@businessmajor1 It’s not a “party school” like Syracuse or Penn State might be, but there are things to do on campus during the weekends. Also, a lot of kids will go to BU’s frats. BC has several bars near it.
There’s also plenty to do in Boston that doesn’t involve drinking.
@BusinessMajor123
Can you describe the type of partying that you’re looking for in a college?
How important is it to you?
Just commenting to bring back this thread so anyone who got in with regular decision has the chance to see it!
@tiva_mcabby5 This may be a random question, but I am very curious…how do the dorm bathrooms look? I know that they are communal, but beyond that…no clue. Did it ever feel weird or awkward? ( I know this is probably a question that can apply to many schools, I’m just curious to your opinion of BC’s)
Also, are there any classes you recommend for freshmen? Any classes that are very well-liked and also complete certain requirements?
Thank you 
@hedgehogaethers It depends on the dorm! Most will have 5 or 6 sinks, 6-7 toilet stalls (including one handicapped stall), and 4-5 shower stalls. The shower stalls are private and have a curtain that closes around the shower and then has a separate changing area that is blocked with another curtain. I never found them to be weird or awkward.
BC has so many new courses just for freshmen that fulfill at least two core (gen-ed) requirements! You’ll hear all about them at orientation. They added most of them when I was a sophomore so I don’t know too much about them. Another popular freshman class is Courage to Know, which doesn’t fulfill anything but is apparently a really good class!
How would you describe the BC students socially? Are they friendly and welcoming? Is it cliquey? Is it hard to find a friend group? Would it be a good fit for a somewhat shy female student?
@tiva_mcabby5 thank you so much!! the shower question was very helpful as I was very curious
@alli3fire I was able to make friends quickly within my dorm and I consider myself to be somewhat shy as well. I have not found BC students to be cliquey (except maybe when it comes to the housing lottery) and nearly everyone I have met here is friendly!
A thing to keep in mind is that everyone showing up on move-in day knows no one (unless there are some other kids from their high school coming to BC as well). Everyone is in the same boat and you bond quickly with new friends over things like classes, homesickness, or even a mutual love for puppies.
I think that there is a place for every person at BC. Sometimes it takes a little longer to find your niche, but I’m confident that even if you’re shy, you’ll be able to find a home here!
My nephew only received three years of housing- others have said this is not a big deal-what do you think? Also, he didn’t get an invite to the honors college- will he be relegated to large classes as opposed to a smaller liberal arts college?
Also- do many freshman get “forced triples?” That is, a three people in a room meant for two?
The only difference between the honors program and non-honors is the honors class, called Western Cultural Tradition, which covers literature from The Odyssey to Virgil during freshman year. It doesn’t change any other classes from other departments. For example, I am in the honors program and still took intro bio and psych classes that were large lectures. Large lectures are a fact of life at BC for any introductory class (economics, chemistry, psychology, you name it).
Only having 3 years of housing isn’t a big deal. The vast majority of juniors live in off-campus apartments/houses - which means having a backyard and a kitchen! It can be tricky to deal with utilities and a landlord and you have to take a bus to get to class but most kids really enjoy it.
As for forced triples, I do not have the numbers but I do know it only happens on Upper campus. I know plenty of students that were not in forced triples but I also know plenty that were in forced triples. It’s completely random usually but students can also volunteer to be in a forced triple which would guarantee Upper campus and give them a slight discount on housing.
I hope that answered your questions!
@tiva_mcabby5 thank you so much! Very helpful information
As an asian student, I’m really worried about the segregation on campus as I heard that minority groups and white students don’t really mix… Is this really prevalent on campus? Also, would you say the “BC Bubble” is real? I was admitted honors to LSOE but there two factors are making me lean towards BU…
@firstgen2021
They mix plenty, but the vast majority of the BC student body is definitely made up of white kids. This might contribute to this view of BC.
As for the BC bubble, a great way to beat that reputation is to travel into Boston! It’s easy with three branches of the green line practically on our doorstep.
As for comparing BC to BU, there are far more noticeable differences between the two (city vs suburb, size, sports, etc) that I think you should consider more than the two factors you listed.
Lynch is a really great program and their honors program is pretty prestigious!
I am biased towards BC but I’m sure you’ll be happy wherever you wind up.
Can you elaborate on the Freshman Writing Seminar, how difficult is it to achieve an A? I will be in CSOM and writing is not my strong suit.
@pugslife I never took Freshmen Writing Seminar, as that requirement was covered by my honors class, so I cannot comment on how easy it is to do well. I do know that each seminar usually has a theme (ranging from medical narrative to science fiction and more) and that many, many sections are offered.
Question about the dorm rooms…I read that mattress toppers are not allowed. More specifically, foam and gel toppers not allowed. Not sure what other types of mattress toppers are out there! We missed seeing a dorm room on both our tour and admitted students day but mattresses we saw at other colleges over the summer were not particularly great looking. What do students get instead? BC is the only school I’ve heard of that says no to mattress toppers! Same for no Christmas lights in rooms. I guess I"m really wondering how much the residence staff pays attention to these policies??
Another room question….Is there space for a chair (the ‘butterfly’ type chairs sold at Target etc?) and are beds lofted or bunk beds….is there room for plastic drawers underneath?
What are other must haves for dorm rooms specific to BC?
Thanks!!
Hi @immomtoone ! I have a feather mattress topper! The reason we can’t have foam ones here is because it is a fire hazard according to Massachusetts state law - so no schools in Massachusetts can have them (theoretically). Christmas lights can go up October 15th and have to be taken down when the fall semester ends in December. The only way I’ve seen people get around this is buying the battery-operated lights AND asking the RA for permission, explaining that they are battery-operated. I have heard of RAs checking for foam toppers during room-checks. Unfortunately, room checks happen both during the first fire drill (so you certainly don’t have time to hide it) and a few weeks after there is another unannounced check where they will be more thorough.
There should be space for a chair like that, unless your son/daughter winds up in a forced-triple. Then, probably not. Beds are only lofted for forced-triples, where two beds are bunked and the other is lofted so there is room for a desk and dresser under it. Students in doubles can probably request to have their beds bunked but it does not happen often. It’s much nicer to be able to flop into bed after a long day of classes as opposed to climbing a ladder!
That being said, the beds are adjustable and if you put it up on the highest level, you will definitely have room for drawers underneath. My tip is to bring a hammer to move-in day! The easiest way to adjust the bed frame is to hit out the corners with a hammer.
I can’t really think of dorm-room must haves that are specific to BC…but in general things like a shower caddy, lots of storage, lots of Command hooks/strips, and some pictures/posters from home are important! I found it very helpful to have a printer, too, as sometimes it’s not convenient to make it to a library to print. Mini-fridges and microwaves are nice to have too - if you don’t want to buy one, your son/daughter can talk to their future roommate about renting a microfridge from BC for the year (combined microwave, fridge, and freezer). Those are nice because the freezer is separate and actually has room for things like ice cream! That link is here: https://www.bcmicrofridge.com.
I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have more questions about dorm life!
As did my daughter.
My put the refrigerator on her must-have list. We bought one for College Kid 1 from Small Appliances.com – big sales in August, free delivery – and used it for 7 years, until it finally died. College Kid 2 rented one from micro fridge for senior year.
Sure, and the same is true (“no”) for alcohol. Hahahahaha
btw: don’t worry about both roomies placing an order. Micro fridge will come back and pickup the unneeded duplicate during orientation.
Tip 2: if you are far away, there is a huge Target in Watertown, and they over-stock college stuff, so you can wait until move-in. Or, order online from places like Bed, Bath & Beyond and pickup in the local store. (Personally, we had stuff shipped to the hotel where the parents were staying for move-in, so we could load in the car and drive over.)
'Grats to the new Eagles.
Further to above, during Welcome Week BC supplies a bus to drive all freshmen who want to go to Target on a designated night to do whatever shopping they need to do.