Boston College

Introduction

Boston College’s distinctive approach to undergraduate education can be best understood through the motto of the University: “Ever to Excel.” “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, the curriculum is focused on helping its students develop a consciousness of their identities and their responsibilities in today’s society. Socially, the 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.

As a Catholic and Jesuit university, the school 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. While highlighting its traditions and principles, BC 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

The 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. The 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. students often become acquainted with students fromneighboring universities, including Harvard, M.I.T., Tufts, Boston University, and Northeastern. The college also features a Newton campus, located approximately one-and-a-half miles west of the Chestnut Hill campus, which is the home of the 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, the school 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. However, the number studying on campus is somewhat smaller because many students choose to spend a semester studying abroad. The large number of full-time faculty 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, the mission articulates another set of expectations for its faculty, staff, and students.

The personal development of every member of the community is the primary result. Because of this belief, the mission 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 BC recognition, not only as one of the nation’s leading Catholic universities, but as one of America’s finest providers of an undergraduate education.

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Information Summary

Ranks 11th in Massachusetts and 88th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about) 95.5
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance $73,092
Admission Success rate N/A
ACT / SAT 75%ile scores 34 / 1490
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty 15 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time) 95% / 88%
Enrollment Total (all students) 14,720

Academics

The Core Curriculum

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of a Jesuit undergraduate education is the corecurriculum, a tradition that has been 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 the school’s greatest assets is the quality of its faculty. Although BC prides itself on its research accomplishments, the professors, lecturers and instructors 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 the core curriculum are taught by full professors who are distinguished in their fields.

Despite the 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 students are quite satisfied with their professors; many have indicated that the student-faculty relationship often transcends the classroom experience, as professors and students develop friendships that last well beyond the student’s graduation.

Academic Resources

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. The 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. The 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 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.

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Admissions

The academic division feature 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, the admissions office 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 the admissions office. These scores must be received by December 15. For the class admitted to 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 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, students must complete both the Common Application and the Boston College Supplemental Application. For students seeking to begin their academic career 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 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

The admissions office accepts transfer applicants each semester. Transfer candidates must also complete both the Common Application and the Supplemental Application. Students wishing to transfer beginning in the spring semester must submit their application forms and the $70 fee by November 1; and those students seeking to transfer 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

The college 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. the financial aid office 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 take a personal approach to help students and families afford their education.

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Students

Student Groups

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 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.

The 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 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. Among many other distinguishing characteristics, the presence of strong, major conference, Division I athletic teams, is yet another feature that allows BC to stand out among the other elite Catholic universities in the United States.

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 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 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 student body was something we all had in common. The ‘typical 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. 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. 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.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

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.

The 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 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.

Recent success among many Eagles teams also plays a role in the popularity of athletics among students. In 2000, the 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.

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. Free weights are also available in the residence halls on the Chestnut Hill campus on the Newton campus.

Local Community

Although the campus 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 students’ 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 the college.

Alumni

The school’s endowment now stands at roughly $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 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 graduates is a strong sense of loyalty to their alma mater. This loyalty is often expressed through the willingness of graduates to help current students, especially through job networking and career counseling.

Prominent Grads include:

  • 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

Although BC prides itself on their research accomplishments, the professors, lecturers, and instructors 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 the 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 ability 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 students are quite satisfied with their professors; many have indicated that the student-faculty relationships often transcends the classroom experience, as professors and students develop friendships that last well beyond the student’s graduation.

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