Conversations in the First Year engages members of the incoming class in an intellectual and reflective dialogue through a common text. This year's text is A Purposeful Path: How far can you go with $30, a bus ticket, and a dream? by Fr. Casey Beaumier, S.J., and the class-wide conversation will kick off on Thursday, September 10, 2026 with First Year Academic Convocation — a beloved University tradition that welcomes all first-year students into BC’s academic community. This shared experience embodies the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition at Boston College, which calls us to examine our faith and experience in conversation with others in order to pursue the greater glory of God.
First Year Students (Class of 2030, Messina Class of 2028, and incoming Transfer students) will receive more information regarding their participation in First Flight and First Year Academic Convocation. BC Community members and Family members are welcome to join us on Linden Lane beginning at 6:15 PM to view the the First Flight Procession and at 7:00 PM for the First Year Academic Convocation on the Lower Campus Lawn.
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Go set the world aflame
In the entrance of the Jesuit headquarters in Rome is a striking statue of Ignatius of Loyola (founder of the Jesuits) with the motto Ite, inflammate omnia.—"Go set the world aflame." These were his parting words to Francis Xavier who was carrying the Gospel to the East, and it is our charge to you as you begin your experience at Boston College. Take the gift of education and carry it to great places throughout the world.
Past Common Texts
Cultivating habits of thought. That’s what coming to BC is offering you. Some habits can and should be digital, connected, and even multi-tasked. But sometimes we all need the habit of opening a good book, diving in, and leaving the din of our contemporary moment, temporarily, behind.
