Current BC/Boston students

[Texasgrad5911]

Not sure how many current social work students still follow this forum.. but... I will be in Boston from the 16th-21st and I was curious if any current Boston College students would want to meet up over coffee and discuss the school/living in Boston with me. It would be great to be able to talk to someone who has some experience with the school, but I mean.. if any of grad cafe people who are currently living in Boston want to meet up, I would be down with that as well! It would be nice to hear first hand from someone what it is like to live there as a student! I will be staying the medford area, but I would be down to meet up wherever!

[Purplescarves]

I went to BC for undergrad, decided not to apply for the MSW, but my roommate and friend are attending and/or will be attending. I'll let them know you are interested in meeting up. Make sure you dress warm. Let me know if you have any questions about Boston or BC. I have been here for ten years.

[Texasgrad5911]

Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. One question I do have is.. Does the winter weather really get you down? I live in Texas right now and if it gets grey for longer than a week, i tend to start feeling kind of blue. Maybe I am just not used to it? Also, how was your BC experience overall ( I know undergrad would be different from grad) but I am just curious on your opinion of the school overall.

[applicant2013fall]

Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. One question I do have is.. Does the winter weather really get you down? I live in Texas right now and if it gets grey for longer than a week, i tend to start feeling kind of blue. Maybe I am just not used to it? Also, how was your BC experience overall ( I know undergrad would be different from grad) but I am just curious on your opinion of the school overall.

I decided to go to BC this fall.

I have never been to boston before.

Please update your BC visit!

Thanks in advance and enjoy your visit!

Edited March 15, 2013 by applicant2013fall

[Purplescarves]

I definitely get the winter blues. Some people combat that by purchasing a natural light lamp or getting involved in winter sports. I try to throw myself into some type of social activity so that I'm not just lying around and complaining. It gets cold, snowy, and icy. People are just now starting to sigh with relief because winter is almost at its end. After ten winters, I'm glad this will be my last. However, I am also glad I tried it out. There is so much you gain from living in another city. I've had incredible work experience. I've met so many different people because there is such a high concentration of students. I've witnessed all four seasons. I said this in another post, but Boston in the summer is just magical to me. It's a completely different city.

You might want to check out the housing options while you are here. You can check out Craigslist and try to schedule 2 or 3 viewings. That will give you a sense of where you would be living and the costs. If you will be bringing a car you can live farther out, like in Jamaica Plain, which is one of my favorites after Roxbury. You will hear bad things about Roxbury and Dorchester, but typically from people who have never lived there. Like any city, there are great parts and not so great parts. There are some neighborhoods closer to BC that have bad reputations because they are overrun with undergraduates, like Allston, the 'student ghetto'. However, I know of some BC graduate students that live there and they are fine. It all depends on what your ideal is. My only recommendation is to stay away from the 'B' green line if you will be relying on public transportation. It's not the typical train service, it's much much much slower.

BC is great. You will realize once you get here that it isn't in Boston. It's in Chestnut Hill, which is a quiet upper class neighborhood. The campus is stunning. The sporting events are fun (campus on a game day is nuts because of the tailgating). They have a lot of resources. Professors are hard working and accessible. The Jesuit influence encourages the student body to become involved in service learning opportunities. Like any other university, it has its challenges. Students of color and the LGBTQ community work hard to make the campus more inclusive and accountable to its mission. The majority of students are coming from a more privileged background and can stay in that so-called "bubble" if they so choose. There are some who do push outside of that and actively seek out knowledge and experiences that are different from their own, but it is not the norm. As a result, patterns of oppression and marginalization that you see in society at large are replicated on campus. Again, this is typical of most schools. It was a great place to learn academically and socially. I love BC.

Edited March 15, 2013 by Purplescarves

[Texasgrad5911]

Wow, thank you so much for all the info! I am very excited for my visit! Winter sports and social activities do seem like great ideas to beat the winter blues. I definitely have a lot to consider! I went to a private catholic university in Austin, so I definitely understand what you mean by "patterns of oppression and marginalization that you see in society at large are replicated on campus." Thanks again!