Boston College's wording, checked October 26, 2026“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?”
How to approach it
- 1Choose a person, real or not, you have actually argued and wondered with.
- 2Name the questions you explored.
- 3Show one conversation in detail.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The partner and how your conversations started.
- 2One conversation, shown.
- 3The big questions you keep returning to, and where you would take them at BC.
Where the 400 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| The moment or example | about 160 |
| What it shows or changed | about 140 |
| Why it matters, or what you bring | about 100 |
Mistakes to avoid
- A tribute with no questions in it.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Boston College answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 400 words limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| One specific idea | It names one specific topic, question or idea early, narrower than a whole subject. |
| Evidence you pursue it | It shows what the applicant read, built, asked or tried on their own, beyond required class work. |
| Your own thinking | The reader sees how the applicant's mind works on it: a connection, an opinion, a question still open. |
| Boston College's ask | Names the conversation partner and the profound questions considered together. |
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Questions
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