BC adds essay, 10k less applicants

laplatinum
Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:06:55 +0000

Georgetown, LMU, and several other Jesuit institutions across the country have required essays and other items for the writing supplement for a very long time.BC was the only outlier w/out writing prompts that required the student to consider the unique mission of the institution. Even though BC accepts non-Cathoic students, it IS a Catholic institution. Why shouldn’t an applicant be prepared to discuss his/her values and congruence with BC’s? In addition, BC’s move is really on par with what other highly selective institutions require. When my son applied three years ago and was accepted, neither he nor I could understand why there was no supplement when EVERY other university required one. Interestingly enough, his class (2016), then was the last year BC did not have the supplement. My hunch is that BC is getting a larger proportion of students who are not just hedging their bets with applications to other highly selective universities and really ARE willing to put in the little additional time it takes to write a few hundred thoughtful words about Why BC and its particular brand of education. If 10k applicants are that lazy as to bypass BC because of a writing supplement, but willing to shell out yet another costly application fee, that seems to me it is 10k less, useless candidates BC needs to evaluate. Bravo, BC.