Newton vs Upper

I’m sure this question has been asked before, but I don’t see it in the recent columns. I like the idea of Newton being only freshman, but the bus ride sounds horrible. If someone who lived there could give me an insight on what it is like, that would be great. How long do you have to wait out in the cold in December to get on the bus. What about after a night out when you might not be in the best…“state”. Do you actually get a sense of freshman community that can’t be replicated on Upper? Thanks!

Dear stlstokes : When my daughter attended Boston College (2009-2013), one of her best friends from High School also decided to become an Eagle. My daughter was on upper campus (Medeiros) and her friend was on Newton. The spirit on Newton is very strong and the freshman community seems tight. Dining at Stewart Hall tended to be a better experience than McIlroy on upper campus. My daughter and her upper campus group would visit Newton about once every other week during Freshman year.

Buses run regularly and your child will not have more than an 8 to 10 minute wait - now, that can be an eternity during cold weather, but there are shelters at the stops so that you are not just standing roadside. I think the general feeling in the end game is that “it isn’t so bad”, but at the end of freshman year, most are glad to be gathered onto the main campus.

My daughter is a freshman on Newton now. She actually wanted to be on Newton so enrolled in the perspectives class or program, which is only offered to students at Newton (I may have the name of the program wrong, but there is a class that ensures you will be on Newton). That said, most of the incoming freshman seemed to view Newton as a “bad” thing. For my daughter, she ultimately decided she wanted a small school and was considering places like Tufts, Middlebury, Bowdoin, etc. (she started the process wanting a big school like Michigan). She really liked BC and decided that starting at Newton would give her that “small” school / campus feel during her first year. She’s really liked being on Newton and has never thought of the bus as a downside. She says it runs all the time so it’s not a big deal, at all. Next year she’s going to lower campus with a group of girls she became close to on Newtown. Either way, I don’t think you can go wrong. Oh, in terms of “night out,” the bus runs until 2 am or so and BC has a security shuttle (maybe even the campus police?) that will drive you anywhere after hours. Also, the area around BC is very, very nice / wealthy…so I really doubt there’s a lot of crime there (i.e., all that separates the two campuses are expensive homes).

My daughter is a freshman on Newton this year also. She sometimes complains about the bus but says it’s really not that bad. The worst thing is having to get up earlier to make it to class. I bought her a better winter coat than the one she had in HS for walking to and from the bus stops. The things she likes about Newton is that she knows everyone on her floor and they got really close. The rooms are slightly bigger and have shelves on both sides of the room. Also, the dining hall at Stuart is a lot better than Mac. A lot.

Don’t stress about Newton. It’s a nice community and it’s easy to make friends. There will be plenty of kids riding the bus after a night out, not in the best “state.” The kids look out for each other.