I love this place, a lot, and I can't see myself being anywhere else. With that said, BC is not perfect. I'll start with the negatives. There are a lot of obnoxious rich kids from the tri-state area. They are the bane of BC existence. Other than that, I'd say that BC students are much friendlier than people give them credit for. There's a lot of homogeneity, but most of the students are interesting and worth meeting.
While students tend to have a lot of BC pride, support for athletic events here is laughable. We've had basketball games with less than 100 students present. It's the ultimate bandwagon fanbase, so if you're a big time sports fan (as I am) prepare to be disappointed if you're looking for a major D1 environment.
The school has cracked down hard on under-21 drinking in recent years, which doesn't bother me because I don't revolve my life around drinking, but there are some who do... lots of people drink and party but you have to be prepared to get punished for it at least once.
I'm non-Catholic, but I think being at a Jesuit school is great. With that said, the constant, annoying tug-of-war between liberals and conservatives over whose views are more Catholic and thus should be endorsed by the school is aggravating. I'm a liberal but I understand that BC is not going to start performing gay marriages tomorrow. Sometimes, my liberal brethren need to understand that they are at a Catholic school. By the same token, constant whining and complaining about how 'secular' BC has become by some older Opus Dei-sympathizing, pre-Vatican II thinking alums gets on my nerves.
Positives -
Academics here are challenging, but rewarding. The faculty are extremely approachable for such a top-notch school.
The staff, from top to bottom, is very dedicated at BC. From the admissions staff, to the maintenance crew, to the dining hall employees, there seems to be an attitude of involvement at BC that makes the campus experience great. The campus is always in pristine condition, the food is great, and student services are always there to help you with your problems.
I get the sense that the administration really does care about the students and wants it to be a positive, formative experience.
There is a WHOLE LOT to do here. Almost too much. Between different speakers, performances, and athletic events, not to mention the availability of Boston, there is a 0% chance of being bored here as long as you're not a really boring, introverted person.
Sports here are great as long as you ignore the terrible fan support. BC hockey is the best program in the country, BC football is extremely fun to follow (we're not the best program out there, but we're quite good), and the basketball team has had a few exciting runs this decade. Women's sports and non-revenue sports are really solid as well.
This is a really well-balanced school with so many positives. We just need to boot about half of the tri-state rich kids, cut back a bit on the New England prep school kids, and let in more students from public schools around Boston (back to BC's roots). That way there will be a little more diversity, fewer popped collars, and (probably) better support for athletics.
But like I said, no place is perfect. BC is about as close as you're gonna get.Highly recommended.
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