November 10, 2025 • 38 mins
We began our program with our special annual College Admissions Panel! We were joined by the Deans of Admission at Harvard University, William Fitzsimmons and at Boston College, Grant Gosselin. Both Deans answered questions about getting into college, the SATs, paying tuition, the application process, what colleges are looking for in prospective students, and so much more! If you are a student, parent or guardian looking for insight into how the college application process works, this was your opportunity to speak directly to the Deans of Admission at two of the country’s most prestigious academic institutions!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w b Z, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is the Nightside College Admissions Panel, number nineteen. We've
done one of these every year since the fall of
two thousand and seven, when Nightside first went on the
air with us tonight for the nineteenth year in a
row is the Dean of Admission and of Admissions and
Financial Aid at Harvard University, Bill Fitzimmons, and also with
(00:31):
US as Grant Costling, same title. I think the effect
the press release you have been involved in the admissions
process Grant at Boston College for several years, but I
believe that today you assume the title of Dean of
Admissions and Financial Aid at Boston College. And again i'd
(00:51):
like to congratulate you on achieving that that position. So
I thank both of you for being here. And again
I encourage folks if they would like to call and
ask a question. I think we've intimidated people tonight, which
is very uncharacteristic. But look, if you have no questions,
(01:12):
I think you're you're not playing along with us here
because there's so many questions. Let's talk just briefly. There's
a there's a program called Naviance which has been around
for a while, and I suspect that that is a
program that most high school guidance counselors have access to.
(01:32):
I'm going to ask you, Grint, if you'd like to
start it off this hour, explain exactly what Naviance does.
I believe that it tracks students from this a school
and how how they have done in applying to colleges,
and it does I think have some some value when
(01:58):
when a family or a student are sitting down and
thinking about where they might like to go. Can you
take that to start, Grant, please.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, I'd be happy to. So.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Naviance was established about twenty five years ago, so it's
been on the market for a long time. And really
it's a tool that high schools use to manage their students.
So it really begins with a course scheduling module that
helps students beginning in ninth grade select their courses and
see their schedules.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
It allows the.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
School counselors and teachers to communicate with students, and then
it does have a functionality associated with the college application
process that allows students to create lists and share with
their college counselors, their high school counselors where they intend
to apply and begin that dialogue. It allows the high
(02:50):
schools themselves to send it documents to colleges so that
transcripts and recommendations can be sent securely. So it really
is this all encompassing plat form that supports high school
students as they move through their four years at the
secondary level. About thirty five percent of high schools around
the country use Naveance and it has its own competitors
(03:12):
maya learning score. Many other systems like it. But one
of the tools that you just reference does allow students
to go and look at past applicants. It is does
not identify these applicants, but it will give them a
bit of a scattergram and allow them to look at
the success or lack thereof, of applicants in the past
(03:34):
from that school to a variety of colleges and universities.
It allows them to look and see you on that
scattergram what that student's GPA was or their SAT scores,
and allows students again to get some context in terms
of history from that particular high school. Now students have
(03:55):
to take that with a grain of salt. They don't
know those students don't know their backgrounds, why those students
may have been successful. There may have been different elements
of their application that can't a scattered gram chart can't show,
but it does give them a general sense. If they're
looking at an institution and nobody from that high school
(04:17):
has earned admission with less than a three point six GPA,
and that student has a two point eight gpa, they
have to have some honest conversations about whether that might
be a wise choice to add to their list, but
it does give them that context.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Bill Fitzsimmons quick comment. In terms of Harvard, obviously in
Boston College are two very selective schools, both of you handle.
I think the number of applications is upwards of thirty
or more thirty or more thousand per year. For I
think the number at Harvard is is it still sixteen hundred,
(04:54):
Bill fit Simmons.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Sixteen hundred and fifty space is right, And we had
about forty eight thousand applicants last year. So it is
one of those things though, and I think Grant really
touched on it. You're looking at these profiles, even on
something as good as navviants, it doesn't really give you
a definitive answer. You know, it's a good place to start.
(05:21):
But who knows. You may have something special. You know
that some of the others from your high school didn't have,
you know, when you when they were going through the process.
So it's not just a numbers process, but I think
it's a It is indeed a good place to start.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Okay, and grant, I assume that the number of applications
to BC is probably similar and certainly continues to grow
every year. Its profile is even greater now than it
was twenty or twenty five years ago.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Nationally it is. Yeah, it continues to evolve.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
We seek a class of about twenty three hundred students
and just around forty thousand applications last year, so similar
numbers to what Harvard has experienced as well.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Let's let me get a phone call or two in
here if we can start off, because I think that's
important that some other areas I want to talk about.
We go next to Brian in Worcester. Brian and Woroster,
you are next, this our first this hour and nightside.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Welcome.
Speaker 6 (06:24):
Hey, Dan, it's up. Brian Shortsleeves Colin I am running
for governor. And Dean Fitzimmons, You've always been a great
support of ROTC at Harvard. I attended Harvard on a
Marine Corps Rotzi scholarship, and I'm just a curious sort
of at Harvard and BC the status of the ROXY
programs and how you're sort of working with high school
students that might want to serve in the military to
(06:46):
bring those scholarships to Harvard or BC.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
It's a great question. It's one that I had not anticipated, Brian,
but that is a great question.
Speaker 6 (06:53):
Wow at Harvard and Rozzi scholarship. For me, it's personal
and Dean sit Simmons, You've always been great, great with
the military, great with so thank.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
You, no, thank you, and thank you for bringing it up,
because I think a lot of times people may not
be as aware as they might be about what's going on.
So in recent years we've been getting anywhere from say
forty to this year this you know, first year class
sixty seven people who were admitted either they had either
(07:22):
as we would say, the Rozzi letter, or they're intended
to major, you know, to take part in ROTZI. So
that's a good number. So it's been going up. Actually
in recent years, veterans has been a real growth area
for US. This year we have sixteen veterans in the
first year class, and in recent years we've had between
(07:45):
fifteen and twenty veterans and they're incredible people, you know people,
and they're different ages obviously because they've been out for
a bit. Some of them come in in their thirties,
and it does remind me a little bit. Harvard has
a great history with the military, and you know, a
(08:06):
lot of the people who came in after World War Two,
huge numbers of veterans actually changed Harvard in very fundamental
ways and convinced the faculty that having people from a
much wider variety of backgrounds than they've had in the
past makes sense. And the veterans certainly brought in all
(08:26):
kinds of different levels of expertise and different social class
backgrounds and so on. So we're very excited, as I say,
we've made great progress over the past five, six, seven,
eight years, and we're looking for more progress. So if
you are a veteran or if you're a person interested
(08:46):
in our PC, we're a great to look at.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
And ROTC refers to Reserve Office of Training SCREPS. Does
that mean defit? Simmons thatad if somebody completes their degree
at Harvard and is a member of ROTC at Harvard
that when they graduate, they also commissioned as a military officer.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Absolutely, and they go on to do all kinds of
interesting things. I just heard from a terrific young woman
who is just completed this is her first year out
and she was in ROTZI and she is just completed
her pilot training for a solo and so she intends
(09:32):
to be a military pilot and then perhaps like her father,
become a commercial airline pilot. But so we'll see. But
it's really exciting. But I had a roommate who was
in Navy ROZI and he ended up going into the
brick Over Nuclear Power program for submarines and did amazing
(09:54):
things there and then with the rest of his life.
So that you know, can lead you in many, many
different directions.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
And to keep it bipartisan. Brian, I know that you're
running for Governor's Republican Seth Moulton is a graduate of
Harvard University and also went through the ROTC program. I
believe it's an undergraduate. If I'm wrong on that, someone
correct me, but I believe I'm correct.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Yeah, as well as Jake Alcincloss. A lot of Harvard
Marines out there.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yes, right, I should have mentioned Congressman Oic and class
as well. Brian, thank you for bringing it up. That's
a great question and it's something that people should be
aware of. And as Bill Fitzimmons said, there are a
lot of military people who and we will talk about this.
You'll come back after their their service time and they
(10:46):
either reply as an undergraduate or depending upon their situation.
You have the Harvard Extension School, you have the wood
Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College. There are
many different avenues and we're going to talk about the
as well. Brian, thank you very much. I very much
appreciate you asking that question tonight.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Thanks Brian, thank you, Thank you Dad.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
Thank these Pacimics for your leadership always on Ross. You've
been a great friend of the program.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
And let me get while you're here real quickly, let
me get Dean Goslin in on our ROTC at Boston College.
I assume it exists there as well, Dean gossp it.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Does, Dan, Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 6 (11:22):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
So, Boston College offers RTC programs in US Army, Air Force, Navy.
We're proud members as Yellow Ribbon partners that provides scholarships
that help fund tuition not covered by the post GI bill,
the Post nine to eleven GI bill, and so it
really does provide a great opportunity for students that again
(11:47):
are not only interested in RTC, but our veterans themselves.
We have about one hundred and eighty veterans studying at
Boston College, either at the undergraduate or graduate levels, and
so does provide again a lot of good resources for
students that are thinking about that, either as undergraduates or
(12:08):
in their graduate degrees.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Great appreciate very much again, Brian, Thank you, sir. We've
talked soon. Thank you, my.
Speaker 6 (12:14):
Friend, thank you.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
All right, we're going to take quick break. We're going
to come back again. That's that's a great question. That
opens up an area of conversation which I might have
not gotten to. So again, your calls are very important.
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. We'll be back with more
phone calls and more conversations with the deans. The deans
(12:37):
plural of admission and financial aid at both Harvard University.
Bill fitz Simmons is with us for his nineteenth year
and grant Goslin, who represents Boston College. He's represented that
school so effectively for the last five or six years.
Before him, John Mahoney was with us for about I
would say a dozen or so years. We're sped. We've
(13:00):
had two representatives from BC and one from Harvard, and
I like it that way because there is continuity, and
I will like it even more when some of you
pick up the phone and give us a call. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty and love to hear from some students. We
always hear from students late in the program, and we
are going to be wrapping this up within this hour.
(13:21):
So please, if you're out there as a student and
you have a question, and don't be intimidated. These These
are two gentlemen who enjoy talking to students. Six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten thirty.
B Right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
By the way, gentlemen joined the break. I just took
a moment and I googled ROTC programs, where they are
and how they work. There's a great piece in USA
rather a US and News and World Report, which came
out on Halloween, so it's about a week old, and
(14:03):
you can just google anyone who's interested in ROTC. It's
part of the best Colleges US news rankings, What rot filgram,
what rot ROTC programs are, and how they work. R
ROTC programs help fund college and prepare students for military
service after they graduate. Gentlemen, let's go back to the phones.
(14:26):
Let me go to Bill on Cape card. Bill, you
are next on Night Side with Dean Bill Fitzsimmons of
Harvard and Dean Grant Goslin of Boston College.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
Go right ahead, Bill, Hello, Dan, and Dean's My daughters
are already through God. So I'm reflecting back if I
listened to you, and I guess the topic is sort
of rankings, rankings of school districts. And I'm remembering way
back when seeing other parents whip open a Boston magazine
(14:59):
and decide, you know, and look where their school district
fell in those rankings of high schools, and you know,
basing decisions about where to live, and you know the
value of homes on those real quick. I guess the
story that I also think of is in my school
district where my daughters went they didn't offer that many
(15:21):
AP classes, and there's always this big debate when the
rankings come out, Oh we need to do that. But
in the college process, admissions process, I recall once being
on campus. This is the last thing I'll say. And
my daughter just casually mentioned what high school he was
from in one of these tours, and the admissions counselor
(15:42):
very like knew our school very well. And so I
guess what I'm curious about is how your universities and
colleges track the outcomes of the students from various high
schools at your universities of colleges to determine whether that's
(16:04):
a school that you want to look closely at for
admitting more students.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
So they try to correlate the success of the students
that have already admitted as a factor in whether or
not future students have a bit of an edge or
lack thereof. Is what your question is? I think, Yeah, Okay,
let's see, let's get it. Let's grahat would you take
that first?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Into Bill? Thanks so much for your question.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
You know, I think we spend a lot of time
as an admission staff learning about the high schools, both
locally and nationally and around the world. We can't possibly
know every high school, but whenever a student applies to
a college, they will submit their high school will submit
what's known as a high school profile, which will tell
(16:53):
us a bit about that school system, about the courses
that are offered in that school, about the success of
their graduates, how many of them have gone off to college,
what types of colleges perhaps they've explored. And I think
it's our job as admission professionals to be realistic about
what an individual applicant has available to them, And in
(17:16):
your daughter's experience, if there weren't as many AP's offered
at that school, we can't expect them to be taking
the same number of AP courses as a student at
a school in the next town over. So we're really
looking at each student individually as candidates. We're looking at
them in context of their high schools and what's available
(17:37):
to them at selective institutions. We're going to expect that
the best students have taken advantage of the courses available
to them at the extent to the extent possible. In
terms of tracking outcomes, we do have the ability to
look at students' success. We have reports that will give
us indicators of how students are bearing at Boston College
(18:01):
once they enroll and can look back at the performance
that they had in high school, the courses that they
took as a measuring stick to make sure that future
students are being appropriately evaluated and that we're setting students
up for success by admitting those that were confident and
can really thrive when they arrive on our campus.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Bill Fitzimmons, quick comment from your perspective across the river
in Cambridge right now.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
I think Grant covered a lot of it, but I
would say just a couple of thanks. You remember, we're
admitting students, not schools, and one of the things that
we're always looking at, we know, you know that life
is very unfair and lots of respects because you know,
students are lucky enough to grow up in towns with
(18:49):
huge you know, the large amounts of resources of all kinds,
and you know it's just you know, an education rich
environment and students who go to school and places like that,
no question, I think are very lucky. But there are
others that really haven't had the opportunity to go to
(19:13):
a place. As Grant said, you know, maybe there aren't
any or very few ap opportunities, or one of the
things we see now is that there aren't the same
kind of even athletic opportunities or extracurricular opportunities at many
of the high schools with fewer resources. So when we're
(19:34):
looking at students, I guess the way I think about
it is we say, okay, here's a student who has
come from you know, this family background, living in this neighborhood,
living in this community, with these opportunities. What advantage has
this student taken of these opportunities, and we kind of
(19:54):
go from there. Sometimes you say, well, we've had some
very good students from the school before, so we can
feel confident about it. Another way to look at it
and say, see, we've never had anybody from the school before,
and this student has done really well given the opportunities
the students had, and maybe if we admit this student
(20:15):
and a student comes in has a good experience, that
will open up a whole new school for us. So,
you know, it's it's complicated, I guess, but build up
that that really is a great question because you know,
given the socioeconomic segregation in America, that's that's the key question.
(20:36):
And I worry a lot that there are talented students
who don't get the same opportunities as others, and that's
a huge waste for our country. So, you know, I
guess it's one of one of the things we've seen
sometimes with some of our veterans who maybe didn't focus
(20:56):
as much, sort as as I didn't focus as much
in my first ninth grade. But they go off to
great things in the service and then they apply to us, uh,
and you know, they do great things. So it's a
complicated and interesting question, Bill, and it's one of the
things every community has to ask itself. Are you doing
(21:19):
everything you can to help the great young people in
your community?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Sounds like it's calculus not mathematics, Bill, great questions.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Those both excellent answers. Thank you. You know, I get
to get to how university's problem and net of you
know what schools uh they open up.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
We're gonna we're gonna get to that right after this
break built. That's the next on the agenda. These these gentlemen,
Bill travel quite a bit. We'll talk a little bit
about that as well. Appreciate your call, Bill, Thanks so much.
Hope your daughters have had great success. Thank you very much.
We'll take a very quick break. Got some lines open
six one seven, two thirty, six, one seven, nine, tenth thirty.
(22:00):
Still look over that first student or two that may
have the courage to call. Takes a little bit of
a courage, but you know you can summon that. Back
on Nightside, we got a news break coming up, and
we will have about twenty more minutes, so if you
want to get in, now is the time to dial.
Back on Night Side with Bill Fitzsimmons, the Dean of
Admission and Financial Aid at Harvard and also Grant Gostlin,
(22:22):
the named it today officially, but he's been there for
many years. But now he is the Dean of Admission
and Financial Aid at Boston College. So it's very very day,
a day in which I think all of us are
very proud of Grant Gostlin, and we've always proud of
Bill fitz Simmons, who's been with us for every year,
for every nineteen one of these programs we've done, and
(22:44):
I think they're so important. Back on Nightside after.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
This, it's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
I have a few topics that I've never raised in
all of the nineteen years to the best of my knowledge,
and I'd like to get through them as well as
incorporate some other callers. There was a reference there to geography.
I would suspect that Harvard University and Boston College have
(23:15):
a wide variety of students in many respects, but one
of them. I suspect you probably have students from, if
not all, most of the fifty states. Starting off with you,
Bill Fitzimmons. At Harvard, you have sixteen hundred and fifty
students to admit. How many states do end up covering.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Yeah, it's typically fifty, and I think one of the
surprises might be that very different, say compared to twenty
or thirty years ago. California can often be our number
one producer, viz. With Massachusetts and New York, but Texas
is the number four producer at this point, and Florida
(23:56):
is the number seven producer. And your second question will
be countries.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
So I think we had.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
The admitted group, and some of them weren't allowed to
come because they were at countries where the federal government
did not allow students to come to the United States,
and so we had I think it turned out to
be about ninety two in people who actually showed up
in the first year class this August, so two.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
From countries around the world. And I'm assuming that they're
not all like England and France and Germany and Ireland.
This must spand literally span the globe, It truly does.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
I mean, one of the things we're all doing now
is where of course we buy names from the act
and sat and write to people and send them emails
and so on, but we also travel when we can
in person. And then the other thing we're doing a
lot of these days is zoom recruiting. So we'll do
(25:01):
events for families and students obviously, and we also do
events for secondary school councilors around the country and around
the world, so we're getting the word out. And as
I mentioned before, our website, because you know, most students
actually don't have the money to visit. As it turns
(25:22):
out a lot too, so we invested pretty heavily on
our virtual tour and other resources on the website so
that we could level the playing field.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
So then Harvard will actually reach out to try to
find students who might come from a far away place.
If somehow you hear about that student, even it isn't
necessarily an applicant initiated effort by the student. It can
be a reach out by Harvard to say, hey, have
you ever thought about applying to our university. You have
(25:56):
some grades and some act or SAT scores which we
would be interested in.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
We absolutely right, and you know, I think it's you
have to understand that about seventy percent of students in
the United States will go to college within fifty miles
of their homes. And it's up to us, frankly, to
suggest the people from around the country because we want
to get people from all different kinds of states, Blue states,
(26:24):
red states, purple states, you know whatever, because that's what
a lot of the education is all about. So you know,
it's we're not necessarily in grant mentioned before. Look at
there is something like forty five colleges universities in the
greater Boston Cambridge you know area. There are two hundred
(26:46):
thousand college students. I mean I had you know, my
niece ended up going to Providence, my nephew to Saint Anselm's,
and my siblings my brothers went to stone Hill, Yale
and BC go Eagles. You know that's you know, there
are so many great places to go to, even nearby.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Okay, real quick question, if I can and they go,
we got some other calls I do. I will get
to these other calls as well. What about homeschoolers that
is a trend that is expanding in the country. Are
they meeting any success in applying to schools like Harvard
and b C. Let me start with Grant on that,
and we'll also talk about geography and BC. Grant.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
Yeah, for sure, you know, homeschool students certainly have you know,
success in our process. We have staff members that spend
a lot of time looking at those students in their
own context. Most homeschooled students are following curriculums in their
local jurisdiction. They're following guidelines based on their regional high
(27:51):
schools or local vicinity. We're looking at the things that
they're doing. Many of the homeschool students are actively involved
in their communities. They might be joining some of the
clubs or athletic teams at some of the local schools
or club programs. So definitely, you know, we really welcome
students from a wide range of backgrounds geographically, much like Harvard.
(28:16):
You know, we spend a lot of time traveling the
country and around the world. We'll visit a given year
about thirty five states and probably thirty countries around the world.
New England is actually no longer our largest region. The
mid Atlantic actually is the largest region, followed by New
England and then the West and the South. So here
(28:38):
in the United States, we're seeing students from a wide
range of places. We have students at BC from all
fifty states, from over eighty countries around the world. And
we've also, much like Harvard, done a lot of work
in terms of outreach, and many of that outreach focuses
in on partnerships that we have with various organizations, and
(29:01):
for the last five years, Boston College has been a
member of the quest Bridge organization, which offers full financial
need without loans to high achievement low income students that
come from anywhere throughout the country and even around the world,
and that has helped us reach into some more rural
regions that might not be on our recruitment paths. We
(29:23):
have students from in this class from the Northern Mariana Islands,
a territory, and the West Pacific Ocean right so places
well off the beaten path that we might not otherwise
find if not for the strategic work that we do
in terms of that outreach.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Those students probably had never heard of Doug Flutie. As
a matter of fact, I'm.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Assuming you know, probably not, you know, probably none of
not many of our high school students do either.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I guess well, I will hope they'll see the statue.
Bill Fitzimmons. Homeschoolers at Harvard still possible.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
It is, and there are some very interesting home schoolers.
Often they're a variety of things. You know, they might
be homeschooled for some things.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
They may be.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
Taking college courses, in some cases high school courses as well.
Some of them are doing extracurricer activities, either in the
community or with various teams, or maybe in some cases
with a high school, so they in Some of them
are rural, some of them are urban. They're an interesting group.
(30:28):
At least one of our staff members was homeschooled and
went to Harvard. We have a pretty good sense of
the range and the variety they bring.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Quick break, we'll be back the final segment with Bill
Fitzimmons of Harvard and Grant Gostling of Boston College. I
think it's been one of our better programs. On this
we have covered a lot. Would have preferred to hear
more questions from the audience, but that's the audience choice.
(30:59):
By the way, the way, both of these hours will
be posted on Nightside on demand our podcast site. They
will get up there probably sometime around two or three
o'clock this morning. If you happen to have missed all
a part of either of these hours back with a
concluding segment, we can still get a call or two,
and if you'd like, we had a caller who just
dropped off. Unfortunately, again, gotta have a little patience coming
(31:21):
back on night Side.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Right after this, you're on night Side with Dan Ray
on w b Z, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
We have a question or comment from a Harvard Law
school graduate, my good friend, Harvey Silverglade. Harvey Silverglade, you're
on Bill Fitzsimmons and Grant Goslin. What's your comment of question?
My friend?
Speaker 8 (31:43):
Here's my question, and I hope you haven't covered at
too there about ten minutes after you started. That's okay,
this this segment go right ahead, buddy. How is the
Supreme Court Affirmative Action decision made your job harder or
are you able to substitute sectors that produce the same
(32:04):
percentages of the diversity in the class?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Harvey, I'm generally I'm kind of protect Bill Fitzimmons from
these sorts of comments because of the litigation, which, of
course you would understand. Bill Fitzimmons, if you want to
respond to that, feel free, if you want to respond briefly,
even feel more free. I wasn't sure that that we
wasn't my intention to go there on that subject at all.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
Bill, Well, there is ongoing litigation, as you know, but
there there the way we have seen things develop, you know,
since the decision is that there have been somewhat more
Asian Americans in the class. As it turns out, there
(32:52):
are fewer African American students, fewer Latinos, and slightly fewer
Native American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiians. Uh, we do
not know if we go through the process, we students
applying to Harvard these days do not Uh, we do
(33:16):
not have the information that they provide to the common
app about their ethnicity. So the that is no longer
a part of our application, and uh, you know, we
we continue to seek the best students regardless of their backgrounds,
and we still value diversity of all kinds, but we also,
(33:42):
uh certainly strictly follow the law that has been set
down to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Harvey, I've got to just wrap it up here, so
I appreciate the question. I always know that you'll ask
a question that I don't anticipate, But thanks for the
call on the Okay, thanks Harvey. Quick question, gentlemen, for
those students who would like to learn at Harvard, there's
(34:10):
a couple of additional ways we have the Harvard Extension School.
I'd love to give you an opportunity Bill to make
a reference to that. And I'd also like to get
great to talk about the Woods College of Advancing Studies,
and maybe we could start with you grant on that
that is actually a path that people who have gone
(34:31):
on and had careers other than academic can actually pursue
an actual BC degree through the Woods College of Advancing Studies.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
They can.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
So the Woods College was founded almost one hundred years
ago and has been an opportunity for working professionals to
earn their college degrees, largely through evening and weekend classes.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
It has evolved over the years.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Of course, and added both not only in person coursework
but also online coursework and really trying to meet professionals
where they are. And it can be a great opportunity
for those that perhaps didn't originally go to college, or
perhaps started a degree and didn't finish and are looking
to acquire the additional credits that allow them to do that.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
And yeah, okay, there.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Well, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (35:27):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
So I'm going to try to give up, Bill Fasimas
I know that you have done some teaching at the
Harvard Extension School. You've told me over the years, tell
us about that wonderful educational opportunity that does exist.
Speaker 5 (35:38):
Well, I will, and just to mention it, I actually
knew Father Woods quite well, and I taught at the
Boston College like many years. But yes, I did teach
you to Harvard Extension. It's an amazing place. You can
get an undergraduate degree, you can get a master's degree.
(36:00):
We have all kinds of flexible programs, I will tell you,
at both institutions. It was amazing to be able to
teach in the same classroom people who are eighteen and
people who are eighty eight, people with a lot of experience,
people with a lot of life left in front of them.
It's they're just great resources that very very large numbers
(36:24):
that people take advantage of. They're simply great.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Well, both of you, gentlemen, have been great tonight. We've
covered a lot of ground, and I hope that people
take advantage of listening to the podcasts which will be
posted sometime early this morning by our producer Rob Brooks
at Nights Out on Demand. Grant Goslin again, congratulations and
your promotion being made official today. And Bill fitz Himmons,
(36:50):
thank you so much. If I'm here a year from now,
I hope I can get an early commitment to annual
college admissions panel Neuber twenty. I never thought would get
to nineteen, but market on your calendar at least tentatively. Okay, gentlemen,
I would really appreciate taking to it.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
Dan, you have the bad fit and your value, the
value placed on higher education is just a great example
for all of us. So thank you very much, and
obviously we will both commit right now. That's it, you
commit as well.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
If I'm If I'm here, believe me, I will be
extending that invitation again. When you get to my age,
you get you gotta be say extra prayers that you'll
wake up in the morning if you get my drift. Gentlemen,
thank you so much. You're both amazing people and great friends.
And I can't tell you much. I appreciate your time
tonight and then tomorrow back to work. This is your
(37:47):
toughest time of the year. Thank you, thank you, Thank
you both so much.
Speaker 5 (37:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Yeah, well that is it. When we get back, we're
going to talk about the shutdown being shut down, and
I guess the question is going to be what took
so long? And where do we go from here? We'll
change topics. I want to again thank Bill Fitzsimmons and
Grant Gostling. They were just wonderful tonight, and thank you
(38:13):
both very much. We'll be back right after the ten
o'clock news on Nightside
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w b Z, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is the Nightside College Admissions Panel, number nineteen. We've
done one of these every year since the fall of
two thousand and seven, when Nightside first went on the
air with us tonight for the nineteenth year in a
row is the Dean of Admission and of Admissions and
Financial Aid at Harvard University, Bill Fitzimmons, and also with
(00:31):
US as Grant Costling, same title. I think the effect
the press release you have been involved in the admissions
process Grant at Boston College for several years, but I
believe that today you assume the title of Dean of
Admissions and Financial Aid at Boston College. And again i'd
(00:51):
like to congratulate you on achieving that that position. So
I thank both of you for being here. And again
I encourage folks if they would like to call and
ask a question. I think we've intimidated people tonight, which
is very uncharacteristic. But look, if you have no questions,
(01:12):
I think you're you're not playing along with us here
because there's so many questions. Let's talk just briefly. There's
a there's a program called Naviance which has been around
for a while, and I suspect that that is a
program that most high school guidance counselors have access to.
(01:32):
I'm going to ask you, Grint, if you'd like to
start it off this hour, explain exactly what Naviance does.
I believe that it tracks students from this a school
and how how they have done in applying to colleges,
and it does I think have some some value when
(01:58):
when a family or a student are sitting down and
thinking about where they might like to go. Can you
take that to start, Grant, please.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Yeah, I'd be happy to. So.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Naviance was established about twenty five years ago, so it's
been on the market for a long time. And really
it's a tool that high schools use to manage their students.
So it really begins with a course scheduling module that
helps students beginning in ninth grade select their courses and
see their schedules.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
It allows the.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
School counselors and teachers to communicate with students, and then
it does have a functionality associated with the college application
process that allows students to create lists and share with
their college counselors, their high school counselors where they intend
to apply and begin that dialogue. It allows the high
(02:50):
schools themselves to send it documents to colleges so that
transcripts and recommendations can be sent securely. So it really
is this all encompassing plat form that supports high school
students as they move through their four years at the
secondary level. About thirty five percent of high schools around
the country use Naveance and it has its own competitors
(03:12):
maya learning score. Many other systems like it. But one
of the tools that you just reference does allow students
to go and look at past applicants. It is does
not identify these applicants, but it will give them a
bit of a scattergram and allow them to look at
the success or lack thereof, of applicants in the past
(03:34):
from that school to a variety of colleges and universities.
It allows them to look and see you on that
scattergram what that student's GPA was or their SAT scores,
and allows students again to get some context in terms
of history from that particular high school. Now students have
(03:55):
to take that with a grain of salt. They don't
know those students don't know their backgrounds, why those students
may have been successful. There may have been different elements
of their application that can't a scattered gram chart can't show,
but it does give them a general sense. If they're
looking at an institution and nobody from that high school
(04:17):
has earned admission with less than a three point six GPA,
and that student has a two point eight gpa, they
have to have some honest conversations about whether that might
be a wise choice to add to their list, but
it does give them that context.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Bill Fitzsimmons quick comment. In terms of Harvard, obviously in
Boston College are two very selective schools, both of you handle.
I think the number of applications is upwards of thirty
or more thirty or more thousand per year. For I
think the number at Harvard is is it still sixteen hundred,
(04:54):
Bill fit Simmons.
Speaker 5 (04:55):
Sixteen hundred and fifty space is right, And we had
about forty eight thousand applicants last year. So it is
one of those things though, and I think Grant really
touched on it. You're looking at these profiles, even on
something as good as navviants, it doesn't really give you
a definitive answer. You know, it's a good place to start.
(05:21):
But who knows. You may have something special. You know
that some of the others from your high school didn't have,
you know, when you when they were going through the process.
So it's not just a numbers process, but I think
it's a It is indeed a good place to start.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Okay, and grant, I assume that the number of applications
to BC is probably similar and certainly continues to grow
every year. Its profile is even greater now than it
was twenty or twenty five years ago.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Nationally it is. Yeah, it continues to evolve.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
We seek a class of about twenty three hundred students
and just around forty thousand applications last year, so similar
numbers to what Harvard has experienced as well.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Let's let me get a phone call or two in
here if we can start off, because I think that's
important that some other areas I want to talk about.
We go next to Brian in Worcester. Brian and Woroster,
you are next, this our first this hour and nightside.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Welcome.
Speaker 6 (06:24):
Hey, Dan, it's up. Brian Shortsleeves Colin I am running
for governor. And Dean Fitzimmons, You've always been a great
support of ROTC at Harvard. I attended Harvard on a
Marine Corps Rotzi scholarship, and I'm just a curious sort
of at Harvard and BC the status of the ROXY
programs and how you're sort of working with high school
students that might want to serve in the military to
(06:46):
bring those scholarships to Harvard or BC.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
It's a great question. It's one that I had not anticipated, Brian,
but that is a great question.
Speaker 6 (06:53):
Wow at Harvard and Rozzi scholarship. For me, it's personal
and Dean sit Simmons, You've always been great, great with
the military, great with so thank.
Speaker 5 (07:00):
You, no, thank you, and thank you for bringing it up,
because I think a lot of times people may not
be as aware as they might be about what's going on.
So in recent years we've been getting anywhere from say
forty to this year this you know, first year class
sixty seven people who were admitted either they had either
(07:22):
as we would say, the Rozzi letter, or they're intended
to major, you know, to take part in ROTZI. So
that's a good number. So it's been going up. Actually
in recent years, veterans has been a real growth area
for US. This year we have sixteen veterans in the
first year class, and in recent years we've had between
(07:45):
fifteen and twenty veterans and they're incredible people, you know people,
and they're different ages obviously because they've been out for
a bit. Some of them come in in their thirties,
and it does remind me a little bit. Harvard has
a great history with the military, and you know, a
(08:06):
lot of the people who came in after World War Two,
huge numbers of veterans actually changed Harvard in very fundamental
ways and convinced the faculty that having people from a
much wider variety of backgrounds than they've had in the
past makes sense. And the veterans certainly brought in all
(08:26):
kinds of different levels of expertise and different social class
backgrounds and so on. So we're very excited, as I say,
we've made great progress over the past five, six, seven,
eight years, and we're looking for more progress. So if
you are a veteran or if you're a person interested
(08:46):
in our PC, we're a great to look at.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
And ROTC refers to Reserve Office of Training SCREPS. Does
that mean defit? Simmons thatad if somebody completes their degree
at Harvard and is a member of ROTC at Harvard
that when they graduate, they also commissioned as a military officer.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Absolutely, and they go on to do all kinds of
interesting things. I just heard from a terrific young woman
who is just completed this is her first year out
and she was in ROTZI and she is just completed
her pilot training for a solo and so she intends
(09:32):
to be a military pilot and then perhaps like her father,
become a commercial airline pilot. But so we'll see. But
it's really exciting. But I had a roommate who was
in Navy ROZI and he ended up going into the
brick Over Nuclear Power program for submarines and did amazing
(09:54):
things there and then with the rest of his life.
So that you know, can lead you in many, many
different directions.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
And to keep it bipartisan. Brian, I know that you're
running for Governor's Republican Seth Moulton is a graduate of
Harvard University and also went through the ROTC program. I
believe it's an undergraduate. If I'm wrong on that, someone
correct me, but I believe I'm correct.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Yeah, as well as Jake Alcincloss. A lot of Harvard
Marines out there.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yes, right, I should have mentioned Congressman Oic and class
as well. Brian, thank you for bringing it up. That's
a great question and it's something that people should be
aware of. And as Bill Fitzimmons said, there are a
lot of military people who and we will talk about this.
You'll come back after their their service time and they
(10:46):
either reply as an undergraduate or depending upon their situation.
You have the Harvard Extension School, you have the wood
Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College. There are
many different avenues and we're going to talk about the
as well. Brian, thank you very much. I very much
appreciate you asking that question tonight.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
Thanks Brian, thank you, Thank you Dad.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
Thank these Pacimics for your leadership always on Ross. You've
been a great friend of the program.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
And let me get while you're here real quickly, let
me get Dean Goslin in on our ROTC at Boston College.
I assume it exists there as well, Dean gossp it.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Does, Dan, Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 6 (11:22):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:23):
So, Boston College offers RTC programs in US Army, Air Force, Navy.
We're proud members as Yellow Ribbon partners that provides scholarships
that help fund tuition not covered by the post GI bill,
the Post nine to eleven GI bill, and so it
really does provide a great opportunity for students that again
(11:47):
are not only interested in RTC, but our veterans themselves.
We have about one hundred and eighty veterans studying at
Boston College, either at the undergraduate or graduate levels, and
so does provide again a lot of good resources for
students that are thinking about that, either as undergraduates or
(12:08):
in their graduate degrees.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Great appreciate very much again, Brian, Thank you, sir. We've
talked soon. Thank you, my.
Speaker 6 (12:14):
Friend, thank you.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
All right, we're going to take quick break. We're going
to come back again. That's that's a great question. That
opens up an area of conversation which I might have
not gotten to. So again, your calls are very important.
Six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. We'll be back with more
phone calls and more conversations with the deans. The deans
(12:37):
plural of admission and financial aid at both Harvard University.
Bill fitz Simmons is with us for his nineteenth year
and grant Goslin, who represents Boston College. He's represented that
school so effectively for the last five or six years.
Before him, John Mahoney was with us for about I
would say a dozen or so years. We're sped. We've
(13:00):
had two representatives from BC and one from Harvard, and
I like it that way because there is continuity, and
I will like it even more when some of you
pick up the phone and give us a call. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty and love to hear from some students. We
always hear from students late in the program, and we
are going to be wrapping this up within this hour.
(13:21):
So please, if you're out there as a student and
you have a question, and don't be intimidated. These These
are two gentlemen who enjoy talking to students. Six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten thirty.
B Right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
By the way, gentlemen joined the break. I just took
a moment and I googled ROTC programs, where they are
and how they work. There's a great piece in USA
rather a US and News and World Report, which came
out on Halloween, so it's about a week old, and
(14:03):
you can just google anyone who's interested in ROTC. It's
part of the best Colleges US news rankings, What rot filgram,
what rot ROTC programs are, and how they work. R
ROTC programs help fund college and prepare students for military
service after they graduate. Gentlemen, let's go back to the phones.
(14:26):
Let me go to Bill on Cape card. Bill, you
are next on Night Side with Dean Bill Fitzsimmons of
Harvard and Dean Grant Goslin of Boston College.
Speaker 7 (14:35):
Go right ahead, Bill, Hello, Dan, and Dean's My daughters
are already through God. So I'm reflecting back if I
listened to you, and I guess the topic is sort
of rankings, rankings of school districts. And I'm remembering way
back when seeing other parents whip open a Boston magazine
(14:59):
and decide, you know, and look where their school district
fell in those rankings of high schools, and you know,
basing decisions about where to live, and you know the
value of homes on those real quick. I guess the
story that I also think of is in my school
district where my daughters went they didn't offer that many
(15:21):
AP classes, and there's always this big debate when the
rankings come out, Oh we need to do that. But
in the college process, admissions process, I recall once being
on campus. This is the last thing I'll say. And
my daughter just casually mentioned what high school he was
from in one of these tours, and the admissions counselor
(15:42):
very like knew our school very well. And so I
guess what I'm curious about is how your universities and
colleges track the outcomes of the students from various high
schools at your universities of colleges to determine whether that's
(16:04):
a school that you want to look closely at for
admitting more students.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
So they try to correlate the success of the students
that have already admitted as a factor in whether or
not future students have a bit of an edge or
lack thereof. Is what your question is? I think, Yeah, Okay,
let's see, let's get it. Let's grahat would you take
that first?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Into Bill? Thanks so much for your question.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
You know, I think we spend a lot of time
as an admission staff learning about the high schools, both
locally and nationally and around the world. We can't possibly
know every high school, but whenever a student applies to
a college, they will submit their high school will submit
what's known as a high school profile, which will tell
(16:53):
us a bit about that school system, about the courses
that are offered in that school, about the success of
their graduates, how many of them have gone off to college,
what types of colleges perhaps they've explored. And I think
it's our job as admission professionals to be realistic about
what an individual applicant has available to them, And in
(17:16):
your daughter's experience, if there weren't as many AP's offered
at that school, we can't expect them to be taking
the same number of AP courses as a student at
a school in the next town over. So we're really
looking at each student individually as candidates. We're looking at
them in context of their high schools and what's available
(17:37):
to them at selective institutions. We're going to expect that
the best students have taken advantage of the courses available
to them at the extent to the extent possible. In
terms of tracking outcomes, we do have the ability to
look at students' success. We have reports that will give
us indicators of how students are bearing at Boston College
(18:01):
once they enroll and can look back at the performance
that they had in high school, the courses that they
took as a measuring stick to make sure that future
students are being appropriately evaluated and that we're setting students
up for success by admitting those that were confident and
can really thrive when they arrive on our campus.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Bill Fitzimmons, quick comment from your perspective across the river
in Cambridge right now.
Speaker 5 (18:28):
I think Grant covered a lot of it, but I
would say just a couple of thanks. You remember, we're
admitting students, not schools, and one of the things that
we're always looking at, we know, you know that life
is very unfair and lots of respects because you know,
students are lucky enough to grow up in towns with
(18:49):
huge you know, the large amounts of resources of all kinds,
and you know it's just you know, an education rich
environment and students who go to school and places like that,
no question, I think are very lucky. But there are
others that really haven't had the opportunity to go to
(19:13):
a place. As Grant said, you know, maybe there aren't
any or very few ap opportunities, or one of the
things we see now is that there aren't the same
kind of even athletic opportunities or extracurricular opportunities at many
of the high schools with fewer resources. So when we're
(19:34):
looking at students, I guess the way I think about
it is we say, okay, here's a student who has
come from you know, this family background, living in this neighborhood,
living in this community, with these opportunities. What advantage has
this student taken of these opportunities, and we kind of
(19:54):
go from there. Sometimes you say, well, we've had some
very good students from the school before, so we can
feel confident about it. Another way to look at it
and say, see, we've never had anybody from the school before,
and this student has done really well given the opportunities
the students had, and maybe if we admit this student
(20:15):
and a student comes in has a good experience, that
will open up a whole new school for us. So,
you know, it's it's complicated, I guess, but build up
that that really is a great question because you know,
given the socioeconomic segregation in America, that's that's the key question.
(20:36):
And I worry a lot that there are talented students
who don't get the same opportunities as others, and that's
a huge waste for our country. So, you know, I
guess it's one of one of the things we've seen
sometimes with some of our veterans who maybe didn't focus
(20:56):
as much, sort as as I didn't focus as much
in my first ninth grade. But they go off to
great things in the service and then they apply to us, uh,
and you know, they do great things. So it's a
complicated and interesting question, Bill, and it's one of the
things every community has to ask itself. Are you doing
(21:19):
everything you can to help the great young people in
your community?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Sounds like it's calculus not mathematics, Bill, great questions.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Those both excellent answers. Thank you. You know, I get
to get to how university's problem and net of you
know what schools uh they open up.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
We're gonna we're gonna get to that right after this
break built. That's the next on the agenda. These these gentlemen,
Bill travel quite a bit. We'll talk a little bit
about that as well. Appreciate your call, Bill, Thanks so much.
Hope your daughters have had great success. Thank you very much.
We'll take a very quick break. Got some lines open
six one seven, two thirty, six, one seven, nine, tenth thirty.
(22:00):
Still look over that first student or two that may
have the courage to call. Takes a little bit of
a courage, but you know you can summon that. Back
on Nightside, we got a news break coming up, and
we will have about twenty more minutes, so if you
want to get in, now is the time to dial.
Back on Night Side with Bill Fitzsimmons, the Dean of
Admission and Financial Aid at Harvard and also Grant Gostlin,
(22:22):
the named it today officially, but he's been there for
many years. But now he is the Dean of Admission
and Financial Aid at Boston College. So it's very very day,
a day in which I think all of us are
very proud of Grant Gostlin, and we've always proud of
Bill fitz Simmons, who's been with us for every year,
for every nineteen one of these programs we've done, and
(22:44):
I think they're so important. Back on Nightside after.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
This, it's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
I have a few topics that I've never raised in
all of the nineteen years to the best of my knowledge,
and I'd like to get through them as well as
incorporate some other callers. There was a reference there to geography.
I would suspect that Harvard University and Boston College have
(23:15):
a wide variety of students in many respects, but one
of them. I suspect you probably have students from, if
not all, most of the fifty states. Starting off with you,
Bill Fitzimmons. At Harvard, you have sixteen hundred and fifty
students to admit. How many states do end up covering.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Yeah, it's typically fifty, and I think one of the
surprises might be that very different, say compared to twenty
or thirty years ago. California can often be our number
one producer, viz. With Massachusetts and New York, but Texas
is the number four producer at this point, and Florida
(23:56):
is the number seven producer. And your second question will
be countries.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
So I think we had.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
The admitted group, and some of them weren't allowed to
come because they were at countries where the federal government
did not allow students to come to the United States,
and so we had I think it turned out to
be about ninety two in people who actually showed up
in the first year class this August, so two.
Speaker 2 (24:27):
From countries around the world. And I'm assuming that they're
not all like England and France and Germany and Ireland.
This must spand literally span the globe, It truly does.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
I mean, one of the things we're all doing now
is where of course we buy names from the act
and sat and write to people and send them emails
and so on, but we also travel when we can
in person. And then the other thing we're doing a
lot of these days is zoom recruiting. So we'll do
(25:01):
events for families and students obviously, and we also do
events for secondary school councilors around the country and around
the world, so we're getting the word out. And as
I mentioned before, our website, because you know, most students
actually don't have the money to visit. As it turns
(25:22):
out a lot too, so we invested pretty heavily on
our virtual tour and other resources on the website so
that we could level the playing field.
Speaker 2 (25:33):
So then Harvard will actually reach out to try to
find students who might come from a far away place.
If somehow you hear about that student, even it isn't
necessarily an applicant initiated effort by the student. It can
be a reach out by Harvard to say, hey, have
you ever thought about applying to our university. You have
(25:56):
some grades and some act or SAT scores which we
would be interested in.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
We absolutely right, and you know, I think it's you
have to understand that about seventy percent of students in
the United States will go to college within fifty miles
of their homes. And it's up to us, frankly, to
suggest the people from around the country because we want
to get people from all different kinds of states, Blue states,
(26:24):
red states, purple states, you know whatever, because that's what
a lot of the education is all about. So you know,
it's we're not necessarily in grant mentioned before. Look at
there is something like forty five colleges universities in the
greater Boston Cambridge you know area. There are two hundred
(26:46):
thousand college students. I mean I had you know, my
niece ended up going to Providence, my nephew to Saint Anselm's,
and my siblings my brothers went to stone Hill, Yale
and BC go Eagles. You know that's you know, there
are so many great places to go to, even nearby.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
Okay, real quick question, if I can and they go,
we got some other calls I do. I will get
to these other calls as well. What about homeschoolers that
is a trend that is expanding in the country. Are
they meeting any success in applying to schools like Harvard
and b C. Let me start with Grant on that,
and we'll also talk about geography and BC. Grant.
Speaker 4 (27:30):
Yeah, for sure, you know, homeschool students certainly have you know,
success in our process. We have staff members that spend
a lot of time looking at those students in their
own context. Most homeschooled students are following curriculums in their
local jurisdiction. They're following guidelines based on their regional high
(27:51):
schools or local vicinity. We're looking at the things that
they're doing. Many of the homeschool students are actively involved
in their communities. They might be joining some of the
clubs or athletic teams at some of the local schools
or club programs. So definitely, you know, we really welcome
students from a wide range of backgrounds geographically, much like Harvard.
(28:16):
You know, we spend a lot of time traveling the
country and around the world. We'll visit a given year
about thirty five states and probably thirty countries around the world.
New England is actually no longer our largest region. The
mid Atlantic actually is the largest region, followed by New
England and then the West and the South. So here
(28:38):
in the United States, we're seeing students from a wide
range of places. We have students at BC from all
fifty states, from over eighty countries around the world. And
we've also, much like Harvard, done a lot of work
in terms of outreach, and many of that outreach focuses
in on partnerships that we have with various organizations, and
(29:01):
for the last five years, Boston College has been a
member of the quest Bridge organization, which offers full financial
need without loans to high achievement low income students that
come from anywhere throughout the country and even around the world,
and that has helped us reach into some more rural
regions that might not be on our recruitment paths. We
(29:23):
have students from in this class from the Northern Mariana Islands,
a territory, and the West Pacific Ocean right so places
well off the beaten path that we might not otherwise
find if not for the strategic work that we do
in terms of that outreach.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Those students probably had never heard of Doug Flutie. As
a matter of fact, I'm.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Assuming you know, probably not, you know, probably none of
not many of our high school students do either.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
I guess well, I will hope they'll see the statue.
Bill Fitzimmons. Homeschoolers at Harvard still possible.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
It is, and there are some very interesting home schoolers.
Often they're a variety of things. You know, they might
be homeschooled for some things.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
They may be.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
Taking college courses, in some cases high school courses as well.
Some of them are doing extracurricer activities, either in the
community or with various teams, or maybe in some cases
with a high school, so they in Some of them
are rural, some of them are urban. They're an interesting group.
(30:28):
At least one of our staff members was homeschooled and
went to Harvard. We have a pretty good sense of
the range and the variety they bring.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Quick break, we'll be back the final segment with Bill
Fitzimmons of Harvard and Grant Gostling of Boston College. I
think it's been one of our better programs. On this
we have covered a lot. Would have preferred to hear
more questions from the audience, but that's the audience choice.
(30:59):
By the way, the way, both of these hours will
be posted on Nightside on demand our podcast site. They
will get up there probably sometime around two or three
o'clock this morning. If you happen to have missed all
a part of either of these hours back with a
concluding segment, we can still get a call or two,
and if you'd like, we had a caller who just
dropped off. Unfortunately, again, gotta have a little patience coming
(31:21):
back on night Side.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Right after this, you're on night Side with Dan Ray
on w b Z, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
We have a question or comment from a Harvard Law
school graduate, my good friend, Harvey Silverglade. Harvey Silverglade, you're
on Bill Fitzsimmons and Grant Goslin. What's your comment of question?
My friend?
Speaker 8 (31:43):
Here's my question, and I hope you haven't covered at
too there about ten minutes after you started. That's okay,
this this segment go right ahead, buddy. How is the
Supreme Court Affirmative Action decision made your job harder or
are you able to substitute sectors that produce the same
(32:04):
percentages of the diversity in the class?
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Harvey, I'm generally I'm kind of protect Bill Fitzimmons from
these sorts of comments because of the litigation, which, of
course you would understand. Bill Fitzimmons, if you want to
respond to that, feel free, if you want to respond briefly,
even feel more free. I wasn't sure that that we
wasn't my intention to go there on that subject at all.
Speaker 5 (32:31):
Bill, Well, there is ongoing litigation, as you know, but
there there the way we have seen things develop, you know,
since the decision is that there have been somewhat more
Asian Americans in the class. As it turns out, there
(32:52):
are fewer African American students, fewer Latinos, and slightly fewer
Native American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiians. Uh, we do
not know if we go through the process, we students
applying to Harvard these days do not Uh, we do
(33:16):
not have the information that they provide to the common
app about their ethnicity. So the that is no longer
a part of our application, and uh, you know, we
we continue to seek the best students regardless of their backgrounds,
and we still value diversity of all kinds, but we also,
(33:42):
uh certainly strictly follow the law that has been set
down to the Supreme Court.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Harvey, I've got to just wrap it up here, so
I appreciate the question. I always know that you'll ask
a question that I don't anticipate, But thanks for the
call on the Okay, thanks Harvey. Quick question, gentlemen, for
those students who would like to learn at Harvard, there's
(34:10):
a couple of additional ways we have the Harvard Extension School.
I'd love to give you an opportunity Bill to make
a reference to that. And I'd also like to get
great to talk about the Woods College of Advancing Studies,
and maybe we could start with you grant on that
that is actually a path that people who have gone
(34:31):
on and had careers other than academic can actually pursue
an actual BC degree through the Woods College of Advancing Studies.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
They can.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
So the Woods College was founded almost one hundred years
ago and has been an opportunity for working professionals to
earn their college degrees, largely through evening and weekend classes.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
It has evolved over the years.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Of course, and added both not only in person coursework
but also online coursework and really trying to meet professionals
where they are. And it can be a great opportunity
for those that perhaps didn't originally go to college, or
perhaps started a degree and didn't finish and are looking
to acquire the additional credits that allow them to do that.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
And yeah, okay, there.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
Well, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (35:27):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
So I'm going to try to give up, Bill Fasimas
I know that you have done some teaching at the
Harvard Extension School. You've told me over the years, tell
us about that wonderful educational opportunity that does exist.
Speaker 5 (35:38):
Well, I will, and just to mention it, I actually
knew Father Woods quite well, and I taught at the
Boston College like many years. But yes, I did teach
you to Harvard Extension. It's an amazing place. You can
get an undergraduate degree, you can get a master's degree.
(36:00):
We have all kinds of flexible programs, I will tell you,
at both institutions. It was amazing to be able to
teach in the same classroom people who are eighteen and
people who are eighty eight, people with a lot of experience,
people with a lot of life left in front of them.
It's they're just great resources that very very large numbers
(36:24):
that people take advantage of. They're simply great.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Well, both of you, gentlemen, have been great tonight. We've
covered a lot of ground, and I hope that people
take advantage of listening to the podcasts which will be
posted sometime early this morning by our producer Rob Brooks
at Nights Out on Demand. Grant Goslin again, congratulations and
your promotion being made official today. And Bill fitz Himmons,
(36:50):
thank you so much. If I'm here a year from now,
I hope I can get an early commitment to annual
college admissions panel Neuber twenty. I never thought would get
to nineteen, but market on your calendar at least tentatively. Okay, gentlemen,
I would really appreciate taking to it.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
Dan, you have the bad fit and your value, the
value placed on higher education is just a great example
for all of us. So thank you very much, and
obviously we will both commit right now. That's it, you
commit as well.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
If I'm If I'm here, believe me, I will be
extending that invitation again. When you get to my age,
you get you gotta be say extra prayers that you'll
wake up in the morning if you get my drift. Gentlemen,
thank you so much. You're both amazing people and great friends.
And I can't tell you much. I appreciate your time
tonight and then tomorrow back to work. This is your
(37:47):
toughest time of the year. Thank you, thank you, Thank
you both so much.
Speaker 5 (37:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Yeah, well that is it. When we get back, we're
going to talk about the shutdown being shut down, and
I guess the question is going to be what took
so long? And where do we go from here? We'll
change topics. I want to again thank Bill Fitzsimmons and
Grant Gostling. They were just wonderful tonight, and thank you
(38:13):
both very much. We'll be back right after the ten
o'clock news on Nightside
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