admitted to BC recently, which I am quite excited about. However, BC does have a certain reputation as very preppy and sports/party focused. This obviously sounds fun, but I am wondering what current/former students have to say regarding the intellectual climate. Are good discussions held outside of the classroom? Do you meet a good number of students who are “intellectuals”. I want to have fun and learn in the classroom, but having an intellectually stimulating college experience is also really important to me. Thanks for any thoughts.
I can only tell you that whatever you are used to in high school, be prepared to work like you’d never done before.
The sports side of things is a fun distraction. Women’s lacrosse. Men and Women’s hockey and football. Hoops for some. Great fitness center and dancing for dancers.
Weekends kids blow off steam. Same everywhere. But Sunday afternoon thru Friday afternoon. Everyone is studying. Perhaps juniors and seniors enjoy their Thrusdays’s on occasion too.
There no frats. Many dorms have a rep for pretty tough ra and rd related to parties and definately noise and larger groups.
It’s more of a club place for many. The only difference from a u Chicago type is how much the Jesuit tradition to service to others imbues itself into the activities. Appa. Kairos. Other service spring break and core that includes opportunities to help in the Boston community.
I think it’s a perfect mix. I’ve seen it first hand. My d was a 4.0uw val of her exam school with the 1520 35act type scores and 14aps. She’s been pushed and challenged by the academics in a big way.
But they do have time for fun. Yes football saturdays are huge and for some it includes a few beers. It’s a college. Lol.
Student feedback is useful but they can only attend one school at a time. You don’t know what it’s like at other schools. It’s speculation. As a parent I have a bit more perspective and specific data. Still my interpretation but compared to some other personal experiences it’s been pretty clear that you will work at BC. Moreso than some of the other top schools I know directly.
Good luck.
Anyone who followed the Brett Kavanaugh hearings for his Supreme Court nomination and heard reports of his antics and the parties at Yale knows that this stuff goes on at all colleges. Google drugs on campus. Williams and Conn College show up on the list of druggies colleges. Lots of ntellectuals at these schools and others like them, but also lots of immature adolescents.
So much of chance goes into this. If a kid wants to study and his roommates don’t, that’s a problem. That happened to my niece at BC, but my daughter did not have that problem there. It can be the luck of the draw.
Happened to my D too, but she soon found her peeps. Hung out with suite mates on occasion when she had free time, or just met with a study buddies in a campus academic building. Best of both worlds. She graduated pbk, so it worked out for her.
IMO, BC was more intellectual that my son’s Ivy, but perhaps that was just the difference between the two kids and majors.
fwiw: I see in you other posts that you might be considering a LAC. As a mid-sized Uni, BC offers many grad programs which are open to undergrads; for someone who is looking for an intellectual challenge, taking Grad classes is a nice step up. Or double major, adding Philosophy, a Jesuit strength.