This past summer, I had the absolute joy and pleasure to work as a Student Advisor for COM at BU Orientation. I broke out of the COM bubble I usually find myself in and formed friends in every single school at Boston University (which was great for me since I love friendship!) In fact, some of the closest friends I made in the program are from our College of Engineering, where they study things I could never fathom understanding.
Along with having a ton of fun and meeting new students left and right, I also learned a great deal about BU and how to run a successful Orientation session. Here are some facts I learned during each of the six weeks we had session (including things I learned from our Sustainability Ambassadors!):
**Note: pictures best viewed not on iPhone (its a WordPress problem!)
Session 1:
Along with figuring out how to run an Orientation session, I learned just how hungry students can get after a full day of moving around and registering for class, and how important the Zinneken’s waffle truck is.
Sustainability tip: the plastic cups in the GSU are compostable!
Session 2:
I brought out my dance moves for this session as I danced the iconic Terrier Shuffle to one of the great songs of the summer, 24K Magic.
Sustainability tip: The Victory Gardens in the Fens have a rich history of growing food and flowers stretching all the way back to WWI.
Session 3:
This session, instead of having a group of students, I learned what it meant to work with parents, and how sometimes you can sit with a friend during lunch in complete silence and still completely understand each other.
Sustainability tip: There are people in the dining halls that compost our food when they disappear down the conveyor belts!
Session 4:
I learned the number of different people you can have in a session, from the quiet one to the ones who call you mom to the ones who do their best to find trouble, and how you can still like each and every one of them.
Sustainability tip: Our Center for Integrated Life Sciences building, or CILSE, has different walls all over the building to be more energy efficient!
Session 5:
I learned the difference between a transfer student and incoming freshman student’s orientation experience, and found a new Instagram account that posts the best cookie decorating videos.
Sustainability tip: BU promised to reduce their carbon footprint by 2020 by 50%, but we’ve already reached that goal!
Session 6:
This session really taught me how to go with the flow, and reminded me of what I had learned from the first session: that people need to be fed! I also learned the incredible work and dedication that goes into an international student’s decision to come to BU.
Sustainability tip: When you’re moving in, break down your boxes and and throw things out where they belong (we have to save the planet!)
Something that I learned in every session, however, is how to work as a team, both within COM and BU. Orientation could not have been as successful as it was without our entire team coming together to give first-years the best experience possible.
