Boston College Top Questions

While BC offers a challenging curriculum for the students, it's doable. You should expect several hard weeks with papers, midterms and exams, but it's not every week which helps to balance the work load out. Depending on your major, you could be on campus in class for 5 hours a day to 2 hours a day. You're required a minimum of 5 classes each semester (or the equivalent of it by the end of each year to be eligible for your freshman/sophomore/junior/senior status). The best part of academics at BC is that the professors and TAs (when you have them) are amazing. I've never and a professor I felt I couldn't approach to help me study, or go over a paper with and if you can't make it to their office hours, there's the Learning Center that offers tutoring five days a week in almost every subject. The professors and administration really like to get involved in the students life, and if you get lucky enough to get a Jesuit as one of your teachers, or advisors-you're in for an amazing experience.

Depending on the classes you take (seminars, or big introductory classes) professors dont always get to know your names. Professors do respond rather quickly to emails. BC students are very competative. Class participation is very common.

professors know your name if you want them to know your name. the size of classes vary from 200 kids to 5 kids which i found was great. studying is necessary at BC, but doing so every night is not common. being prepared for class discussion is always expected, and participation is highly desired by professors. I can't think of a class i thought to be unique, but my favorite class was Media, Law and Society. I loved the professor who taught it and the class was extremely interesting. I majored in Communications and minored in History. both departments were great and very helpful in directing me through courses over the years. BC is also extremely helpful in finding their students jobs and internships

Class size ranges from 300 to 10. Students are very competitive, and most come from a high-level high school in which the student is used to getting straight A's (therefore they expect the same in college). Students have intellectual conversations outside of class but often times it's just to make themselves seem smart in front of others, most likely out of insecurity so that they can tell themselves that even though they don't get perfect grades, they're still smart. I've been taking core classes so far and none have been unique.

Some classes are good and some just plain suck. You'll find that at any college. The PEPs on the UGBC website are great to read. Students really try to give a clear view of what a class or professor is like. The math department is pretty dry, but there are a few shining professors that you will want to take for every class. They are working to change the curriculum for education and math majors which will be golden for the future, because the math major is pretty darn difficult. Some classes like Capstone and PULSE really allow you to bond with your professors. The core requirements sometimes are a real damper, like the history, but it does force you to take a class that you would normally overlook which adds to the Jesuit education.

BC has quality academics, its the main reason i put up with all the bro's and stick it out. the classes range in size, but outside of the science (pre med) and business school classes, the classes get to an intimate size (10-40) after the initial, 'core' freshman year classes. Of course the professors vary, but I have met very many good ones and only a couple bad ones. Many make an effort to learn the students names, but if you reach out to them, they generally respond well. and UGBC, the student government, has an online database of student reviews for every class, which are very helpful for avoiding the bad professors. I have found my major/minor depts, history and philosophy, full of very friendly, open, accepting faculty. Many people find the core requirements annoying, but personally I didnt mind. Admittedly I got out of the majority of them with AP Test scores, but the ones I did take -first year writing seminar, sociology, and philosophy/theology -very intriguing. BC requires 2 semester of philosophy and 2 semester of theology, but you can fulfill all 4 classes by taking 1 two semester course called perspecitves, which covers all western philosophy and theology together, in context, chronologically, from plato/the old testament to nietzsche and kierkegaard, and is generally pretty easy, which is doubly good since an A in the class really means two A's per semester. highly recommend it. definitely the most painless way to get through two semesters of theology for irreligious people (which are somewhat rare at this catholic university) One major drawback: they offer virtually no theology/philosophy outside the western tradition (ie indian, chinese religions are neglected)

Academics at BC are what you want them to be. There are a variety of classes to chose from, and depending on what you major in, you may find yourself in a 300 person lecture hall or a discussion setting with ten students. Most students have a combination of big and small classes. Depending on your major, your academic experience differs. Those enrolled in the premed program have twice as much class time as other students and find themsleves in a competive environment. However, for many other majors the experience is more centered on learning, especially from eachother. However, regardless of your major, students are expected to work hard.

Academics are what you make of them. Some people take really hard classes, and some people can pull off close to a 4.0 with almost no work. I was in the pre med program for a while, which was really competitive and classes were extremely difficult. The major classes freshman year (introductory courses) will have 150+ students, but most have about 20 students. The vast majority of kids here follow the "work hard, play hard" mantra and are smart (they have to be to get into BC). However, while the students here are bright, this isn't Tufts or Harvard, and you won't get into conversations about U.S. foreign policy at a party.

Depending on your program, academics are very challenging. Some majors are easier, and one can get away with and do well with minimual work. The pre-med and business programs tend to be more challenging, and these students can be found in the library at all hours of the night. As a finance major, I am in the library everyday for 4-7 hours. Students do have intellectual conversations out of class, often about politics. People want to learn from their peers, and students go to events when speakers are brought to campus or there is an opportunity to learn out of the classroom.

The academic workload at BC is pretty tough, but of course that depends on your major. Professors are pretty willing to help students and for the most part want them to do well. I am in the School of Education and a Human Development major, which is considered easy(for the most part true). This department has a lack of good professors and I look for challenging but rewarding classes outside of my major.