You may have noticed that our blog has been a little quiet for the past few weeks. BU Admissions received a record number of applications this year – nearly 44,000 – and our staff was kept quite busy reviewing and selecting the students who have now been offered a place in BU’s Class of 2016. We are thrilled that the news is out and we can finally welcome all of you as future BU Terriers!

As you may have heard, this was the most competitive year to be applying to Boston University. We saw an increase in the number of applications, as well as an increase in the overall competition of the applicant pool. To add to this, we are also enrolling a slightly smaller freshman class. This made our job especially challenging, and for those of you offered a place in the class, we hope that you are as proud of yourselves as we are.

You are also a very interesting group! I know I can safely speak for my colleagues when I say that some of your extra-curricular activities and schedules are simply mind-boggling. I hope you spend some time on our Admitted Student site to learn some interesting facts about your future classmates. I am so impressed, and frankly a little exhausted, by all that you have done over the past four years.

We have truly enjoyed meeting and getting to know you over the past year or so – it’s hard to believe that we met some of you as sophomores! My colleagues and I look forward to seeing you in the weeks and months ahead as we embark on events both on and off-campus. If you can join us on campus for an Open House program, please do – it can be a wonderful opportunity to revisit why you decided to apply to BU in the first place. If you cannot come back to campus, we hope to see you at one of our many off-campus events, where you can meet with current students, faculty, and alumni.

Finally, as a very proud alumna of BU, I want to welcome you to the BU family. By accepting your place in BU’s Class of 2016, you will be joining a community of over 30,000 current students and more than 250,000 alumni. I  know that the tradition of academic excellence, intellectual curiosity and global engagement will continue with each and every one of you. You have an amazing ride ahead of you, and we are so excited that we get to share it with you.

Welcome to BU.

I am early in my travels throughout Boston, and last week I was thrilled to see just how much enthusiasm and excitement students have for BU! I visited Boston Latin Academy where I met about 50 excited students ready and waiting to hear me talk about all things BU.  In less than an hour we covered everything from academics to study abroad and everything in between. My favorite part of any high school visit is the time for Q & A. I feel like students walk away with a feeling of comfort knowing that the admissions process doesn’t have to be as scary as it can sometimes seem. Plus, I love sharing the many ways in which BU is a really cool place filled with amazing possibilities.

In case you’re ever at a loss for what to ask when either I, or one of my colleagues, is visiting your high school, here are a few of my favorites:

• Why should I apply to Boston University?
• How can BU connect me to the city of Boston?
• When can I study abroad and where?
• How can I decide if Early Decision is right for me?
• What kind of workload should I expect as a freshman?
• Do you really read my essay?

Phebe & Sarah Z. after a visit to Boston Latin Academy

Stay tuned for more travel highlights!

Phebe