Meet the Class of 2030
At a time of declining college-age demographics in the United States and both public and political skepticism about the value of higher education, Boston College continued to set new standards in recruiting its current first-year class.
The most recent admission period saw a record number of applications for the Class of 2030—41,923—followed by the lowest admit rate in the University’s history, 13 percent. The yield, or percentage of accepted students choosing to enroll, was BC’s second highest ever, 43 percent. Meanwhile, the 2,400 first-year students meet the standards of academic excellence of their predecessors: 92 percent ranked within the top 10 percent of their high school class, and test scores for the class average 1469 on the SAT and 34 on the ACT.
The Class of 2030 hails from 48 states, Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, and armed forces postings. International students represent 8.7 percent of the class, up from 7.9 last year. First-year students hold primary citizenship in 60 countries around the world.
First-generation students and children of alumni both constitute 12 percent of the class, while AHANA students make up 35.5 percent, compared to 34.7 last year. Fifty-two percent of the Class of 2030 are women.
One hundred and 26 students came to BC, including 102 via Early Decision, through QuestBridge, a non-profit program that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to top-ranked colleges and universities. The University is now in the seventh year of its partnership with QuestBridge.
“ BC’s distinctive element is student formation. We find that while undergraduates seek a college with a solid academic reputation, they also look for connection, direction, and most of all, mentoring. ”
BC undergraduate admission administrators readily acknowledge the challenges facing American higher education institutions and they continue to review and fine-tune their practices. But the University’s ongoing success in recruiting talented and accomplished students suggests that Boston College has carved out an enviable niche as a university which offers personal and spiritual formation as well as strong academics.
Grant Gosselin, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid. (Caitlin Cunningham)
“BC’s distinctive element is student formation,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Grant Gosselin. “We find that while undergraduates seek a college with a solid academic reputation, they also look for connection, direction, and most of all, mentoring.”
Gosselin cited numerous opportunities and resources for first-year BC students to find their footing in this transitional time of their lives, notably through the First Year Experience office, which organizes orientation, the First Year Academic Convocation, Conversations in the First Year, 48Hours, the Compass Mentoring Program, and First Year Hub.
“It’s striking that so many students’ BC experience is defined by mentorship—someone they can talk to, who can help them sort out their experiences and transitions,” said Gosselin. “Whether it’s the professor of their First-Year Writing Seminar or a cashier at Newton Campus, students find that at BC there are caring adults who will listen to them.”
That was what Laura Trebilcock, a first-year student from Dorado, Puerto Rico, had in mind when she began her college search.
“I didn’t just want a campus, but a place with a sense of community, a space where you could connect with people,” said Trebilcock, a biology major on the pre-med track, and one of 25 native Puerto Ricans attending BC. “I wanted to go somewhere different than Puerto Rico but find a community that felt familiar.”
Her father’s experiences as a student at Marquette University got Trebilcock thinking about Jesuit, Catholic institutions, and a pair of campus visits to BC—with opportunities to explore Boston—made a favorable impression on her. So did the Office of Undergraduate Admission “Eagle for a Day” program, which pairs a prospective student with a current undergraduate.
“The girl I was with was so considerate and really went out of her way to make sure I met people and saw as much of the campus as possible,” recalled Trebilcock. “It just said to me that BC is a place where there are people who care.”
Watch as BC's newest students assemble for their class photo on the football field in Alumni Stadium.
Video by Ravi Jain | University Communications
Nearly two months have passed since Trebilcock moved in at the Heights, and she has no reason to regret her decision. In addition to enjoying her classes—notably the Courage to Know course on formation—she has dived into extracurricular opportunities, like the Emerging Leader Program, which helps selected first-year students develop leadership skills and competencies that can help facilitate positive change on campus and in their communities.
“I could feel the energy in ELP right from the beginning,” she said. “There’s a lot of emphasis on how our perspective affects others, and not being afraid of vulnerability—to share what is important to us.”
As someone who envisions a future in the health care profession, Trebilcock has been gratified by the opportunity to volunteer for The Family Van, a mobile community health clinic affiliated with Harvard Medical School that delivers free, preventive medical care and social service referrals directly to underserved neighborhoods in Boston. She had a similar experience in Puerto Rico, which led to one of the more memorable moments in her life.
“I was checking up on someone I’d seen previously, and as I talked with him, I addressed him by name. He said, ‘Thank you for remembering my name,’” recalled Trebilcock. “It might seem like a small thing, but he felt as if he was being treated with simple dignity and respect. That’s what you need to do in health care: Be compassionate even as you use your professional skills and judgment in evaluating a patient’s needs.
“I feel that Boston College is a place where I can learn how to strike that balance.”
“ I didn’t just want a campus, but a place with a sense of community, a space where you could connect with people. ”
Cohasset, Mass., native Ryan Dowden ’30 was well acquainted with BC even before he started looking at college options: His father James ’97, J.D. ’00, a part-time faculty member at the Law School, often brought Ryan and his younger siblings to campus for football games and other events.
“BC was a part of growing up,” said Dowden, who is in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
While Dowden had no preconceived notions about attending BC, having grown up in a Catholic family, the Heights had what he wanted: a robust Catholic tradition as well as top-notch academics and a campus with a spirited sports culture. That was the Boston College he knew.
As it turned out, however, there was a Boston College he didn’t know. “I had thought that everyone was a ‘model student.’ They were just good at everything,” he explained. “But there’s no carbon copy; like me, people here have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s easy to make friends if you just put yourself out there.”
Dowden is pursuing a dual major in applied psychology and political science, a combination he feels offers the capacity for personal, intellectual, and analytical growth that can be useful in numerous disciplines and settings. Like Trebilcock, he is greatly enjoying Courage to Know, as well as Behrakis Professor in Hellenic Political Studies Robert Bartlett’s course How to Rule the World, which includes readings of classic literature such as Machiavelli’s The Prince and Shakespeare’s “Richard III.”
In what he calls “the best decision I’ve ever made,” Dowden is volunteering as a “Buddy” at the Boston College Campus School, which educates students ages 3-22 with extensive support needs. He’s already formed a fast friendship there with Miles.
“It’s been incredible: I’m learning how to effectively communicate non-verbally, which just gives you a whole new takeaway on life. Whatever I may do for Miles, he’s doing at least as much for me.”
Dowden is also eager to take part in formational opportunities such as 48Hours and the Kairos retreat program.
“With what I’m experiencing inside and outside the classroom,” he said, “I feel like I’m going to graduate BC a different person than I am now. A whole person.”