<p>Has anyone here attended Admitted Eagles Day at BC so that they can share some insight as to the value (or lack thereof) of attending?</p>
<p>We live on the other side of the country and can afford to make only one trip to visit BC. My son did see the campus in early June, but there were no scheduled info sessions or campus tours then and obviously there were not many students around. Now that he has been accepted, he wants to go back and do the formal day visit, sit in on a class or two, and also talk to faculty in the Math Dept. (his intended major).</p>
<p>The EA Admitted Eagles program is Sunday, January 20. However, the next day (Monday, January 21) is a holiday and BC has no scheduled classes that day. That means that we would have to stay over in Boston for at least two more days (until Wednesday morning) in order for him to have a full day on Tuesday to do the formal visit and have time to meet with professors in the afternoon. Im not opposed to the idea of spending an extra day in Boston we certainly can find things to do but it does mean my son would miss an extra day of school (plus the added expense of an extra hotel night) than if we came some other time.</p>
<p>Is the organized program for Admitted Eagles really worth attending? Can anyone point out some specific advantages? Or do you think it would be better to forget about the Admitted Eagles Day and just schedule our visit during my sons spring break in March? </p>
<p>By the way, I did check and BC will have two other Admitted Eagles Days, but both are in April and conflict with important school activities.</p>
<p>Dear worried_mom : Wife/son attended one of the April Admitted Eagle Days - it actually cemented his decision to attend. It was very worthwhile for the Honors Program/Honors Classes in particular, but that is our experience and situation.</p>
<p>If you have a limited travel budget with only one trip planned, save the funds for the three-day orientation session which will occur later in the 2008 calendar year for both parents and incoming students. I cannot say enough about the orientation program administered through the Office of the First Year Experience.</p>
<p>worried_mom~D and I went to the January Admitted Eagle Day before she made a decision. It was snowy, freezing and I thought it would kill the deal--she loved it!! We did stay for her to go to classes on the Monday (it wasn't a holiday for BC) and that definitely helped make her decision. You could come out another weekend for your S to shadow with a student, but if he already feels really good about his view of BC from last June (albeit without the real experience of students all over campus) then you're fine!</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with scottj about the orientation program during the summer before D started--completely fantastic!!!!!!</p>
<p>We are going up with S2 for the Honors Admitted Eagle Day in February--he will shadow with a student on Friday, and the program is on Saturday. Maybe BC would let you go to that program instead? Doesn't hurt to ask!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. My son and I both think that attending classes and talking to students/faculty are really important in the decision process and that's why we're leaning towards skipping the Admitted Eagles Day and just coming some other time when he can get those done more efficiently.</p>
<p>I'm glad to hear that BC's freshman orientation program is so good. Fortunately, one of those sessions is held just before classes start in the fall so he wouldn't have to make an extra trip for that if he decides to attend BC.</p>
<p>My recommendation is to attend the admitted eagles day in January or April. </p>
<p>Despite the cost and inconvenience, your son will feel more "ownership" with the school early on if he attends. My personal logic at the time for the extra expense (daughter is now a freshman) was that before I paid $48,000/year I wanted to hear and see my daughter's committment to BC. The admitted student day accomplished that early on.</p>
<p>April is a really nice time to be in Boston. My daughter attended in April, missed an awards ceremony at her high school but thought attending was worth it.</p>
<p>Rpksail, I agree with you completely about wanting our children to be really, really committed to a school before forking over all that money. My son will definitely be traveling to BC to check it out carefully before he makes his decision; the issue is just the timing of that trip.</p>
<p>One of the Admitted Eagles Days in April has the same problem as the January date – the day after the Sunday program is a holiday and there will be no classes to attend or faculty to speak with. And the other date in April is just not an option for us due to a major family commitment (wedding) that weekend.</p>
<p>What is on the Admitted Eagles Day program that you feel is so worthwhile? What would he really miss if he just went during his spring break to do the day visit and talk to faculty and students?</p>
<p>My daughter did not attend any classes when she visited the campus. The most important part? My daughter would say was walking around on campus, visiting the bookstore, the cafeteria, the workout facilities at Conte Forum (she's a non-scholarship sport varsity athlete) and feeling the general ambiance of the campus. She came home so psyched and excited-knew she had found her "home." Her love affair with BC continues-she can't wait to return for 2nd semester.</p>