What Does it Take to Get Into Boston College?

Boston College In Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Is A Pioneer Among U.S. Colleges...

They’re immensely popular for their uniquely integrated curriculum, as well as an extremely active campus community that serves their surrounding towns and cities.

Students who are interested in Boston College are a rare breed, and they should focus on a few key aspects of their application to ensure that the admissions team sees them as Boston College’s ideal student. By understanding what this fascinating school is looking for, students can get into Boston College with just a few small adjustments to their application and essays.

What You’ll Find In This College Guide

• Boston College’s Ideal Student
• What You Need to Get Accepted Into Boston College
• Boston College’s Campus Life
• From Application to Career: What You’ll Experience at Boston College
• Your Future at Boston College

Boston College's Ideal Student

The average GPA and standardized test scores for incoming Boston College freshmen are:

• GPA: 3.86
• SAT: 1410
• ACT: 32

Boston College admissions seeks out students who graduated in the top 8 percent of their class. Out of all the exceptional colleges in Massachusetts, this school is ranked 12th for lowest admission rates, so students who apply to Boston College need to have impressive grades and make sure they highlight why they would thrive on campus to be admitted.

UNIQUE TALENTS AND BACKGROUNDS

Boston College looks for a wide variety of students with interests in several areas. Like any great college, they need diversity on campus in order to create a more inviting and inclusive environment. Obviously, students shouldn’t fabricate their stories in order to appear more interesting, but rather, they should simply be honest about their background.

• What is a specific event or hardship in your life growing up that shaped you?
• What makes your background unique from other applicants?
• What is a hidden or quirky talent you have?

CONTRIBUTION TO BOSTON COLLEGE’S CAMPUS

After filling out their campus with a wide variety of students, Boston College admissions wants to find students who will actively contribute to their campus activities. Boston College students must have a passion for community and collaboration in addition to delivering good work in the classroom.

• How do you plan on contributing to Boston College’s campus culture?
• Is there a specific student group that you’re interested in getting involved with?

SELF-EXPRESSION

While Boston College admissions operates under a holistic process when it comes to reviewing applications, they pay specific attention to their applicants’ essays because this is their main opportunity to express themselves. Boston College is looking for students who are aware of both their strengths and weaknesses, and who are comfortable with being honest about room for growth in those areas.

• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• How will Boston College help you grow in certain areas of your academic career?

APPRECIATION FOR CATHOLIC HERITAGE

Boston College is similar to the University of Notre Dame; it was founded on Catholic principles, but does not consider Catholicism as a requirement for admission. In fact, Boston College is quite the opposite, as it encourages its students from all faiths to be independent thinkers and empathetic members of society.

• What parts of Boston College’s heritage inspires you?
• Why do you think it’s important to be an independent thinker in today’s society?

WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE: BOSTON COLLEGE’S PROGRAMS

Boston College may be a small school on the outskirts of Boston, but it carries some pretty impressive rankings like third in the country for Best Catholic Colleges and third for Best Colleges for Education. Here are some of their top ranking programs:

• Education (#3 in the U.S.)
• Accounting and Finance (#4 in the U.S.)
• Nursing (#16 in the U.S.)
• Philosophy (#22 in the U.S.)
• Business (#25 in the U.S.)

IN SUMMARY: BOSTON COLLEGE’S IDEAL STUDENT

Boston College’s ideal student has an appreciation for the college’s roots while understanding the importance of supporting an independent thinker’s approach to societal issues.

The ideal student has exceptional grades, and is honest about their unique interests and background. They are also open with their strengths and weaknesses and aren't afraid to use their essay for an opportunity of self-expression. Overall, Boston College’s ideal student embraces vulnerability and plans to use their campus experience to grow as a student and a person.

What You Need To Get Into Boston College

Boston College’s requirements are designed for the admissions team to clearly see who will be excellent additions to their campus life each year. In 2019, 35,552 students applied for Boston College. However, only 9,679 were accepted, while 2,297 actually enrolled.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for students to create impressive applications that will capture Boston College admissions’ attention.

THE APPLICATION

Boston College uses the Common App for the application process. When students first begin filling out the Common App, they will be asked to specify their preference between the Early Decision and Regular Decision deadline.

Then, they will need to select an Academic Division to apply for; this can be a tricky first step for students who are unsure of what they want to study. Choosing an academic division does not mean that the student is declaring a major. Rather, they’re giving Boston College admissions an idea of what area they’re interested in, which helps them make better admission decisions. Students can choose an academic division and still specify an Undecided major.

There are four divisions to choose from:

• The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
• Carroll School of Management
• Lynch School of Education and Human Development
• Connell School of Nursing

SCORES

Students will be asked to provide their standardized test scores, either from the SAT or ACT, as well as their official high school transcript. Self-reported scores aren’t accepted, so they must be sent directly from the College Board.

SAT Subject Tests and the Writing portion of both standardized tests are completely optional when applying to Boston College.

THE BOSTON COLLEGE WRITING SUPPLEMENT

Students are required to write two essays: one general and one Boston College-specific essay. For the Boston-specific essay, students must write a 400-word piece that answers one of their prompts. Writing supplement topics for the 2020-21 application cycle are already online, so students can begin practicing now!

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Students should also submit the following documents that will help Boston College admissions get a better picture of their high school involvement:

• School Report and Counselor Recommendation Form
• Teacher Evaluations
• Mid-Year Grade Report

Most of these reports can be completed through the Common App. Teacher evaluations should be completed by the teachers that taught the student’s favorite classes, or the classes closely related to the student’s chosen area of study.

APPLICATION FEE AND DEADLINES

The application fee for Boston College is $80, and application fee waivers can be submitted through the student’s counselor. Here some important dates to keep in mind:

• Early Decision I: November 1st
• Early Decision II: January 1st
• Regular Decision: January 1st

CAN I GET INTO BOSTON COLLEGE?

Boston College admissions knows how much time and effort it takes a student to fill out any college application. As students begin working on their Boston College applications, they should strive to include their background, interests, strengths, weaknesses, and future goals.

The more honest students are about their experiences and perspectives, the more they will help the Boston College admissions team make their decision.

Boston College's Campus Life

When it comes to Boston College’s campus culture, students usually have to go out of their way if they don’t want to be a part of the energetic community. In other words, there’s always something to do and there’s always a group to join at Boston College.

Boston College’s mission when it comes to creating an engaging student life experience is to inspire creativity and encourage every student’s individuality to come through. Students are strongly encouraged to consider every student organization they find, even if it’s not a typical activity they would pursue.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Boston College has over 300 student organizations ranging from the arts and world cultures to social justice and politics. Whatever a student is interested in, they will be able to find opportunities to grow in a skill or learn a new subject.

Out of all the student activities offered on Boston College’s campus however, their focus on arts and culture is unprecedented. Visual, physical, and musical arts are a huge part of their campus community, and many student artists quickly find a home on this arts-centric campus.

ATHLETICS

The Boston College Eagles are a part of the NCAA Division I athletic league, and offer 29 Varsity teams to incoming student athletes. While most colleges stop after football, baseball, and basketball, Boston College hosts sports that require a very specific skill set, like diving and skiing. Applicants who are interested in playing for one of Boston College’s Varsity teams should contact their high school coach and get started on the recruitment process sooner than later.

If incoming students aren’t interested in playing for a Varsity team, Boston College also has plenty of intramural and club sports to choose from.

HOUSING AND DINING

Boston College has 30 residence halls, 13 dining halls, and 3 meal plans, and students have the option to choose from any of them. Each residence hall offers a different experience, depending on each student’s preference. Whether a student wants to live in a large house or an apartment with an urban feel to it, they can check out each of their options before they move in.

After they move in, students can explore the diverse dining locations on campus and select the meal plan that works best for their routine. Boston College has a lot of coffee shops, so students can rest easy: coffee is always easy to find here. Students can even eat at cafeterias and retail dining locations throughout campus as much as they want, and at any time throughout the day.

BOSTON COLLEGE’S MANY FUN FACTS

Boston College is a very unique school with several fun facts. For starters, one of their dining halls used to be a bar where Vanilla Ice performed, and during his show the stage collapsed.

English students can take also classes on fairy tales and Disney films, which is probably what inspired over 7,000 alumni to get married in Boston College’s picturesque chapel. Lastly, Boston College is the most popular school on Instagram; their building, Gasson Hall, is the third most “Instagrammed” college building in the U.S.

From Application To Career: What You'll Experience At Boston College

From the first day a student decides to start their Boston College application all the way to graduation day, they are in good hands. Boston College admissions is one of the best admission teams in the US, and every year they strive to select students that will continue to make their campus one of the most vibrant in the country.

As new students join Boston College every year, their academic and personal growth is continually fostered by the administration, even through their transition to the professional workplace.

YOUR APPLICATION

On their Boston College application, students should give the admissions team a well-rounded picture of their background and interests. By being honest about the life they come from and the life they hope to achieve with a Boston College degree, they will be increasing their chances of admission.

Students can go even further than this by highlighting how they plan on integrating themselves into Boston College’s campus culture, and sharing their stance on the college’s deep Catholic roots.

YOUR ESSAY

Students can make their essay shine with specificity and good storytelling. With a 400-word limit, applicants are challenged to make their essay succinct and straightforward. Students can choose from several prompts, but they should choose a question that sparks inspiration; as long as their personality comes through their words, the admissions team will enjoy reading it!

YOUR COLLEGE YEARS

During their time at Boston College, students should take advantage of as many student activities as possible. This all begins when they choose their residential hall and begin making friends in their classes and student groups. Students should choose groups that both challenge them and make them feel right at home so they find a balance between growing in a new skill and forging lasting relationships.

YOUR CAREER

The Career Center at Boston College has done an excellent job of slowly integrating their students into the professional field, as seen by the following data for 2019:

• 95 percent of graduates were either employed, enrolled in graduate school, or committed to a nonprofit/long-term community service project
• 76 percent of these students had job offers by the second semester of their senior year
• The average starting salary of graduates was $60K

Your Future At Boston College

It’s easy to see that any student who chooses Boston College has a great future in front of them. From living on a beautiful campus to participating in numerous sports and activities, students have plenty of opportunities to grow in their chosen area of study and learn how to use it for the good of society.

Of course, crafting an application that’s catered to a specific college can be tricky, which is why WeAdmit’s professional counselors are standing by to help students capture Boston College’s attention. Whether a student needs help understanding a certain portion of the application or needs a second pair of eyes to look at their essay, WeAdmit is committed to helping students feel confident as they apply to their dream school!