Respond to one of the first four prompts below (400-word limit). Human Centered Engineering major applicants must respond to Prompt #5.
Prompt 1: Strong communities are sustained by traditions.
"Boston College's annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?"
Boston College 'Community Traditions' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: How to choose your tradition?
A:
Pick a tradition with a specific, recurring ritual.
It must reveal a core value or unique aspect of your background.
Example: "Not 'Thanksgiving dinner,' but 'our family's annual 'Innovation Night' where we present new inventions'."
Q: Detail the tradition?
A:
Describe the actions involved. Show the atmosphere.
Example: "Every New Year's Eve, my family constructs a 'Memory Jar.' We write down key moments, then read them aloud, reflecting on the year."
Q: Why important to you?
A:
Connect the tradition to a personal insight or growth.
Show its unique impact on your perspective.
Example: "The Memory Jar tradition cultivates self-reflection. It taught me to value shared experiences, not just individual achievements."
Q: How it strengthens bonds?
A:
Show specific interactions. Describe how the tradition fosters connection.
Example: "Reading memories aloud creates empathy. We share laughter, tears, reinforcing our collective history and mutual support."
Q: Connect to Boston College?
A:
Research specific BC traditions. Show how your experience aligns.
Example: "My family's Memory Jar tradition aligns with BC's 'Pops on the Heights' concert. Both foster collective memory, community spirit through shared ritual."
Generic traditions: "Christmas," "birthdays" without unique spin.
Vague descriptions of bonding.
Listing BC traditions without personal connection.
Focusing on the tradition, not your role/learning.
Prompt 2: The late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a 'rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.'
"Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?"
Boston College 'Meaningful Conversation Partner' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: How to choose your conversation partner?
A:
Pick someone who challenged your thinking, not just agreed.
Focus: intellectual or philosophical exchange.
Example: "Not a friend with similar views, but a mentor with a contrasting professional background."
Q: Identify profound questions?
A:
Formulate specific, complex questions. They should lack easy answers.
Example: "Not 'What is happiness?' but 'Does technological advancement inherently lead to human flourishing, or does it create new forms of alienation?'"
Q: Detail the conversation?
A:
Describe the setting, the flow of ideas. Show active listening, intellectual give-and-take.
Example: "During weekly coffee meetings, we debated AI's role in creative arts. We analyzed algorithms, discussed human intuition's value."
Q: What did you learn?
A:
State a concrete shift in your understanding or a new intellectual path.
Show personal growth.
Example: "Learned to appreciate AI's potential as a creative tool, not just a replacement. This expanded my view of human-machine collaboration."
Q: Connect to Boston College?
A:
Research specific BC programs, centers, or faculty that foster similar "rigorous conversations."
Show how you will contribute to BC's intellectual community.
Example: "BC's 'PULSE Program' emphasizes ethical inquiry. I seek to engage in similar profound discussions, bringing my interdisciplinary perspective on AI and creativity."
Generic partners: "my teacher," "my friend" without specific context.
Trivial questions or superficial discussions.
Focusing on winning an argument.
Lack of specific BC intellectual community knowledge.
Prompt 3: In her July 2009 Ted Talk, 'The Danger of a Single Story,' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a 'single story' through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background.
"Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?"
Boston College 'Danger of a Single Story' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: How to choose your "single story"?
A:
Pick a specific instance. Someone made an assumption about you.
Focus: an assumption based on nationality, appearance, or background.
Example: "Not 'being misunderstood,' but 'being labeled as solely athletic due to my sports involvement, overlooking my scientific research'."
Q: Detail the challenges?
A:
Describe the specific obstacles the "single story" created.
Show how it limited opportunities or interactions.
Example: "Teachers directed me to sports-focused electives. Peers dismissed my interest in advanced physics concepts during group projects."
Q: Overcome challenges?
A:
Describe your specific actions. Show initiative, resilience.
Example: "Initiated independent research on quantum mechanics. Presented findings at the school science fair. Actively sought out STEM mentors."
Q: What did you learn?
A:
State a concrete insight gained. Show personal growth.
Example: "Learned to assert my intellectual identity. Now proactively share my diverse interests, challenge preconceived notions about others."
Q: Connect to Boston College?
A:
Research specific BC programs or values that champion diverse perspectives.
Show how you will contribute to BC's inclusive community.
Example: "BC's Jesuit values promote holistic development. I seek to contribute to dialogues on identity and perception within student forums, fostering broader understanding."
Q: Manage 400 words?
A:
Structure: Story (100 words), Challenges (100 words), Overcoming (100 words), Learning/BC fit (100 words).
Prompt 4: Boston College’s Jesuit mission highlights 'the three Be’s': be attentive, be reflective, be loving – core to Jesuit education (see A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education).
"If you could add a fourth 'Be,' what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?"
Boston College 'Fourth 'Be'' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: How to choose your fourth "Be"?
A:
Identify a specific value. It must complement "attentive, reflective, loving."
Focus: a value you embody, can demonstrate.
Example: "Not 'be kind,' but 'be resilient: navigating setbacks with persistent problem-solving'."
Q: Why this "Be"?
A:
Connect the value to a personal experience. Show its origin.
Example: "My 'be resilient' value stems from repeated failures in robotics competitions. Each loss taught me iterative improvement, not defeat."
Q: Support personal development?
A:
Describe how this "Be" will guide your growth at BC.
Show specific application.
Example: "Resilience will drive my pursuit of challenging research. I will persist through complex data analysis, learn from every error."
Q: Enrich the BC community?
A:
Show how your value benefits others at BC.
Connect to specific BC community aspects.
Example: "My resilience fosters a culture of perseverance in group projects. I will encourage teammates to view setbacks as learning opportunities, not failures."
Q: Connect to Jesuit education?
A:
Link your "Be" to broader Jesuit principles (e.g., *magis*, cura personalis).
Show how it deepens the "three Be's."
Example: "Resilience complements 'be reflective' by turning introspection into action, embodying *magis* through continuous striving despite obstacles."
Q: Manage 400 words?
A:
Structure: New "Be" & why (100 words), Personal development (150 words), BC enrichment (150 words).
"One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?"
Boston College 'Human-Centered Engineering' Essay Q&A Slides
Q: What societal problems are important to you?
A:
Choose a specific, human-centered problem. It must have engineering implications.
Example: "Not 'climate change,' but 'lack of accessible clean water in urban low-income areas due to aging infrastructure'."
Q: How HCE education helps (technical)?
A:
Connect HCE's technical curriculum to solving your problem.
Cite specific engineering disciplines or skills.
Example: "HCE's fluid mechanics and materials science courses provide tools to design durable, low-cost filtration systems."
Q: How HCE education helps (creativity)?
A:
Show how HCE fosters innovative problem-solving.
Example: "HCE's design studios encourage unconventional solutions. I will prototype novel water distribution methods for dense urban environments."
Q: How HCE education helps (humanistic)?
A:
Explain how HCE's humanistic lens informs your approach.
Connect to ethical considerations or user needs.
Example: "HCE's emphasis on user experience ensures solutions meet community needs. I will conduct ethnographic research to understand local water habits."
Q: Solve the problem with HCE?
A:
Propose a concrete project or research path.
Show specific application of HCE's integrated approach.
Example: "Develop a community-managed, IoT-enabled water purification system. Integrate technical design with local governance models."
Q: Connect to Common Good?
A:
Link your problem-solving to BC's Jesuit mission.
Show how your work serves society broadly.
Example: "My work on water access directly serves the Common Good. It provides a fundamental human right, fosters community health."
Q: Manage 400 words?
A:
Structure: Problem (100 words), HCE's role (200 words - technical, creative, humanistic), Solution/Impact (100 words).
Every sentence must demonstrate HCE's unique value.
