Boston College

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Biology
Minor: Computer Science
Student Self Identifies as: Asian Straight Female

Summary

I am part of the Korean Student Association, the Chinese Student Association, and I’m part of a hip-hop dance team.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Asian
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Long Island, NY with a graduating class of about 275 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Biology
Minor: Computer Science

Extracurricular Activities: I am part of the Korean Student Association, the Chinese Student Association, and I’m part of a hip-hop dance team.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
I found a lot of my friends through the Korean Student Association, but I am more affiliated with my dance team because it’s more time consuming and more of a commitment. All of my roommates and a lot of my friends are from the Korean Student Association.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
My freshman year I also had to take Chemistry courses and they take up a lot of my time because there were weekly quizzes, a lot of online homework, and a lab every week which had a pre-lab. This year I’m not in a Chemistry course right now and, as of now, my Biology classes don’t have a lot of labs or homework. The homework is optional for us to help ourselves study, but most of the weekly work is the quizzes we have every few weeks.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
I feel like the professors are pretty engaging with the students and are very friendly and easy to approach. The faculty are very comforting and easy to go to if you need advice for classes or just college life. In terms of what they do poorly, I think the exams are a lot harder than the material that they teach. It’s more application instead of memorization, which I think is good, but it also brings down people when they think they don’t know the material well enough and doubt what their future path will be.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s a little bit of both. If you’re a science major, it’s more collaborative because there are a lot of group projects and partner work. When it comes to labs, doing homework, or studying, it’s nice to have someone to test you on the material.
How accessible are your professors?
The majority of my professors are available and more than willing to schedule a meeting outside of their office hours and see you during a time that is best for you. There are also professors that are very busy. Those are usually the more popular professors or professors who have their own research or are the head of the department. I have a professor like that now and her office hours are very hectic because twenty or thirty people come, so it’s hard to get close to certain professors. But, the majority of professors are very easy to go talk to.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I wanted to do Biology ever since high school. I wanted to do more of an engineering field but Boston College doesn’t have an engineering school. But, I don’t think I ever regretted my decision of coming to Boston College and majoring in Biology just because the community is very loving and welcoming.

Reasons to Attend

1) The education teaches you how to work, how to study, and how to succeed in the future. If college was all easy going than in the real world you probably wouldn’t do so well.
2) The community is very close-knit. It feels like a second family and I never feel homesick because I always have someone to support me.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) There are times when I want to be in the city more, so if you’re looking for something more near Boston or in Boston, BC wouldn’t be the choice.

Around Campus

Where have you lived during college?
Freshman: Fitzpatrick Hall with one roommate in Upper Campus, which is a more isolated part of campus.
Sophomore: College Road in a quad. It’s mostly meant for sophomores who can’t get housing on Lower Campus, which is where the majority of students who are sophomores and juniors live.
How was transitioning from Long Island, NY to Chestnut Hill, MA?
It wasn’t too different because they are both neighborhoods right outside of cities. They are very similar neighborhoods and homes around. The one difference is the public transportation can be a little difficult. All there is here is a train.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
The safety level is pretty high. We’re in a nice area. [The median household income in Newton, MA is $133,853 and the poverty rate is about 4%.]
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
It’s on the campus of Boston University, it’s a Thai place called Nud Pob.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
Every Sunday I go to church which is in the heart of Boston. It’s nice to go out every week and not stay on campus because it’s so easy to just stay in your dorm or go to the library. It’s nice to go out into the city once in a while.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like to go to upperclassmen dorms sometime and just chill with my friends. We play a lot of board games. I also will go to my friends’ suites that have common rooms and play board games there. We also will go out to the city and meet up with people from Northeastern and Boston University. I’ve been more inclined with my faith this year, and every other week there is a service near Boston University, so we’ll go to that and all go out to eat somewhere nearby, which is really fun.
What have been some of your favorite times at Boston College?
Especially when we don’t have any work or we all just finished our exams, and all of my friends get together and hang out. It is very easy to not see your friends and get caught up with all of your work, so it’s nice when we all get together and talk, eat, laugh, and sometimes play games. My other favorites times are when I was able to perform with my dance group.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
It’s kind of hard to say how you meet them because it’s easy to come across people because the campus isn’t too big and the class sizes aren’t too big. It’s very easy to know a lot of the people in your class and bump into them. In general, I’ve met a lot of people through the Korean Student Association. [The student-faculty ratio is 12:1.]
How would you describe the overall social scene at Boston College?
At BC, you’ll walk to class or to get lunch and bump into a bunch of people you know just walking by. You don’t have to be super close with them, but you’ll know a lot of people and always be saying hi to someone. It feels like everyone knows everyone or has at least heard of everyone. More closely, I think a lot of people stay within the people who they live with because that is their friend group usually.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
That’s hard for me to say because I hang out with a lot of people who are my own race and my own sexual orientation. But, my dance team is [diverse], so through different clubs and organizations it’s easy to mix. I do feel like it’s not just me, and a lot of people on campus stick within their own ethnicity.
How would you describe the Asian community on campus? How strong is it?
It’s pretty small compared to the other communities, but it’s pretty strong. Everyone knows everyone, so the community isn’t too big but it’s close-knit. It’s very to get to know other people and for it not to be superficial. It’s nice because it’s another big extended family you have during college. [About 11% of undergraduates are Asian.]
What is the impact of BC being a Catholic school on your experience? Do you like or dislike that?
I’m pretty neutral about it. I don’t like or dislike it because it hasn’t had too much of an impact on me. I don’t really participate in a lot of the Catholic activities or events they have on campus. I usually just go off-campus with other people and I go to church outside of BC too.
How strong is the Catholic presence on campus?
It’s strong when it wants to be but is not present all the time. During certain times of the year and when they have certain events, they promote it a lot more and it’s a lot more relevant to what’s happening at that moment. There is mass every week and they do promote that.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs? Were they responsive to your questions?
I use financial aid and they do accommodate my needs to a certain extent, but it is still an expensive private school. The financial aid changes with the tuition, which I think is good.