As I sit on the third floor of COM and await my next FPS reservation, it’s easy to get nostalgic about the last three years. Being a senior is a weird feeling, and I’m not sure it has set in quite yet. On one hand, this is the first time I’ve been on campus since last fall, and I’m eager to reconnect with old friends and make the most of every remaining second I have in college. On the other hand, you’re basically forced to have one foot out the door so you can prepare for post-grad life and, gulp, the dreaded unknown that is the real world.
When I look back at my BU career to this point, many things stand out. My on-air experience through BUTV10, my time onstage, long nights at the Daily Free Press office during the fall of my junior year, getting up at three in the morning for Meet the Press every Sunday last spring, to name a few. COM has given me so much in the way of practical experience, but that’s hardly the most important thing. What I remember most about these years are the people I’ve met, the mentors who have helped me along the way and the lifelong friendships I’ve forged.
Sure, I’ll remember Offsides, BUTV’s only pro sports talk show, and the progress my fellow producers and I have made to improve it, but I’ll remember the people first. Nick Picht, who produced Offsides my freshman year, went from being an intimidating senior to one of my closest friends and mentors. He took me under his wing and has advised me throughout my college career. I couldn’t be more grateful for that, and I hope to be that same person to another freshman. I also got a job at the Boston Globe sophomore year through another Offsides friend – build these relationships and your network will grow along with your friendships.
My time onstage has been memorable and fun – it’s an important outlet amid all my other career-focused activities (so much so that I’ve decided to give another go this semester). But once again, it’s all about the relationships. I decided to do BU On Broadway’s American Idiot sophomore year with my best friend, and I left the process with 20 additional best friends. College can be rough, and having a support system to turn to is crucial – it doesn’t matter where you find it, but it matters that it’s there.
Ah, the Daily Free Press. BU’s independent student newspaper has shaped my college experience and given me unmatched journalistic experience, but I never would have stuck with it had I not been surrounded by such wonderful people at the FreeP. I met my roommate there, and plenty others who I’m certain will remain in my life long after we’ve entered the esteemed realm of COM alumni. The long hours and UBurger trips were tough on me, but my friends kept me going. Someone once asked me if COM kids are competitive. From what I’ve seen, COM students are motivated to pursue similar goals, and they’re eager to see their friends reach and surpass them.
My internship with “Meet the Press” in the spring was transformative in ways I could’ve never imagined. I met senators, members of Congress and governors, but the group of friends I made through the BUDC program is one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed my semester there as much as I did.
I’ve been asked on tours, “What’s it like to go to a school as big as BU?” And I always come back to the same answer: BU doesn’t seem that big if you find your niche and surround yourself with a network of support. Then, not only does Comm. Ave. start to seem smaller, but COM does as well. And COM is such a tight-knit community anyway because of its size. The people you meet here will not only be your peers, your camera operators when you need to a standup and your editors, they will be lifelong friends.
