Boston College's wording, checked October 26, 2026“Strong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College's annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?”
How to approach it
- 1Show the tradition in a scene with sensory detail.
- 2Explain why it matters to you personally.
- 3Answer the second half: how it strengthens bonds.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The tradition, in a scene.
- 2Your role in it and why it matters to you.
- 3How it brings people together, and what you would carry to 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 holiday description anyone could write.
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. |
| The community, concretely | The community is defined by a detail only a member would know (a place, a ritual, a person), not a label. |
| Your part in it | What the applicant personally did or does in it is on the page, with "I" statements. |
| What it gave you and what you will bring | It says how the community shaped the applicant and connects that to how they will take part in the college's community. |
| Boston College's ask | Covers why the tradition is important and how it brings people together or strengthens bonds. |
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Questions
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