ArtsFest Bringing a Close to the Year

Hello,

Today is the last day of BC's Arts Festival, a three day event celebrating the arts at BC. This 12th annual festival brings together the BC community as well as the surrounding Boston community for art events ranging from Dance Showcases from BC's dance groups (including the Chinese Students' Association, Fuego del Corazon, BC Irish Dance, the Japanese Club, the Korean Students' Association, the South Asian Student Association and many more), art demonstrations, theater performances, a BC fashion show and even a Children's Activities Day where kids come to campus to march with the BC Marching Band, have their faces painted, create some pottery and the list goes on...

As BC students, we can help organize or volunteer at the festival, attend the free performances, eat chocolate dipped strawberries (compliments of BC's dining services), watch or perform with the dance groups and SO much more.

ArtsFest weekend has probably been one of my favorite weekends at BC. O'Neill Plaza has been filled with music and people all weekend and I will be sad to see it finish after tonight, but there's always next year!

-Christina

Freshman Year in Retrospect!

Hi everyone! It's almost May and the end of the semester is quickly approaching. Finals in just two weeks! This school year has really flown by and I've enjoyed every minute of it. From acclimating to life away from home and adjusting to college coursework, this year has been a series of learning experiences for me. A few of my fellow bloggers have written about their favorite things from freshman year and it started me thinking about what my most memorable experiences have been.

One of the best things about my BC experience thus far has been living on the Multicultural floor in my dorm. Everyone on the floor has gotten to know each other really well and it is a nice community to come back to at the end of the day. All of us came in being far away from our families and not knowing many people at BC and it was great how quickly we all became friends. Many people keep their doors open on a regular basis and you always see kids out in the halls studying together or talking. I've learned so much from both the international students I've met on my floor and those like myself that just love learning about other cultures and parts of the word. The Multicultural floor is always located in one of the dorms on Upper Campus, so if any of you are interested in participating in a residential program in which you can interact with students from a wide array of backgrounds then I would definitely recommend applying on the housing application. While the majority of the students on my floor are rooming together next year, we aren't all living in the same building so I'm going to miss it a lot!

Another one of my favorite aspects of BC has been interacting with the Jesuits on campus. The Jesuits is an order of priests in the Catholic Church. In addition to presiding at masses, many of them are also university professors that teach courses in a variety of disciplines. While I've yet to have a Jesuit as a professor, I've heard several of them speak at various events on campus throughout the year—the wisdom and advice they offer is nothing less than inspiring and encourages you to reflect on your life and experiences in order to determine your place in the world. While the Jesuits are priests, one need not be Catholic to benefit from their breadth of knowledge. They often address topics on campus that are unrelated to religion and theology. For those of you that will be joining us here on the Heights this September, I would recommend getting to know some of the Jesuits on campus—you'll learn a lot! They are all very approachable and are always interested in talking with students.

With that said, I hope that all of you have a great end of the school year and a relaxing summer. Congratulations to all of the seniors who will be graduating—I hope to see some of you here in Chestnut Hill in the fall! Best wishes to everyone.

Take care,

Courtney Colgan

A&S 2013

Freshmen Year

Hey Guys,

I hope things are going well for you, congratulations once again on being accepted and I hope you look forward to starting your first year here at BC. Most of you should be starting orientation soon and finishing up Highschool. Freshmen year is nearly over now for me so things are starting to wind down, it has been quite a year. A couple more weeks of school and exams and it's back home for me. This year has really been quite a trek. Although I found it difficult to adjust at the beginning, I really feel like I have found my niche here at BC.

When I first got here, I think weather was the biggest factor. Coming from such a tropical climate, it was hard to get used to the weather because it got so cold so quickly. It even snowed in october! So definitely bring enough layers to keep warm!

It's really nice that BC is an easy commute to Boston which makes it easy to go to Chinatown and get a taste for the asian culture of Boston. There are also a lot of take out places around Newton and Chestnut Hill. New Hong Kong, lobster wok, or No.1 Noodle House. Whatever you prefer, or if you are feeling a like you want to get out of your dorm room but not quite commute that long into the city there are a couple of places in Cleveland Circle that are great to go to with reasonable prices. Bangkok Bistro, Fins, Cityside, Bluestone Bistro, Boloco, or even Chipotle.

There are also a lot of cinemas around the area. There is a cinema in fenway which is just a couple stops down from the reservoir T by the commonwealth avenue bus.

I think a great way into BC's community is also being part of athletics, even if you are not a D1 athlete, BC gives a lot of opportunities for you to get involved. Intramurals, club sports, BC is huge on athletics. I was able to be a part of the waterpolo team and even though it's a club team, it's a huge commitment and the club is very competitive. The waterpolo club acheived national champions again this year so definitely don't underestimate club or intramural sports!

Anyways, I hope this helps a little for you to transition into BC!

Carolyn (wongcr@bc.edu)

Freshman Memories of BC - Part 3

Many of you are from countries where the climate is generally constant, and, most of the time, I’m assuming you are used to warmer weather. At BC, you will experience all 4 seasons – from the heat of summer to the bitter cold of winter. My final blog post in my 3 part collection will show why enjoying the seasons produced some of my greatest memories.

The start of the fall term is beautiful. It is warm, but not hot, and you can still wear shorts, tanks and sandals. Enjoying the weather isn’t very difficult – you can study outside, throw a football or lounge in the sun. As fall progresses, the leaves on the trees change colour and fall. In my opinion, this is the nicest time of the year at BC! One of my favourite memories is having a leaf fight with my friends. It sounds silly, but it was so much fun!

Next up is winter, generally known as the most dreary month at BC. If you are from a warm climate, this can come as quick a shock! The cold doesn’t mean you have to stay indoors, though. You can go skiing, or skating at Boston’s Frog Pond, or you can build a snowman and have a snowball fight with friends. I can remember an impromptu snowball fight with my dorm-mates during the first snowstorm of the year. Winter can be fun, as long as you dress warmly. Warming up with a cup of hot chocolate can’t hurt either!

Spring is upon us now, and is a welcome change from winter. The flowers are in bloom and the trees are budding – absolutely beautiful! The days seem longer and it gets progressively warmer every week. Spring activities are similar to fall ones, which almost seems appropriate, since the school year ends where it seems to have begun.

That’s all for now; enjoy whatever weather you happen to have!

- Brianna

BC Curriculum

Hey Class of 2014, Amy Ye here again! This time I’m gonna talk about the curriculum structure of BC, especially the university core courses. As a student in the College of Arts and Science, I will mainly focus on the graduation requirements for A&S students. For students in other schools, what I heard is that they have to take additional school-required core courses for graduation.
OK, let’s return to the topic of curriculum structure. Student at BC are required to take 38 courses in total to graduate. Courses like Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or British A-Level, can only fulfills certain requirements for courses. (For example, if you get a 4 or higher score on AP Calculus AB, you don’t have to take a Calculus course at BC. And for more details, check out the following website: http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/process/advstanding.html) Such policy actually implies that those AP or IB courses took in high school will not reduce a student’s workload. In a word, Students have to take 38 courses anyways, regardless of how many APs they have. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that AP or IB student do not have any advantages. Many APs or IBs means that it is easier for students to have a second major or concentration without overloading courses in a semester. In terms of the university core courses, regardless of which school a student is from, he or she has to fulfill all the requirements of university core courses. Overall, there are 15 university core courses to fulfill during student’s 4 year experience at BC. Specifically, there is one course in writing; one in literature; two in social science; two in natural science; two in philosophy; two in theology; two in history; one in mathematics; one in fine arts and one in cultural diversity. Besides the university cores, in the mean time, students also have to take all of the required course in his or her concentration in order to graduate.
I really recommend students to take advantage of the “degree audit” program in your agora portal account. Start early, have yourself organized and enjoy your life at BC! I really hope the above information can more or less help you out with your course plans in the following 4 years’ academic career. Also, if you still have any questions, feel free to email me. I would be really glad to answer all your questions!
Amy Ye

Freshman Memories of BC - Part 2

One of my favourite moments at BC came at the very beginning of my journey here, at International Student Orientation. Even though I’m from Canada and I had been to the US many times, I decided to attend orientation, knowing that my culture wasn’t very different from here. I wasn’t sure at the time how much I would benefit from it, but all I can say is that it is one of the best decisions I ever made!

When I first arrived on campus in late August, I moved into my room and met the other international students (ISs) and international assistants (IAs) for dinner. Each student is assigned an assistant for orientation, and for the rest of the school year. It was really nice to know someone here who had been through it before and who could give me advice. Even though I didn’t have “culture shock,” my IA, Allie, quickly became my friend and advised me on everything from dining halls, to classes, to what to do in my spare time.

Throughout orientation, we played icebreakers to get to know each other better, attended fun activities and listened to several lectures on technical details, such as visas and healthcare. This orientation was a lot of fun, since IAs organized events at night outside of the scheduled activities. I remember going on a boat cruise, grabbing dinner in the city, hanging out in residence, and the like. This was probably my favourite part of orientation, since you had a new set of friends who you could interact with in an informal setting.

I hope that all international students, regardless of where you are from, choose to go to orientation. I learned a lot about BC and made a great group of friends that I’m still in contact with now, all these months later.

Easter Break (3rd day) - Experiencing Break With an African American Family

So it is the last day of my stay in my Roommate's place. Instead of living with his parents, he lives with his grandparents. His grandparents are very fun. They moved from North Carolina to Boston 30 some years ago. What a long trip! Although both of them are retired, they remain active in the community. Grandpa is really good at fixing cars. I guess I have to ask him for help, since I just got my driver learner's permit. Grandma is always fun to talk to. Her cooking skill is phenomenal, wow~ The REal Fried Chicken!!!!!!

From left to right (Grandma ---- Me ---- Grandpa) Umm..... I think you are smart enough to figure it out.

On our way to The Sunday Church. A lot of school bus.

Easter Sunday


What a delicious lamb

Easter eggs (Family will place money bills into these eggs, and hide them. The kinds (usually under 5) will have to find these eggs. Of course, the adult can help them as well by giving tips.) This is a ritual of Easter holiday.

Easter Sunday Lunch.

My roommate's cousin's son. ("Let me drive, plz!!!")

My roommate's sister's son.

(I wish I can sleep like this when I am in school)

Last glance of the house. It is green, like a house in Alice in Wonderland.

Thank you Sha-Lee, I had a great Easter Break. Thank you for inviting me to your place!!!!