Frequently Asked Questions

Applications submitted by January 3, 2025 will receive a $100 Early Bird Discount. 

Program Fee:

• Applications submitted by January 3, 2025 - $700
• Applications submitted January 4, 2025 and after - $800

A deposit of $100 is required within two weeks of your acceptance to the program to confirm your enrollment.

No, students must agree to attend the full duration of the program and will not be permitted to leave campus for non-program related reasons.

No. Visitors, including parents or guardians, are not allowed at any time without express permission of program staff.

Only university authorized personnel, program staff, and program participants have access to the residence halls. Any non-authorized individuals entering the residence halls will be accompanied at all times by university approved program staff.

Participants are not permitted to park on campus. In some cases, Ever to Excel is able to provide parking for sponsored school groups traveling by car.

Parking information for program check-in and check-out will be provided to participants following acceptance to the program.

Yes! They will travel to downtown Boston for a boat cruise on the Boston Harbor and a visit to Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Yes. If you're interested in organizing a school or parish group, please email evertoexcel@yilunjianshe.com to schedule a preliminary phone call with our staff.

We accept roommate requests for direct roommates only and the rest of the suite is assigned by program staff. We have students from all over the world attend and our hope is that the participants will have the opportunity to meet new friends from other high schools and locations.

Yes, whenever possible we assign roommates and suitemates from the same grade.

We have a sample schedule available on our website at this link.

No, you do not have to be Catholic to attend Ever to Excel. We meet all participants wherever they find themselves in life. The program welcomes students from all backgrounds.

The program is based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, which benefits participants from a wide variety of backgrounds and with different beliefs. All of our past participants have found the week to be meaningful and enriching.

Participants are responsible for transportation to and from the program.

The Ever to Excel program will be providing a complimentary bus to shuttle participants from Boston College to Logan International Airport at 1:00 p.m. on the Friday of each session. Participants may reserve a seat on the bus after acceptance to the program.

Yes the residence hall has air conditioning.

Participants are permitted to bring their cell phones with them to the program; however, they will not be permitted to use them during any scheduled Ever to Excel programming.

In case of an emergency, the parent/guardian listed in the participant’s application and on the medical forms will be contacted.

If you need to reach a participant during the week, our staff members will be available. If there is an emergency at home that will affect a participant's participation or well-being, please notify an Ever to Excel program staff member immediately so we can work together to create a plan.

If the program cost is a significant barrier, please know that limited need-based financial assistance is available.

Applicants may apply for Financial Assistance directly in the Ever to Excel application. Applicants will be asked to briefly describe the nature of the financial hardship.

Applicants who are accepted to the program will receive their offer of Financial Assistance at the time of acceptance.

For questions about Financial Assistance, please email evertoexcel@yilunjianshe.com.

Ever to Excel is for rising sophomore, junior, and senior high school students.

While the Ever to Excel staff is happy to make recommendations about local hotels, we are not able to accommodate early check-in or late check-out. The participant and their parent/guardian are responsible for accommodations needed in these circumstances.

If a participant will be leaving the program without an adult, that participant can indicate her or his plans on our check-out form.

The program fee covers housing in a Boston College suite-style residence hall, food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks), all program materials, a trip into Boston, a boat cruise around Boston Harbor, and an Ever to Excel Welcome Pack filled with fun items.

Three meals will be served each day for all the participants, except on the Sunday of arrival and the Friday of departure. On the Sunday of arrival, dinner will be provided. On the Friday of departure, breakfast and lunch will be provided. Snacks will be provided throughout each day.

The participants will fill out an allergy and dietary restriction form once they are admitted to the program and the program will accommodate their needs.

Participants are asked to refrain from bringing food or beverages, including perishable items or energy drinks, to campus, unless the participant has received specific permission from Ever to Excel program staff.

Food delivery, take-out, and ordering food through off-campus delivery services, such as Doordash, UberEats, etc., is prohibited for the duration of the program.

Ever to Excel’s program is based on Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and run by the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College. The purpose of the program is to help participants deepen their faith, discover their gifts, and build a community of friends and mentors. The week includes daily prayer, small group discussions, and presentations delivered by BC’s faculty, staff, and undergraduate students. In addition to these activities there are concerts, pilgrimages, excursions, and games–it’s a full week that promises to transform young people through the gifts of Jesuit spirituality and friendship.

The deposit is non-refundable. The program fee is refundable up until June 1. For questions or to cancel, please contact evertoexcel@yilunjianshe.com.

In order for participants to have the most impactful and memorable experience, we embrace a spirit of simplicity in how we present ourselves and in the way we communicate with each other (being present in the moment, not on cell phones or texting when in community).

Participants are encouraged to pack lightly and bring essential items only. The following list offers suggestions; participants should adapt this list to suit their needs.

For specific questions regarding a packing item, contact program staff.

What to Bring

• Toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.)
• Hand soap
• Glasses/contacts
• Prescription medications (all medications should be disclosed on the Medical Consent Form)
• Shower shoes/sandals
• Sneakers and Athletic Attire
• Phone Charger
• Comfortable casual clothing:
  
  • Shorts, casual shirts, t-shirts 
  • Jeans or casual long pants
  • Rain gear (umbrella, raincoat, etc.)
  • Athletic shoes/athletic clothing
  • Closed-toe shoes
  • Hat
  • Sweatshirt or sweater

Other Items You May Want to Bring

• Personal comfort items
• Quiet reading book(s)
• Bathrobe
• Shower caddy/tote for toiletries
• Extra pillow or blanket
• Extra towel or washcloth
• Alarm clock
• Clothes Hangers
• Sunscreen
• Bug Spray

Session I:

• Check-in from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 13th.
• Check-out from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 18th

Session II:

• Check-in from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 20th.
• Check-out from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 25th.

Session III:

• Check-in from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27th.
• Check-out from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 1st.

Please plan your flights and other transportation accordingly. We are not able to honor any special scheduling requests. Students are agreeing to attend the full duration of the program and will not be permitted to leave campus for non-program related reasons.

Students are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from campus for the program.

The final submission deadline is June 1, but we are accepting applications on a rolling basis and will review applications until the program is at capacity. The response time for application decisions will typically be within two weeks from date of submission.

The participants will be housed in suites in a residence hall on Boston College’s campus. Women and men will stay on separate floors of the residence hall. The participants share a room within the suite with one or two roommates.

The staff of the residence hall will include Boston College undergraduate Mentors who will be housed in Mentor-only suites. Additional Ever to Excel staff members will also be on site in the residence halls.

No, for safety and liability reasons, Ever to Excel participants will not have access to the BC gym during the program. However, we will be hosting an optional walk/run around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir each morning and there are a variety of opportunities for active, outdoor play throughout the program.

BC's admissions department explains its admission criteria at this link. 

Ever to Excel is a great opportunity because it gives those interested in the university a chance to live on BC’s campus, work with and learn from BC staff and undergraduate students, and engage with important aspects of the university’s mission. There have been many Ever to Excel participants who have enrolled in Boston College, and many who have come back to Ever to Excel to work as Mentors!

Because many of the participants are interested in BC and/or in Jesuit higher education, there will be a presentation at Ever to Excel about BC admissions and about the opportunities that exist at schools that are part of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.