<p>1)Hey I got into Carol Honors Program, but I applied to 8 more colleges and my college choice is not set in stone. My lack of bias towards colleges led me to overlook the official religious presence in Boston College. Now, this would be cool if I was Jesuit, but I happen to not be religiously affiliated. How strong is the religious presence here?
2)Also, I’m a good student, but I value street smarts far more than book smarts so I applied mainly to a lot of BC-like schools as opposed to stuffy Ivies. How’s the social life…especially considering there aren’t frats?
3)Finally, what caliber (not biased businessweek or usnews rankings) is the business school in comparison to other similar schools? (Gtown, NYU, UVA) </p>
<p>Thanks and answers to any of these would be sweet</p>
<p>1) Religion at BC is kind of a tricky subject and basically what you make of it, but I think only in the Catholic sense. The Jesuit tradition values service, ethics, and spirituality over cold hard religion. And again, it’s pretty much what you make of it. BC definitely does not shove anything or push anything onto you, but rather allows you to make your own judgments and find your own beliefs while in college. They encourage the individual spiritual process over telling you what may be right or wrong according to one religion. The Jesuit tradition is definitely tied in wherever it can be, especially in Portico (the first semester CSOM class) but in no way is it taught as being the only correct way to view life.</p>
<p>2) Social life at BC is another kind of tricky thing and basically depends on the person and how outgoing they are and what kind of connections they have already going into the school. For freshmen it can be really hard and bad, especially for guys. If you know upperclassmen it is a lot easier but parties are really inclusive and the lack of fraternities makes finding open parties very difficult, which could also be seen as a good thing.</p>
<p>3) I’m not really sure what you mean but I can say that BC has an awesome business school and the types of connections and networks you can create are astounding and endless. I feel like I’m really getting my money’s worth and while I’ve only taken 1 business class so far, I find it challenging and intellectual.</p>
<h1>3 – sorry, but biz is one of those academic disciplines where prestige matters.</h1>
<p>If you are interested in Wall Street, then NYU is a no-brainer (if you exclude Ivies). UVa would be next. If you are a NY state resident, you shoulda considered Cornell for the instate tuition.</p>
<p>Dear DroptheWorld : Rarely will my posts here on college confidential suggest that a potential Boston College student not pursue the “BC Dream”, but your questions (tone, phrasing) suggest that Boston College might not be the right place for you. Let me offer some thoughts supporting my perspective.</p>
<p>First, there are many discussion threads about the Jesuit/Catholic tradition which will give you many aspects of a BC Education. Having seen the BC educational experience in action (twice now), Jesuit education is more about a style of learning rather than Catholic affiliation. The stronger question is typically about the BC core curriculum which includes coverage of theology (although the course selection is huge and options varied). Take a few minutes to do a search on the BC site to justify that core in your own mind. This academic core might interest you or it might help you in your decision making to consider another option.</p>
<p>Preferring street-smarts to book-smarts seems to imply that you want a “city vibe” more than a “suburban vibe”. This would clearly point you towards NYU (Stern) over BC (Carroll) just based on the environment. As for academics, both schools are immensely respected. My view is that one pursuing business should more focus on their source for an MBA rather than an undergraduate business school experience, but again, that is a very personal view. Having worked on Wall Street for 20 years, it is not clear to me that any one of these schools are “better” than any others - in fact, recruitment always comes down to individual quality. A fine application, well polished and well versed, from NYU, BC, UVA, or Georgetown will also be preferred to an anti-social, poorly presented candidate from any other top institution.</p>
<p>Now, I hope that my cautionary tone is completely incorrect and that you can find an appropriate balance between your BC expectations and the campus’s environment. You are strongly advised to visit the campus during February (one of the colder, New England, snowiest times of the year) and during April (Spring arrives, frisbies, warmer weather, some shorts, student’s outside on campus).</p>
<p>i just got into csom too (not honors though). i have close ties to bc and i have been told a few times that you only have to be as religious as you want to be. </p>
<p>also, bc social life is what you make of it. i know kids who both do and dont drink etc and all of them are very happy. i have never met a person who was not 100% satisfied with their bc experience. (also, though it may seem unimportant the sports teams are also big on campus)</p>
<p>and though i am not an expert on the difference between the good and great business schools, bc is definetly near the top prestige wise, great education, and has a very strong alumni network (especially if you want to stay in boston after)</p>
<p>thanks for your input guys. cornell wouldn’t be instate, but uva would. Also that’s what I meant by genuine smart vs fun smart…the Cornell stereotype does not abide well by me. The cool thing about BC is you apply to business school right away.<br>
Sorry if the tone isn’t blindly loyalist to BC, I’m trying to approach my final decision rationally, but I am genuinely interested. But I also have 0 connections and I’d be quite upset having a lame social life in college.<br>
Scottj, how do you like the Wall Street environment? And would you guys consider BC on the same prestige tier as aforementioned schools? Both the Businessweek and the US news rankings sort of trashed BC.</p>
<p>first you shouldnt be blindly loyalist to any school until u make ur final decision.</p>
<p>i personally hope bc is considered on the same tier, but i cant say for sure. (werent they like #17 ugrad bschool by businessweek?) but either way bc is high enough that since you are in the honors program you are already at the top so you could graduate very highly ranked at bc (which to some is the same caliber and others it may not be) or get lost in the shuffle at a wharton or nd. </p>
<p>but u also should remember that uva is going to be cheap since u are in state whereas bc is extremely expensive</p>
<p>and one last thing…dont worry about having a lame social life at bc. i know kids who went to bc from the west coast without even visiting the school or having any connections and they have loved it.</p>
<p>Could you please expand on that a bit? BW has undergrad BC ranked 17th with "A+"s for Teaching and Job Placement and an “A” for facilities. I admit to having the greatest possible disdain for rankings, but I am curious as to how you interpret those numbers as “trashing” BC. UVA is ranked 1st, NYU 15th and Georgetown 24th; I’m hard pressed to understand how your education would be “2 better” at NYU or “7 worse” at Georgetown.</p>
<p>Scottj and ready2go4 have done a good job explaining the influence of religion at BC. Obviously, religion will have a greater presence at Georgetown and BC than at NYU or UVA. That said, in my experience, BC is the least overtly religious Catholic school I’ve ever visited. I found religious influences much more pronounced at Georgetown and downright screaming at Notre Dame. Whether that’s too much for you I couldn’t say, but religion, (except for the required classes), can be a non-event at BC is you so choose. </p>
<p>As for street vs. book smarts, that also strikes me as something driven by you. Obviously you possess the book smarts given your Carroll Honors acceptance, but every school in going to require academic performance. It seems to me that the real question for you should be, which school will give me the best internship and career opportunities so I can show off my street smarts?</p>
<p>Social life. To and old alum like me this is the funniest question that keeps coming up about BC. Many years ago BC was consider a huge party school, to the point where it briefly became the poster child for the ills of unsupervised, unbridled underage student drinking. To hear applicants “worry” that they might not be able to party just strikes me as hilarious. BC has cleaned up its reputation, but I’m quite confident that you will be able to find interesting, exciting and potentially illegal things to do at BC and in Boston.</p>
<p>As far as job prospects go, all the schools on your list will prepare you very well. All of them possess strong professional networks along the East Coast. As you might expect, BC’s network will be strongest in Boston and seem comparatively weak in Washington when compared to Georgetown’s. That doesn’t mean BC isn’t respected or well known, it just means a school in your own backyard is more likely to have graduates living close by. All of the schools are well known on Wall Street. In my opinion, undergraduate business programs are essentially regional in nature, few if any possess a truly national “power”, (maybe Wharton). The cachet you seek is based on the MBA programs, not the undergrad. If you haven’t already, I suggest you visit all your schools and see how you respond to each. Given your list, you’d be hard pressed to make an “academic” mistake.</p>