<p>^^OK I stand corrected, bluebayou. You’re right. For some reason, I always forget Dartmouth when I think of ivies. :-p</p>
<p>But I bet Dartmouth still doesn’t have cookie decorating parties and Disney movies in the lounges during finals week, like we have at BC. lol</p>
<p>TheDukeof Earl - What a great spokesperson you are for BC! I hope you are a student who gives tours of BC, as your passion and love for your school is so evident in your written comments. Great job!</p>
<p>BC’s reputation is not limited to the Boston area. I have family who recently graduated BC, and he is working as an analyst in investment banking at the top IB bank in the world, headquartered in NYC. Since my area is finance, look up BC alumni like Geoff Boisi, Peter Lynch and Mario Gabeilli as a start. Do a little research and you will find that BC has a huge group of alumni in senior positions in government and business. BC’s reputation is impecable and national.</p>
<p>BTW, bluebayou, Princeton is considered the most focused Ivy for undergrads, because it has such a tiny grad program - - no med school, no grad engineering and no grad business like Dartmouth.</p>
<p>NYCeagle:</p>
<p>I guess we can agree to disagree. </p>
<p>Of the total student body, Dartmouth is ~71% undergrads compared to Princeton’s 67% – obviously, not a big difference. However, many folks, (including the folks that design the Common Data Set instructions) exclude professional schools from the denominator for the very reason that undergrads and professional school grads don’t generally mix. The point is that undergrads at Dartmouth cannot take course at the med school, which is self-contained. (Nor Tuck, for that matter, altho D is offering an Intro Business course next year.) Thus, med school students do not compete for time/research for the Arts & Sciences faculty; indeed, in many A&S departments, there are no grad programs/students at Dartmouth. In contrast, the P’ton grad students that exist ARE in the Arts & Sciences (since it has no professional schools, save perhaps Wilson); thus, they do compete with undergrads for faculty time/resources.</p>
<p>Bluebayou - thanks for the info on Dartmouth vs. Princeton undergrad. Ultimately, both great undergrad schools; it would be a nice problem trying to decide which one to attend!!</p>
<p>hope you can give me some guidance…my son is a freshman at bc…we went to orientation and he was so excited to go after orientation…my husband and i were also more impressed with the school by that time…he was assigned to live on the newton campus (all of his friends had parents who went to bc so they are on upper) from the start he had issues with his roommate…we sort of ignored it and told him to deal (he is an only child who has never shared a room)…however, it seems his roomate has some bipolar issues…he has told the ra but was brushed off…he seems to be dealing with that all now…maybe…now he says he hates bc…can make no friends…has nothing in common with anyone and hates his classes…this is a good looking kid from an upper middle class nyc suburb who has always attended catholic schools and just graduated from an all male prep school in the top 10% of a class of 260 and who has always gotten along with everybody…i don’t understand it…do you have any similar experiences to share or any suggestions?</p>
<p>Like so many other BC undergrads, has your son considered transferring to Georgetown?</p>
<p>Dear jerseymom26 : Please check your private messages as there is a very detailed note for you there with some ideas outside of the public discussion forum here.</p>
<p>In general to our readers here on College Confidential, this situation described by jerseymom26 precisely defines why BC provides many outreach services including the extremely valuable Office of the First Year Experience for freshmen. Their office is NOT just on campus to run the three day orientation sessions!</p>
<p>Dear hoyasaxa1 : The idea of changing schools, as suggested, should be an option only explored once the student and family truly understand the underpinning reasons of unhappiness. </p>
<p>From the posting here in public, it remains likely that Boston College is very much the right fit for this student although the social aspects of college might not have come as easily as in the past. </p>
<p>We are quite sure that jerseymom26 and the student will have themselves on the “Eagle Warpath” in short order.</p>
<p>Hoyasaxa: it is a well established FACT that Georgetown is identical to BC socially</p>
<p>It’s always wonderful to see hoyasaxa1 spewing his worthless bile about BC. Though I must say I’m surprised to see you out so quickly, I just assumed you’d been arrested with all the other Georgetown dopers. </p>
<p>[Suspected</a> Meth Lab Found In Georgetown University Dorm Room](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost)</p>
<p>Vinceh–sorry to see that you are still bitter about your Georgetown rejection. I guess it is truly the only thing that bonds BC students, given the lackluster football season.</p>
<p>hoyasaxa1:
You again? Man, you have a BIG problem. Why do you continually post things about which you have no knowledege and in the process, annoy everyone? For example, your Duke bashing on 10-6, 10-5, your WashU bashing on 10-5, your BC bashing on 9-25, your AU bashing on 9-23 and Notre Dame bashing on 8-31 to name a few. You are an angry and resentful individual who is in desperate need of therapy. I’m sure we are all sorry for your many “college rejection issues” but cc is hardly the place to vent.</p>
<p>Jerseymom:</p>
<p>Besides the issue with roomie, there is not much else to go on in your post. </p>
<p>Why does your S “hate” his classes? What does he specifically not like about the coursework/curuculum? </p>
<p>You say he can “make no friends” but then mention that he has friends on upper. (And btw, it makes no difference where legacies are housed – some end up on Newtwon as well.) Are all his “friends” drinkers (start partying on Thursday afternoon) and he is not?</p>
<p>Is your S more a book-type, and not much interested in big-time sports?</p>
<p>You mention only child and all-male school. Is your S having issues with coed dorms? Is he just homesick? (Quite common in first few months, particularly for an only-child.)</p>
<p>What is his major interest?</p>
<p>jerseymom - My younger D is a quiet, reserved young woman and when she was a sophomore, she had some roommate issues that began to have an effect on her whole BC experience. She did access services on campus, seeing someone on campus once a week for a semester. It really helped her. There was a follow-up at the start of her junior year, but at that time, she didn’t feel the need to continue her appointments. She feels that BC does a wonderful job helping students work thru problems they might be having and I am assuming that scottj has given you some good ideas as to where to get assistance for your son. She also attended several of the weekend off-campus activities - 48 hours comes to mind, and I know she did one or two other similiar activities, and really felt those helped her adjust to BC. She was a leader by her senior year and was a real advocate for those types of experiences.</p>
<p>My D also noted several times that the students who seem to have the most difficult time are the freshmen guys. Although there are many activities on campus to explore and participate in, the weekend social stuff seems to be the area that is the most difficult for the guys. They are often excluded from off campus gatherings, where it is easier for a girl to attend. I’m not sure if this is accurate - this just seemed to be her perception.</p>
<p>I was on campus yesterday for the football game. It was a beautiful fall day in New England. Unfortunately, the Eagles lost again, but the students appear happy and loving life. I hope your son will take the time to explore what BC has to offer and find his spot. These kids put so much pressure on themselves that I sometimes think they don’t give themselves enough time to work things out. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he does. And if he doesn’t - so what. Help him find a school that works for him and transfer. Life is too short to stay somewhere you are not happy. No school works for everyone and if BC is not the right fit, this experience will help him find that school that is. Good luck!</p>
<p>Have your son go on 48 Hours. Make sure he is signed up and see if he can move to an earlier retreat, if he tells FYE that he is having a very tough time adjusting to BC and would like to go ASAP I am sure they will make that happen. I was exactly like your son freshman year until I went on 48 hours. It completely changed my understanding of BC and allowed me to love it. My only regret is that I wish I went on 48 hours sooner. Hearing from seniors and other BC freshman in an honest and open setting is hugely beneficial. </p>
<p>BC can be really tough for freshman, but it only gets better.</p>
<p>jerseymom: Your son should definitely give it time and not write off the school completely. First semester is hard for many freshmen at ALL schools. Almost everyone I’ve talked to hated first semester but said second semester got so much better. Personally this was the case for me. I considered transferring and even applied (and was accepted!), but I enjoyed second semester here so much more that I decided to turn down my offers and stay. It definitely takes time to find your place and your group of friends. One thing your son should know is that even though it appears everyone has found his or her best friends already, this is NOT the case. That’s one of everyone’s biggest secrets that they only admit to later on, once they find the people they actually click with.</p>
<p>So sorry that your son is having a hard time adjusting to BC. Please encourage him to follow some of the excellent suggestions that have been made here – going to the FYE office, seeking counseling, going on the 48 hours retreat, etc. If he “hates” his classes for academic reasons, he may also want to take advantage of the free tutoring available.</p>
<p>My son also had a major roommate issue freshman year – roommate was a heavy partier whose idea of “fun” was to come home at 2 AM and throw up on the floor of their room, whereas my son does not drink. My son simply ignored his roommate and found other friends to hang out with – many of whom he met while waiting for the shuttle bus from Newton to the main campus (or while on the bus).</p>
<p>First semester can definitely be tough (at any college!), but it does get better. Listen sympathetically to your son when he complains, but he’s the one who needs to take action and try to improve his situation. If he is still truly unhappy by the time Winter Break comes, then perhaps a transfer might be the answer – but please do not let him leap to that conclusion without first giving BC a serious try.</p>
<p>I’m hoping it all works out for your son.</p>
<p>Dear All : At this stage, I have not received a private response from jerseymom26 (who has only posted once here on college confidential) regarding the situation discussing her son at Boston College. Therefore, we have no evidence at this point that jerseymom26 has seen our collective thoughts on this thread.</p>
<p>Dear jerseymom26 : If you have come back to college confidential, could you please leave a brief note to let us know that you have indeed picked up the ideas and suggestions that have been made? Although our community does not know you personally, as a group we hate to see when a student at Boston College (or any student actually) is struggling in their first semester.</p>
<p>Please let us know if at all possible.</p>
<p>sorry scottj…i sent you a personal note on saturday…i guess it is somewhere in cyberspace…i have to say i am heartened by the concern and caring responses i have received here…thank you all!..i am in touch with the office of fye for some hands- on guidance…hoping that in the near future we will be lifted up on eagles wings…again, thank you all…i hope that i will be able to help someone else with whatever i learn from this</p>