Boston College’s distinctive approach to undergraduate education can be best understood
through the motto of the University: “Ever to Excel.” For more than 145 years, Boston
College has maintained a commitment to excellence through the experiences and opportunities it offers its students both inside and outside the classroom. “Men and Women in
Service for Others” has long been a phrase used to describe the focus of a Jesuit education, and the influence of the Jesuit focus is evident in all aspects of the university.
Academically, in addition to maintaining the highest standards for its faculty and its students, Boston
College’s curriculum is focused on helping its students develop a consciousness of their
identities and their responsibilities in today’s society. Socially, Boston College provides a
diversity of opportunities for its students to discover their abilities and their calling, including
dozens of clubs and organizations representing artistic, athletic, cultural, ethnic, religious,
and political interests; professional internships; volunteer programs; international
study; and leadership opportunities.
Boston College draws inspiration for its academic and societal mission from its distinctive
religious tradition. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, it is rooted in a worldview
that encounters God in all creation and through all human activity, especially in the search
for truth in every discipline, in the desire to learn, and in the call to live justly together. In
this spirit, Boston College regards the contribution of different religious traditions and
value systems as essential to the fullness of its intellectual life and to the continuous development
of its distinctive intellectual heritage. While highlighting its Jesuit and Catholic
traditions and principles, Boston College recognizes the importance of a diverse student
body, faculty, and staff, and maintains a firm commitment to academic freedom, as the university
encourages a communal effort toward the pursuit of its mission.
Location
Boston College’s main campus is located on the border between the cities of Boston and
Newton, six miles from downtown Boston, in a village known as Chestnut Hill. BC’s
location is one of its most attractive features. Students enjoy living and studying on a quiet
campus featuring green lawns and beautiful English Collegiate Gothic buildings, and at the
same time, having easy access to one of America’s greatest cities. The Green Line of
Boston’s mass transit system, “the T,” begins at the base of the main campus, and transports
travelers to all parts of the city.
In addition to a plethora of opportunities for shopping, sightseeing, nightlife, professional
sports, research, volunteering, internships, and employment, Boston is also America’s
largest college town. Boston College students often become acquainted with students from
neighboring universities, including Harvard, M.I.T., Tufts, Boston University, and Northeastern.
Boston College also features a Newton campus, located approximately one-and-a-half
miles west of the Chestnut Hill campus, which is the home of Boston College Law School, and
also the home to more than 800 students in the freshman class. Shuttle buses travel between
the two campuses, providing convenient access between them. Although undergraduate classes are held on the main campus, freshmen living on the Newton campus enjoy the unique
“freshman-only” community that the separate location affords them. And, in 2004, Boston
College acquired 43 acres of land in Brighton, adjacent to its main campus. Ambitious plans
for academic and cocurricular facilities on the new campus are underway.
Size
In the fall of a recent year, 9,050 undergraduate students enrolled at Boston College.
However, the number studying on campus is somewhat smaller because many students
choose to spend a semester studying abroad. Boston College is best classified as a
“medium-size” university. Although the student body is much larger than any student
would have experienced in high school, the overall population is much smaller than that
of most of America’s leading universities. In addition, the large number of full-time faculty
at Boston College allows class sizes to be kept small; the student-faculty ratio is 13:1.
Boston College stands out among its peers in American academe because of a distinctive
approach to higher education. While upholding the standards of excellence that are
expected of the nation’s finest colleges and universities, Boston College’s mission articulates
another set of expectations for its faculty, staff, and students.
The personal development of every member of the BC community is the primary result.
Because of this belief, Boston College emphasizes its dedication to the philosophy of cura personalis,
or “care for the whole person.” This dedication is recognized through the university’s
commitment to employing a distinguished learned faculty devoted to teaching undergraduates;
through the resources it makes available for education outside the classroom; through the academic,
social, and recreational resources and facilities it makes available to all members of its
community; and through the holistic perspective it offers from its broad-based, spiritually
focused, liberal arts curriculum.
Dedication to these goals, combined with the University’s commitment to excellence in all
aspects of its operation, has given Boston College recognition, not only as one of the nation’s leading
Catholic universities, but as one of America’s finest providers of an undergraduate education.
Boston College
Academics
The Core Curriculum
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of a Jesuit undergraduate education is the core
curriculum, a tradition that Boston College has embraced since the school’s founding
in 1863.
Although the university has undergone many changes since that time, questions that
have traditionally stood at the center of intellectual debate have remained salient. Many focus
on issues such as the origin and destiny of existence, the principles of the physical world, the
characteristics of human nature, the state of our society, and our attitudes toward the past.
Because of the relevance of these questions to all academic pursuits, Boston College has
retained its integrated core curriculum, allowing students to examine these questions during
their years at the university.
Because each academic discipline examines these questions from a unique perspective,
the core requirements are dispersed among the university’s many departments. All students
are required to take a full year of theology, philosophy, natural science, social science, and
modern European history. In addition, one semester of study is required in fine arts, cultural
diversity, English literature, English composition, and mathematics. The College of Arts and
Sciences and the Carroll School of Management also require each student to demonstrate proficiency
in a foreign or classical language. As students proceed through the core, the above mentioned
questions are addressed in depth, challenging undergraduates to formulate and
reformulate their positions on the questions and issues that shape their lives.
I had never taken classes in philosophy or theology before, and wasn’t
sure how they would complement what it was that I thought I wanted to do. But
looking back, I find that my interests (academically, professionally, and otherwise)
have changed a great deal since I was a freshman in college. Had I filled
my schedule with classes to prepare me for the career I sought when I was eighteen,
I would have been quite disappointed when my path eventually changed
course. But through the classes I took for the core, I was exposed to ideas that
complemented all of the other classes I took in college, and in my grad school and
law school coursework as well.
Faculty
One of Boston College’s greatest assets is the quality of its faculty. Although BC prides
itself on its research accomplishments, the professors, lecturers and instructors at
Boston College possess a common characteristic: all are devoted to the importance of their
primary responsibility—teaching undergraduates. Unlike other research universities, at
which many of the lower-division classes are taught by teaching assistants or part-time
faculty, the bulk of the classes required in Boston College’s core curriculum are taught by
full professors who are distinguished in their fields.
Although BC boasts a beautiful campus and first-rate facilities, in my
opinion, the school’s greatest asset is its faculty. You can tell that the reason they
are at BC is because they want to teach undergraduates. My sophomore year, I had
a his tory professor who had a reputation as a very tough grader. After receiving
a grade on a paper that was lower than I expected, I went to his office to ask him
for advice. I didn’t expect the meeting to last more than five minutes. He invited
me into his office, and after discussing the paper for a minute or two, he began to
ask me questions about my academic interests and the career path I was considering.
At the time, I wasn’t sure, and I told him so. His response was brilliant. He
said, ‘Well, that’s the reason you’re here! One of the purposes of a liberal arts education
is ‘to liberate’ you from the restrictions placed on your ability to learn
about the world once you leave school and focus on a career. Use your time here
to explore all that you can—you may not have many chances like this ever
again.’ I took his advice, and outside of my major, I took classes on Shakespeare,
American architecture, Beethoven, World War II, and other areas in which I had
a curiosity. That professor and I became close friends, and are still in touch today.
Not only did I get an A in his class, the advice he gave me about how to approach
my college career was among the best I had ever received.
In lower-division “survey” classes in the history, natural science, and social science
departments, classes are taught by full professors in a lecture hall setting two days a week,
and are then broken up into smaller discussion groups on a third day. This format allows for
general information to be communicated en masse, but also gives students and faculty a
weekly opportunity to discuss what has been presented and to relate the material to more
specific topics. In departments such as theology, philosophy, English, foreign languages,
math ematics, and fine arts, classes are kept small to maximize the student’s ability to comprehend
and discuss the subject matter with other students and faculty members alike.
As students move from the core requirements to their upper-division electives, they
find that the class sizes become even smaller. Each department offers seminar classes in
which a professor and small groups of students examine specific academic issues in detail;
the departments also allow students to earn class credit for “Readings and Research” in a
one-on-one project with a faculty member. A popular cocurricular employment opportunity
offered by all four schools is the Undergraduate Faculty Research Fellowships, in which students
can earn money as they assist faculty members with their research. Faculty are also
instrumental in helping students to win prestigious fellowships and other awards.
Course evaluations and surveys of graduating seniors demonstrate that Boston
College students are quite satisfied with their professors; many have indicated that the
student-faculty relationship at BC often transcends the classroom experience, as professors
and students develop friendships that last well beyond the student’s graduation.
Academic Resources
Boston College students have access to a multitude of resources to assist them in their
academic pursuits. The university’s network of libraries features the Thomas P. O’Neill,
Jr. research library, along with seven other libraries featuring art collections, rare books,
and professional resources for education, social work, and law. These facilities also provide
students with access to the Web and other on-line databases and applications, private
small-group study rooms, and audiovisual equipment. Boston College’s Academic
Development Center, located in the O’Neill Library, provides free tutoring to students in all
subjects, along with specialized services for students with learning disabilities.
Boston College’s Student Affairs division includes several offices that serve students
seeking academic support. Included among these is the Learning Resources for Student
Athletes office, and the Learning to Learn program, which helps students improve their
critical thinking and develop learning skills necessary to succeed in college.
The university has refurbished many buildings on campus to accommodate state-ofthe-
art classrooms, laboratories, computer facilities, and meeting rooms providing every
Boston College student with a learning environment that complements the subject matter
being taught. International study provides students an opportunity to integrate their
majors with coursework abroad, giving undergraduates a global perspective on their fields.
Similarly, service learning allows students to apply their enthusiasm for creating a more
just world to their classroom work.
In addition, BC recently was named among the nation’s “most wired” campuses by
PC Magazine, for providing its student body and its faculty with access to the latest innovations
in communication technology.
Most Popular Fields of Study
The top 5 fields of study completed at Boston College.
Boston College features four undergraduate colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences,
the Carroll School of Management, the Lynch School of Education, and the Connell School of
Nursing. Although applicants do not have to declare a major when they apply, they must
designate the school to which they are applying.
Applicants typically have pursued challenging academic goals in high school; most have
taken Advanced Placement classes, participated in numerous cocurricular and extracurricular
activities, and have scored well on the SAT or ACT exams. Even among these students, Boston
College is very selective. For the undergraduate class entering recently, more than 30,000 students
applied for 2,250 places.
While specific courses in high school are not required, students are recommended to
pursue a strong college preparatory program, which should include four years of English,
mathematics, foreign language, laboratory science, and social studies. Students applying to the
School of Nursing are required to complete at least two years of laboratory science, including
one year of chemistry.
There are two standardized testing options. Students may either take the SAT with writing
test and two SAT Subject Tests; or, they may take the American College Test (ACT) with
writing. Applicants must take all standardized tests by the December test date of their senior
year of high school, and each applicant must have his or her test scores sent directly to Boston
College. These scores must be received by December 15. For the class admitted to Boston
College in a recent fall semester, the middle fifty percent of applicants scored between 1870
and 2140 (out of 2400) on the SAT, and/or between 28 and 33 on the ACT.
As mentioned before, the Boston College community reflects a diversity of talents, attitudes,
backgrounds, and interests. Although diversity is sought in these areas, one common
characteristic sought among applicants is a demonstrated interest in the Jesuit ideals of commitment
and service to others. The Committee on Admission looks for applicants to demonstrate
not only their academic abilities, but also their intellec tual curiosity, strength of
character, motivation, creativity, and devotion toward personal growth and development.
Freshman Applicants
To apply to Boston College, students must complete both the Common Application and
the Boston College Supplemental Application. For students seeking to begin their academic
career at BC in the fall semester, there are two admission options: a nonbinding
Restrictive Early Action Program, and the Regular Decision Program.
Freshman applicants with superior credentials who view Boston College as a first choice
should consider Restrictive Early Action. Students electing to use this option may not apply to
an Early Decision program at another college. However, they are free to apply to other nonbonding
Early Action programs. All application material must be sent or postmarked by
November 1. Early Action candidates will be notified of their admission decisions before
December 25.
All application materials for Regular Decision must be sent or postmarked by January 1.
Candidates will be notified of admission decisions at the end of March.
Candidates wishing to apply for freshman entry in the spring semester must complete
their applications by November 1.
Transfer Applicants
Boston College accepts transfer applicants each semester. Transfer candidates must
also complete both the Common Application and the Boston College Supplemental
Application. Students wishing to transfer into BC beginning in the spring semester must
submit their application forms and the $70 fee by November 1; and those students seeking
to transfer into BC beginning in the fall semester must hand in the forms and fee by March
15. In addition to high school records and standardized test scores, transfer applicants
must furnish transcripts from all postsecondary institutions they have attended.
Financial Aid
BC is committed to admitting its students solely on the basis of their academic and
personal accomplishments, and without regard to financial need. The exception is the
Presidential Scholars Program, which offers full-tuition four-year scholarships to fifteen incoming
freshmen, need.
To demonstrate need, students and families must fill out the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Profile form, published by the College Scholarship
Service. Boston College also asks parents and students to provide the university with copies of
their tax returns and W-2 forms. Because of the limited amount of financial aid available, it is
important for parents and students to follow the instructions carefully, and to provide the
University with the information requested by the specified deadlines.
The Office of Student Services is providing students with quick and convenient access
to answers for all of their financial and academic questions. Each student is assigned a counselor
who works in the office, all of whom are available to discuss specific cases with parents
and students. Although the application process is structured and formal, the financial services
counselors at BC take a personal approach to help students and families afford their education
at Boston College.
While Boston College students share much in common when it comes to dedication to
academics and service, the diversity of the student body is most recognizable in the
multitude of student clubs, musical groups, and organizations on campus. Not only is there
diversity in the types of organizations, which include groups devoted to athletics, music, culture
and ethnicity, religion, politics, dance, literature, charities, social action, and
community service, but diversity is also found among the groups within each genre. For
example, for musical ensembles, there are a cappella groups, jazz bands, gospel choirs and
liturgical music groups, a symphony orchestra, a marching band, and the university chorale.
Athletics
No BC student can deny that varsity athletics—especially football, basketball, and
hockey—have a profound effect on the culture of the university. Freshmen find this to
be the case when they experience the first home football game on a Saturday afternoon in
September. The campus erupts in maroon and gold, the marching band can be heard from
the early hours of the morning, and students, alumni, and fans from New England and
around the country arrive to cheer on the Eagles.
Boston College’s athletics programs serve many important functions at the university.
For those who play sports, a team participation provides many students with opportunities to
display their talents to a national audience, as all of BC’s thirty-one varsity teams compete at
the NCAA Division I level. For those who do not play on these teams, athletic events draw the
campus community together, contributing to a spirit that is quite unique to Boston College.
Among many other distinguishing characteristics, the presence of strong, major conference,
Division I athletic teams, is yet another feature that allows Boston College to stand out among
the other elite Catholic universities in the United States.
Recent success among many of BC’s teams also plays a role in the popularity of athletics
among Boston College students. In 2007, the Boston College men’s ice hockey team won the
national championship. The football team and the men’s and women’s basketball teams have
earned national ranking. Since forming the Atlantic Coast Conference, BC has been competitive
in all men’s and women’s sports. But at BC, excellence goes beyond the playing field, for Boston
College maintains one of the highest graduation rates of any Division I university in the nation.
Many opportunities to participate in athletics are available for students who do not play
varsity sports. Intramural and club leagues are sponsored by the university for more than
forty men’s, women’s, and coeducational sports. The campus also offers a pool, basketball and
tennis courts, indoor track, weightlifting facilities, and locker rooms. Free weights are also
available in the residence halls on the Chestnut Hill campus and on the Newton campus.
Residence Life
Most students admitted to Boston College are offered three years of on-campus housing.
Most live on campus for freshman, sophomore, and senior years, while spending
junior year studying abroad or living off campus in a neighboring apartment.
Students frequently ask about a student body’s ‘diversity’ when they are
looking at schools. I’ve always found the term hard to define. The friends I made
at BC came from all over the country. Some of their parents were business owners,
some were teachers, some were in the military, some were farmers, and some
were professionals. My friends were Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant,
Mormon, Jewish, Hindu, and nonpracticing. Their ancestors were from North
America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Some friends
were more liberal, others more conservative; some politically active, and others
not as involved. Today, my friends are doctors, teachers, lawyers, financiers,
musicians, nurses, professors, students, college administrators, and computer
programmers. This kind of diversity—in backgrounds, interests, beliefs, motivations,
and aspirations—can’t be appropriately expressed by a statistic. However,
while there was no doubt that we were diverse in our differences, the best part of
the BC student body was something we all had in common. The ‘typical BC
student’ is bright, well rounded, ambitious, and concerned, and spending four
years with people with these kinds of common characteristics was what made BC
a great place to learn and grow over the course of my college career.
There are many on-campus housing options at Boston College. Most freshmen live in traditional
dormitories with one or two roommates in a single bedroom. These residence halls are
located on the Newton campus and on Chestnut Hill campus. Most sophomores live in four-,
six-, or eight-person suites, featuring two, three, or four two-person bedrooms, a common living
room, and a kitchenette. Most seniors live in four- or six-person apartments, which have two or
three bedrooms and a full kitchen.
There are no fraternities or sororities at Boston College. The freshman residence halls
on the Newton and Chestnut Hill campuses are arranged so that students not only feel as
though they are part of a community in their dormitory, but also in their class.
No BC student can deny that varsity athletics—especially football, basketball, and
hockey—have a profound effect on the culture of the university. Freshmen find this to
be the case when they experience the first home football game on a Saturday afternoon in
September. The campus erupts in maroon and gold, the marching band can be heard from
the early hours of the morning, barbecued food can be smelled everywhere, and students,
alumni, and fans from around New England and around the country descend onto campus
to cheer on the Eagles.
Boston College’s athletics programs serve many important functions at the university.
For those who play sports, participation on these teams provides many students with opportunities to display their talents to a national audience, as all of BC’s twenty-nine varsity teams compete at the NCAA Division I level. But even for those who cannot play on these teams, athletic events draw the campus community together, contributing to a spirit that is quite unique
to Boston College. Among many other distinguishing characteristics, the presence of strong,
major conference, Division I athletic teams, is yet another feature that allows Boston College
to stand out among the other elite Catholic universities in the United States.
Recent success among many of BC’s teams also plays a role in the popularity of athletics among Boston College students. In 2000, the Boston College men’s ice hockey team won the
national championship. In 2003, the football team played in the San Francisco Bowl, the men’s
and women’s basketball teams were nationally ranked and earned berths in the NCAA tournament. In the past five years, BC’s teams have won Big East conference regular season and playoff championships in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s field hockey, men’s ice
hockey, and women’s softball. But at BC, excellence goes beyond the playing field, for Boston
College maintains one of the highest graduation rates of any Division I university in the nation.
Many opportunities to participate in athletics are available for students who do not play
varsity sports. Intramural and club leagues are sponsored by the university for more than
thirty men’s, women’s, and coeducational sports. In Summer 2001, Boston College’s main student athletics facility, the Flynn Recreation Complex, was given an $8 million face-lift, providing renovations to the pool, basketball and tennis courts, indoor track, weightlifting facilities,
and locker rooms. Free weights are also available in the residence halls on the Chestnut Hill
campus on the Newton campus.
Local Community
Although Boston College is not located in the heart of downtown Boston, the ease with
which students can access all that Boston has to offer makes the city a virtual extension of the campus. While events are always occurring on campus, the presence of a neighboring metropolis gives students opportunities to reach beyond the college environment.
Boston’s restaurants, concert halls, dance clubs, theaters, bars, and sporting events, are as
much a part of the BC social scene as the campus-sponsored events.
Students interested in Boston College, but unfamiliar with the city of Boston, should be
sure to visit the campus and the city. Unlike other big cities, many of which appear cold and
unfriendly to the typical college student, Boston is “America’s college town.” Renowned for its
history, its beauty in all four seasons, its diversity, and for its quality institutions of higher education, the city of Boston is a perfect complement to the history, beauty, diversity, and quality
of education offered at Boston College.
Alumni
Boston College’s endowment now stands at $1.75 billion. Much of its growth can be
attributed to the donations of many successful graduates who have given back to the school
that gave so much to them.
The successes of Boston College alumni are
beneficial, not only for the university, but also for current
students looking for jobs and internships in the
“real world.” A common characteristic among BC graduates
is a strong sense of loyalty to their alma mater.
This loyalty is often expressed through the willingness
of BC graduates to help current students, especially
through job networking and career counseling.
Boston College places a great deal of emphasis
on service to others. For Boston College graduates,
the theme of service is reflected in the career paths
chosen by its graduates. In business, education,
research, nursing, social work, politics, law, entertainment,
or community service, Boston College graduates
are leaders in their fields.
Prominent Grads
Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr., ’36, Former
Speaker of the United States House
of Representatives
Luke Russert, ’08, NBC News
Correspondent
Peter S. Lynch, ’65, Vice Chair Fidelity
Doug Flutie, ’85, former NFL Quarterback
Erik Weihenmayer, ’91, Mountaineer/
Author
Chris O’Donnell, ’92, Hollywood Actor
Amy Poehler, ’93, actress, comedian
Matt Ryan, ’08, NFL Quarterback
Elizabeth Hasselbeck, ’99, Media Host
Ronald E. Logue, BS’67, MBA’74,
Chairman & CEO, State St. Corp.
Mike Lupica, ’74, Author, Columnist
Lesley Visser, ’75, CBS Sports Broadcaster
Faculty
One of Boston College’s greatest assets is the quality of its faculty. Although BC prides
itself on their research accomplishments, the professors, lecturers, and instructors at
Boston College possess a common characteristic: all are devoted to the importance of their
primary responsibility—teaching undergraduates. Unlike other research universities, at
which many of the lower-division classes are taught by teaching assistants or part-time
faculty, the bulk of the classes required in Boston College’s core curriculum are taught by
full professors. These faculty members are distinguished in their field, and most have
decades of experience in undergraduate instruction.
In lower-division “survey” classes in the history, natural science, and social science
departments, classes are taught by full professors in a lecture hall setting two days a week,
and are then broken up into smaller discussion groups on a third day. This format allows for
general information to be communicated enmasse, but also gives students and faculty a
weekly opportunity to discuss what has been presented and to relate the material to more specific topics. In other departments such as theology, philosophy, English, foreign languages, mathematics, and fine arts, classes are intentionally kept small to maximize the student’s abil-
ity to comprehend and discuss the subject matter with students and faculty members alike.
As students move from the core requirements to their upper-division electives, they find
that the class sizes become even smaller. Every semester, each department offers seminar
classes in which a professor and small groups of students examine specific academic issues in
detail; the departments also allow students to earn class credit for “Readings and Research” in
a one-on-one project with a faculty member. A popular cocurricular employment opportunity
offered by all four schools is the Undergraduate Faculty Research Fellowships, in which
students can earn money as they assist faculty members with their research.
Course evaluations and surveys of graduating seniors demonstrate that Boston College
students are quite satisfied with their professors; many have indicated that the student-faculty relationship at BC often transcends the classroom experience, as professors and students develop friendships that last well beyond the student’s graduation.
Although BC boasts a beautiful campus and first-rate facilities, in my opinion, the school’s greatest asset is its faculty. You can tell that the reason they are
at BC is because they wantto teach undergraduates. My sophomore year, I had a
history professor who had a reputation as a very tough grader. After receiving a
grade on a paper that was lower than I expected, I went to his office to ask him
for advice. I didn’t expect the meeting to last more than five minutes. He invited
me into his office, and after discussing the paper for a minute or two, he began
to ask me questions about my academic interests and the career path I was considering. At the time, I wasn’t sure, and I told him so. His response was brilliant.
He said, “Well, that’s the reason you’re here! One of the purposes of a liberal arts
education is ‘to liberate’ you from the restrictions placed on your ability to learn
about the world once you leave school and focus on a career. Use your time here
to explore all that you can—you may not have many chances like this ever
again.” I took his advice, and outside of my major, I took classes on Shakespeare,
American architecture, Beethoven, World War II, and other areas in which I had
a curiosity. That professor and I became close friends, and are still in touch
today. Not only did I get an A in his class, the advice he gave me about how to
approach my college career was among the best I had ever received.
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