Activities – Page 15 – COM Ambassador Blog

Anna: It’s not too early to think about summer!

Anna Hey everyone! I hope you all had an awesome winter break.

I can’t believe it’s January and I’m already getting started on my last semester at BU. Really though, every time I look at a calendar and see that it’s 2012, I get a little confused. Time really does fly by!

I recently decided to finish up my time at BU by going back to work at a place that has had a huge impact on me throughout the past four years. I’m talking of course about Boston University Orientation! I first started working there as a Program Advisor the summer after my freshman year and had an absolutely amazing time. Since then, I’ve worked in the office as an academic year Program Advisor and now I’m back as a Coordinator of Programs.

Not only have I met a ton of cool people through Orientation, but I’ve also learned a lot more about BU and what it has to offer… all while getting paid. (For everyone dreading finding an unpaid internship this summer, listen up!)

Each spring, Orientation and the Community Service Center (CSC) hire Program Advisors, Student Advisors, Community Advisors, FYSOP Coordinators, and CSC Program Assistants to work all summer long. As a Program Advisor in the summer of 2009, my main responsibilities were to help the parents of incoming freshman and transfer students learn about BU’s academic and social programs and also to introduce them to the city the Boston.

Whether you want to help parents (like I did) or you want to welcome new students to BU through Orientation or FYSOP, there is an opportunity for you at Orientation or the CSC. Check out our website bu.edu/orientation for more info on specific jobs!

Now, I know you may be thinking, ‘Shouldn’t I be getting COM related internship this summer?’ Sure, you totally can. I’ve had three great journalism internships since being in college, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but I will tell you that working for Orientation was an equally rewarding experience. I gained incredibly valuable communication and public speaking skills, networked with BU administrators and parents, and developed as a leader.

Also, working for Orientation or the CSC is just simply fun. You get to hang out with people from all over campus that you may have never otherwise met, and you get to stay in Boston for the summer (for free…housing is paid for)!

We are now currently accepting applications for Summer 2012 Leadership positions, so again totally check out bu.edu/orientation or bu.edu/csc for more information about some of the best summer jobs on campus. The application deadline is on Wednesday January 25^th, though, so if you’re interested, get going!

Sarah: Fy-What?

First off, I have to thank everyone who came to open house. Kudos to Admissions for picking you guys! You were well worth getting out of bed at 7am for. Hopefully we’ve helped guide you toward a decision. If you are already sold on BU, take a breath of relief, but also start looking ahead to all BU will offer you.

I recently received some exciting news – I was accepted to be a staff leader for FYSOP22! FYSOP (one of BU’s countless acronyms) is BU’s First Year Student Outreach Project run by the Community Service Center. I think I speak for all involved when I say nothing welcomes you to BU quite like FYSOP.

In a nutshell, FYSOP is a week of community service throughout the Boston area. The week before classes begin, students will volunteer in one of ten issue areas, ranging from environment, to hunger to elders (Choose elders! Maybe I’ll be your staff leader). You’ll work hard, make friends, avoid the move-in rush, get awesome T-shirts, learn more cheers than you will ever remember and create memories that will last for the rest of your time at BU.

But don’t just take my word for it – ask around. FYSOP has become such a popular program that nearly 1 out of every 4 freshman in the class of 2014 participated. While the very name FYSOP might look strange to you, everyone on campus knows about it.

If you are at all interested in serving the community, becoming acquainted with Boston, settling in early and meeting some truly incredible people, consider applying for FYSOP. Yes, this does mean a week less of summer at home, but trust me, by the end of August you’ll be itching to leave the nest.

Check out the website for more FY-info.

http://www.bu.edu/csc/opportunities/community-service-center-programs/fysop/

Joe: BosTones Retreat

Hey everyone! For all of you who went to this past weekend’s Open House, I hope it was a great experience for you and I hope we sold you on coming to COM. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet all of you, because I wasn’t in Boston this past weekend.

As I mentioned in my bio, I am part of The Boston University BosTones, one of twelve a cappella groups on campus. We’re a premier co-ed group at BU, and we perform a huge repertoire of different music. We do “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson, “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons, and an amazing Kanye West Medley based off of his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. They have become my family at BU, and rehearsing with them is one of the highlights of my week. They’re also the reason I missed Open House.

It’s a Bostones tradition to go on retreat every spring. This past weekend, The BosTones went on retreat to Vermont. All 17 of us rented out an AMAZING house in Wilmington, VT. We left Friday morning, and spent almost the entire weekend learning new music and hanging out with each other. It was an awesome experience. Hanging out with all of them for an entire weekend was great because all of them are my best friends. But we also made great progress on our repertoire, especially on our Kanye West medley. All in all, it was an amazing weekend with my best friends, and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

For anyone who is even remotely interested in singing here at BU, I strongly encourage you to audition for The BosTones. Check our Facebook page and our website (www.thebostones.com) for more information on auditions in the fall! We’re always looking for new talent, and we’d love to have you be part of the group!

Tom: One Week Away

My spring semester run in BU On Broadway's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is almost coming to an end. We open in one week and I've never seen a process go so fast before. I remember way back in January when I was auditioning for the show and now we're just a week away from our opening night at Tsai Performance Center.

Sweeney Todd is such a hard show to put on, but it's such a fun show to be in the Ensemble of. I have three different wives throughout the show, I get my tooth pulled (you can get a sneakpeak of that scene in my COM Ambassador video!), and I get to play a lunatic (CITY ON FIRE!!!!).
At this point, my life is getting super stressful, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Right now, we are meeting everyday in our rehearsal space right after dinner until 11. Next week, we move into tech week, where I'll pretty much spend every waking moment of my life at Tsai Performance Center until we do our first opening night on Thursday!
Being involved with BU On Broadway's Sweeney Todd was one of the highlights of my semester here at BU. It kept me busy for a three-month rehearsal period and I met so many people in the past three months that I never would have met previously. Plus, what's better than a show about human meat pies? I mean, come on.