Boston College

Boston College is a private university located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts in the New England region of the United States. Its historic campus, one of the earliest examples of Collegiate Gothic architecture in North America, is set on a hilltop six miles (10 km) west of downtown Boston. Although chartered as a university by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1863, Boston College's name reflects its early history as a liberal arts college and preparatory school in Boston's South End. It was the first institution of higher education established in the city of Boston, though it moved from the South End to then-rural Chestnut Hill as a result of rapid growth and urbanization in the late 19th century. Boston College is one of the oldest Jesuit universities in the United States and the flagship of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.

About Boston College

Founded in part as a response to discriminatory policies against immigrants and Catholics at Harvard University in the 19th century, Boston College later earned the nickname "Jesuit Ivy" in a speech by John F. Kennedy. Its charter was among the first documents to stipulate that the institution "from its inception shall be open to youths of any faith," a policy since expanded to include those "of no religious faith at all."

Related Topics:
Discriminatory - Immigrants - Catholics - Harvard University - Jesuit Ivy - John F. Kennedy

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Boston College is called The Heights, a reference to both its lofty aspirations — the college motto is "Ever to Excel" — and its location on Chestnut Hill, or "University Heights" as the area was initially designated. The name has lent itself to a number of campus organizations — including the principal student newspaper, The Heights — and to those affiliated with the university: BC students were universally called "Heightsmen" until 1925 when Mary C. Mellyn became the first "Heightswoman" to receive a BC degree. Today, Heightsonians include over 140,000 alumni in over 120 countries around the world.

Related Topics:
The Heights - Ever to Excel - Heightsonians

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Admission to Boston College is among the most competitive in the United States. In 2005, BC received more than 24,000 applications for an undergraduate class of approximately 2,100 - with over 11 applications for each position in the freshmen class. BC ranks fourth among private American universities in the number of applications it receives annually, though it is less than half the size of the three schools that rank above it. A study by Carnegie Communications in 2004 ranked BC 17th among national universities {{ref|carnegieranking}}. The same study cited BC as the 8th "most popular" choice among US high school seniors {{ref|popularityrankings}}. Boston College has not fared as well according to U.S. News and World Report, ranking 40th among national universities in 2005 {{ref|usnewsrank05}}, though it was ranked 16th among teaching universities by the same publication in 1995 {{ref|usnewsrank95}}.

Related Topics:
Undergraduate - Carnegie Communications - U.S. News and World Report

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AHANA is a term coined (and trademarked) by BC students in 1979 to refer to students of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent. In recent years AHANA representation has grown to approximately one-third of BC undergraduates, due to AHANA's inclusive mission of admittance to non-minority students. International students make up an additional 10% of the student population.

Related Topics:
AHANA - African-American - Hispanic - Asian - Native American - International

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Boston College students have enjoyed tremendous success in winning prestigious post-graduate fellowships and awards, including recent Churchill, Goldwater, Marshall, Mellon and Truman scholarships, among others. In 2004, 2 BC students won Rhodes scholarships, and 11 won Fulbright Awards. In 2005, the number of Fulbrights rose to 14.

Related Topics:
Churchill - Goldwater - Marshall - Mellon - Truman - Rhodes scholarships - Fulbright Awards

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At over $1.4 billion, BC's endowment is among the largest in American higher education, and the largest of any Jesuit university in the world. Its annual operating budget is approximately $600 million.

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