So, congrats to those who were accepted EA, best of luck to those who were deferred, and to those who were rejected, your school is out there and you will find it!
I am a current BC junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and since I am procrastinating studying for my finals, I am happy to answer any questions you may have about BC!
More about me that might help guide questions:
-I am a psychology major and I am in the MCAS honors program
-I have lived in honors housing on-campus all 3 years
-I did not study abroad for a whole semester; rather, I did a 4-week summer program between sophomore and junior year. I do, however, know several people who went through the process for study abroad!
Feel free to ask me questions about anything you can think of…housing, classes, orientation, BC life in general, our football team (lol), the proximity to Boston, etc.
Please ask away! Answering your questions will be a study break for me.
Hey! I got accepted to the MCAS Honors Program!! How is it? And where did you study abroad? Did you like doing it for 4 weeks in the summer? Haha I’m so excited about BC!! 
Do you know what people do to after they are deferred to get accepted?
Hey @kgcollege17 ! First of all, congrats! Now, to answer your questions:
I really like the honors program. It not only takes care of a lot of your core classes (theology, social science, philosophy, writing) but also gives you 4 years of housing! You certainly do not have to live in honors housing but I did freshman year and that is where I met many of my friends. In fact, most of us still live in honors housing, and by junior year that means living in a nice apartment on-campus with a full kitchen :).
As a freshman and sophomore your honors class will meet 2 times a week for 2 hours each class. This will fulfill 6 credits (most classes are 3) so you only take 4 total classes each semester for the first two years at BC. I like this because I don’t think honors had the workload of two whole courses, and taking 4 classes is certainly less stressful than 5! You read everything from Greek classics to the Bible to Dante during freshman year, and sophomore year you read later stuff, like Virginia Woolf and Mary Shelley. Junior year (only 3 credits per course) is focused on 20th century literature, and senior year you take seminar courses (for example, one that is offered is a class called “Law, Medicine, and Ethics”).
I studied in Paris, and this was actually through the honors program! It was actually the entire first-semester-junior-year honors class squeezed into four weeks. (So I also didn’t have to take an honors class this semester and had an open spot for something else). I also don’t know if I would’ve been able to leave home for a whole semester so for me, a 4-week program was the perfect option. It was incredible and Paris is amazing, and if you come to BC I highly recommend it.
Overall, the honors program has given me a lot of really great opportunities here at BC, and it’s so exciting that you were accepted!
@cloe.salas
I personally do not know anyone that got deferred my year, mostly because many of my friends here happened to apply regular decision. I know it cannot hurt to write a letter to BC further expressing your interest and highlighting what you will bring to the class of 2021. Emailing one to your admissions counselor (they are divided up by parts of the country, and you can probably find yours online) is a good option but many emails get lost or forgotten about because their inboxes are probably overflowing. I would suggest maybe emailing him/her AND sending a letter via snail mail.
Again, I don’t know how successful this will be, but again, I don’t think it can make your chances any worse. Also, you should know that many, many people who get deferred do eventually get into BC, so don’t give up hope! And if you end up choosing another school, I’m sure you will love it and do well :).
@tiva_mcabby5 Thank you so much for all the info!! That all sounds truly great and I’m really looking forward to making my final decision in the coming months! Thanks
I know Boston College is a catholic school, but really how catholic is it? Also, how is the financial aid? Thank You!
@Eagless62 BC’s catholicism is there if you need it, but you certainly aren’t forced to go to church or anything! There are a lot of service groups on campus that are connected w/ Campus Ministry (such as the Appalachia Volunteers program or Arrupe). Another perk is that BC certainly goes all out for Christmas! Plus, most of the Jesuits here teach classes, and many of them are super cool!
On the other hand, a downside to this is because of BC’s strict catholic values, things such as sexual health, birth control, and even LGBTQ+ issues sometimes get swept under the rug. BC is doing MUCH better with LGBTQ support on campus, but don’t ever expect to be able to get condoms or a birth control prescription from the health center (at most colleges, you ARE able to do this). While this may not be a concern for you, it is for many students here.
So I suppose what I mean is that on one hand, there are benefits to BC being a catholic school, but also some negatives. (In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives).
Now, for financial aid. BC meets 100% of demonstrated need according to the FAFSA. Of course, their view of “need” is often very different than many families! BC only gives need-based aid (not merit) unless you are one of the lucky few who was just told they were in the running for a Presidential Scholarship (offered to EA people only). I receive financial aid and would not be able to attend BC without it, but even with my need-based aid BC is still very expensive and I will have loans to pay after I graduate. I find that many students here are not on financial aid. Sometimes this is because their families are actually very wealthy, but often times this is not the case, and paying $63,000 a year is difficult without any aid. Those students will have much more debt than I after graduating, so I’m pretty grateful BC at least gave me something!
Of course, it all depends on your family’s situation. (I hope that answer made sense!)
How are the gluten free options for celiacs? Variety? Cross contamination?
Hi @Calimom3 , excellent question. A good friend of mine has celiac, so I’m speaking from her experience.
Cross-contamination is not a problem, as BC always has a “Plain and simple” section that is always gluten-free, allergen-free, etc. This section is available for all meals of the day. Usually there will be a meat like grilled chicken, some veggies, and a potato option. In addition, BC sells pre-made sandwiches and some of them have gluten-free bread. Everything that is gluten-free is marked as such. From my friend’s experience, she has not had an issue with cross-contamination.
So, the variety isn’t fantastic, but cross-contamination shouldn’t be a problem. Things get better once you reach junior or senior year and have your own kitchen, and you can cook whatever you want!
For more info, check out this link:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/dining/nutrition/dining-with-food-allergies.html
How is the party scene and football tailgating at Boston College? I know it might not be as huge llike any SEC schools, but is partying a big part of the social life at BC?
@179410tran BC’s party scene is considered by some to be “lame” compared to big schools, but I have not found any problems with it. The mods (senior housing) can be tricky for freshman to get into, and this is where a lot of parties happen, but there are plenty of other opportunities on campus besides the mods. One of the main ways people get invited to parties is through clubs they join. (That’s not me saying to join a club just to get into parties!). Besides the party scene, there are so many other things to do on weekends that don’t involve drinking. I mean, we’re just a short subway ride from Boston, and there’s almost always something going on in the city.
For football tailgating, you pretty much need to be lucky enough to know someone with a tailgate spot (which are super expensive to buy for a season and are often reserved for big-time donors). Of course, once you reach junior year you’ll probably have friends off-campus (or live off-campus yourself) and since many of those houses have back yards, that’s a great place to tailgate.
Regardless of whether or not you have a spot to tailgate, football games are a ton of fun. All of campus will be filled with people wearing maroon and gold, including lots of alumni and people who live in town. BC has also started hosting “Superfan Zones” inside the stadium for students before games start, and they always have free food there and lawn games.
I hope this was a good answer. If not, let me know!
@starjoy8 , you do not apply for the honors program. All of the applicants to BC are looked at and a select number are chosen. Then, you get invited in your acceptance letter. I have heard of only one person who did not get into the honors program and then appealed to their admissions counselor and was eventually accepted into the honors program.
For your second question: as far as I know, every student applying to A&S goes in as undeclared, no matter what you put as your intended major. English vs Econ should not affect your chances.
@tiva_mcabby5 I got accepted into MCAS but not in their honors program. I plan to attend in the fall. Will there be internships available to me, even if i’m not in honors? I plan to go to graduate school and I know i need some nice work experiences during my undergraduate years.
Thank you
Hi @acron611! Congrats on your acceptance. Being in the honors program and getting an internship have basically nothing to do with each other. You have to seek out internships for yourself, be they on campus or in Boston. Usually places are looking for experience, availability, interest, and GPA (sometimes). Being in the honors program doesn’t open up any more internship opportunities.
Do a quick google search to look for opportunities in Boston or at BC. Depending on your major, there may also be labs on campus that you can volunteer for (biology or psychology, usually).
@tiva_mcabby5 Thank you so much for your quick response.
Is BC a party school? How is the social life without frats and bars?