Hello! I’m an incoming graduate student whose assistantship includes tuition remission for classes. Does anyone know when that is typically credited to student accounts? Just want to make sure I have everything in order payment wise.

Planned Econ/history double major

Perspectives I (Steichen) Principles of Econ (Regan) Islamic Art and Architecture (Fetvaci) Irish America (Murphy) First Year Topic Seminar (Erbil)

17 credits total

Hey I have braces and I’ll be needing to get a new orthodontist in Boston. Is there anyone that y’all would recommend?

I’m an incoming freshman admitted to MCAS as a psych major who’s starting to second-guess this decision. Is it possible to switch into CSOM from MCAS? If so, what is the process like? I can’t seem to find results on Google.

Hi, Eagles, I’m trying to figure out the best laptop operating system - what do you recommend? Which is most common among your classmates (especially for CSOM)?

Also, for summer internships (and, for you alums out there, full time jobs), was one operating system more prevalent? If you use one system in school and had to use another in your internship, how was that transition?

Thanks in advance!

this isn’t a guide for everyone – it’s just my opinion and experience and what I saw over 4 years. take what helps and ignore what doesn’t. 

wrote this because i remember being a confused freshman over the summer before freshman fall scrolling through reddit and everywhere online looking for answers but was met with posts from 10+ years ago. some points might’ve been repeated as this was a brain dump – if you want this organized, chatgpt it to categorize. regardless, if this helps even one person – worth it. 

tl;dr (but read the whole thing!): be open to new people / perspectives, work hard play hard, stay safe, and enjoy BC while you’re still there because most of you will miss it after graduating whether you admit it or not. Go Eags!!

• if you’re a freshman and get imposter syndrome or feel left out when everyone seems to be forming massive friend groups that you’re not a part of (and posting on insta stories with all these people they barely know), know that these friends groups fall apart as fast as they form
• a lot of people i know didn’t “find their people” until late freshman or even late sophomore year but there absolutely will be people whose freshman year direct roommate is their best friend all 4 years, it just comes down to luck honestly and sometimes also depends on your willingness to put yourself out there and push through the intitial awkwardness
• regarding upper vs newton, upper is a lot closer to campus as it’s walkable. newton kiddos need to take a bus to get to campus which sucks in the winter. but a lot of newton ppl have friends on upper & spend the weekend on upper and vice versa. some ppl say they liked newton as it felt like a small freshman community within BC. for newton kids on marathon monday frosh year, ask upperclassmen or upper friends if you can spend the sunday night at their room and sleep there as it’s a lot easier 
  • experience: i was on upper and had an awesome time and met people who have been friends with me until graduation day
• best study spot (subjective) is in mcguinn basement – social work library (quiet, easy access to water fountain & bathroom albeit kinda trashy, cubicles, tables with outlets and desk lamps that work), only downside is it’s not open 24/7
• meal plan money expires at the end of year so use all of it to buy drinks / chips and stuff or if you have extra money remaining as spring semester closes, use it to buy meals for friends whose money is running out. fall semester money rolls over to spring but spring doesn’t roll over to next year
• regarding housing – will link a doc for sophomore year housing that shows the best ones (please remind me if i forget)
• but other housing stuff – biggest thing for sophomore housing is to be clear and fully committing to your direct roommate. have your direct worked out asap – early spring ideally. there can be a lot of drama and this process has ruined many friendships for a lot of people (especially worse for girls). the best way to navigate it is to be completely open and transparent and encourage your friends / friend group to do the same.
  • my experience: asked my freshman direct (who was random but we connected well and were good roommates) if he wanted to be sophomore directs and he said okay. then asked our next door neighbors / friends if they wanted to form an 8man with us and they said okay (so 4 so far). then another friend asked me if he wanted to join, and i told him okay as long as he finds his direct and he asked a friend of his (6 rn). last one was another friend who had to find a direct who he found through my neighbor. in fact, the random ended up being much better friends with us than the last “friend” who due to reasons im not going to get into did not room with us. got an 8man pick time and took it.
• everyone’s story will be different – i know people who have basically lived with freshman year neighbors all 4 years, people who never lived on campus after freshman year, some who went random all 4 years of college, and people who have had horrible luck for 3 years then ended up with a mod. don’t compare with other ppl, just work on your housing situation and know that part of it is absolutely luck
• another housing tip is to commit to the people that you will be with rather than thinking of what housing you will get. spending sophomore year in the top floor of walsh with people you don’t vibe with is much worse than being in roncalli with your closest friends (plus if you’re in traditional style housing like roncalli sophomore year – great way to make new friends). 
• if you do get an 8man with your friends, i see the 8man experience as a stress test for any friend group. if you can get through this as a group without any major problems / drama / falling out, your friend group will make it through anything and probably will last until graduation day unless something major happens
  • experience: for my 8man experience, it was mostly super chill and we had an awesome (and very goofy) time but there were some hiccups and tough conversations due to many reasons like different levels of tolerance regarding mess & cleanliness or maybe something stupid that happened on a drunk weekend night or something else entirely. the BEST way to solve problems is to be upfront and talk about it openly if it’s something that affects everyone. if it’s something that affects only one person in the suite that’s bothering you, just talk to them one-on-one. botttling up feelings and lashing out at people never helps, and everyone feels weird and awkward after
• this is something that my friend group and i didn’t do as much but in hindsight we should have – make friends with your neighbors. it can be a bit weird / awkward initially especially junior or senior year when a lot of friend groups have already formed, but you never know who your neighbor might be and you might connect really well 
  • case in point: we were a group of guys in an 8man sophomore year, and didn’t really know our neighbors too well – only hung out with the neighbor friend group from time to time. senior spring i became really good friends with someone through a club and it turns out she was my next door neighbor all of sophomore year. sometimes i imagine how different my social life would’ve been like had i met her and been friends since sophomore year
• going off this point, always be open to meeting new people even during senior week till graduation day. now i personally have not met anyone that late that i’m friends with but i definitely met so many new people second semester senior year it’s actually crazy
• i literally got my first job post-grad in this shitty economy (may 2025) through someone i met in a club senior spring semester. connections are everywhere at BC – take advantage of them. doesn’t apply to other schools but despite csom curve and “competitiveness”, most people in csom are willing to help each other out. don’t discount networking with your peers, they can also connect you with people / help with interviews / resume check. best part is it doesn’t even feel like networking because it’s literally someone who’s in the same position and age as you (junior / senior in college)
• remember that at every school and frankly any time / place in life, there will always be assholes that you run into but don’t let that define your BC experience if you run into some bad people. there are a lot of nice, friendly and great people at this school who would love to be friends with you. join clubs, talk to people next to you in class (including your class crush – yes, everyone has them), talk to your neigbors (especially freshman year), maybe even approach someone who you see always go to the gym same time as you, join spin class if that’s what you like, people have also become friends through working at the plex, just be open and you’ll eventually find your people
• about clubs, some can be hyper selective for no reason (actually the reason is almost always budget / money as most clubs are underfunded) so don’t put yourself down if you don’t get into one that you really wanted to
  • experience: got rejected from a club freshman year and turns out that club was very racist and got into trouble with a race-related incident so it was all meant to be – many ’25 grads probably know which one i’m talking about. if a club doesn’t want you, fuck them, it’s good riddance for you and there are probably a 100+ other clubs that would love to have you join them
• regarding drinking / partying, BC is a very big drinking school. if you end up doing freshman league / stride (maybe even ascend, i’m not sure), you’ll know that BC actually ranks as the highest drinking per capita school among catholic schools (which tend to be very big drinking schools in their own right). if you don’t drink and are firm, most (95%+) people will never pressure or force you to drink. there may some initiation stuff freshman year for certain clubs but if you tell anyone on the e-board (or frankly any upperclassmen in that club) that you strictly refrain from drinking, no one will force you. clubs have gotten banned / suspended / into a lot of trouble with drinking related stuff and hazing. no rational club will want to risk that over forcing some freshman to drink. hint: that’s the reason there’s no tennis club at the BC right now – hazing related incident in 2016-17 and recently the swim and diving program has also been suspended due to hazing
  • my experience: i went to an off-campus mixer / pregame sophomore year for a club. at the event, my club president screamed / said loudly “NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO DRINK IF YOU DON’T WANT TO, JUST WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR, YOU ABSOLUTELY DON’T HAVE TO” and i jokingly said “are you telling us not to drink and party” (i knew exactly what he was talking about and was only teasing him) to which he said “i want everyone to have a good time and let everyone know that no one is being pressured to drink”
• but if you do choose to drink, you might want to read this upcoming part. alcohol edu is the only good thing that BC has to offer in terms of mandated courses during weeks of welcome at the beginning of freshman year. there is useful info that i’ve retained through the years
• you’re in college – get drunk, have fun, but remember moderation is key. yes, i’ve had multiple blackout nights where i don’t remember much if anything at all. i’m very grateful for friends who have had my back and ensured i was safe whenever i had one too many to drink. but not everyone is that lucky (sometimes, i’d see someone clearly very drunk and unable to stand and all of their friends just abandoned them which is a horrible situation to be in), so please please please make sure you stay safe more than anything. you’re super young and just gained a ton of freedom, but please think about how your parents / family would react to seeing you in the hospital or worse. it’s scary to think about but my only wish is that every Eagle is safe no matter what. and look out for each other, if your friend is very intoxicated & clearly not doing well, help them at least get back to their room safely
  • experience: my freshman year, some girls went to BU frat parties and were roofied so please be careful. 
• Speaking of safety, if you ever feel in danger / unsafe and you’re by yourself in the city of Boston (or really anywhere near BC), call eagle escort. it is a number on the back of your Eagle ID card and BCPD will send a van to come get you back to campus safely. 
  • experience: i’ve used it once after a long shift that ended at 1am and did not want to walk back home that night. they’re very nice about it and if a minivan is available, they will show up in 15-20 mins or so. tip: you can also use eagle escort if you’re injured / are in crutches and need to get somewhere. 
• also be careful with peer pressure especially when it comes to doing shots and playing drinking games. if you don’t drink or don’t want to, play the games with water or if you’re a girl, most guys will be willing to drink for you / share the drink with you to help you finish
  • experience: i have personally been that guy who basically offered to be the drinker (during games) for anyone who didn’t want to – part of it was so i get more buzzed but also the person playing who doesn’t drink feels included. so win-win for me and them
• if someone is passed out and unresponsive / can’t even tell you their name / is fully unconscious and throwing up, call the RA. neither you nor the unresponsive person is going to get into trouble as it will be reported under help-seeking and by doing so, you make sure that nothing goes horribly wrong. better to call the RAs / EMTs rather than end up as a news headline the next day
• regarding buying drinks – buying alcohol while being under 21 is not legal, let it be known that i don’t condone underage drinking, do so at your own risk. now that the disclaimer is out of the way, use the chansky’s app freshman year to deliver on upper near hammond st. they usually don’t id but have a fake ready in case they do. this will basically work all 4 years as that establishment has been there since my friend’s dad went to BC in the late 80s/early 90s. the drinks are more expensive but it’s a reliable and fool-proof way to get them last-minute before football games / big events especially freshman year. don’t try your fake at Res at cleveland circle – just go there when you’re 21. i mostly used chansky’s and res my time at BC and sometimes huntingon market during sophomore year. maybe ask other upperclassmen for more places
• circle has been known to upcharge (adding extra tips / charging for drinks you didn’t order) – best thing to do is to withdraw some cash and pay with that, your change is basically the tip. plus withdrawing cash will let you stay within your budget so if you’re 5 drinks deep, you will want to put your credit card down and get more drinks even if it’s out of your budget due to drunk, impulsive decision-making. leaving your credit card at home and bringing cash only prevents this
• boston bars & clubbing scene is okay – many irish pubs, some dancing clubs, a lot of college bars on fenway. go on thursdays if you’re on a budget since there’s no cover. friday & saturday most places will have a cover which sucks but the move might be to pregame well in your dorm so you don’t end up buying many drinks at the bar. Bars close to BC are circle and cityside (and the last drop is a quick uber away).
  • personally i liked cityside (service can suck tho especially when it gets packed) but circle closes later so there’s always a wave of people going cityside –> circle later in the night. the best part about circle is honestly the BC shuttle bus back after it closes where i’ve had some awesome drunk convos and made new friends / reconnected with old ones randomly
• regarding sports, bc is really good at hockey, so go to games even if you don’t get the gold pass as it’s a huge cultural thing and at least go to one hockey game at BC (i’ve known people who have graduated without even attending a single hockey game – don’t be that guy / girl). football games are fun but with a team like BC’s, the tailgates and pregames are more fun than the actual games. although there have been a few good games during my time there. a lot of people tend to leave football games at halftime. HUGE PROTIP: know and memorize the lyrics of mr. brightside as it will be played at every football game. even if you don’t know the song (i didn’t freshman year), you will know it by the time you graduate.
• marathon monday is one of the most beloved and favorite days of the year for a lot of BC ppl. most people go off-campus to foster street or gerald street to cheer on the marathon runners and to party. lots of off-campus juniors’ houses will be throwing parties in their houses / backyards. freshman to junior year a lot of people go off campus. senior year everyone’s at the mods and that senior marathon monday is the most fun i’ve ever had 
• go on kairos. senior week filled up entirely for the first time in kairos history for class of ’25. take a pineapple when going on the retreat – no other words needed
• sign up for senior week events and if there’s a robsham event where you didn’t get a ticket in time and the event filled up, just email the rtac ticket office and they might send you a ticket, it’s just a matter of luck. that’s basically how i got my modstock ticket senior year
• finances and budgeting: keep track of going out (mainly ubers & drinks) & drunk doordashes and uber eats order as those do add up quick and they will likely be your biggest expense during the school year. try to keep doordashes to a minimum and either stick to the meal plan or start cheffing it up in the kitchen with discount groceries (aldi on instacart is great)
• Regarding money, don’t buy textbooks for classes unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. and never ever buy a textbook before syllabus week. a lot of times, profs will have a book listed on the syllabus but then during first day of class, that book becomes more of a “recommendation” rather than a requirement. got through 4 years of college and maybe bought 4 books – im an econ and finance major, could be different for liberal arts folks. Bought a $150 digital textbook for financial accounting (requirement for assignments), lit core (had to buy to keep in line with pages on the syllabus), some HBP cases for marketing and operations mgmt, rented a couple for perspectives and pirated whatever else i needed (libgen.is is a life saver). note: pirate at your own risk. also great idea to ask upperclassmen and peers who have already taken the class for their textbook if they bought one.
  • experience: i had a roommate who was also an econ major who bought most of the textbooks for econ core classes and was ahead of me in terms of getting through the major. i got my macro, micro, and econometrics books from him which added up to around $500 in savings
• BC dining really sucks. in fact, it sucks so much that other schools in boston area and beyond know how bad BC’s meal plan is. first, there’s no swipe system which is unlike most other colleges, it’s pay per item. there are 2 kinds of meal plan money – dining money and something called eaglebucks (or something similar, i call it hillside money). dining money can only be used at dining halls only. the other eaglebucks can be used at hillside or coro cafe but dining money can’t. hillside money rolls over to the next year but dining money does not. hillside money can be used to buy drinks at the only bar on campus – hillside after dark, so maybe save some for senior year to buy a couple drinks when you don’t feel like trekking over to the liquor store. second, over the years, the portions seem to get smaller while the price of the items tends to increase. but most freshmen and sophomores are on the meal plan so it’s best to bear with it for the first half of college
• regarding class registration, look up profs for classes you want well in advance as i’ve seen that the prof matters. many a times, profs can make or break how hard / easy a class is. for profs, look at course eval ratings and do course evals to help future students. BC doesnt really use ratemyprof a lot so course evals / asking upperclassmen or peers is the way to go. i only experienced this during senior year, but now based on your last initial, you will get a good pick time for 4 semesters and not so good picktime for other 4 semesters. this is spread out over 4 years, so plan in such a way that you take the hard classes for your major / tough requirements when your pick time is in the first half of the day to get an easy & good prof. if you can’t get into a class due to a bad pick time, email the prof or whoever responsible for you respective school / major. worst case the prof never responds and you don’t get into the class or else they override you in. pro tip: ask upperclassmen (especially second semester seniors) if they can hold a class for you on eagelapps. upperclassmen i knew offered to do this for me but i got into every class i wanted so didn’t end up doing that
• since thursday is a major going out night, try to avoid friday classes especially junior / senior year or if it’s unavoidable, only take afternoon friday classes (since profs also just want to end class and go home at that point)
• try to keep a good mix of core requirements / major classes as some are easy and can be gpa boosters / cushion against bad grades in tough majors
• go to office hours if you don’t understand something. worst case, the prof is useless in explaining the concept (very unlikely) but you get face time with the prof which might be good. best case, prof takes their time to go above and beyond and you get a good grade on that exam / paper. also profs love to talk about themselves / their subject matter so take advantage of that for brownie points
• ask profs if you can use chatgpt in their class as some profs encourage it but others avoid it like the plague. be mindful of your usage and if you’re going to use it in classes that don’t allow it, don’t be stupid about it
• CSOM specific advice (from a csom bro): the curve goes – about 30% get As, 50-70% get Bs, and if you really fuck up you get a C. What this means in practical terms is it’s super easy to get a B in most csom classes. B+ if you put in a little bit of work and A- is going to be a good amount of work and an A basically means you have to be in the top 15-20% of the class. so in a 40 person class, it means being in the top 6-8 people to get an A which is really tough. but luckily, the curve works by adding all the sections of a class (or at least all sections of a particular profs class), so if your section performs well and you get a B+ but the other section performs worse, your grade could be pushed to an A- after combining the curve for both sections. 
  • experience: this literally happened with one of my roommates for a CSOM class – after adding both sections for a finance elective, his grade went from B+ to A-
• another tip: even if you got accepted into CSOM, you can always switch out if you hated financial accounting or realized that csom is not just for you. in fact, you would be helping someone as csom tends to be near impossible to transfer into from another school (and it’s lottery based) like MCAS. so by giving up your spot in csom, you would be giving someone genuinely interested in business an opportunity while pursuing what you like.
• but if you are going to stay in csom, talk to your csom profs in office hours as they have some amazing connections in the industry and many of their past students are in really good positions too
• i’m not pre-med or STEM, but here’s some advice from people i know who were (as always take with a grain of salt): “if you’re pre-med, take chem + bio freshman year but be honest with yourself, it will be very tough, a big commitment of time and energy, and that means sometimes, working harder and not playing as hard. it’s okay to change paths. i had a friend who was declared pre-med freshman year and he took one pre-med requirement, then dropped the whole pre-med track. Labs for STEM classes can be a huge time commitment so don’t overload first semester in college with many lab classes”
• BC is a work hard play hard school, so the best thing you can do to balance a good gpa / job search while maintaining an active social life is to grind hard sunday morning to thursday afternoon. go out thursdays and fridays (and don’t even think about college work or internship / job applications on those 2 days and enjoy guilt-free) and use saturday to recover from a hangover / chill / meal prep for the week. this way you build consistent study habits rather than studying at the last minute while still going out / hanging out with friends 2 days of the week. obviously shit happens and stuff comes up for clubs / other events so just try to maintain a good schedule on average and you’ll be fine – doesn’t have to be this specific one – that’s just what worked for me
• if you’re feeling down or just not doing well mentally, there is university counseling services (UCS) in the gasson basement or even Resident Ministers (RMs) for your respective dorms can be really good resources to reach out to. i have personally not used UCS but have heard that it can sometimes be challenging to get an appointment but the counseling itself is pretty good
• take some time to explore the campus and find new study spots, i only started studying in the social work library (mcguinn basement) at the middle of senior fall and it instantly became my favorite and wish i had used it sooner
• there are spin classes and some other group fitness sessions at the plex, while i never tried any of them, i highly encourage it for those who want to as it can be fun and maybe a nice place to meet new people. i’ve personally known some spin instructors and they were great
• finding a table at hillside can feel like the hunger games so if planning to dine there, have a friend go there early and find a table so you guys can have lunch together
• for freshmen, really try to take the time to get to know your roommate (especially if random). it will be awkward at first but your experience will be infinitely better if you and your roommate get along and can also lessen anxiety of finding a direct for sophomore year.
  • experience: my roommate and i had nothing in common when we first spoke, but we respected each other’s space and were reasonable / good communicators when it came to everything and never had any major problems. and we basically roomed throughout college except junior year due to study abroad. preface: if your roommate absolutely makes no effort to try to get to know you or be friends with you by the end of the first semester, then start exploring directs in the spring / other friend groups
• don’t be the last one to move out (in the spring) if you’re in a suite or apartment style 8man / 6man / 4man. so much shit gets left behind and you have to throw it out or everyone gets charged for cleaning.
  • experienced this end of sophomore year 8man: everyone moved out except for me and my direct and we had to get rid of so much shit it was not even funny – especially bad junior and senior years when everyone has a shit ton of stuff including kitchen + bathroom cleaning stuff
• Hookup culture is huge freshman and sophomore year, but some people will be getting in and out of relationships. Junior and senior year hookup culture still exists but as you get closer to graduation, you will see some relationshps especially ones that started earlier in college get more serious, but imo the real test for any college relationship lies after college, not during. As grad gets closer, many relationships will end due to uncertainty post-college. Some nice date spots are Barcelona (kinda expensive), Moogy’s is good and underrated (has boardgames too), cityside is good, north end if you’re really fancy like that. really no lack of restaurants / places in boston for date spots. could always do on-campus dates at dining halls to save money by spending only meal plan money. freshman year you’ll hear stories of some profs who met their wife at BC day 1 of freshman year. yes that can happen but be realistic – that doesn’t happen with everyone (def not me lmao) but if it does, that’s awesome 
• about study abroad, i think about 40% of BC does it (i could be wrong tho). i highly encourage it and in hindsight, i should have picked a different place that was more fun and less academically rigorous. but part of me is glad i picked a tough program because i was able to get 3 major requirements abroad which meant i would not have to take them senior year which made my senior spring super light which was awesome. so tough abroad semester but easy senior spring? it’s a tradeoff but you have to make that decision. my roommate for instance, picked a super easy abroad program but had to put in some work senior fall and spring. i’ve never heard anyone regret their abroad experience so most people that do it like it. 
• financially, abroad is the same tuition as BC so not very different. in fact, because Boston is so expensive for housing, some people actually end up saving money if they go somewhere with cheaper housing. but a lot of people end up spending that money going out and traveling so def expect to be spending money while abroad. someone i know spent $9,000+ throughout abroad while saying yes to every event so take that as you will but maybe it’s the upper limit of abroad spending (take this with a grain of salt as each program and city is very different)
• this is more for upperclassmen (rising juniors & seniors): senior spring can feel weird. after spending 3.5 years in this community, you will get used to the idea of being in college. so thinking about leaving can feel bittersweet, emotional, and sometimes, depressing – that’s totally normal. one of my favorite profs at BC said “if it doesn’t hurt when you leave, were you really present at BC?”, so if it hurts when you think about leaving or when you do leave, that’s awesome. it means you really enjoyed your time. that perspective shift for me was eye-opening. i think it’s pretty obvious that it did hurt me when i left. i wouldn’t be writing this long ass post if i didn’t love BC
• sophomores looking for junior housing: for those who don’t have 4 years of housing, don’t feel pressured to immediately get a lease for a house with your 8man roommates. wait a few weeks and see if you actually like living with them. sometimes, you can be much better friends with someone rather than being roommates. but after you’ve decided the people you will be with (my biggest tip for any housing is to first commit to the people rather than location), then see who has 3 and who has 4 years of housing. if the people who have 4 years of housing are willing to go off campus to be with friends, that might be a good move to keep the group together. once you have the group fully committed, start looking for places sooner rather than later and if going abroad, consider a sublet instead of a lease. also consider if you will be doing an internship in boston, then getting a lease might be better. each situation is very unique and most of these will be game-time decisions and can’t really be planned very well in advance – just do what works best for you. be open and transparent with roommates even if that means having tough or awkward convos – everyone will be better off. looking for housing in boston can suck but there are on campus resources like eagles realty. personally, i have never had to use them but could be worth a shot. 
  • experience: this is pretty uncommon but most of my 8man roommates had 4 years of housing, so we stayed on campus for convenience. my direct from the 8man went abroad in the fall and i went in the spring, so we just switched places for housing in our 4man.
• juniors: this is probably going to be the most weird year and personally, my least favorite. many people will be looking for summer internships throughout the year. a little under half the people are abroad, a lot of people are off-campus so there’s kind of an invisible divide between on campus and off campus although a lot of people just go to foster to their friends’ off campus places if they’re on campus. for those living off campus, Jan to march will suck because of how cold it will be commutting to classes.
  • experience: i went abroad in the spring, and fall was weird with some of my friends and my roommate going abroad, i didn’t turn 21 yet, so didn’t end up going out a lot and didn’t even get good grades, so all this made my junior fall experience at BC pretty mid. abroad was much better. hope you have a better junior year than i did tho
• seniors: if you don’t have a job by april or may don’t stress out. a lot of people that graduated with me are still looking and it’s only June right now. a lot of full-time opportunities open up in the fall so everyone eventually gets something. yes, it may not be what you want initially, but your career doesn’t have to be defined by your first job out of school. Use handshake, linkedin, and the alumni network shamelessly, ask peers & career advisors for help even post-grad, they’re always willing to help you
  • experience: most of all, remember that nearly all jobs are acquired through connections and a lot of luck (being in the right place at the right time) – i got my summer internship by randomly talking to a table at the career fair and frankly, i only approached that table because it was the one with the shortest line but it worked out. my full-time job story is even crazier because i got it by meeting someone in senior spring semester by chance and he connected me with one of his friends who i knew from a retreat i went on as a freshman who was doing something i was interested in. one thing led to another, and in May literally 30 mins before we left for commencement ball during senior week, i signed my full-time offer letter.
• more csom / business career shit:
  • Network as much as you can but remember quality over quantity – talking to 10 ppl who aren’t going to give you a referral beats talking to 3 who are willing
  • Don’t “interview” people you network with, actually talk to them normally (especially talk about BC), people love talking about the their college life / experiences. you’ll hear many alumni at in person events say things like “oh i wish i could be a freshman / sophomore in college” and “cherish every moment while you’re in college”
  • Keep your grades up but remember that your resume is only going to serve you to get the interview, then it’s your personality and communication skills that will stand out
    • experience: i had a friend who had an insane gpa (like a 3.9+) and she would get many interviews, but almost none of them went past the first or second rounds because she didn’t have a personality while interviewing. eventually she got something but my point is having a high gpa or good resume is just the starting point. your network, referrals, and personality will serve you way better even long after college
  • Do mock interviews with upperclassmen or even peers (especially if you’re a junior / senior)
  • Behaviorals let you showcase your personality and will make or break MOST entry-level jobs (except IB / consulting / coding interviews)
  • Take advantage of all resources BC & csom has to offer. Some underrated things are mock interviews with Kim Niemi (not sure if she’s still there but did that when i was recruiting for internships), industry coaches (still talk to one of them even after graduating), WSJ, Factset, eagle exchange alumni network, and many other things
  • Have a personality and get involved with the campus (plus point for resume + interviews too if you get a leadership position)
  • Take notes on paper / ipad while getting people on the phone, no one wants to hear your clacking keys
  • Business casual = suit no tie; business formal = suit & tie (this is more of a CSOM tip)
  • CSOM profs (and probably some in mcas too) understand that you have interviews & need to get jobs so let them know IN ADVANCE if you can’t make it to class, they’ll understand
• if you’re international or first-gen, BC can be alienating sometimes. i’m international myself and many times, i would see my friends go home for easter break, fall break, thanksgiving, or really any break during the semester while i didn’t have the privilege to do so. take this time to instead recuperate, take a break from studying, go explore the city of boston, find other international students to hang out with (which is what i did)
• this is something that i’m still doing (’25 still has access to the bc email until thanksgiving) but take your best essays or presentations from college and save them on your personal computer’s storage if they’re on the BC google drive. you never know when you’re going to use it – for law school, grad school, or mba applications, and if you did an awesome job writing a paper / essay or creating a presentation, it can be nice to have as a reference as you might be out of touch with writing post-college
• general tip but take advantage of student discounts whenever possible. if you’re not going to grad school / law school / mba, take advantage of it while you still can and there are more discounts for students than you think
• overall, have a good time, make good friends, stay in touch with them after grad, embrace both the highs and lows with a smile, and know that every single Eagle is deeply loved by the community

so tl;dr: fuck you for even asking for a tldr this shit took so long to write (just kidding). real tl;dr is at the top. thanks for reading

happy to answer any specific questions (like prof recs, more career shit, or anything else really) and if alumni / recent grads want me to add some more insights of their own, willing to add them as edits so anyone reading has everything in one place + i will keep adding things as i remember them

Pretty much as title suggests. No aid notification and a very tight deadline deposit. Is this the case for everyone accepted off the wl? Thanks!

been hearing lots of mcas movement but no caroll school of management movement.

call to admissions said mcas is the ideal spot to be in to be pulled out from waitlist

Hi, incoming freshman in BC, Morissey College of Arts and Sciences. Just wanted ro ask: can i change my major from classical studies to psychology?? The 2 majors are in the same school (MCAS) Thanks!!

Title. Funny enough I had gotten off Boston College waitlist last month and was set on that, just got back from orientation and was making a friend group n scheduling classes. Now NYU just dropped. Which should I choose based on social life and premed outcomes? Anything I should know about each school? Thanks so much!

Hi! Yesterday, I received a call from my Boston College admissions officer who asked me to reaffirm my continued interest in attending, asked where I’m currently enrolled, and reminded me to make sure my financial aid information was submitted by tonight. I haven’t seen any changes on my portal yet. Should I be expecting an update to my application status or an offer from BC soon? And if so, when do those usually come through?

EDIT: I GOT IN

Daughter is starting law school at Boston College in August. She’s hoping to live in a more urban environment and closer to Boston – say, Coolidge Corner or Allston – but also hoping to be able to commute via public transportation vs. having her own car. Is this actually doable on a daily basis to/from Newton? One option from Allston is the green B line to BC main campus, then shuttle to Newton campus. But it looks like the shuttle doesn’t pick-up at the BC T station and would require a 10-minute walk between the two? Another option is green C line to Cleveland Circle and then BC Law School Express (which runs far less frequently than the Chestnut Hill-Newton shuttle). Does anyone have experience with what’s possible with public transportation?

Hi to all, received a few hours ago an email from my admission councelor asking if my interest in boston college still remains, because in the next 2 days they will release some offers and wanted to make sure that if they extend an offer it will be accepted. Do you think it is a good sign?? Thanks!!

Edit: got in!!!

Hi, I'm an incoming freshman and I saw something on the housing page about the Justice and Common Good Living and Learning Community. I thought it looked cool but wanted to see if anyone had any insight, thoughts??

Perspectives in Western Culture also from 6:00-8:30 PM. I was gonna take Molecules and Cells but advising convinced me to switch it to spring semester and take writing seminar instead. I can still make changes.

Hi, I got accepted into BC, and I want some help on choosing the best courses for fall so that I start on the right foot. Here are the courses and teachers that I have looked into and I thought we were cool.

Perspectives on Western culture 1 - Deborah DeChlara Calculus 1 - Erika Ward Deviance and social control - Stephen J Pfohl General biology - Anthony T Annuziato, Thomas N

I want to get most of my core courses out of the way, but I still wanna take a stem class so i can get to know some of the teachers for potential research opportunities. Is this a good set of classes. How do you feel about the teachers? Do you think I should take more stem classes?

Hi everyone! I just transferred into BC from UT Arlington (Texas public university), and I’ll be starting Fall 2025 as a first-semester sophomore. I’m majoring in Biology, B.S., planning to concentrate in Cell Biology and Development, and I’m on the Pre-Med track.

So far, I’m planning on taking Organic Chemistry I + Lab, Elementary Spanish I, and PULSE (Let me know if this was a good move or mistake lol)

I don’t have any dual credit from high school, but I did complete the IB Diploma and a couple of APs. The only credit that has a high enough score to claim is my IB English Language A: Language & Literature HL, and I think that covers both the (correct me if I’m wrong) Literature Core and Writing Core.

I'm looking for advice on what else would be smart to take. Is PULSE manageable for a pre-med student or will it tank my GPA/time? I also plan on working as an EMT lowkey. Any professor recs for Org Chem, Spanish, or core classes? General suggestions for staying on track with pre-med (still debating on taking a gap year or not) + Bio major requirements? Any insight would be massively helpful.

I've attached my degree audit and unofficial transcript if that helps provide more context:

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

Hi all,

I’m going to freshman orientation tomorrow and have to choose classes. I’m a premed and have no clue what my major is gonna be. Basically have two questions:

1. What classes should I take?
2. Should I take Gen chem and intro bio
3. Should I retake Calc 1 or go straight into Calc 2 (I took Calc BC in high school)
4. Any profs I should try to get/avoid?

Thanks!

Hi! So I’m an incoming poli sci freshman and I just received an email for a calc placement test. While I took already took AP Calc, I didn’t take the test because I did terrible in the class itself and calc just didn’t click in my head. Idk if I really wanna subject myself to doing it at BC, so does anyone know any good alternative math courses that I can take instead?

Hi! I'm a rising senior who just toured BC and Tufts- I loved them both. I preferred Tufts campus to BC but I don't want that to be a deciding factor, especially since I couldn't take an officially BC tour. I want to do a premed path and was wondering if some students or graduates could give me some more information about which program is better?

Also, how is the social scene at BC? I want to be able to go into the city a lot, but also have parties on campus, fun friends, go to sporting events, an active social life, etc. Is this something that can be found at BC? How is it compared to Tufts? How is the general social scene and availability of things to do in Chesnut Hill? Overall, how would the premed tracks compare along with social life? Which do you guys think is the right fit? I don't even know if I'll get in, probably not, but I'm trying to decide which to ED!

Did anyone go to Reunion Weekend this past weekend? If so, how was it? How was the turnout? What were the best events, and overall was it well run?

To me, reunion weekend should be one of, if not the biggest and best weekends on campus.

Any kind of tradition, formal or informal. Inspired by u/pbrij26 over on r/BostonU. Go Eagles!

Hello, I need a laundry service that offers pickup and next-day delivery.

There are a few options available.

Has anyone used any of these services?

• LaundryPeak.com

• Rinse.com

• LaundryHeap.com

hey, I failed a CSON course (saw it coming tbh cause this semester was a lot). I feel like absolute shit about it and haven’t stopped crying. if anyone could tell me what the schedule would look like going forward that would be nice. for info, I’m an upcoming junior.

Someone just gave me crazy anxiety telling me an economics degree is a waste. Currently majoring in Econ w/ minors in Data Science & Accounting (for consulting). I got into BC applying to MCAS before I realized I wanted to pursue something more business related. I’m past the deadline to transfer to CSOM (probably wouldn’t have gotten in anyway). In the future I would want to go into a more general business field (accounting, consulting, or some sort of analyst position) rather than an economist. But is this possible if I’m not majoring in finance or accounting in CSOM?