Dutch students who normally would have recycled their BC acceptance letters and attended the University of Nijmegen in the fall are now reconsidering college life in Boston. And that same phenomenon is happening in countries all over the world, because the depreciation of the U.S. dollar has made BC a more realistic option for families who live abroad and make their earnings in foreign currencies.
Cost is only one of the reasons an international student may decide to study at BC. BC's reputation for being an outstanding Jesuit academic institution with a good sense of community and strong athletics could also be drawing in international students.
It also helps to be so close to downtown Boston, where entertainment, job opportunities, and the Boston Celtics can be found. Ricky Tang, A&S '11, a native of China, cited watching the Celtics and the BC Eagles men's basketball team play on TV as one of the ways he started getting interested in going to school in the Hub.
Gerardo Diaz-Bazan, A&S '11, said it was rock group U2 and its famous Boston Garden tour stops, among other factors, that got him thinking about leaving his native El Salvador in favor of spending four years in Boston. Other international students cited word of mouth, as well as positive research on the Internet as reasons they decided to enroll.
Once at BC, international students are eased into their new surroundings through the now 28-year-old International Assistant program. Founded in 1980, the IA program was created to "facilitate the adjustment of new international students to Boston College, Boston, and American life in general, especially during the crucial first month," according to its Web site. The international assistants, who are mostly upperclassmen (international and American alike), join the incoming international freshmen and their orientation leaders during the four-day international orientation at the start of the year. Unlike the orientation leaders, however, the IAs stick with their freshman international students throughout their entire first year of study, always on call to answer questions, give advice, and generally bridge the cultural gap.
Spring Break
