The Knightly News

The following is North alumna Kayli Ko’s response to our questions about her college decision process, the student life and culture at Boston College, and more.

Kayli Ko graduated from North in 2019. She is part of Boston College’s class of 2023.

When I was visiting schools, I knew I wanted a school that was medium-sized, had a lot of school spirit, was close to a city but still had a campus feel to it, and of course, was good for my major (education). And when I visited BC, all of the boxes had been checked off.

It was one of those schools where when I talked to the students on campus, they were genuinely excited to talk about their experiences and the traditions that only BC has. BC felt like a place where I would be able to thrive not only academically, but in my social life as well.

I saw programs that were able to support my interests as well as opportunities to explore new ones. When getting accepted into BC, it felt like a no-brainer, as it had everything I wanted.

I am doing very well academically as well as socially; being a part of several different groups has allowed me to meet so many different types of wonderful people. There are times where navigating the social scene can be stressful, but this just comes with transitioning to college and becoming more independent. 

I’m very glad that I came to BC because there is always something going on and everyone creates such a welcoming environment to guide me through the next three years of my college life.

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For the first semester, surprisingly, I wasn’t really homesick, but as the second semester happened and I would go home more frequently because of breaks, I started to want to count down the days until I came home. I think the hardest part is being away from family and friends and not having much time to catch up with them. That being said, FaceTime calls would help a lot and prevent me from being super homesick.

In terms of what I miss most from home, I miss my family and friends a lot, but that is expected. 

Something that I miss about WW-P is the familiarity of everything. Knowing my way around town like the back of my hand, and being surrounded by people that I have spent years growing up with. I also miss the diversity of WW-P. Even though BC does have a lot of people from different backgrounds, oftentimes they tend to stick together, and although everyone is still so welcoming, it can be a little intimidating at first.

My favorite things would have to be the hockey games as BC has one of the best hockey teams. Other things include the school spirit that surrounds sports as people come out to watch games (contrary to high school sports), the openness that people have to learning different cultures and ideas, and their willingness to reflect on these new experiences through retreats and other programs.

The food is something that I get tired of very easily. Although I do consider myself to be a picky eater, I am not the only one to say that BC doesn’t have as many dining options as one would hope for. And although this is not a big thing, sometimes as the food becomes repetitive— it almost becomes a chore to eat.

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There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding the students at BC, such as everyone being rich, snobby kids, but when you actually talk to the students, you realize how open and down to earth they are. 

Don’t let the concept of this being a religious college scare you away! I am not Catholic, and the religion is not forced on to me at all. 

Although there are theology classes you have to take, they open it up to any religion you want to learn about, not only Catholicism. The school also provides the opportunity to fill this requirement in a more service-based way.

BC is what you make of it. If you want to be challenged, there will be hard classes for you to take, and there are easy classes as well if you don’t want to go down that route. The party scene is only big if you choose to be involved in it. There are tons of people who will want to go out on weekends but there are also tons of people who just stay in for movie nights. It just depends on the crowd you choose to be with and what you want to do.