Boston College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD really liked BC when we visited - campus, proximity to Boston, overall vibe etc. However, we are not Catholic or deeply religious. DD is liberal in her beliefs - pro-choice, women's/gay rights etc. I know that there is a philosophy/religion class requirement, but other than that, do you think she would have time fitting in? Has anyone's non-religious kid thrived there? Would love to hear good/bad. Thank you!

Millions and millions of catholics completely ignore the official church stance on issues like reproductive rightsz reproductive technologies, and gay rights, etc. May sound odd but that is the reality. The church is hopelessly slow and outdated on these issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread. Anyone have any recent experience at BC who is jewish? DC is not particularly religious (reform), but wondering if a jewish kid would feel out of place there. Apart from the couple of mandatory religion classes (which doesn’t concern me) is there a religious vibe at the school? Do kids go to mass on Sundays, etc? DC is friends with a mix of kids in high school, including several Catholics so that in and of itself isn’t a concern, it’s more whether a jewish student would feel out of place in general. Looks like there’s only about 4% of students there are jewish. Thanks for any feedback!

Second hand anecdote but I have a friend who is Jewish whose daughter is there. I expressed surprise that she would choose BC but says it’s not been a problem at all. There are Jewish groups on campus and it’s in Newton, which has a large Jewish population.

Large percentage of Jewish students at Boston University (not Boston College). BU has a pretty racist nickname.

That’s long been said. BC is where the Catholics go (less than 1% are Jewish) and BU is where the Jewish go (4,000 Jewish undergrads). It’s lovingly referred to as BJew by Jewish kids.

[Anonymous]

^21% of Boston University is Jewish. Less than 1% of Boston college is Jewish.

I think a few posters got them mixed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^21% of Boston University is Jewish. Less than 1% of Boston college is Jewish.

I think a few posters got them mixed up.

Yes as to BU. But a fair number at BC. I don't buy the 1 percent. I think they don't identify for school forms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a practicing Catholic who doesn't agree with the anti-birth control positions of the Church, or most anything involving women. This thread has me wondering if students who use the BC student health insurance are able to have birth control pills and or abortions covered through those plans. I wonder if Catholic University allows this. I'm pretty sure that Georgetown would. But then again, Georgetown allows its staff to cover their same-sex domestic partners whereas Catholic didn't. Maybe it still doesn't? Not sure about Notre Dame or the Jesuit ones?

Catholic health centers/hospitals may prescribe birth control pills but they have to say it's for irregular periods, as someone noted above. You can't get an abortion or the morning after pill at any Catholic health center/hospital, including Georgetown. Nor can a man get a vasectomy at Georgetown...you will be referred to another hospital.

[Anonymous]

Don't Jews have Brendeis?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't Jews have Brendeis?

Really? So all the Jews should stay at one school and avoid Catholic schools. Got it. I guess that answers my question.

I’m not confusing BU and BC, but was just hoping there were others who could share actual experiences as jewish students at BC. Apart from the religious aspect, BC seems like it could be a good fit for DC. Thanks, all.

[Anonymous]

My catholic high school student chose Boston College because it was Catholic. That was the aspect that set it apart from and above other schools in which she was interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread. Anyone have any recent experience at BC who is jewish? DC is not particularly religious (reform), but wondering if a jewish kid would feel out of place there. Apart from the couple of mandatory religion classes (which doesn’t concern me) is there a religious vibe at the school? Do kids go to mass on Sundays, etc? DC is friends with a mix of kids in high school, including several Catholics so that in and of itself isn’t a concern, it’s more whether a jewish student would feel out of place in general. Looks like there’s only about 4% of students there are jewish. Thanks for any feedback!

Second hand anecdote but I have a friend who is Jewish whose daughter is there. I expressed surprise that she would choose BC but says it’s not been a problem at all. There are Jewish groups on campus and it’s in Newton, which has a large Jewish population.

Not BC, but my Jewish child loved Georgetown and did not feel out of place at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread. Anyone have any recent experience at BC who is jewish? DC is not particularly religious (reform), but wondering if a jewish kid would feel out of place there. Apart from the couple of mandatory religion classes (which doesn’t concern me) is there a religious vibe at the school? Do kids go to mass on Sundays, etc? DC is friends with a mix of kids in high school, including several Catholics so that in and of itself isn’t a concern, it’s more whether a jewish student would feel out of place in general. Looks like there’s only about 4% of students there are jewish. Thanks for any feedback!

Second hand anecdote but I have a friend who is Jewish whose daughter is there. I expressed surprise that she would choose BC but says it’s not been a problem at all. There are Jewish groups on campus and it’s in Newton, which has a large Jewish population.

Not BC, but my Jewish child loved Georgetown and did not feel out of place at all.

Perhaps I am wrong but Georgetown and Boston College seem like very different institutions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread. Anyone have any recent experience at BC who is jewish? DC is not particularly religious (reform), but wondering if a jewish kid would feel out of place there. Apart from the couple of mandatory religion classes (which doesn’t concern me) is there a religious vibe at the school? Do kids go to mass on Sundays, etc? DC is friends with a mix of kids in high school, including several Catholics so that in and of itself isn’t a concern, it’s more whether a jewish student would feel out of place in general. Looks like there’s only about 4% of students there are jewish. Thanks for any feedback!

Second hand anecdote but I have a friend who is Jewish whose daughter is there. I expressed surprise that she would choose BC but says it’s not been a problem at all. There are Jewish groups on campus and it’s in Newton, which has a large Jewish population.

Not BC, but my Jewish child loved Georgetown and did not feel out of place at all.

Perhaps I am wrong but Georgetown and Boston College seem like very different institutions.

They probably both have that alter boy inner circle thing going but many students can exist happily outside of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - Thank you for everyone’s comments. DD is very much into women’s rights/equality, so that is my main concern with the student population and instructors. Are they cool with that or is it a conservative catholic atmosphere?

If by "women's right" you mean that your DD is staunchly pro-choice, I would not send her to BC or any other Catholic school. While BC may not be a conservative Catholic environment, as you put it, it is a Catholic school. That means the school administrators are (and should be) staunchly pro-life with respect to all issues, including abortion, the death penalty, war, etc. That's a huge part of what it means to be a Catholic. So, yes, she would have many classmates who are pro-choice, but does she want to be at an institution that is pro-life? Because that is what Catholic universities/colleges are, and what they must be. Especially in our current times where debates about abortion will be heated and the Supreme Court may very well be curtailing Roe v. Wade, I would not send my staunchly pro-choice kid to BC. Now, if your DD is willing to listen to other viewpoints and learn the other side of an issue she feel passionately about, then BC may be the perfect place for her to go. FWIW, I work at another Catholic university, so I view this more from an institutional perspective than most parents who probably view this from "what has my kid's experience been."

OP - I went to BC and all of the above is totally off base and just opinion from a person who is not part of that community. There are not highly conservative Catholic institutional perspectives, pressures, or even messaging. As a Jesuit school, the focus is on learning and community and fostering both.

I do remember going off campus for my GYN appointments, but it was right in Cleveland Circle and easy to do. I don't think it occurred to me at the time (or even until now!) that that was something I'd get at a school health clinic (as I could at my graduate school). But again, it wasn't any less convenient and it was never as if there were political judgements from the student body, teachers, or administration. It NEVER came up in my four years there.

I am not Catholic and I loved it there. It's not a Catholic atmosphere. It's a great supportive community, filled with nice kids who are smart, well rounded, and outgoing. There is a lot of school spirit for sports. And the spirit of the community carries after graduation, making for a great alumni network. BC folks love running into others - I would have grads come talk to me all over the country (and world) if I had a BC shirt on, or at a stoplight with my BC sticker. And it really helped with interviewing at jobs, even after graduate school (from a higher ranked school/program).

It is preppy though and most classmates came from wealthier backgrounds than mine. It wasn't super diverse. I grew up in a very diverse area both racially and economically so that was a surprise at first, but those valuable lessons had been learned already in k-12 so I was lucky on that front.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's more "Catholic" than Georgetown but Georgetown is the least Catholic of Catholic schools out there. They're almost embarrassed to be Catholic.

I wouldn't recommend BC or any Catholic college except Georgetown if you're affirmatively anti-religion. If you're at least marginally tolerant of religion, BC is a fine choice. The required philosophy and theology classes at Jesuit colleges -- of which BC is one -- are few in number, interesting in content, and nothing at all like bible study classes.

DePaul and Seattle U are much less Catholic than Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Is Boston College more Catholic than Georgetown? How do they compare?