Growing up, I have always been surrounded by the influence of Boston College. My mother graduated from Boston College in 1995 and some of her sisters also attend the institution. My grandmother takes great pride in her daughters’ attendance which has also led to my involvement in the culture of BC from a very young age. From attending football games to the ‘Winter Wonderland’ festivities, Boston College has always sparked positive memories for me.
As I near my time to apply to colleges the influence has detached from my family and has become a strong passion of my own. The atmosphere of Boston College is characterized by a strong sense of community, academic rigor, and a commitment to personal growth. Its Jesuit values shine through as an institution that is “Men and women for others.” Additionally, the Jesuit tradition promotes service to others and leadership which creates well-rounded, compassionate individuals.
In the spring of 2024, I discovered that Boston College offers a summer program for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school. Titled, The Boston College Experience, the summer program I attended was a true glimpse into college life at BC. I would like to share my experience attending Boston College from the application process to the classes and workshops and amazing social opportunities it offered.
The Boston College Experience website describes the program as, “an academically intensive program open to rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors (ages 14 and older) and covers areas such as business and leadership, economics, government, history, philosophy, forensics, design thinking, and college and creative writing. There are select courses offered fully online asynchronously with no on-campus component as well” (BCE Non-Credit Program).
The Application Process
The application to this program resembles a traditional college application. This included 2 essays. One was a specific essay for the course you would like to take and the second was the same prompt for every applicant: “In 250-500 words, please state your reasons for applying to the Boston College Experience (BCE) program” (ibid.).
After a few weeks of brainstorming, I finally crafted my response to this prompt which in retrospect was an amazing exercise to get me ready for college applications. As I applied to the Data Analysis course, my specific prompt was: ‘Please discuss your experience and interest with data analysis.’
The most important part of the application process which I identified is the fact that it is rolling admissions. The sessions may fill up quickly so it is important to pay attention to the deadlines and submit your application as soon as possible. Similar to college applications you also need to submit transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other documents which the application portal will inform you about as you begin your application.
Admitted Students
Once admitted to the program, the portal in which you applied will give you more instructions to secure your spot in the program. Additionally, there is a tab on their website that informs admitted students about the proper steps to follow before arriving at the Chestnut Hill Campus: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/sites/bc-experience/admitted-students.html.
The final step before arriving is packing your bags using the list of items you need for the two weeks provided by the program.
Arriving on Campus
When I arrived on campus I was directed towards Vanderslice Hall where I would be living for the next two weeks. I was greeted by the personable program assistants (PAs) who would be in charge of planning our social activities on campus, running some of the workshops, and mentoring us. These PAs were current Boston College Students and recent graduates. They assisted us in the process of checking in, moving into our dorms, meeting roommates, and getting comfortable on campus.
Vanderslice Hall is traditionally sophomore dorms during the school year which are suites with a kitchenette, a common room, bathrooms, and bedrooms. I lived in a suite with 5 other girls and 3 bedrooms, 2 people per room. This allowed me to introduce myself to people in other courses while also allowing me to make close personal connections.
Shortly after moving in, we attended an orientation that informed us about all of the rules and expectations for the two weeks. We then attended dinner and began preparing for the exciting weeks ahead of us.
An Average Day During the Program
While at Boston College, weekdays followed a similar schedule every day. My class would begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. We would have a lunch break between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. where we had time to work with our professors one-on-one, eat at the dining hall, or stop back in our dorm room for a quick break. After class ended at 3, workshops were scheduled from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Some of my favorite workshops that I attended were ‘Leveraging LinkedIn” where we learned how to set up LinkedIn accounts, a creative writing workshop which helped us brainstorm traits about ourselves that we could use to write our college essays, and lastly, a seminar given by the dean of admissions, Grant Gosselin. He gave insightful information about the college admissions process as a whole as well as facts about Boston College itself. The end of this seminar allowed students to ask any questions they might have about the institution. After workshops, we had time to spend time with friends, explore the city of Boston as well as the campus, attend social gatherings planned by the PAs, and work on homework given to us by our professors.
The weekend allowed for more time to explore the city as we attended an excursion on Saturday. The program was divided into two groups which was determined by the course you were taking. My course attended a tour of TD Garden. This included a tour of the locker rooms, artist rooms, and VIP boxes. The experience provided valuable insights into the behind-the-scenes operations of a significant sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Boston.
Academically, the weekend was significant as each class was given a weekend group project which helped improve my communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. Since the program is open to applicants from anywhere in the world, the experience of working with other people introduced me to new methods of Data Analysis I had never encountered before.
Socializing during the program
Some of my favorite memories made during this program were showing my friends, from all over the world, the amazing city of Boston. I introduced them to my favorite place to shop, Newbury Street, and we even had the opportunity to have a formal dinner in Boston. We called this our ‘family dinner’ as it was a dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Boston with my suitemates as well as a few of our other friends we had met during the program. We followed this ‘family dinner’ on Friday night with ‘family brunch’ on Sunday morning.
This gave me a sense of leadership and encouraged me to share the pride I have in Boston. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationships it helped me make and the experiences I was able to help enhance for others.
Other Students Input
Junior Tommy Hartnett also attended a summer program and commented on both of our experiences, “I think Caitlín’s opportunity at BC aided her in many ways in her school and her social life. I also attended a program this summer that further advanced my knowledge and understanding of Spanish Culture and language. Summer programs further academic success and create lifelong social skills.”
Senior Ivy Clark reflected on my stories from the Boston College Experience saying, “It was wonderful hearing about how Caitlín got the opportunity to simulate the life of a BC student for 2 weeks. She was able to tell me about what she learned in the workshops about the college process and how fun it was to live the college experience.”
My classmate and suitemate, Hannah Robinson, a senior at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, describes her time attending the program saying, “[her] time at Boston College helped deepen [her] understanding and love for data analytics while giving [her] the chance to make friends and socialize on a college-like setting.”
My other suitemate, Maddie Kehner, a senior at Haddonfield High School says, “The Boston College Experience throws you right into what a college experience truly is. College-level classes with college professors challenge students to be college students for two weeks. I have never been a part of a program so rewarding that allowed me to meet such amazing, lifelong friends.”
The EXPERIENCE
It is almost impossible to fit every great experience I had during the two weeks into a school newspaper article. From the amazing hands-on experiences in class to meeting people from all over the world and growing socially I could continue writing about my time at Boston College forever. I am grateful for the connections I was able to make and continue to hold with my peers as well as my professor.
I strongly urge any student to research ways they can prepare themselves for the future. For me, that was the Boston College Experience and I believe if any student has the opportunity to attend this program they should begin packing their bags immediately.
To learn more about the Boston College Experience program, visit their website: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/sites/bc-experience.html.
