As competition for admission to elite colleges intensifies, many high school seniors battle for perfect GPAs, strong test scores, and robust extracurriculars—just to get rejected from their dream school. 

For one student applying to Boston College, though, a rejection letter wasn’t the end of the story. 

“I got denied, and then a few days later, I got called by my admissions counselor at BC,” said Olivia.

BC offered an alternative path to admission—the Foundations Program—a back door for 15 of the University’s most connected applicants.

That back door takes the shape of a 30-credit transitional year at BC’s Messina College, an associate’s degree program “designed to help first-generation and low-income students transfer into a bachelor’s degree program or launch their careers,” according to the Messina website.

Foundations students then transfer to the Chestnut Hill campus, provided they maintain a 3.4 GPA or receive a recommendation from the dean of Messina College. 

Editor’s Note: In reporting this story, The Heights interviewed 27 percent of the current Foundations Program class and one former Foundations student. The Heights has given these students fake names in order to protect their privacy.

“They Kind of Set Our Applications Aside”

Students do not apply to the Foundations Program. Rather, the Admission Committee selects applicants from the traditional bachelor’s degree pool, according to Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Grant Gosselin. 

“They told us that when we applied, they kind of set our applications aside,” said Zach. “They were like, ‘We really want to get this person into BC, if there’s room, we’ll put them in with the normal class.’ And then if there’s not, they really wanted to find a way for us to get in, so they have this Foundations Program.” 

Gosselin said in a statement to The Heights that most students are accepted into the Foundations Program from the early decision stage, in part because they have “articulated a strong desire to pursue a Jesuit education at Boston College.” 

When asked what distinguishes a Foundations student from those rejected from or accepted to the Chestnut Hill campus, Gosselin said they would “benefit from a smaller first-year experience,” and have a “desire to live in community with our associates degree students.” He did not provide information on why Foundations students particularly fit this description after repeated requests to elaborate further.

“Foundations students are competitive applicants who are selected for the values they espouse through service commitments and other factors that align with BC’s mission,” Gosselin wrote. 

Through interviews conducted by The Heights, however, some students shared that they were either deferred or rejected before later receiving a phone call with an offer of admission from their admission counselors. Other students were directly accepted to Foundations without a prior rejection or deferral.

“Beginning in Fall 2024, Foundations students’ offers of admission are extended at the same moment in time as other admitted students,” Gosselin said.

Olivia was rejected in December 2024, prior to her acceptance into Foundations.  

Multiple Foundations students reported confusion when searching for further information about the program.

“My initial response was to, like, look it up and kind of research it and see what it was, and there really wasn’t anything on it,” said Jane, a current Foundations student. “I honestly didn’t really know what I was getting into.”

A student admitted to the 2024 inaugural class, after having been deferred, was told by a University admission counselor to “be prepared to go into this blind.”

“She said that she doesn’t really know that much about it, just because it’s the first year, and nothing like this has really ever existed,” said James. “She said, ‘If you say yes to this, be prepared to not have a lot of questions answered.’” 

Because prospective students don’t apply directly to Foundations, the admission office doesn’t advertise the program to high schools or applicants, Gosselin said.

“We provide detailed information about the opportunity to students when offers of admission are extended,” Gosselin wrote. “The Foundations Program is promoted on the Messina College website and we refer students who inquire.”

Several students shared that they participated in BC summer programs leading up to the application cycle, and most applied early decision. 

“We all really wanted to go to BC, that was, like, our top choice,” Zach said. “I think if we just applied regular decision, I don’t think we would have been selected.”

“They Come From Money, You Can Just Tell”

In a review of public documents, The Heights found that 20 percent of this year’s Foundations class have familial donations to the University, ranging from thousands of dollars to over a million. Of those students, two were found to have family-endowed hockey and football scholarships, which require at least $100,000 to establish. 

Of the 15 students currently enrolled in the program, The Heights found 11 have had family members attend the University. Of those, four have had four or more members of their family attend BC. 

“BC has always been like, kind of in my family, and it’s always been a strong connection for me,” Olivia said. “All my siblings went here.”

Two students were found to have family members serving on the University’s Board of Regents, which provides support to the University President and Board of Trustees on matters related to BC and its future. 

“One of my parents went here, and my sibling went here, so they know that, you know, I’m committed to BC,” Zach said. “A lot of the Foundation parents are actively involved. One of my parents is actually on an alumni board.”

When asked why a disproportionate amount of Foundations students had apparent connections to BC, University Spokesman Jack Dunn attributed this overrepresentation to the program’s novelty.

“Like Messina College, the Foundations Program provides a pathway for students who desire a Jesuit education to attend Boston College,” Dunn wrote in a statement to The Heights. “It is not surprising that families closest to BC who are most familiar with our offerings would be among the first to participate in a new program.”

When asked whether Foundations students reflect the typical financial need and first-generation status of Messina students, Gosselin stated that “like all BC applicants, Foundation students vary in need.” 

Patti and Jonathan Kraft Family Dean of Messina College Rev. Erick Berrelleza, S.J., added that “being first-generation is not a requirement of the Foundations program.”

Despite their shared presence at Messina College, Foundations students pay $95,240, a little more than the Chestnut Hill campus’ cost of attendance, while Messina’s cost of attendance is $40,000 less. 

Sarah, a current Foundations student, shared how she recognized that the program significantly differs from Messina College. 

Multiple students also noted an awkward transition during summer move-in due to obvious differences between the student populations. 

“There was a very big, ‘We’re us, they’re them’ at the beginning of the summer,” Sarah said. “It was just awkward at first, because it’s just such different, like, it’s, like, such different programs.” 

As a result, many Foundations students don’t feel like they are entirely BC or Messina students, but rather somewhere in between.

“We have a foot in each door, and it’s really tough,” said James. “Trying to be 100 percent a Messina student when you’re with the Messina students, and then completely code-switch to try to be 100 percent a BC student with BC students.” 

Olivia stated that Foundations students were told they could act as leaders to Messina students.  

“When I first started, like, learning about the Foundations program, I noticed that there was a part in the catalog that wrote about how Foundation students can act as leaders for Messina kids, as they’re first-year students—or first-generation students,” said Olivia. 

When asked if Foundations students are told to act as leaders on Brookline Campus, Gosselin did not explicitly confirm or deny whether that is the case.

“Messina provides a wide range of support to assist our first-generation students with tools for success, as these students often report less familiarity with how to navigate college,” Gosselin wrote in a statement to The Heights. “One goal of the Foundations Program is to establish connections and friendships between students from different backgrounds to benefit both groups of students. Foundations students benefit in their own education from learning about the unique perspectives of Messina College students.”

University staff repeatedly emphasized that Foundations is part of BC, not Messina, several students said. 

“They stress that we’re BC students,” said Sarah. “They’re like, ‘You are not Messina College, you are BC students,’ but it’s like, everything you do in this program contradicts that.”

One of the students said the promise of her status as a “BC student” was something that drew her to the program.

“I remember one thing from my meeting with the admissions guy from BC—he said, ‘You’re still going to be a BC student,’ and that was really important to me, making sure I felt like, not separated from everyone else and all the other freshmen,” said Olivia. 

While interviewees differed on whether they felt more tied to the Brookline or Chestnut Hill campus, one distinction between Foundations students and their Messina peers is evident.

“Just to be honest, I mean, I see everyone in my program is wearing Chanel bags,” Sarah said. “They come from money, you can just tell.”