Something you
probably know about BC, whether you’ve experienced it first hand or not, is how
much of a family school it is. So many times you hear, “Oh my mom came here,”
or “My cousins all came here,” or even, more often than one would expect, the
nonchalant, “Yeah, my entire family went to BC.” Now, you could definitely
argue that the same is true at a lot of different schools, but the BC family
connection definitely holds its own when stacked up against other competitive
schools.
Growing up the
eldest child of two very proud Eagles, Boston College was essentially all I
knew in terms of what “college” was. I’d been to more than my fair share of
tailgates on Shea and hockey games in Conte Forum, and I could have counted on
one hand the number of colleges I had seen besides BC when my formal college
search began towards the end of my sophomore year of high school. Don’t get me
wrong, I definitely loved BC, but there was an unyielding curiosity burning
within me that made me want to see as many other schools as possible. People
would always say to me, “Well BC’s your top choice right?” just because they
knew what it meant to my parents. I hungrily sought out other, more ideal,
options for me, tirelessly looking for that “perfect” school, but never quite
reaching that moment of blissful realization people always talked about when
setting foot on their dream school’s campus.
It was towards the
end of my college search process that I considered that perhaps the reason I
had not had the “Aha!” moment I was anticipating was because I had already had
mine, a while back, without even realizing. I spent so much of my energy trying
to convince myself that Boston College wasn’t my number one school just because
I wanted to be my own person and be 100% sure of any decision I made, no family
biases considered. However, BC had become a standard that I held all other
colleges I visited to. Between its location, its Jesuit tradition, its size,
its school spirit, its athletics, its campus, and its staff, Boston College was
the benchmark that I always fell back on when looking at another school. Plus,
the fact that my experience at Boston College would be something I could share
with my own glory-days-loving BC Alum parents was just icing on the cake. As
soon as I realized this, I quickly understood that BC was the place for me if I
was lucky enough to be admitted.
Fast-forward three
years and here I am now… A second-semester sophomore at Boston College,
daughter of two BC Alumni, and I can confidently say that I am blessed to be a
baby eagle. While my parents’ memories of their own BC experiences do impose
some kind of pressure to constantly be having fun and soaking up everything
awesome BC has to offer, I have learned to make it my own in ways that are both
challenging and satisfying. Everything may not be the same, but MA’s is still
open, the Mods are still standing, the Hockey team is still good, and we still
don’t like BU all that much… More importantly, the people of BC, are the same
enthusiastic and passionate individuals today that they were in 1985 when my
parents were here. Yes, my parents still reminisce every single time they
visit. And yes, my dad can’t make a trip to Chestnut Hill without grabbing a
slice of cheese from Pino’s. And of course, my mom has told me countless
stories of my dad’s college antics. But all in all, I couldn’t be more blessed
and excited to share in such a huge part of my world with the two people that
brought me here.
Whether or not you
are a baby eagle yourself, there is no denying that BC is a special place, a
place any one would want their own children to experience in a perfect world.
The senses of community, love, service, pride, and tradition that permeate
throughout campus are infectious sentiments. They are the kind of sentiments
that spur nostalgic reminiscing among alumni, camaraderie and friendship among
classmates, and eminent joy on the lucky seniors’ faces when they open their
acceptance letters.
- Mary Kate O'Neill '17
No comments:
Post a Comment