<p>Which undergraduate track is it most known for (if any)</p>
<p>anddd… does it offer engineering? </p>
<p>and any other thoughts on the school
thanks</p>
<p>While I can't say which is the "best", it is known that the two most popular "majors" are Communications and Finance.</p>
<p>I really do hope that that is a temporary trend, as those two areas of study are really out of the mainstream of the liberal arts -- which is what colleges traditionally offer. And, tradition in this case does take on importance (much as some may not like) in the never ending quest to be the best -- Ever to Excel (rah, rah, BC!). </p>
<p>While communications and finance are both worthy enough subjects for study, they are really better suited for vocational and business schools, respectively. They should be less emphasized by an institution that calls itself a university and aspires to break into the upper echelon of those odious college "rankngs" -- which BC does!</p>
<p>The fact that those two subjects are the most popular begs the question of "What kind of student is BC attracting?" Unfortunate in one sense and predictable in another is that the student body will always reflect the college culture promulgated by those in charge. </p>
<p>BC is now very much about being a "player" in the big league of higher education. That means putting the word out (communications) and having a strong balance sheet (finance). </p>
<p>Think the correlation is accurate?</p>
<p>Addressing this question from the standpoint of BC's reputation for certain majors (rather than the major's popularity with students), I would say that its programs in German studies, business/management, chemistry, political science, pre-law, and pre-med are all very strong. </p>
<p>And no, BC does not offer engineering.</p>
<p>Wow, leanid - you must really look down on the nursing students and the education majors. They must not be the type of student you want to attract to BC, right?</p>
<p>Dogwood,</p>
<p>No, actually I don't "look down on" them. The nursing school is in reality a "professional" one, albeit at the undergraduate level. And, the education school is close to it, if not fully professional. Finance, too, is housed in the school of management -- an udergraduate, quasi-professional school. They produce much needed contributors to society and their schools fall under the scope of the university.</p>
<p>What I did not make clear was that it is strange for a college, founded on the priciple of a traditional liberal arts curriculum, to find itself with a plurality (I dare not say majority!) of students favoring a non-liberal arts path. The reason for that, I believe, is the "culture" at BC, which is either directly or indirectly instilled in its students by an administration that has embraced the values I mentioned in my previous posting. </p>
<p>Those values are fine to a point but they must not be the main impression one gets from BC. The whole question of the quality of a Boston College education is at stake.</p>
<p>Look at any of the better liberal arts colleges, not to mention the better universities, and you will see that the most popular majors will be subjects like economics, English, political science, history, various sciences, etc. Never will you see Communications or Finance at the top of the lists.</p>
<p>whats ur point.</p>
<p>Uhm, leanid, you do know that the majority of students on campus are in the college of arts & sciences? The university core has to be completed by everyone? And the aforementioned core covers a wide range of liberal arts subjects such as fine arts, history, philosophy, cultural diversity, natural sciences, etc.?</p>
<p>I see that you are a '74 alum, but you have to be diluted to think that BC does not embody a liberal arts university. Have you even been on campus to check the current state of students?</p>
<p>random,</p>
<p>Having the majority of students in A&S does not alter the fact that the two most popular subjects in the university are Communications and Finance. </p>
<p>As for my being "diluted" I can say that 'no, I am not -- I like myself at full strength, thank you very much!' I may, however, have been deluded in thinking that current BC students had been sufficiently schooled in vocabulary, since I now see that they have not...</p>
<p>Instead of making it seem as if finance and communications were by far the two most pervasive choices for majors among the undergraduate population at Boston College, you should report the facts and allow others to come to a logical conclusion? I am sure you are capable of that. First, let's acknowledge the actual statistics of undergraduate majors, published in the Fact</a> Book, in which it lists the most popular majors by year, such as in 2007:</p>
<p>1 Finance 855
2 Communication 826
3 English 720
4 Political Science 713
5 Economics 681
6 Biology 662
7 History 588
8 Psychology 485</p>
<p>Now, finance, much like the other CSOM "majors", is actually a concentration, which requires only four additional finance classes beyond the business curriculum. It is quite common for CSOM students to pair finance with another concentration or an A&S major or minor. In fact, the students that have only one concentration are a minority. Finance "majors" are often taking classes in A&S, beyond the University Core. Still, I do not understand the lack of appreciation for finance as a concentration, as it is one of the strongest programs at BC.</p>
<p>Communications is largely the least difficult major at Boston College. There is no getting around that. However, it is not far and away the most popular A&S major, as you had attempted to imply in your post. Traditional liberal arts majors - English, political science, economics (whose numbers are skewed by the 130 CSOM economics concentrators), hard sciences, history - are well and alive. The idea of the liberal arts is well preserved throughout campus. There is specialization, yes, but with the University Core at the very least, students receive a liberal arts education. </p>
<p>Relative to the original question, the best programs at A&S are German Studies, which produces an amazing number of Fulbright Fellows, chemistry, Classical Studies, English, political science, and pre-med. In CSOM, the best programs are finance, accounting, and operations.</p>
<p>PAHreen,</p>
<p>Thanks for your informative post. I am glad to see that the more traditional subjects of a liberal arts curriculum are right up there with Finance and Communications in popularity.</p>
<p>I must correct you, however, in that I never stated or implied that Finance and Communications were "by far" the most popular majors -- only that they were the most popular -- that alone is reason for concern.</p>
<p>By the way, one has to be alive before one can be well. ;)</p>
<p>the popularity of a specific major doesn't necessary make the major on a higher level at that university than a one of lesser popularity does it? i mean, does this mean that they have the best finance and communication programs outa the whole college? what do you guys think</p>
<p>i find this interesting as well.. on bc's "facts sheet" they say they have a great amount of students enrolled in their pre med program.. but on collegeboard.com it reads: Graduate Paths</p>
<p>Percent of graduates of four-year programs who typically continue their education within one year of receiving their bachelor's degree:</p>
<pre><code>* Law school: 6%
* Medical school: 2%
* MBA programs: 1%
* Other graduate or professional programs: 18%
</code></pre>
<p>so a lot don't go to medical school i guess? 3 times that even go to law school!!</p>
<p>does bc have a prelaw program does anyone know? and if so, how is it</p>
<p>its like that for a lot of schools. maybe med school harder to get into than law school? idk</p>
You started a sentence with “And”; and that is a serious no-no. Looks like someone missed out on their ENG-101 courses…
^^this is an ~8 year-old thread. Please let it die. 