Study Abroad & Course Registration

Hey all!

I've got some downtime before I head to Eagle's Nest to help prepare for the MLP dance: Glowfest!
So here's an update on my life thus far:

Recently, I have been in a very futuristic mode: attending study abroad sessions, getting ready for course registration, 4-yr schedule planning, figuring out my major/minor. The thing about CSOM is the schedule tends to be very tight, especially if you are planning on studying abroad AND majoring in accounting . It's important to figure out your 4-year plan to make sure everything fits and you can actually TAKE the courses you want to take abroad. I am currently an accounting major so I need to think about the 150-credit hour rule for the CPA exam and fitting in my accounting major/CSOM core courses. I also want to study abroad in Parma, Italy in the spring of my junior year so I have to think about taking some Italian classes (something tells me "Arrivederci! Ciao, bella!!" is not going to cut it).

I'm thankful for the barrage of CSOM Study Abroad information sessions. Each session features a different study-abroad country and a panel of students who were recently abroad in that area. I learned a lot about study abroad through them such as academics, social life, traveling tips, good food etc.

Another helpful resource is your academic advisor (who is also your Portico professor). My advisor has helped me a lot with planning my schedule in terms of my intended major (accounting), a possible minor (international studies), and studying abroad (Elementary Italian I and II next year!). He was also very helpful in giving me advice on when I should take what classes and professors I should take.

I also should take advantage of the PEPs resource provided on the UGBC website. It is essentially a review of all the professors, organized by department/course. Very useful information!

Here's what I'm thinking so far for :
Elementary Italian I
Modern History I
Managerial Accounting
Math for Management
Intro to Law

...mmm gotta love CSOM core. Italian should be pretty fun though! We'll see what I can get!

Until next time!
Dara

My first blog post.....& CSOM March

Hey all!

My name is Dara Fang and I am currently a freshman in the Carroll School of Management concentrating in Accounting and (currently) International Studies. I'm originally from Shrewsbury, MA (roughly 45 minutes west of BC) and this is (obviously) my first blog post. I'm excited to be blogging about life at BC, CSOM, and Boston!

March has been a very busy month for me. In between the Spring Break and Easter, there have been plentiful projects, midterms, papers, readings, and meetings to keep me continually on my toes and out of my room. The big news on the streets of the Heights, of course, is the recent BusinessWeek rankings for CSOM. In case you didn't hear already, CSOM was ranked the #9 best undergraduate business school! Yay!

With all that added glory, the work and pressure to be the best is sure to be harder. As we speak (...or I type), I am reading about Cost of Goods Sold and Inventory Costs for my Financial Accounting course, planning an ad campaign for the Google Online Marketing Challenge for my Computers in Management course, reading Hegel for Perspectives (a Philosophy/Theology course), and plowing through a chapter on "The Monetary System" for Macroeconomics. Get excited!

On top of that, I am also a member of the Business Board of The Heights and the Mentoring Leadership Program (a part of the Undergraduate Government of BC). We are currently planning a freshman dance (Glowfest, complete with black lights, neon paint, and glow sticks) and other exciting initiatives!

Now that I am acquainted with this blogging business, I will be posting as much as possible so tune in for my freshman year stories, being on The Heights, and MLP, and classes!

Until next time!

-Dara

Oh We're Half Way There

Hello Everyone!

Spring break is finally here! I am writing to you from sunny Florida as I am relaxing from a busy spring semester thus far. Although I decided to come home for break, a lot of my friends have decided to spend their break volunteering as part of Boston College's Appalachia Volunteers Program. One of my friends is in New Orleans, rebuilding damaged homes and another friend is in a small town outside of Richmond, Virginia helping struggling families with miscellaneous duties.

This past week I went and declared my CSOM concentration. I have decided (for the time being) to be a Finance and Accounting double concentration with a Philosophy minor. One thing I would urge you to do is to not worry right now about what you want to do. Admissions does not expect that you have your life planned out already. It is perfectly fine to be undeclared. The CSOM core is a great way to sample all of the different business concentrations to see what you really want to pursue. My basic finance class with Professor Hayes has really intrigued me and led me to seek to continue down the finance concentration path.

Fun fact: Finance is the most popular major at BC!

Another thing to keep in mind is that once you come to BC, you are not limited to choosing one specific major within CSOM. I, being someone who did not come into BC with a lot of AP credit am still able to double concentrate in the school of management and pursue a minor in A&S. There are so many great opportunities to pursue outside of CSOM and I feel like a lot of CSOM students do take advantage of pursuing other disciplines.

Father Flannagan, a Jesuit at BC who team-teaches my Philosophy of Community class, always says that sure you will get a great education, but where you really learn a lot and will remember the most is what you do outside the classroom. I strongly agree with his comments. Sure, we are all going to get a nice big diploma come May of our graduation year, but it is what we all do outside of class that really can make your time at BC an amazing experience. As I look at my fellow classmates, that is one thing that I notice, is just how involved we all are. We all spread ourselves thin and spend more hours participating in extracurricular activities than we do in class. In my mind, this is just another defining characteristic of Boston College that makes it a truly great place to be at.

To finish off my post lets talk about some BC basketball! A few weeks ago, we upset a highly ranked Duke basketball team. It was the most exciting basketball game that I have ever been to. All of the students rushed the court at the end of the game (see awesome picture!). It was a scene I will never forget. As the season nears to an end, we are making our final push to make it into the tournament.

As always, GO EAGLES!!

Best,

Scott