A Guide to Student Organizations at Boston College

Boston College offers a vibrant and diverse extracurricular landscape for its students. With a wide array of student organizations, students can easily find communities that align with their interests, develop leadership skills, and contribute to the intellectual, social, and spiritual life of the campus. This article provides an overview of the types of organizations available and how students can get involved.

Types of Student Organizations

Boston College boasts a rich tapestry of student organizations, catering to a wide spectrum of interests and passions. These organizations offer students opportunities for personal growth, community engagement, and the development of valuable skills.

Academic and Professional Organizations: Many of Boston College’s schools and colleges offer students membership in professional organizations. Some are honor societies recognizing high academic achievement. Engineers, for instance, can join Engineers Without Borders, while students in the College of Communication can join the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Service and Outreach: For students eager to make a difference, Boston College offers various service and outreach programs. The First-Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP) allows incoming freshmen to move in a week early to participate in a service project. Participants can choose from 11 different issue areas, from children to human rights to the environment.
Greek Life: BU is home to 12 fraternities and 12 sororities on campus, which makes up a small but active Greek community.

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Cultural and Identity-Based Organizations: These organizations provide a space for students to connect with others who share their cultural heritage or identity. Examples include the South Asian Student Association, Southeast Asian Student Association, and the Slavic Club. Soul, Love, And Meaning!(SLAM!)
Sports and Recreation: For students passionate about sports, Boston College offers a variety of club sports, including Baseball club, Basketball, Men's & Women's club, Mt. Sailing Team, Soccer, Men's & Women's, Squash, Men's & Women's.
Arts and Performance: Students with a flair for the arts can find their niche in organizations like BC bOp!, Screaming Eagles Marching Band, Sexual Chocolate, and ALC Showdown.
Other Interest-Based Clubs: Baking Club of Boston College, Ministry of Silly Walks, Mock Trial Program, Model United Nations, Science Club for Girls, Senior Week Committee, Sharps, Shaw Leadership Program, Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics), Sigma Theta Tau (Nursing), Smart Woman Securities, Society of Physics Students, Sons of St. Patrick, Special Olympics, Sports Business Society, St.

Getting Involved

Finding the right organization and becoming an active member is a rewarding experience. Here are some ways to get involved:

Office of Student Involvement: The Office of Student Involvement is your first stop for all student organization events.
Board of Student Organizations (BSO): The Board of Student Organizations (BSO) is a department program under the Office of Student Involvement and advised by the office. The mission of the BSO is to provide Boston College undergraduate students the opportunity to satisfy a demonstrated need for new organizations.
Student Involvement Handbook: The Student Involvement Handbook covers policies applicable to student organizations or groups at Boston College.
Campus Activities Board (CAB): The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is a student-led group that coordinates campus-wide, diverse programming that fosters personal development, school spirit, and community development. CAB also hosts events like Stokes Set, an annual fall concert.

Leadership Opportunities

Becoming an executive board member of a student organization provides a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills. By taking on such a role, students can enhance their leadership style and capacity, communication skills, and relationships with other students, staff, and community partners. Moreover, they actively contribute to the intellectual, social, and spiritual lives of students.

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Eligibility for Leadership Positions

To ensure effective leadership and responsible management of student organizations, Boston College has established specific eligibility criteria for executive board members:

Enrollment Status: All officers of Student Organizations must be currently enrolled undergraduates.
Good Standing: All members of the executive board of the Student Organization must be in good standing with the University.
Academic and Disciplinary Standing: Members of the executive board may not be on academic or disciplinary University probation.

Campus Traditions and Events

Boston College student organizations play a vital role in creating memorable campus traditions and events.

Mudstock and Modstock: Mudstock and Modstock combine high-energy competition, community spirit, and live music. Kicking off early on the final day of classes, Mudstock transforms part of the Mod parking lot into mud volleyball courts where students compete for the Mudstock championship.
ALC Showdown: Showcasing months of dedication and hardwork, ALC Showdown brings Boston College’s 17 dance teams to Conte Forum for an electric competition and cultural showcase.
Stokes Set: Stokes Set is CAB's highly anticipated annual fall concert, a vibrant tradition that transforms Stokes Lawn into a dynamic outdoor music venue. Nestled amidst the iconic academic buildings near Stokes Hall, the event kicks off at sunset, creating an unforgettable atmosphere of lights, music, and energy.

Awards and Recognition

Each year the Office of Student Involvement presents awards to outstanding undergraduate student leaders at Boston College, recognizing their contributions to the community.

Navigating Selectivity and Finding Your Niche

Much of the extracurricular culture at Boston College is dominated by auditions, applications, interviews, and other means of proving your interest and dedication to the club’s goals. While these can produce incredibly creative, talented, and tight-knit groups, the deadlines and competition can certainly be overwhelming freshman year-particularly under the added stress of COVID-19 rules and regulations.

The aim of this article is to highlight some other opportunities for freshmen (or sophomores, juniors, and seniors) looking to expand their interests and who may be looking for more casual engagement in the community. This is by no means meant to discourage students from reaching out and trying out for selective groups and organizations, but those looking for alternative styles of groups should feel welcome to browse this list.

Supporting Boston College Through Giving

From humble beginnings as a “streetcar college” to global University, philanthropy has helped pave the way. Join in celebrating Boston College's Giving Day with a gift of any size.

Important Policies

The posting request won't be approved until the event has been OSI approved. Approved postings can only be hung in approved locations across campus.

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