It’s a little silly to me that people say Villanova isn’t in Philly or Boston College isn’t in Boston. I know that’s technically true but as a practical matter they are really the same,
Just as Arlington and Alexandria and Bethesda aren’t in DC. I’ve lived I. All these towns (suburbs of Philly, DC and Boston) and all have immediate rail service access to the city center, which is how students and professionals alike access jobs.
So, yes, it’s true that being on a train stop a few miles from the city center isn’t the same as being downtown. But in my opinion in the context of these comments itd important to understand how easily one would access internship opportunities and living on a stop on the mainline makes downtown internship access very easy, just as living at the end of the green line in Boston makes downtown internship access easy there.
Poli sci internships are everywhere- major metro or not, state capitals or not. A kid can learn a TON working for a small city mayor, working on a state representative’s re-election campaign, or helping to get a ballot initiative passed.
I was at a political roundtable last year and one of the questions to the various participants was “describe your most valuable learning experience in public life”. One person who transitioned from a successful corporate career to mayor of a small town (and then won a state level position) said “when you are mayor you learn that people care about a lot of things. But they REALLY care about garbage and potholes. And surprisingly– garbage and potholes are really, really hard to do well.”
Folks on CC tend to ignore that political science can be practiced in every zip code and in every census tract. Local, regional, state or federal- the tools and strategies are in evidence everywhere.
Well, they’re not. And it’s just as easy and more accurate to say Philly/Boston suburbs. But the call-out was secondary to pointing out that Philadelphia isn’t the capital. Anyway, back to topic
I agree with others that acceptance at BC isn’t likely. But, it’s your first choice, and you should take your shot! But, as others have said, since it’s a long shot, you should focus your energy on other schools to get excited about. Lots of great suggestions on this thread about schools that meet your criteria that are less reachy. I’ll echo the recommendations for Fordham, Macalester, College of the Holy Cross. The latter seems like an especially good fit given its proximity to Boston, absolutely gorgeous campus, and Jesuit Catholic commitment to social justice.
I have one question/concern about your description of BC as being academically flexible as to credits. BC has a very strong (some would say rigid) common core curriculum, and it takes up roughly 1/3 of all of your college credits to satisfy it. Most would not describe BC’s curriculum as flexible. You are required to take a large number of classes across multiple disciplines, some of which are likely to be in areas that you wouldn’t otherwise choose. I’m personally a fan of this, but it can feel restrictive when you’re trying to choose classes and realize that you’ve got to squeeze in whatever meets that “sacred texts and traditions” credit that you have to get in before you graduate.
Edited. Yes not the state capital but a great city for political internships . My child and their immediate friend group have had several. Also, importantly, several federal agencies have regional offices in Philly, which sometimes drives some additional internship opportunities in bushess and interest groups the work with these agencies.
I’m going to throw out Loyola Chicago into the mix for a much more likely admit, still a fabulous Jesuit education, and in a super vibrant, politically active city. OP, you could see merit $ as well.
Why don’t you think these comments are not relevsnt to the topic? I think discussing access to internships is super relevant.
Train access was new to me when I left Texas for New England and, later, the mid- Atlantic.
I’m not sure where OP is from but even if it’s not new to them, Hopefully this discussion of how people in more densely populated areas routinely access internships and jobs will be helpful to OP and others in a similar position.
. Although philly is not the state capital, what I meant to say (which I have since corrected) is that it is a regional office location for federal agencies.
In terms of internship opportunities for political science majors, I found the presence of federal executive branch regional offices super helpful for internships (that’s where I started my career). I honestly think all these posts are relevant to the OP question about considering BC other schools in addition to BC.
Thank you for the encouragement as well as the clarification of the credits! From my earlier research of their website and from alumni I was under the impression that BC’s credits, depending on the field of study, had the eligibility to apply towards other similar curriculum, but your insight is very helpful.
Discussing access to internships is very helpful! I didn’t state it in the original post but getting the extra insight is something I’m extremely grateful for, especially considering the muddled chaos of this whole application process. For me personally having access to regional offices and state capitals/large city centers is a defining factor of what I’m looking for in a college, but not the deciding factor. For example, Lewis and Clark which is one of my top schools is, at least from what I know of Portland from the short time I was there and from what I’ve researched, not quite located in an epicenter of political productivity as let’s say Boston or Manhattan.
I live in California, but am very familiar with the east coast due to a majority of family living over there.
Again, thank you for bringing internships into the picture for me!
Thank you for the recommendation! While I didn’t mention it, a great college choir is something that’s incredibly important to me and was partially another reason why BC captivated me so much. Considering how on top of academics, they have a recognized chamber choir program.
Your responses have seriously been such a huge help. Thank you for the recommendations and the background information, that makes a grand diference!
I had earlier interest in Fordham, which I’ll for sure be revisiting. The study abroad program is a great bonus too. Yes, I agree with you. While I live in California, seeing the change that Mamdani is bringing to New York City and its residents has made me highly envious of experiencing his methods and accomplishments for myself.
About your advice for economics, I’ll have completed two dual enrollment courses by the end of my senior year. And thanks for the advice for my application essays! Quick question but would you advise retaking the semester of calc I had a C in? As previously discussed, BC is my dream school, but I am not tying all hopes and efforts to BC only as it’s a hard reach. That being said, in general, do you think it would look better to schools in general if they had seen that the grade had been retaken?
Loyola Maryland is in Baltimore, while the capital of Maryland is Annapolis. Regardless, however, I think that the Loyolas (Maryland, Chicago, and New Orleans) are great options to consider.
This is very true! I do agree with you for sure. But I will add…there is no place like DC for access to politics sci internships. It’s just leaps and bounds above anyplace else just because of the sheer number available.
Every large company has a DC office that does government relations. Almost every company/organization/state and local government entity has some sort of representation in DC, either directly or though a trade group or law firm or both. And that’s not even countine legislative and executive branch internships!
The number and type of internships is truly staggering. I wish my poli sci student were studying in DC for this reason. Alas, she chose elsewhere.
Absolutely agree you can get poli sci internships anywhere. But the opportunity in DC is truly mind boggling if you are willing and able to network. IMO worth very serious consideration anyone interested in poli sci.
Give Trinity College a look. Great Political Sciences and in the Capital so great internship opportunities, which is a virtue that others have pointed out. The bonus for Trinity is given its pre-eminence in the city, you have a leg up on the competition for those slots, as opposed to Boston where there are a ton of great schools to compete with. Plus you get credits for those internships during school.
Hearing that you’re from California, I’d consider adding Scripps to you list. It’s 38% acceptance rate makes it much more accessible than the high reach schools which have been suggested by any of us. But it also puts you on what is essentially the same campus as the more Pitzer, Claremont McKenna, and Pomona students. Choice of majir at Scripps include not only Politics but the interdisciplinary “Environment, Economics, and Politics” offering. But there are no limits on the number of courses that Scripps students can take at the other colleges AND Scripps students are not restricted to majors on their own campus; they can choose a major from one of the other colleges. So, a Scripps students could, for example choose to major instead in International Political Economy or Critical Global Studies at Pitzer, a school known for its social justice advocates.
Another school I’d consider adding is Loyola Marymount. LMU is to LA what BC is to Boston and brings that same Jesuit commitment to social justice.
Thanks @knowstuff for liking. We have a high school in MA that has 12 kids out off 100 going to BC this year. Seems (at this point) OP does not go to one of those, but without any HS detail nobody can answer the question of whether she will get in IMO.
I had a friend whose daughter got into BC and did not have super high stats but got a strong recommendation from their church. Im not sure if that still has sway but it worked for her.
