BC lands a spot on Newsweek's 'New Ivies' list

The popularity of Boston College, to which last year's record 26,500 applicants are a testament, continues to grow, as an August edition of Newsweek has listed BC as one of the "New Ivies." A designation bestowed based on selectivity, academic rigor, and interviews with faculty, staff, and students, the "New Ivies" are schools considered to be comparable to the Ivy League institutions themselves.

"The list was formed by a series of interviews and some quantitative figures," said Brandon Jones, contributing editor to the Newsweek guide and national director of Kaplan's ACT and SAT program. "The perspectives we got from professors and students gave us a comprehensive view of each university."

Although the list features 25 schools from across the country, which each offer very different college experiences, Jones said the schools are not ranked. "The decision to exclude schools from the final list was actually harder than the decision to include the ones we chose to include."

Common among all the "New Ivies" were all the typical characteristics intrinsic in a top liberal arts education: extreme selectivity, high graduation and retention rate, high standardized test scores of incoming classes, and award-winning faculty. But what set the 25 selected schools apart was the information gleaned from campus interviews.

"A New Ivy is a school that is comparable to Ivy League schools in terms of applicant quality, draw, and status as a student's first choice school," said Jones. "These schools have many different profiles, but they all share great academic programs and top-notch student bodies and campuses."

BC has also risen in ranking to No. 34 on U.S. News and World Report's "National Universities" list, tying with New York University and the University of Rochester. Ranked last year at 40, BC also made the ranking for business programs (29) and finance programs (15). The First Year Experience program also received commendation for its freshman orientations.

In the recently-released Best 361 Colleges by Princeton Review, BC landed No. 18 on the "Students Pack the Stands" list and also appeared on the "Best Northeastern Colleges" list along with 222 other schools.

While the designations speak favorably of BC, John Mahoney, director of undergraduate admissions, said he was "uncomfortable" at first when learning of the 'New Ivies' list.

"Ivy League is Ivy League," he said, "and we're not trying to be Ivy League. We're trying to be the best BC that we can be."

"Being on this list doesn't make BC special," said Jones. "Being special is what put BC on this list. Its purpose is to showcase institutions that are already excellent and give them broader press."

Mahoney said he appreciates the recognition the list extends to the efforts of the faculty and staff. "I know naming BC as one of the 25 'New Ivies' is a mark of a certain level of prestige - that we've reached an elite status in higher education," he said.

But the qualities cited are things for which BC has striven to achieve regardless of what designations they might bring.

"We have invested a ton in undergraduate education. We have a tremendously alive student body. We have a culture and atmosphere here as a Jesuit institution that we are always trying to improve - that's what we've been doing," said Mahoney. "We are being recognized when we have been true to ourselves, for doing the best jobs possible, and by pursuing our own initiatives. For that, it is a reward."

Jones said BC specifically was chosen over many other top institutions for its accessible professors, suburban campus with close proximity to Boston, strong athletics, and popular study abroad program.

BC has also risen in ranking to No. 34 on U.S. News and World Report's "National Universities" list, tying with New York University and the University of Rochester. Ranked last year at 40, BC also made the ranking for business programs (29) and finance programs (15).

In the recently-released Best 361 Colleges by Princeton Review, BC landed No. 18 on the "Students Pack the Stands" list and also appeared on the "Best Northeastern Colleges" list along with 222 other schools.