Please chance me for Boston College ED round II?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
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<p>If I don’t get into Vassar ED round 1, I intend to apply to BC because its AWESOME haha. I visited and its now my second choice. Im a white male from upstate NY. My 3 AP’s are all that my school offers…</p>

<p>My Info:</p>

<p>30-31 ACT composite</p>

<p>Freshman year (Terrible): 83 GPA- accelerated spanish and normal classes, GPA mostly killed by an architectural drawing elective…■■■ haha why was I so immature!!!
EC’s: mock trial and varsity track</p>

<p>Sophomore year: 90.8 GPA w/ accelerated spanish, college credit computer applications, AP global history, geometry, Earth Science with lab, English 10,
EC’s: mock trial, community service club, trivia club, varsity track, school newspaper</p>

<p>Junior Year (present) 93/94 GPA- AP English Language and Composition, college level spanish/sociology/environmental science/us history
EC’s: mock trial (President), community service club, yearbook, trivia club, school newspaper (Editor), Future Business Leaders of America, STARTED SPEECH AND DEBATE CLUB and became president, maybe varsity track…</p>

<p>(Over the summer I will take precalculus at a local community college to reach the highest math at my school senior year, college credit honors calculus, OR I will self study and pass the final in August if I can not afford the class at the college)</p>

<p>Senior Year: aiming for a 96 or above gpa, Ap English, college credit calculus, physics w/ lab, college government, college Spanish 6, and college level business.
Same exact EC’s as junior year, but with more officer positions in clubs. </p>

<p>Do you think I have a shot or did my freshman year kill it for me? Thanks for any help! By the way, I want to double major in English and Economics. Thanks so much!!!</p>

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<p>Dear iwantwesleyan : My second child (who is attending Boston College) was considering Vassar when she was being recruited for the women’s soccer team. (For comparison, Swarthmore was another similarly sized school that we visited as a reference point.)</p>

<p>Now, let me offer a parent’s impression : Vassar and Boston College are very different vibes as I am sure you have already found during your visits. Vassar lends itself to a more artsy set. Boston College has an extremely driven student body (based on CSOM/CAS as the lead players) with an added tone of Jesuit traditions and volunteerism. Both schools will stress their liberal arts cores with Vassar having that core as a raison-d’etre and Boston College having the liberal arts core to underpin the Jesuit educational tradition.</p>

<p>Location-wise, Poughkeepsie (rural New York area) and Chestnut Hill (short ride to Boston central) are very different also. Now, Vassar was a wonderful visual experience including the main campus “rolling green”. Boston College is more classic in terms of architecture and the beauty is similar, yet different, from Vassar.</p>

<p>Academically, you are on the bubble for both schools - perhaps Vassar might take a more negative view to your freshman year than Boston College. Ultimately, it would be interesting to know how you established the Vassar/BC “exacta” in your pecking order.</p>

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<p>Thanks scottj! I know both schools are very different, but I just felt something in the atmosphere at both that makes me want to go to both. Its not the same environment, but both appeal to me despite being different. :slight_smile:
How does your daughter like BC?</p>

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<p>A quick, respectful clarification on:
“Boston College has an extremely driven student body (based on CSOM/CAS as the lead players).”</p>

<p>Grade inflation is actually lowest in the Boston College School of Nursing. See page 7 of 2009 Grade Inflation report out of the Office of the Provost: <a href=“http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/offices/avp/pdf/UCT-grade-rept-Final.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/offices/avp/pdf/UCT-grade-rept-Final.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Nursing students at BC not only take a rigorous course load, but are also in clinical placements during the week starting early in the morning and lasting throughout the day. They have very little flexibility in their schedules, which prevents students from opting for light electives. I would simply respectfully challenge the comment that CAS and CSOM are the lead players in rigor at Boston College. All three of these schools appear to be equally rigorous, which is good news for Boston College as a whole. </p>

<p>The 2009 grade report, and my experience as a student, would seem to indicate, however, that there is a big difference between the rigor and requirements of these three schools and LSOE. The report also shows that there is quite a big difference in rigor between certain CAS majors and CSOM and Nursing. </p>

<p>The point of the clarification is to let potential applicants to the Nursing School know that they will benefit from demanding coursework, high expectations, and academic rigor at Boston College. They should also know that they will be surrounded by peers who are indeed some of the most driven students on campus.</p>

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<p>Dear iwantwesleyan : My older (graduated in May 2011, now at Stanford for a PhD) and my younger have both been in the Honors Program and the Honors Tracks for their majors. Actively involved in music organizations and sports, both had/have made Boston College a better experience for those around them while also drawing from the university’s own strengths. Boston College has afforded internships, research opportunities, summer research, and a myriad of other options. </p>

<p>When you ask current attendees, they will measure “liking” the campus in terms of their friends and classes. When you ask parents or alumni, the campus is measured in terms of the opportunities that a BC foundation affords its graduates. In both cases, the Boston College foundation is a tremendous launching pad for “setting the world aflame”.</p>

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<p>Dear EagleAlum : Our observation on the CSOM/CAS was purely based on the number of undergraduates in these two schools rather than an analysis of the grades emerging from coursework taken in those schools. Your points and references from CSON are most welcomed. Thank you for adding those contributions.</p>

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<p>@scottj: My apologies for my misinterpretation! Forgive me, I am overly eager to promote the academic rigor of all sectors of BC. :-)</p>