Club Rugby!

In high school, sports were always an integral part of my life. I loved exercising and simply being part of a team. When coming to BC in the fall, I expected that I would just stick with running and the occasional group fitness class at the Plex, but at the student involvement fair something caught my eye. I saw the club rugby team’s table, and I instantly thought that this was a great idea for me. I figured it would be a great way to make friends, both fellow freshmen, as well as a way to meet upperclassmen. I had absolutely no knowledge about how to play the sport, but the captains said not to worry about it and just to come to practice. So, now, almost two and a half months later, I am still part of the team and I couldn’t be happier about my decision. Although I was super confused at the beginning, I love learning a new sport. I’ve gotten to travel to other nearby schools to play and, of course, I love all of the team bonding activities that we do. So, if anyone is looking to try a new sport, I highly recommend trying rugby!

-Jillian Bjorn-Caron ‘18

DUO Mentoring Program

The summer before my freshman year I received an email about BC’s DUO Mentoring Program, where freshman girls have the opportunity to get match with an upperclassmen to help them ease the transition to college. After hearing about this, I immediately knew that I wanted to be involved. I figured this would be a great way to meet upperclassmen at school that I probably wouldn’t meet otherwise. About a week after I filled out the form, I got a call from my new mentor, a sophomore, Amanda. She asked me if I was excited to start school in a few short weeks and what I was nervous about. After talking for a little bit she told me we would schedule a time at the very start of school to actually meet in person. Since then Amanda has been an amazing resource for me here at Boston College. She regularly texts me just to ask how my week was, and we’ve gone out to dinner and breakfast just to chat. Ultimately, I strongly believe that this is a great program for freshman girls to be involved in so they are able to ask advise and simply make an older friend here at school, and I am so happy that Boston College helps to facilitate these experiences!

-Jillian Bjorn-Caron ‘18

Professor Erbil Appreciation Blog

I have to take a blog to dedicate solely to Professor Erbil, my microeconomics professor. I had really enjoyed economics in high school and am considering minoring in economics, but I had my reservations. I’ve heard people complain that it can be difficult and boring. I am so happy to say that my experience so far in the econ department here at BC has been nothing but positive. Professor Erbil always makes sure to accompany a topic with real life examples that he feels like we can relate to. He always includes funny pictures of his cat and daughter in his Powerpoints to keep us entertained and engaged.  When he knows that a lecture is not particularly interesting and dense, if he sees people yawning or not paying attention, he switches topics and tells us a funny story about something that happened. He then uses what he likes to call “sneak teaching” he’ll get us engaged in a story and then slyly add in microeconomics terms and principles so we learn what he wants us to learn without us even realizing it. He’s a brilliant professor and so dedicated to his students.  He stresses how we’re in this together and he will help us however he can as long as we meet him half way and do the work too.  During the week of an exam he doubles his office hours to make sure anyone who has questions can find time to meet and ask him. Even after the exam once he hands it back he stops giving us online homework so we can focus on what we got wrong on the exam and do test corrections.  He doesn’t want the students to just look at the grade and move on, he wants everyone to learn from their mistakes and see where they did things both correctly and incorrectly. The attitude and energy he brings to class every day shows how much he cares about all of his students and makes class so enjoyable and interesting.  He has even told us how he was one of six people who finished the PhD program at BC his year and he is the only one that is in academics, the rest are high up people at big companies and they always offer him jobs.  However, he loves to teach.  He says it’s his passion and he wouldn’t be as happy anywhere else.  It is professors like Professor Erbil who’s enthusiasm makes any class enjoyable and who make me love Boston College and my courses here.

-Maura Keefe '17

Stepping Outside My Academic Comfort Zone

            When I was a high school student learning about BC, I heard a lot about how BC helps students get outside their comfort zone. During my freshman year, this certainly happened in a lifestyle sense. I moved far away from home for the first time, met amazing new friends and defeated my move-in fears to make BC my beloved home-away-from-home. However, there was one area in which I didn’t leave my comfort zone in the same radical way: classes. Sure, my classes were more challenging than ever before and I grew tremendously as a student while having a ton of fun, but it wasn’t until recently, during my sophomore fall semester, that my limits were profoundly tested by a creative writing class.

            Even before I applied to BC, I knew that I wanted to pursue creative writing as a course of study and hopefully a career path. I had written fiction novels in high school, but while I was very serious about my work, I shared it with very few people outside my immediate family. I wasn’t ready for that until this semester, when my time came in the form of my short-story Writing Workshop class. Going in, I knew the class had a very relaxed structure with no real writing “assignments,” just a powerful sense of mutual accountability between students and our amazing professor. I also knew that several times over the course of the semester, I would need to give a story to classmates, who would discuss it in class. I felt apprehensive about this type of exposure, but since I love writing, I took the plunge.

            Fortunately, I had already met the professor, and his humorous but passionate teaching style helped me feel comfortable as I signed up for the second day of story critiques before I could lose my nerve. When it came time for my critique, I actually enjoyed it a lot. At the risk of sounding sappy, I’d say it was a dream-come-true to open up about a story and see fourteen other smart young writers actively engaging with it. It means the world to me to be immersed in a group that treats our art as something that really matters.

            Halfway through the semester, I can say that the class has been one of my favorites at BC so far, and that my love for creative writing is now stronger than ever. Most of all, I appreciate how the class has made my aspirations as a writer much more real while also showing me with extreme honesty just how much I can still grow. Through this class, I’ve gained perspective on how much I needed to break free from my comfort zone as a writer––and also how BC’s challenges consistently enable me and other students to chase our full potential wherever our interests may lie.

-Ross Tetzloff '17

Head of the Charles

This year on October 19th I had the amazing experience of going to the 50th annual Head of the Charles. For those of you who don’t know what the Head of the Charles is (like myself before arriving at Boston College) it is an annual regatta on the Charles River. This year the BC men’s club crew team had two 8 man boats in the race and the women’s crew had an 8 man boat as well.  Many of my friends are on the mens team, including my roommate who is the coxswain so even though I wasn’t sure what to expect, I knew I had to go to cheer them on. I was happily surprised with all the amazing activities that were going on besides the races. Tents lined the Charles River with different clothing companies like Sperry Topsiders and Brooks Brothers, and food stations. It was amazing to see people from different colleges, near and far, who had come out to support their school. I felt so lucky to be so close to such an awesome event. I got to cheer on my friends from the riverside as they warmed up and moved towards the starting line.  For their actual race all of the BC students who gathered to see them stood on one bridge which the boats went under. I was amazed and so proud of how loud our “Let’s go BC!” chant erupted from the bridge when our boats passed. Although I knew hardly anything about crew, it was an amazing atmosphere and I got to watch many of the races, such as ones including the US, Canadian, and France crew team, which were incredible. All of our boats did so great with the men’s boats coming in 8th and 25th and the women’s in 22nd. After the race I got to congratulate all my friends who were beaming at not only their performance but the turn out of fans and how amazing it was to hear all the shouts from the BC fans. I couldn’t have been more happy about how well our team did and how spirited all the BC students were. I can never get enough of the Boston College super fan spirit! Head of the Charles is just one amazing event that happens in Boston, there are always other things to go to as well that makes me feel so privileged to be going to school near such a city like Boston.

- Maura Keefe '17

Photo Diaries Part 1

A Day in the Life: Will Ades

Will Ades, a sophomore math major, often begins his weekday mornings at the Chocolate Bar, a popular cafe located on the first floor of Stokes Hall. “The Chocolate Bar is that perfect blend of a social and solo working environment,” Will says. “I could easily meet a friend there to work together, but the noise level isn’t so intrusive that I can’t get work done alone.”

After a coffee, Will walks through the quad to his 11 AM Linear Algebra class, located in iconic Gasson Hall. Will arrives early to take advantage of the cozy chairs available in Gasson, squeezing in some last minute studying before class. Although his classes can be tough, Will loves the challenges that the math major presents. “I enjoy patterns, and math is all about detecting and learning different patterns,” he shares. “It’s all a big puzzle!” Will hopes his major will help him with his problem solving skills and creativity.

After math comes lunch--Will likes to eat in Eagles’ Nest, a popular lunch spot located near the academic buildings on campus. Eagles’ Nest contains several stations offering customizable hot sandwiches, soups, salads, and a new Mediterranean wrap station.

“I love how BC’s meal plan is on a debit system rather than the meal swipe system at most schools,” Will says, enjoying a pressed Italian sandwich. “I can eat however much or little I want, at any time of the day.”

Will returns to the Cabaret Room in Vanderslice, his dorm, to study. WIll doesn’t often study in his room--there is usually too much activity going on. He lives in a nine-man, which features three triple rooms and a common room. Although the noise in the nine-man makes studying a little more difficult, Will loves having his own bathroom and all of his friends close by. “Our room is just a place to relax and have fun,” Will explains.  “It’s a great place to watch football and sleep!”

Overall, Will loves his life here at Boston College and firmly believes that choosing BC was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

“I’m surrounded by some of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and I’m inspired every day to work harder,” Will says. “BC has been exactly what I need to start my life. ”

- Colleen Ward '17 and Alyssa Vaughn '17

Eagle Link!

Since coming to BC, being a student has felt like training to be an important member of society. How can I be such a person if I don’t even know how to contact an employer? EagleLink does just that. I had never heard about EagleLink before coming to Boston College. It may be because it can seem like an intimidating resource, but it’s become integral to me as a student. EagleLink helps students get in contact with employers in several accessible ways, whether by preparing for the Career Fair or listing which firms will be visiting campus.

This past week, EagleLink helped me with several things. I RSVP’d to an event that was hosting an employer who talked about what he’s looking for in aspiring employees. As the event approached, I was intimidated by e-mails about resume building and dress codes (you should be prepared to know the ethics of business casual by sophomore year!). I signed back onto EagleLink to look at more details of the event, and was happy to see that there was a more suitable event for students less prepared to actually meet with employers. It was a panel discussing how math majors should approach employment. I went, and I feel a million times better going forward.

The moral of the story is that no matter what stage you’re in when it comes to employment, Boston College is prepared to help you out. I feel blessed that I can go to a school that makes finding employment (at all stages) an easy and accessible place!

Will Ades '17