AveEagle04, whom do you appeal to about asking for four years of housing?
I was accepted into the Carroll School of Management. I’ve heard the first year isn’t great socially as there’s a lack of a party scene for freshman guys. Is this true? Also if so, how are freshman guys able to get into parties? Partying is by no means a top priority, but it would be nice to know.
Hey @DennisMammo, Congrats! I am pretty sure they offer the Italian major and minor through the Romance Languages and Literature Department. The major is 30 credits (10 three credit courses) and the minor is 18 credits (6 three credit courses). You can find more information about it here: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/romance-languages/undergraduate-programs/language-programs/italian-language-program/major-minor.html#d48a029c-e4e4-4f05-bc81-664b8237ecd4-bc_tabbed_content-tab-0
@shkodra14 Hi there! I am sorry but I don’t have any information about the scholarship. Good luck though 
@RelocatedYankee Congrats to your daughter! It is not common for students to change their major throughout their college experience, regardless if they are having difficulty in the major or not. For example, a student could start as a Chemistry major and be doing really well, but after taking a Psychology class, discover that he or she likes it better and wants to pursue that major. To be honest, I think the Chemistry/Biology classes are quite difficult as they really do try and weed out the people who expect an easy class schedule and effortless success. They really seek out passionate individuals who are ready to devote plenty of time to working hard. I think that these classes require a specific way of thinking and testing and even after understanding the material, it can be difficult to perform well on the tests due to the particular professor’s expectations. I was a student that used the tutoring resources on campus, went to office hours, went to review sessions, did all the HW, attended every class, studied for days and hours, etc…and could not perform well on the exams. While a lot of students are successfully in these classes (they are not impossible by any means), the classes are definitely not easy. I have plenty of friends that are Bio/Chem/Physics major and while they may have more demanding homework then I do, they are able to stay on top of things and be successful. I know it sounds cheesy, but I think the classes that you take and the success you find in your classes is meant to be. I am actually so grateful that I did so poorly in chemistry because I enjoy my new major way more and am excited to attend all my classes, have established wonderful relationships with my professors, and am achieving the highest grades I have had so far. Oh, it is also important to keep in mind, that many students perform worse their first semester freshman year. I wouldn’t be too worried about the first semester. As for me, I have had a higher GPA every single semester.
I also think a lot of students may drop the major right away because they are not used to getting grades lower than an A or B. For the most part, students that come to BC have excelled in high school and therefore, there is a lot of competition in classes. Do not stress about the first bad grade you get because that is not a complete indicator of how you will do. I performed very poorly on some chem exams, but I waited a year to change my major to see if I would have any positive growth. Hope this helps!
@Floridian2018 Congrats! The PULSE Program is open to every single student at BC. Included in the BC core is a a year of theology and philosophy, and many people take PULSE to “kill two birds with one stone” (but don’t say that on campus, because professors don’t like that). PULSE is a year long class that will fulfill both your theology and philosophy core. It counts as two classes so when you have PULSE, you will typically only be enrolled in 4 classes, instead of the usual 5, due to the commitment of 8-10 hours of service. I can’t emphasize how great the experience was and would 100% recommend it. It is typically a sophomore class, but there are freshman that are in it. At orientation registration, you can be put on the waitlist. I would personally wait until sophomore year to take it so you have time to adjust to BC and college before committing to 8 hours of service a week.
If I am correct, I do not think BC gives out a lot of merit scholarships. I think there are only a handful and the rest are need-based.
BC has a core curriculum of 15 courses which sounds overwhelming but is easy to finish within your first two years at BC. Each minor/major has different requirements but sometimes the core curriculum overlaps with your personal requirements. (For example, you need a year of social science for your core curriculum, but the psych major requires two intro classes that fulfill the core, so 2 classes right there count for 4 classes). A typical students takes 5 classes at a time, whether you choose to do core or major/minor is up to you. I would definitely meet with your academic advisor in the beginning of the year and they will help you plan out your scheduling for the year and even the entire four years of undergrad. You will definitely be fine double minor/majoring. I am a double major and minor who took a lot of unnecessary classes because I started off as pre-med and definitely have enough room in my schedule to graduate without overloading.
Hope this helps!
Congrats @Will2022 ! I am not a guy so I can’t answer this question personally, but I know that is a worry for many students. However, freshman year includes a lot of freshman hanging out together in their dorms. Parties are held on lower campus by upperclassmen or off campus by juniors. Since we don’t have any frats, it is not common to just show up at a door and expect to get in, regardless of gender. However, a place for seniors called the Mods, is a very big party spot on campus, and they are probably the easiest to get in as a freshman. It wouldn’t help to go with a group of girls! A lot of invitations come from word of mouth and having connections definitely helps. Once you begin making friends, someone from your group will know someone who is having a party and it typically isn’t too difficult.
Besides parties, freshman do a lot of activities with the people that live on their hall with you. There are also a lot of sporting events/tailgating that is heavily attended when the seasons start and there is always events occurring on campus(comedy groups, acapella groups, dance groups) Don’t get in the mind set that activities without alcohol are not fun. BC has a lot of great events to offer and I wish I went to more freshman year!
Hi! You may not have much insight on this topic, but I figured it is worth asking. Is BC a hostile environment to its LGBT students? Is there a notable population of LGBT students from your personal experience? Ever since I visited, I fell in love with the school and the campus, however it has somewhat of a negative reputation when it comes to the LGBT community. Compared to the other schools I am looking at, BC seems to be the least gay friendly, and I’m curious as to whether or not that would be an issue for me (a gay male). Thanks!
@djm1999 Hi there! The BC community of students is definitely very welcoming and friendly to all individuals. There are a number of groups on campus that advocate for the LGBT community and BC even offers retreats throughout the year for individuals to attend. I think because BC is built on promoting a Jesuit and Catholic education, it can come across as religious and conservative, but the students that I have interacted with in the past have been very supportive. There are many progressive and non-religious students on campus. Beyond this, I don’t really have too much insight on the topic, but you should definitely look at BC’s website for more information. I know it is only a few examples, but my friends that are gay have never felt excluded, disrespected, or uninvited. I do not believe they use any of the LGBT resources on campus, but they have said that all of the individuals they interact with are super accepting and haven’t had any troubles. Wish I could be more of a help!
As a parent who has watched premeds over the years, I would suggest that this is an overstatement. Unlike some public Unis, which are really competitive (cough, cough, Univ of California), BC is extremely welcoming even in STEM. There is no weeding per se. (The top Organic prof generally does not give anything lower than a C-.)
There is really one over-riding issue wrt to lower division STEM classes: they are curved, just like at every other college, but unlike some Lit/Hume courses, which might even have an A- average. So, to the typical student, Gen Chem or Bio is much ‘harder’ and time consuming that Lit/Hume for the same grade. And yes, there are plenty of entering Frosh who have take AP Chem, and earned a 5, but are repeating Gen Chem for the ‘easy A’. Ditto Calc 1 and Calc BC. (But this is also true at most other colleges.)
Yup, to do well, STEM courses require excellent critical thinking skills, which just aren’t taught in most high schools. That is why Organic is such a killer for premeds early on, but once they ‘get it’, they get it. (STEM also requires strong math skills; a good proxy was the old SAT-M.)
All that being said, Organic chem is a strength at BC. As is the Bio program. My D was doing stuff in Bio that earned her a summer research position, where she was running the grad students’ titrations since they had no idea how to run them.
Hi everyone congrats on your admission to BC! I was admitted and it is my first choice school and I really want to commit but the financials are a real problem. My mom says I can’t go because the financial aid was lower than other schools I was admitted to. I don’t know what to do…any suggestions appreciated.
Hi @BCBoundMaybe @RelocatedYankee
My daughter is a freshman bio/premed major this year. She is LOVING BC. Applied RD and it was one of her top two choices. She got into the other as well but is so happy she chose BC!
To answer your questions (from a parent perspective) but having just had this ‘weed out’ conversation with my daughter, this is apparently a ‘thing’ (who knew? Not me, apparently, lol!)
She was telling me that her chem class has half as many kids as it did first semester! I asked if it could be that they changed section times and she looked at me like I was crazy Apparently Chem is essentially a full year class so you stay in the same time all year.
She knows of many kids who met with their advisors and were advised to ‘drop’ premed based on their chem grade. Apparently Chemistry is critical on some level for med school, especially the sophomore year Organic Chem. She said they are concerned that if you aren’t ‘doing well’ in Freshman Chem then sophomore Organic Chem is even harder.
I believe she got a B+ in Chem first semester and I think A- in Chem lab. So I assume that means she is holding her own??
She took maybe environmental Bio first semester (whatever it is that is required) and this semester is in some kind of Cell bio? Also required.
Her advisor told her she’s doing well and on a good track.
As for other classes, she loves her core music and sociology. They are ‘easy’ according to her and def require a diff side of the brain. Her advisor said so important to take ‘other’ kinds of classes (hence the required core, I guess)
She is considering minoring in Math.
As for the internships…it’s easy to get into the hospital area…about 30-45 min by T. We live right in Boston so she is trying to find something for the summer. These are competitive as everyone wants to intern here! Her advisor also suggested finding a professor on campus who would have her work in lab during school year. They are hard to get as freshmen/sophomores, though.
Her math professor actually offered to come up with something for her to do, so she’s going to pursue that.
Hope this helps. Happy to answer any other questions from a parent perspective as well as a local resident (and grad school BC alum!)
@bluebayou great to hear! I’m a mom to a current BC freshman-Bio/PreMed. She has had a great first semester overall. Really happy and loving school! (besides the typical freshman ups and downs!)
She is working hard…but I guess I’d describe it as appropriately hard lol.
I’m happy to hear about the organic chem being a strength there. She seems ‘worried’ about it but only because she listens to all the ‘Orgo is hard’ chatter!
Re the ‘weeding’…she did say her chem class is half as large as it was first semester and had a number of friends who said their advisors suggested they ‘drop’ premed.
She was perplexed because she feels that so many of the classes are similar even if you are not premed.
Anyway,I appreciate the parent perspective and would love to hear any other suggestions! Right now my daughter is worried about finding a summer internship. She applied for a few but they all said preference goes to Med students!!
^^search for SURP/REU’s, which come with a stipend. My D attended a program at Pitt Med Ctr.
Take Professor Kelly for Organic. Great teacher for a tough course. (on parent visitation day, he gave the 'rents a pop quiz and the students broke out laughing…)
I will tell my daughter this! As for the quiz, the only question is get right is name!! And what is SURP/REU?!
Just to add my has 2cents in, Professor Kelly has gotten a bit long in the tooth at least in the past two years even taking a sabbatical during the spring semester. They have brought on Professor Deak to also teach Organic I and II and I would highly recommend taking her class. She is much more student oriented and offers numerous review sessions prior to her exams and quizzes.
SURP = Summer Undergraduate Research Program (typically funded by the feds, but some Unis add their own money)
REU = Research Experience for Undergraduates (also funded by feds)
The funds are federal, so only US citizens are eligible, but awarded to the Unis, so you apply thru the Uni.
They can go by different names, such as the one in Cincinnati (as one example). Amgen Scholars also offers research opportunities and is extremely competitive.
https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/education/research/surf
I’ll pass this on to my daughter (though I’m guessing they all talk on campus and know ‘who to take’?!)
@immomtoone Current sophomore here: I’d highly recommend Prof. Snapper for Orgo I and II–beats Kelly and Deak any day. He is the reason I came to BC, among other factors of course. Prof. Deak actually worked under Snapper as a doctoral student.
He’s arguably one of the brightest and most intelligent people at BC, graduating from Stanford. Very warm person to deal with, and he actually wants you to UNDERSTAND Organic Chemistry, as its absolutely fundamental for Biochemistry (and thus, the MCAT!!), if your daughter decides to take it.
As far as I’m concerned, true to what @Kelly1095 has said, Kelly is a bit off these days–almost 80 years old, and can’t organize the class properly, only concerned with blunt memorization…which will screw you over in the long run. Additionally, Snapper drops your lowest exam of the semester (out of 3) and takes the average of your two other exams and compares it to your final exam score–the lower of the two is worth 40% of the grade, and the higher is worth 50%. 10% are just for in-class clicker questions.
I’ve had a great experience with him thus far, and decided to take him for Orgo II, and would highly recommend him to anyone taking Orgo at BC.
And, yes, Orgo is much harder than General Chemistry. It requires a totally different type of approach to scientific thought and chemistry that many might not be prepared for as incoming sophomores. So I advise your daughter to get a good foundation of molecular orbital theory and lewis structures, among other things in Gen Chem, to be adequately prepared.
Also, don’t go to the pre-med office or listen to any of the advisors as they know absolutely nothing about the process. They will simply look at one’s GPA and tell them to drop, without acknowledging the fact that there is room for improvement, and that an upward trend in GPA throughout college is looked at quite favorably.
EDIT: Also meant to say that Prof. Deak is new, and isn’t as in-tune with the students and the concerns they have as Snapper is…who’s been a distinguished professor for over 25 years.
Accepted EA for 2022 I am really excited but a little nervous about the culture at BC. My parents do ok but are not super well off and I am worried that I will be in a minority socio economically – I know that sounds kind of shallow but I am really looking forward to making lifelong friends in a non judge community. Thanks,