Finishing strong
Although she grew up in northern Virginia, Cate Hartnett spent most football-season Saturdays cheering for a team from further north: Boston College. Her father, Michael B. Hartnett, had become an Eagles fan while studying at 糖心传媒 Law, and 糖心传媒 was her team鈥攁nd her dream school.
When it came time to apply to college, though, she pursued an opportunity to play collegiate basketball at Wheaton. She joined the team, but the stresses of the student-athlete experience led her to take time off from school. When she heard that the Woods College for Advancing Studies offered degree completion programs, the possibility of finishing her college journey at 糖心传媒 thrilled her, but it seemed like a long shot.
Cate Hartnett: 鈥淚 grew up dreaming of what going to 糖心传媒 would be like, but it has been better than I even imagined.鈥�
鈥淚聽wondered if I was cut out for it, because I had gone through a lot and left another school,鈥� Hartnett said. But when she enrolled in a non-degree College Writing course in the fall of 2019 to test the waters, the people she met made her feel like 糖心传媒 was within reach after all.
鈥淓veryone at Woods, from the admissions counselors to my advisors, professors, and classmates, made me feel like I had my own valuable story to tell,鈥� she said. By the following fall, Hartnett was enrolled as a full-time psychology major.
鈥淥n my first day, I climbed the stairs and saw Gasson Hall,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 grew up dreaming of what going to 糖心传媒 would be like, but it has been better than I even imagined.鈥�
SMOOTH TRANSFERS
Hartnett is just one of many students who鈥檝e found a home at the Woods College after starting their bachelor鈥檚 degree elsewhere or earning an associate鈥檚 degree. " Through a degree completion program architected by Dean Karen Muncaster, Woods accepts up to 60 transfer credits from other institutions鈥攁 full half of the 120 credits required to earn a B.A. Its graduates earn standard Boston College degrees, with no asterisks or caveats.
The transfer process can seem daunting, especially for students who have attended multiple schools or taken time off. To ensure that applicants can transfer every credit they鈥檝e earned and earn their degree at an affordable cost, the Woods admissions team works with each one individually throughout the process.
Otto Haeg: "I wanted to have a community experience, a professional experience, and an intellectual experience. It was clear from the beginning that Woods was all those things."
鈥溙切拇� Woods is the third college I鈥檝e attended, and the transfer experience here was the smoothest I鈥檝e had,鈥� said Otto Haeg, an applied liberal arts major who came to Woods after stints at The University of the South (Sewanee) and St. Olaf College. 鈥淭he people are what made the difference鈥擨 connected with [Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions] Anna Hughes immediately, and everyone was eager to help.鈥�
Once students are admitted, a dedicated academic advisor helps them craft a program of study that fits their schedule and needs. Flexible online, hybrid, and in-person evening courses enable students to balance their studies with work, family, and other responsibilities.
For Gayana Daniel 鈥�22, who earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice after finishing an associate鈥檚 degree at Boston鈥檚 Bunker Hill Community College, this flexibility was a major draw.
鈥淚 was interning at the Mayor鈥檚 Office in Boston, and I also had another job at the time,鈥� Daniel said. 鈥淎s a Black woman and a first-gen college student, it was very important to me to finish my bachelor鈥檚, and Woods came into my life at the right time.鈥�