Thinking about how to build a college list? Thinking about how to pick colleges to apply to? Thinking about how to pick the right college? In this series, Life of a Matriculate Student In College, you will get a first-hand perspective of our Matriculate students at their different campuses. Get a glimpse into Boston University college campus life!
THE WHY: Why did you decide to commit to Boston University? What factors drew you to BU?
Up until junior year, I had assumed that I would end up going to college at one of my state schools or community college, since the financial aspect of private/out-of-state schools scared me. My ambition was to end up going to college out-of-state, because I wanted to get that unique experience and challenge. My Matriculate Advising Fellow still encouraged me to add other schools to my list, and to tour if I had the chance. I knew I wanted to attend college in a city since I came from an urban environment, and going out-of-state on top of attending school in a city was already a huge expense in and of itself, and I should restrict myself distance wise so travelling expenses are minimized. I eventually looked into Boston schools, came to tour several schools, but eventually decided on BU being the goal. What drew me to BU was many things, but to name a few, the campus, the diversity of the student body, and their promise to meet full need. Many people who have walked BU’s campus might question my praise of the campus, considering it is an untraditional college campus, but I personally was really drawn to it. What’s unique about BU’s campus is it kind of has its own little section of Boston, so I liked the integration it has into the city despite how others choose to bash this. I also come from a very diverse city, so going to a diverse school was a huge priority because I appreciated growing up and going to school with so many different people from so many different backgrounds, and I wanted that to remain in my higher education. The most important deciding factor was the financial aid BU gave me. I wanted to make sure that I was not financially suffering from tuition since Boston is an already expensive city, and safe to say I am beyond satisfied with my tuition.
BOSTON COLLEGE ACADEMIC LIFE: Can you share more about your experiences with classes, class size, lectures, and professors?
Classes at Boston College are pretty variable, and the variability has both to do with the specific college and the level of classes. Intro level classes can range from 60-250+ students in lecture, but those classes are often accompanied by a discussion and/or lab section. The labs and discussions are no bigger than 20 students, and are a lot more personalized since you have access to a TA or professor during those sections. Writing and foreign language courses are also smaller, and are no more than 20 students. Upper-level classes are smaller, ~25 on average, and classes in colleges like the school of communication and college of fine arts are also generally smaller too. In regards to professors, most of the professors I have had at BU have been really great instructors, and very nice people too. While the professors might not be the most accessible in the bigger lecture classes, those classes are always accompanied with office hours with the professor or course TA’s, so that is an effective way of getting personal time with course staff.
BOSTON COLLEGE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS: What about clubs and extracurriculars - what has your experience been in finding meaningful organizations and clubs and contributing to them?
In regards to clubs, I am currently a part of the DREAM program, the pre-medical society, and Kasual Kicks. In DREAM, I am within a team of fellow BU student mentors, and we work with kids in underserved communities in Boston. The pre-medical society has been great too because with my ultimate goal to work in health care, the club gives a lot of insight in that realm, and there are many interactive events, like suturing nights and panels with doctor guest speakers! Kasual Kicks is a pick-up soccer club, and I enjoy this club a lot since soccer was my first sport, and to continue playing it at college has meant a lot. With finding these organizations, it is somewhat by word of mouth, but the main way to find these organizations is through the semesterly club fair SPLASH, which is where a bunch of clubs get together someplace on campus, and set up tables where students can approach and choose to take interest in that club.
POST-COLLEGE LIFE: How has your college prepared you for obtaining internships and a career post-college?
In terms of preparation for professional life at Boston University, it is what you make of it. It is a relatively large school, so a lot of resources on campus are up to the students themselves to discover and choose to go. Some colleges, like the school of communication, school of business, and school of hospitality have their own career centers, but there is a general career development center too. It is a great resource because they have appointments and drop-in hours where you can approach them about LinkedIn, resume, cv, and cover letter review, interview prep, and many other things. They also have events for networking and panels that cover all of these things, and most importantly, it’s free! While I can’t say that BU has prepared me for my career considering I only just recently declared my major and figured out the career I want to pursue, my friends have expressed approval, and I am excited to see how they navigate me through this new chapter of my life.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS LIFE: Tell us more about the dining hall and dorm situation! How is the food - are there enough options for those with dietary restrictions? What is the dorm and housing situation like?
The dining halls at BU are pretty good! We have a total of five dining halls on campus, one catering to kosher and vegan meals, and they all have stations which stay the same daily, but also have stations which make different foods daily as well. While I myself do not have any dietary restrictions, all of my friends with dietary restrictions have expressed satisfaction with BU dining’s accommodation to their dietary restrictions, so I would say there are enough options for those with dietary restrictions.
As for the dorms on campus, they are very variable in terms of quality. BU does guarantee housing for all four years of study, and the majority of students do live on campus. Freshman and sophomore year generally tend to be the rougher years for housing, as the choice for housing is not wide, because upperclassmen often take the better housing since they have priority with housing selection. Most freshman and sophomore students will live in dorm-style residences, and will live with at least one roommate. Single dorms and suite-style residences are often only possible in junior and senior year, and you can only live in apartment-style residences starting junior year. Most dorms on campus do not have A/C, and there are a mix of large-style residences in buildings, and smaller style residences like brownstones in east, central, and south campus. There are living-learning communities as well, which can be a good way for students to live amongst like-minded individuals. Overall the housing is definitely variant from not-so-desirable to very nice, but people do generally enjoy the residences at BU, and living situations definitely become better as you rise as a student.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY SOCIAL LIFE: Share more about the social scene - how did you make friends? Do most people join Greek life or are there ways to make friends outside of Greek life? What is there to do for fun both inside and outside of the college? What do you and your friends do outside of your academic life? Does the college host any free events that you look forward to every year?
Making friends at BU can be either intimidating or intriguing based on the type of person. It is a large student body, and a lot of the students are outgoing. My extroverted friends have thrived at BU, but it can take some getting used to for someone who is more reserved. I definitely had to take time to adjust to the social atmosphere, but I eventually have grown to enjoy it, coming from a medium-ish sized high school where most people knew everyone by first and last name. Ways I have made friends are through classes and clubs, but the biggest one that did it for me was interacting with the people on my floor in freshman year. My floor had a common room, and I would find people just chilling while doing their work or talking to other people. I would join in and interact with who all would be in the common room, and they grew to be some of my closest friends to this day. I learned in my intro to psychology class that most relationships are formed through proximity, and I would definitely agree and say that proximity was an effective pillar of connection for me.
BU does offer Greek Life both social and professional. Greek life is not super big at BU like it is at many state schools, so it is one of those things where people do join, but it is not something where legit everyone does it.
One of the best things about BU is its location, which is one of the biggest things that draws students here. What’s great about BU being in Boston is there are so many opportunities to do things off-campus, so there is plenty of fun that students can seek off-campus. Me and my friends utilize off-campus opportunities for fun, since we are impulsive and love exploring the city. We go out on food adventures, walk around nice neighborhoods, thrift, go to concerts, and sometimes go to events at other schools, since the Boston area is abundant with so many great schools.
BU hosts welcome week events during move-in week, and a lot of freshmen frequent those. The event that I look forward to most is lobster night. And while I am not the biggest fan of lobster, I like to feel fancy for indulging in this one occasion, and it is free to those with a dining plan, so you better believe I am making the most out of my tuition.
MATRICULATE: How did Matriculate help you get to BU?
Matriculate helped me get into college through my Advising Fellow helping navigate me through all the nuts and bolts of putting together my common app and getting supplemental writing done. With getting into BU specifically, it really came down to her assuring me that I would be able to afford it despite its expensive tuition. I expressed interest to my Advising Fellow towards BU and she then asked me if I would consider it my top choice. When I told her yes she then suggested applying early decision as an option, but I was hesitant since I was nervous regarding financial aid, and I did not want to make a binding decision if my financial package was uncertain. I also looked at the merit scholarships that BU offered, and was discouraged considering I did not even come close to the criteria. I knew that BU met full financial need, but I had no idea what that meant, as the term was rather ambiguous. Then she told me about utilizing a net price calculator, which I had no idea existed. After utilizing it and being surprised (in a good way) with the result, we further discussed my security with the school being my top choice, and I ultimately applied and got in early decision. It was such a relief to have committed to a school earlier than most of my peers, and I can confidently say becoming a Matriculate High School Fellow was the best decision I made for myself in the college application process.
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Cody
Cody is a High School Fellow Recruitment Ambassador for Matriculate, and was inspired to do so as he himself was a HSF during his college application process. Acknowledging how much help he received from his Advising Fellow, he took that gratitude and is now paying it forward by collaborating with Matriculate’s mission. Cody is from Jersey City, New Jersey, and is currently a sophomore at BU studying Health Science on a Pre-PA track. Outside of academics, Cody’s favorite hobbies are sleeping, playing and watching basketball and soccer, being around animals, listening to music, and watching tv shows.