<p>I've heard that Boston College is a sports-oriented school but I know that they have great programs for soft sciences. Any info on that? Please just tell me anything and everything you know about BC. I am about to be a junior in high school and am considering doing their five week summer program next year.</p>
<p>-Female/sophomore
-No ACT/SAT scores yet
-GPA 3.93
-Volunteer work at gym and thrift store
-Will have five or more original research papers in Biology published by graduation
-Doing the Running Start program at a community college full-time senior year working toward my Associate's
-AP Biology, AP English, AP Statistics, AP US History
-National Honor Society
-Live on an island in the Puget Sound</p>
<p>If you know of any other 4-year colleges in Boston that you would recommend for me, please say something. I have also considered Tufts University. I am less concerned with the prestige of schools than of their academic quality. Also, anything else I can do in the next two years to stand out?</p>
<p>I am concerned that most freshman at BC live in dorms that are a bus ride away from the main campus. I have read threads on this topic that suggest that the experience promotes freshman bonding, but I do not think that is an ideal setup.</p>
<p>Actually, “most” Frosh live on Upper Campus, which is adjacent to the “main” campus. Less than half (40%) of Frosh live in Newton, which is a wonderful walk on a nice day (1.5 miles) or a 5-10 minute bus ride (on campus shuttles).</p>
<p>With several thousand total Frosh, you’d have to be hermit not to find folks with whom to bond regardless of where your dorm is located.</p>
<p>OP: without test scores, there is no way to offer suggestions.</p>
<p>Yeah the majority of Freshmen do NOT live on Newton Campus (the 5-10 minute bus ride away one). I’ll be a Freshman at BC this Fall, sports are big here, its a catholic school, you can probably find out a lot about it on the BC board.</p>
<p>As for other Boston schools. Tufts is essentially the academic equivalent of BC though it has a more artsy influence as opposed to the sportsy one of BC.</p>
<p>Also perhaps take a look at Boston University’s “University Professors” program, a kind of honors program with both undergrad and grad programs. I have known students in both levels who loved their experience and went on to careers of distinction. Plus BU is right in Boston as opposed to the end of the B Line (BC) though BCs campus, is much more beautiful if that counts for you.</p>
<p>Snarlatron, they might as well take a look at Northeastern as well. Better than BU but not as good as BC, in the heart of Boston, nicer campus than BU but not as nice as BC (IMHO), better fin aid and offers the top internship/corporate placement in the country.</p>
<p>Might look at Holy Cross-great science programs with new facilities and campus sponsored internships. HC is 40 miles from Boston. Holy Cross has very strong alumni network-great for job placement and like the Ivies is need blind for admissions.</p>
<p>I’d also like to mention that I failed the AP Biology Exam, but will have earned my Associate’s in college by the time I graduate high school. Does this balance out so I still have a good chance?</p>
<p>My kid goes to Boston College, it does have a sports culture and a fairly strong Catholic culture/pressence/feel. It also is a fairly homogeneous place. Nothing wrong with any of those things, just check to see if you see it the same way that I do and if it matters to you.</p>
<p>I don’t know exactly why but I know more kids (and their parents) who say that they “absolutely love Holy Cross” than say the same thing about Boston College. If one is considering either of those schools I’d recommend that they compare those two very carefully and see if there is anything to that sentiment.</p>
<p>“I don’t know exactly why but I know more kids (and their parents) who say that they “absolutely love Holy Cross” than say the same thing about Boston College.”</p>
<p>Hmm…that’s what everybody said about Boston College when it played second fiddle to Holy Cross…</p>
<p>I don’t know folks…I’ve lived in eastern Massachusetts my whole life, I graduated from Boston College in the last century, my kid is a sophomore at BC right now and with an older child who graduated from a different college this May I know a half dozen or so students of my sons age who went to Holy Cross and Boston College.
Quite frankly, the Holy Cross kids talk more glowingly about their school than the Boston College kids do.
Through Facebook I reconnected with one of my Boston College roommates earlier this year and found out that his son is a senior right now at Holy Cross. Dad uses the same language others seem to use - they “love” the smaller size of Holy Cross, they “love” the one whole year abroad rather than the typical one semester abroad, they “love” Holy Cross.
From my son’s experience in college, I’ve learned there are schools that kids “love” and there are schools that they “like” or simply are “OK with”. And it has nothing to do with the schools stats or US News rating, it’s the culture of the school and how it drives students behavior and attitudes.</p>
<p>Personally, I can’t see comparing a LAC and a mid-sized Uni. They are just too different. I have no doubt that a student who loves one would not love the other. As much as I pushed the intimate college experience, both of my kids turned up their noses at LACs – all of which are smaller than our local HS. </p>
<p>HC has an extremely active alumni for a reason (as does BC). Two great choices.</p>
<p>HC’s alumni giving rate is 55%while BC’s alumni giving rate believe is less than 25%. HC was in the top15 of Forbes Payscale salary and currently 29th in this year’s US News study in the lac category(BC is 31 in the university side). hc also enjoys smaller student/faculty ratio and higher endowment per student. HC has much more in common with Patriot League archrival Colgate.</p>
<p>Yeah, maybe youre right BLUEBAYOU that by being 1/3 the size of Boston College (2,100 per class vs. 700) maybe Holy Cross is in a smaller league but does that really matter when were talking about how the students feel in my admittedly unscientific sample?</p>
<p>They’re both good schools. I have no first hand experience with Holy Cross but even though I willingly send $55,000 a year (no FinAid) to BC I wouldn’t recommend Boston College to someone as a “great” school.</p>
<p>One down…size matters a LOT for some/many(?) people. For others is is a Greek system, or big-time D1 sports, or theater/visual arts program, grad students, or lack of all of the above. Applicants self-select to colleges where they could see themselves for four years. If they refuse to get out of the car when visiting Hamilton, for example, it matters not how much Hamilton’s alumni love-love Hamilton.</p>
<p>btw: BC also has 5k grad students, for a total campus population of 15k, vs. <3k for HC; essentially 5x the size. (Yes, I know that the Law School is off in Newton, but so is ~half of the Frosh Class.)</p>