Boston College Top Questions

BC is amazing. We recently beat Virgina Tech during the regular season and everyone rushed out of their dorms and had a huge rally. I will honestly remember it for the rest of my life. The teachers are good, better than most judging from the horror stories I've heard from friends back home. BC also has a reputation for a great school and with applications pouring in at an alarming rate, it is getting more and more competetive. Needless to say "Eagles on the warpath" (the BEST cheer you'll ever learn) is my motto. BC basically works hard and parties harder. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great education and to meet awesome people - both professionally and socially.

BC has an excellent academic reputation and overall my time here has been extremely fun. The career recruiting system resources are lacking. Many students feel that there is too big of a gap between what the students want and what the administration wants. The size is perfect. It would be nice if the city of Boston and BC students themselves took more pride in BC Sports.

The best thing about BC is the culture of service. So many students volunteer and there are so many opportunities to do so. Everyone seems to be involved in at least one extra curricular. If I could change one thing, I would change that no one dates at BC. The rumor that BC is either a marriage or a hook up school definitely seems to be true- there's very little dating, but many BC grads marry other Eagles following graduation. BC is the perfect size for me- its large enough that you don't know everyone by senior year but its small enough that when you walk around campus you can recognize familiar faces. I wish there was a lower student to faculty ratio, though. Classes, especially introductory classes that you take as a freshman, are very large and tend to not be personal. I spend the most time on campus in the apartment style living of upper classmen, because most seniors live on campus, despite moving off campus during junior year. I think its great because BC doesn't have enough housing to provide for all of its students, but by allowing seniors back on campus, BC creates a haven for seniors to regroup for their final year. I also spend a lot of time in our science building, Higgins, which has some awesome labs for students to work in, and in Bapst, our gorgeous, old library. It makes you feel like you've stepped into Hogwarts! BC is a Catholic school but it doesn't consistently hold to its roots, and this is the biggest source of controversy on campus. For example, no contraception is allowed to be sold or distributed on campus, the admissions statement does not include a clause about sexual preference, and several events being run by the gay and lesbian organization have been canceled. However, the university still maintains investments in war torn areas and allow companies involved in weapons development to come to our career fair. This is a highly protested area involving the administration. There is also undeniably still a racial divide at BC. While it is improving, and there are numerous cultural organizations that are heavily supported, groups still tend to form along racial lines. This is one complaint I have about my time at Boston College, but it is one that seems to be getting better as time goes on. I will always remember the football games at BC, which are huge. Our teams are good, but the entire experience of tailgating is what makes the difference. The school grounds are covered by alums and their picnic tables laden down with food. Before one game, my service trip group went around to ask for donations and the alumni gladly opened their wallets without even asking where we were going. I think the alumni connection is going to be very valuable to me when I graduate in May.

The best thing about BC is the feeling of community within such a large population of students and faculty. Every professor I have had so far at BC has been entirely accessible and willing to help every student. If I have a question or concern, I can communicate via e-mail with my professors or meet with them in person during their office hours. I like knowing that help is there when I need it. BC is a good-sized school. It's large enough that you can meet a lot of new, diverse people; but it's small enough that if you mention a classmate's name in a group or ten BC students, one of the ten will also know who your classmate is. The only major problem with the student population is that it seems to be somewhat segregated. White groups of friends, Asian groups of friends, Black groups of friends. I don't in any way want to disregard the great many BC students who have friends of all backgrounds, but I would still like to see a bit more integration among the student body. Often when I say that I go to BC, people are impressed or joke "oh, so you're smart". I feel proud to say that I am a BC student because it attests to the hard work I have done in my academic career. When I'm not in class, I split my time between Hillside cafe, my room, and the library. In the morning before class, I usually do work at Hillside, where I get my daily dose of caffeine. After class, I get lunch and go back to my room to relax and do work. If I have a lot to do or just don't want to run the risk of being distracted, I go to the library to study. There is a crazy amount of school pride at BC. We aren't called superfans for nothing. Being a Division I sports school in the ACC, BC has more than enough school spirit to go around. One of my professors once said that during football season, BC becomes more like a major stadium with an academic institution attached to it.

BC is a great size - not too big, not too small. as for the demographics and integration, i'd give it a lesser mark, knowing well that most of my friends are white and i am not often in a place where "branching out" would be an option. and i think i try without trying too hard, mostly because i am interested in many different people and love to be around them (though my occasional disinterest at parties would suggest otherwise). we've had a few incidents with race issues on campus, but mostly people here are addicted to facebook and will stop at nothing to have the most "official" friends, with crippling social awkwardness to match. if you have a good sense of humor and are inclined to laugh more at people than with people, BC may in fact be a good fit - there's a lot of fodder for material here, you just have to look for it!

BC is the perfect middle ground. It's not urban or rural. Boston is right there but you're not in the midst of a sprawling urban campus. At 9,000 undergrads it is a medium sized school. Not a large state university or a small Christian school in the mid-west. Academics are strong, but the library is empty on Fridays and Saturdays. People have lives. We are athletic and most students go to parties on the weekends. We're a Catholic school but not everyone is Catholic and there is no converting or pressure to be Christian. The Catholic spirit is seen in the ideals by which we approach our lives - caring for others, living a socially conscious life, etc. "Pray hard, Play hard." There is a ton of school spirit - football games and tailgating are some of my greatest memories. (Hockey and Basketball are pretty awesome too).

I think BC is a great sized school--it's spread out just enough to make the scenery on campus quite beautiful, and yet, after one gets adjusted, you feel like you know a good portion of the students--be it through classes, extracurriculars, or living arrangements, everyone certainly finds their niche. BC isn't plopped right in the heart of Boston, but since the city is so easily accessible I think the location is perfect--located in an upscale area, with only a short T ride into all the student hang-outs. As for school pride, the term "Screaming Eagles" doesn't say enough. BC has by far one of the biggest set of fans, from sports (football becomes a way of life in the fall) to academics to the social scene, we all know that we are truly blessed to be at such a great place.

I love the atmosphere at BC. WIth the sports, the academics, and the town of Boston itself, it's an awesome place to be. The 8,000/9,000 student undergrad population seems perfect to me--it's small enough that you recognize people all around campus and in classes, but not small enough that you know everyone in the first few months. I also love that my class sizes aren't very big, so one-on-one time with the professor is easy to come by. I spend most of my time in my room with my roommates, hanging out with my friends. I have gotten a very positive reaction from people when I tell them I go to BC. They're impressed with the academics, and want to know what it's like to go to the school. I think there's a ton of school pride. There's not a day that goes by that people aren't sporting some sort of BC gear. The amount of students that travelled to Notre Dame this year seems to me to be a great showing of that. I think one of the biggest complaints students have is a lack of communications between the student body and the administration.