What has been your favorite class at BC?

I will always gush over the Creative Writing Workshops at BC. To me, the most beautiful thing about the workshop setting is that you're given the opportunity to share your writing with peers that are also taking that same risk of putting themselves out there, all for the sake of bettering one's craft by learning from the group's collective efforts. Regardless of whether they're successes or failures, it's all growth. I can easily say that met some of my favorite people at BC—students and professors alike—from these workshops. They're truly a privilege to experience and learn from.

What do you like most about BC?

The trees are so green and the people are just lovely!

Why did you choose to major in English?

After a few years of changing majors and hopping schools, I finally found the English Program and Creative Writing Concentration to be my perfect fit. The smaller class sizes have been the most conducive to my learning and the opportunities offered outside of classes have connected me to the greater writing community in ways I couldn't have imagined before. This program is constantly surprising me and bettering me as a student, writer, and person. On top of that, it's led by these incredible professors that all have this crazy knack for shifting your perspectives, seeing the potential that you didn't think had, and supporting your personal growth above all else. It's wild.

What have you enjoyed most about BC's English Program?

The department is always hosting the best and most impactful events, like Ocean Vuong's talk and poetry reading!

Why English?
I joined the BC English Program because I knew I wanted to transfer to a school with a great English program, and Boston College kept coming up. Everything I read highlighted the attentive faculty and diverse course catalog. In my mind, these factors solidified BC as the perfect place to explore different subtopics and figure out what I love studying.

What have you enjoyed most about the program?
The professors in the BC English Department are exceptional. Even as an undergraduate, my professors were always available to talk about my assignments or the materials. They're always incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and open to my crazy ideas. Additionally, the course catalog ranges from broad survey courses to extremely niche subtopics, which made it really easy to find a topic I was passionate about.

Why BC?
BC has given me the space and resources I needed to learn about myself and my interests, as well as providing access to new experiences. It's a place where I've felt comfortable asking questions both inside and outside the classroom.

Favorite class or professor?
It's genuinely impossible to choose a favorite professor simply because I have loved nearly every one I've had! That said, The Irish Gothic (taught by Professor Howes), has been my favorite class so far. The materials covered in that class were so fun to read and the discussions of how contemporary Irish history shaped the narratives were really impactful.

Why English?
It has always been a dream of mine to be a published author. Therefore, I take English classes to be exposed to the best writers, and the best thinkers in my peers, so that I might learn how to be a better thinker myself.

What have you enjoyed most about BC's English Program?
I have enjoyed the ways in which English classes draw an interdisciplinary array of students, which enables perspectives to be offered from across a range of backgrounds. In terms of analysis, I believe this helps the class unit grow and take its own stance about a piece of art. From an individual standpoint, I learn more from my classmates than I do from my own interpretations. There is a profound sense that English classes are welcoming for all students.

Why BC?
I love the way that BC values formation. Even within the classroom, there is a core belief that the meat of what you are learning should be oriented towards how you want to live your life. I had never been to a Jesuit or Catholic school before coming to BC, but I have been won over, in the sense that I try to translate my education to the choices I make, and how they translate to a life well lived.

Favorite class or professor?
Joyce's Ulysses with Professor Joe Nugent. I have always loved reading and writing, but I never loved any of my high school English classes, because I felt they took the fun out of reading. This class helped me rediscover my love of spending time with a book. Professor Nugent encouraged us to have a personalized vision of what this book meant to us. I will never forget how he encouraged us to hang onto it, and return to it when it feels right. Ulysses focuses on two central characters, a young man and a lonely father. I don't think it should come as much of a surprise that I felt more drawn to the young man on this read. However, I know that I will read Ulysses again when I am preparing to be a father. I have so much gratitude for the way in which this class and this professor reminded me of the power of the written word.

Why did you choose BC's English Program?
Above all, because of a love of reading and discussing challenging books.

What was your favorite class or professor and why?
My most formative experiences were in the Advanced Poetry Workshop with Paul Mariani and Creative Writing Thesis advised by Suzanne Matson—both offered guidance in the writing process that remains with me today.

What did you enjoyed most about the program?
The faculty stands out most prominently, as they were willing to engage with students one-on-one.

What do you like most about BC?
The sense of community, loyalty, and support that persists even after one graduates. The school is truly invested in its students and proud to celebrate their achievements.

Why did you decide to become an English major?
I loved reading and writing since I was a child and I knew that I wanted to think more deeply about the stories and content I took in.

How does the English major relate to your overall program at BC?
The critical thinking skills I gained through my English major actually carried into my other classes, such as my economics courses. Analyzing literature helped me make theoretical connections across the courses I took and enabled me to become a much more fluid learner.

What teachers and/or courses have inspired you?
In addition to my film classes with Professor Klein, which were always inspiring and eye-opening, my classes with Professor Song, Professor Graver, and Professor Tanner helped me to contextualize race and gender in contemporary literature.

What are you doing today?
I will be working at a private equity firm in New York City. At some point, I would like to attend graduate school to continue learning about intersectionality and cultural studies.

How does English relate to your career goals?
The English major gave me the communication and analytical skills I need to work with any team. Beyond these professional skills, it also helped me to think more deeply about my identity and enabled me to contemplate what I ultimately want out of my career. 

What advice would you give to students in the English major?
I encourage students to stick to their guns: if literature is something they genuinely love, they shouldn't feel pressured to switch into a major that others might consider more conducive to their post-college job search.  I hope students know that the English course offerings have enough range for them to shape their major according to any focus they want, even without a specific or official concentration. Students should feel excited to take courses that will broaden their perspectives on the space they take up in the world.

Why did you choose BC's English Program?
I chose BC’s English Program because of the robust course offerings and the relevancy of the professors that taught within it. The diversity in specialties along with the contemporary work being produced was invaluable to me as a creative.

What has been your favorite aspect of the program?
I’ve loved the communities found in the seminar style courses that the English Program offers. The professors do a phenomenal job at encouraging their students to lift each other up and make each other better through collaboration rather than competition. Some of my closest friends have come from the classes I’ve taken in the English Program.

Who was your favorite professor in the department?
Allison Adair is hands down my favorite Professor. In my time at BC, I enrolled in 3 of her classes and learned something new every single week of each of those classes, with very minimal overlap. I was always intellectually stimulated and motivated to push the bounds of my creativity. She also introduced me to my beloved thesis advisor, Sue Roberts!

What do you like most about BC?
I love the holistic learning methodology that Boston College utilizes in the formation of its students. There is not a single student at BC that is isolated to any one particular field/hobby/group. BC encourages and allows for its students to grow inside of the classroom and out through its mentorship programs, social clubs, and even some of the specialty courses available. As a storyteller, I’ve found that there’s a plethora of interesting and compelling stories everywhere at Boston College.

Why did you choose BC's English Program?
I am about to enter my first year of law school. English has always been one of my greatest skills, and I was hopeful that honing it at Boston College would aid me in a future legal career.

What did you enjoy most about the program?
I most enjoyed and appreciated the faculty in the English Program. They were all open and welcoming, and held me to a high standard of academic performance. I was able to explore subjects beyond the immediate scope of my courses, and was always encouraged to do so.

What was your favorite English class?
Middle English Alliterative Poetry with Prof. Eric Weiskott. The material was challenging, but fascinating and very well taught. I was asked and able to use all of my skills, from close reading to technical literacy, and did so in an open and collaborative classroom. This course not only exposed me to the richness of Middle English Literature, it also helped me realize how dynamic and useful the skills I developed as an English Major were—even when applied to different languages and ways of thinking.

What do you like most about BC?
The faculty will always be Boston College's greatest asset.

Why English?
Before starting at BC, I already knew I wanted to be an English major because I had always loved to read and write. So, the program offering fun and interesting classes was just a huge plus.

Why BC?
I think the campus is my favorite part because it’s beautiful and grandiose yet intimate—so it encourages a strong community.

What was your favorite English class?
Food Writing in Paris with Lynne Anderson. Why was this my favorite class? I think the course’s name speaks for itself.

What did you enjoy most about the program?
My relationship with my professors is definitely what I most enjoyed about BC’s English program. Throughout my fours years at BC, I’m pretty sure I knocked on all of my English professors’ doors during office hours, and that’s because they made me feel like it was okay to ask questions, and then some.

Why did you choose BC's English Master's program?
The opportunity to teach was definitely a top priority for me!

What has been your favorite class?
My favorite class was hands-down Medieval Romance with Robert Stanton. I learned so much about medieval poetry and story-telling and history from him, and was allowed to develop my own talents as a pop culture writer and scholar in our discussions/assignments.

What have you enjoyed most about the program?
The community of fellow M.A. studentss and professors I was welcomed into from day one.

What do you like most about BC?
The endless amount of teaching, research, and presentation opportunities afforded to M.A. students.

Why did you choose BC's English program?
I chose English because I love writing and being creative, but I stayed in the English program because of the classmates I’ve met, who are always interested and willing to talk about what they are working on. In addition, the professors themselves are some of the best that BC has to offer.

What have you enjoyed most about the program?
BC’s English professors are the best professors I’ve ever had, and they are a huge reason for why I have been so interested in the courses I've taken.

What has been your favorite class?
While every creative writing workshop introduced me to a new part of writing, Prof. Boucher’s Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop was the class that prepared me best for writing outside of school. It also gave me a new perspective on revising which has affected the way I work every day.

What do you like most about BC?
The range of people and experiences that it offers. I’ve met so many different people at BC and gotten to do so many different things that I wouldn’t have done if left on my own.