Further thoughts. . .
I actually think that BC is a great choice for Poli-Sci - partly because of the number of Massachusetts politicians who have come out of BC and who are currently in state government. Its location in the state capital also makes opportunities for internships in state government potentially accessible. I am also a huge fan of one of BC’s professors, Heather Cox Richardson, who should be considered a national treasure. She does not teach in the Poli-Sci Dept, but in the History Dept and her area is 19th century political and economic history. Nonetheless, every Poli-Sci major should take at least one course with her. I know her from her nightly newsletter, “Letters from an American” available on substack, on which she comments on current events. I also like BC’s major in Global Health and the Public Good. It could pair nicely with Poli-Sci as a minor or even a double major. I wish that it just wasn’t so hard to gain admission there! I’d encourage you to show your passion for social justice in your application essays. Take some risks; you have nothing to lose.
You remind me of my nephew who is a rising senior at Fordham, which like BC, is also an exceptionally beautiful campus. Also a Poli-Sci major, he is a rising senior who is spending this summer interning on a political campaign, which he is very excited about. I’ll give you the same advice I’ve given him, If you’re going for a career related to public policy and political-science, take a lot of courses in Economics because it is the system that produces a lot of the outcomes we see in society. You need to understand the system if you are going to seek social justice and craft solutions. On campus at Fordham, it is the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice which initiates and coordinates a lot of the programs for community service. Dorothy Day is someone worth learning about. A journalist first, what she did as a social activist and pacifist in New York City a century ago by opening shelters, by establishing farms to feed the poor, and by establishing The Catholic Worker movement should be an inspiration to all of us. In addition to Poli-Sci, Fordham has an interesting major called International Political Economy, which makes for an interesting public policy alternative to Poli-Sci. Fordham also has its own satellite campus in London where my nephew just completed a semester. He found it so exciting to be exposed to all of that history and the different perspectives he saw there. I would add that with a high energy, idealistic, and progressive young mayor, New York City is a very exciting place to be right now.
Since you would be ecstatic to go to Lewis & Clark, I’m no longer worried that you’ve boxed yourself in by focusing only on a high reach school like BC. You should easily get admitted to Lewis & Clark and I can see why you would like it there with its beautiful campus and their emphasis on civic engagement and social justice. Their minors in Law & Policy or Political Economy should be right up your alley. If you would like to consider a school with a shared ethos and similar size but is closer to Boston, I’ll suggest Clark University in Worcester. And the similarity is not just in the name. Also a beautiful campus, Clark is committed to combining rigorous academics with real world community issues. Through its LEEP Center, every student is required to do a hands-on, community impact internship or project. Their major in International Development & Social Change offers a nice public policy option.
Without going into too much detail, I’m going to suggest a couple of other options:
Macalester College - another school in a state capital (St. Paul) which combines rigorous academics with social consciousness. Check out its Civic Engagement Center for community outreach. Great campus with classic features.
Tulane & Loyola/New Orleans - These 2 sit side by side in New Orleans lively Garden District. You don’t even have to cross a street to get from one campus to the other and there is cross registration between the 2 colleges. The beauty of this consortium is that if you choose to cross register (you can take 2 courses per semester at the other college), you don’t have to take a bus to get to the other school; you just walk across campus. The 2 colleges combined have a slightly larger undergrad enrollment than BC and the location is a very similar residential neighborhood. Tulane is highly selective (14%) like BC and you almost have to apply ED to get in. But if you don’t, you can always apply to Loyola, which is a much easier admit and practically serves as the back door to Tulane. Both have a strong commitment to social action and civic engagement. Tulane was one of the first colleges in the country to mandate public service requirements, which it did after Hurricane Katrina. Loyola integrates service learning into some of its courses to learn about social justice issues through real world engagement. The Jesuit Social Research Institute on campus engages in research, education and advocacy to address issues of poverty and institutional racism in the region.