Category: Aidan

Welcome to Boston University’s College of Communication (COM)! As you embark on this exciting journey, you’re not just going to college but becoming part of a community that thrives on creativity, collaboration, and communication. Here’s some advice from a second-semester senior to help you make the most of your time at COM. 

Embrace Diversity: 

One of the amazing aspects of BU’s College of Communication is its diverse student body. Embrace the opportunity to interact with students from various backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Engage in open conversations and step out of your own world– you’ll find your college experience more fulfilling. 

Take Advantage of Resources: 

COM offers many resources to support your academic and personal growth. From state-of-the-art facilities to experienced faculty members, tap into these resources. Try out many clubs during the first week of class, attend COM Career Services and CCD workshops, go to office hours, and seek guidance from professors – it’s the perfect way to enhance your skills and make the most of your time at COM. It’s curated for you, anyway! 

Network: 

The field of communication thrives on networking. My best advice is to get a LinkedIn. As you explore the site, whenever you see a current intern at a company you like or a professional in a field you admire, send them a polite and positive message asking for a 15-minute phone call sometime they’re free. Words cannot express how many doors have opened for me just by doing this once a month. Remember, you are not asking them for an internship or job, but ask them how they got to their current role, what they’re currently working on, and advice for you. If they agree to the call, they want to help! You have nothing to lose if someone ignores your message or says no. There are millions of people on Linkedin, so message away! 

Manage Your Time Effectively: 

College life can be demanding, but effective time management is critical to success. Create a realistic schedule that balances classes, assignments, extracurricular activities, and personal time. This past semester was super challenging because I put too many academic and extracurricular activities on my plate. Looking back, I’m unsure how I managed it all, but I wish I had made more time for my friends and myself. This semester, I’m making time to study just as important as time to go to a yoga class. 

Embrace Failure as a Learning Opportunity: 

In the dynamic field of communication, setbacks and failures are inevitable. Your work will be criticized, and you can’t let that destroy your confidence. You grow stronger, and so does your work. 

Conclusion: 

As you enter Boston University’s College of Communication, remember you’re embarking on a journey beyond textbooks and classrooms. Embrace the opportunities, connect with your peers, and maximize the experience.

I met my best friend at my worst moment. It was raining. It was cold. And I was surrounded by my fellow "sisters." And let me explain.

I joined a sorority sophomore year to make new friends and be a part of a community. I did the whole rush process. I practiced my elevator pitch for all the interviews. Practice smiling. I did the entire process as best I could, scared I wouldn't get it, but more scared I would and not make friends. The whole process, in fact, I thought about dropping out.

And when I finally got in, I realized it was not for me. But let's go back to the cold rainy night.

I was chatting with a group when my name floated across the conversation. Meanwhile, in my head, all I could think about was whether I would stay in the sorority or not. All of a sudden, somebody says, "Aidan Walsh?" I turn around, and there's my future best friend. We hit it off immediately. 

She is my best friend to this day. And I only met her if I joined that sorority. So the next time you feel like quitting, it may be scary and unknown, but you only know how good your life will get if you try. 

There will always be points in our lives where we want to quit. It may seem like the easy way out. Or you may want to quit but are scared of the aftermath and how others will judge you. But think about every other moment you felt that way. It may be hard to recount a moment because we always seem to get through those tough times. And each time, we get stronger and learn something new. We become more confident in ourselves and our decisions. Think about life if you have yet to try new things. 

If we always do what is comfortable, how will we grow? Trying new things is worthy of the prize of what is to come. And if the results still weren't favorable, you walk away with a great story and still have learned something new. If we always assume it's a negative outcome, we will never experience some of the best while unexpected things. 

And to wrap this up, I actually did drop the sorority, and with no shame because I got my best friend out of it.

If you know me, you know I have probably asked you a million times, “what do you think I should do?"

From picking a latte or an iced tea, to whether I should study abroad or not...whatever the decision is, I never want to be the one to make it.

But I'm here to share how I’ve started deciding on things recently without harassing my friends and family first.

Now, to preface, advice from others can be so helpful, but they shouldn't be deciding everything for you. You want to know what's best for you.

1. What is your gut saying?

It may sound cliche– but this can be the quickest solution. Ask yourself again out loud or in your head what you're deciding between, and then don't think; just answer. Usually, the first thing you think of comes from that gut feeling, regardless of the banter that follows, like “well, what if…” or other hypotheticals.

2. Pros and Cons

But if you want to get into the spiraling banter that comes with being indecisive, at least make a super simple pro and con list. Not a laundry list, but just name what good and what bad will come out of the situation to give it more clarity.

3. Life is short

So depending on the decision, sometimes it can help to say “life is short.” And unfortunately, college is even shorter. 

Sometimes I even pose the question I heard from the Office S4E13, “You can buy new stuff, but you can't buy a new party! 

In maybe more relatable terms, if you run into your friend on Comm Ave, it might be nice to get coffee with them instead of studying. You could study for a test anytime, but how often do you see that friend? (But please study for your tests)

4. Talk it out, but write it down.

It will be you and yourself talking it out…but on paper. Resist the urge to call your friend, your mom, whoever. Instead, grab a pen and paper and get those thoughts out of your brain.

If you don't like journaling...good luck, Charlie. Kidding! Horrible transition to how I mean to say, instead of journaling, video journal! Talk out your life on camera booth. It can be cathartic.

Either video or classic journaling can help clarify what you want to decide on. 

5. Sleep on it.

My best advice yet is to sleep on it. We all need more rest anyway.

However, I recommend completing option four before this one so you can at least sleep without your thoughts running around in your head.

But anyways, sometimes, after a good night's rest, you'll wake up with a fresh set of eyes, a clear head, and ready to make a decision.

So there it is, five ways to be more decisive when facing your next big “what should I do?” 

Hopefully, you can decide on which option to use!

Hey Gang! It’s Aidan again, and here I am writing one of my last things I will write for Boston University (please share in a group cry with me). Big surprise, I’m nostalgic about my time here, and I have been reflecting. A lot.

Not only that, I have started the infamous *post-grad job hunt*. It’s a different world out here, and it’s a little tough. However, there are some great things that people told me during my time here at BU that, to this day, get me through the rough spots of life.

1. Ask for advice, not jobs

Well I was abroad in LA (Aidan talking about LA?! That never happens….), I met a great guy working in Development who told me one of the greatest pieces of wisdom. I asked him how you go about connecting with people you have worked for post-grad to start hunting for jobs, and he told me: “People who ask for jobs get advice, and people who ask for advice get jobs.”

What he was driving at was this: people don’t like to be used. When you ask people for a job, they feel like they are your tool, and they won’t respond favorably. HOWEVER, people DO want to help you. If you ask for advice, it shows 1. That you are thoughtful, 2. That you are humble, 3. That you care about your relationship with the person you are asking. You can’t lose!

2. Always say yes

You know, we BU kids are pretty driven. If you are like me, you have a game plan for the next 7 years. I hope I am not the first to tell you that your ~game plan~ doesn’t always work out. You are going to get a lot of opportunities in life, and at first you may not see how they connect to your main goals. However, helping someone out or taking an unlikely job will provide some road for you to whittle closer to your desired path.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

THIS is what I swear by. My sophomore year, life was rough, and I thought I could tough it out. Turns out, I couldn’t. For the first time in my academic career, I had to ask professors and staff members for leniency. And guess what? They helped me. Life can go bad at some times, and it is okay to acknowledge that you aren’t functioning at 100%. We are all human, and we have all been there. Don’t feel like you should suffer unnecessarily. In the words of Albus Dumbledore, “…help is given to those who deserve it.” Be a good kid, it will come back to you sometime later in life.

 

Guys, finish the semester strong. If you need anything, know that we are here for you!!

Hey COM-panions! So, for those of you that don’t know, my name is Aidan, and this is my last semester here in the College of Communication! It’s really great to be saving money by graduating a semester early, but also really sad that I will be leaving pre-maturely. If you have been considering graduating a semester, or even a year early, I thought it might be helpful to let you know how to do it, and what you are getting into.

First, to be able to graduate early, you have to get done all of your 128 credits fast, and you have to cover all your major requirements and your focus. For me, getting out of here a semester early meant making a couple of sacrifices. First, I started with an English minor, but had to drop it to save time. I love English, and wish I could have done the full course load to get my minor, but there came a time where it became more of a burden to find a way to get it done than it was a boon. So, sad as it was, I was not able to do my minor.

Secondly, I had to overload and do summer classes….a lot. I came in with some external credits, which helped, but overloading and taking courses over the summer is what made this all possible. Overloading, to a certain extent, is free (once you qualify to overload without charge). So, overloading is the most effective way to knock out extra classes. For those classes you can’t fit in the schedule, Summer Courses are the way to go. What I did was I found a job on campus that provided housing for free (a lot of them exist!) and also had a schedule where I could take the courses I needed to take over the summer! This freed up a lot of my semester time, and was a great help, but summer classes cost money! So be warned!

After a combo of all of these things, here I am. Not only is this my last semester, but I am part-time (meaning you take less than 12 credits) which means I don’t have to pay for a lot of the fees of being a student here. Financially, this is the best situation I could personally be in. If you think that graduating early will help ease your financial burden, I highly suggest it. But just remember, most of your friends won’t be doing this, which means that your senior year with them may be cut into by your choice to go part-time. Also, overloading and taking summer courses can really put a dent in your free time (which can also barely exist even as a regular college student). This means you have less time to do extra-curriculars, and also less time for perhaps a part-time job or internship.

What I am trying to get across is that this option has both pros and cons. You can save a lot of money, but it can also severely alter your college experience. This was, personally, the best choice for me, and I don’t regret it, but it may not be the best choice for you. If you think you should go this route, talk with your academic advisor! They can tell you if it will be beneficial, and how you can do it. And, if you want, we can sit down and chat about it. Go to Undergrad Affairs, and they can get you in contact with me.

As always: keep it cool, COM

- Aidan

Hey team, Aidan here. So, as some of you know, I worked this summer with Orientation and helped a lot of the incoming COM Freshmen to figure out their first semester schedule. One thing that I have noticed is that, after first semester, COM freshmen are on their own completely to figure out their schedule. So, what I would like to do today is give my tips, from a COM Student perspective, for what your schedule should look like going into your second semester!

1. Keep it Balanced!

You know how you are supposed to eat a balanced breakfast? Well the same can be said about your schedule (but you shouldn’t eat it because a schedule is an intangible concept….). Don’t overload on one type of class, like taking four writing classes and still not doing your stats requirement.

2. Find Fun Ways to do your Pre-Reqs!

Remember your Freshmen/Sophomore Requirements? Yeah, you have to take two History Classes. Sorry, but it happens to all of us. So, I suggest you make the best of it! I don’t like history courses (can you tell?), but I got mine out of the way doing a Roman History course, which I ended up liking a lot. I purely did this because I liked Roman Mythology growing up, and so I took this course. What I am saying is, don’t be afraid of unorthodox classes to do your pre-reqs. Be adventurous!

3. Take Your Time

Dudes, though they call it “Freshmen/Sophomore Requirements,” you have all four years here at BU to do them. Don’t forget to take classes you want to take! Want to take an Acting course? Take it! You do have to do general elective credits at some point, spread them out as time for fun!

All in all, it is very hard to mess up your schedule completely. Just make sure you are taking COM201 and that you don’t overload yourself!

Hey gang! So today, I thought I would share with you something that is kind of an embarrassment to me: it took me being a student here for 2+ years before I actually had an academic advising appointment. Yeah, I know. Well, on reflecting on that, I have started to think about all the resources here at the University, and what some people don’t take advantage of enough, or even know exist. So here is my list of what I believe are the most under-appreciated, but also most useful, resources at Boston University:

1. The Com Writing Center

Come on, there is a writing center on campus that is just for COM STUDENTS?! WHY AREN’T WE USING THIS MORE?? Staffed by graduate students in the Com Program, they can help you with your scripts, your ad pitches, and even your COM101 papers. That’s right, they are experts on COM101. A very great resource for incoming COM Freshmen. The writing center is located in the basement of the COM Building.

2. The Center for Career Development

Okay, this is a place that has done a lot of good for me. Not only can they help you prep for a job interview (resume critiquing, interview skills and practice, how to write a cover letter), they can even help you find that job interview! The CCD is located at 100 Bay State Road, this isn’t one you want to miss.

3. The Educational Resource Center

This is a good one. The ERC (also at 100 Bay State Road) has a lot of programs to help students do better in their classes. This is where you can find tutoring for any subject, as well as resources if you are a first generation student or an international student who needs extra help with interpreting the English classroom. To be honest, if I had known about these as a freshman, I would have used them much sooner. So, in essence, don’t be like me. Reach out and get help on what you need help on! You will be glad you did.

To be honest, if I had known about these as a freshman, I would have used them much sooner. Reach out and get help, you will be glad you did!

So, I have had a hard time figuring out what to do for this blog post. It’s the last post of the semester, and so I feel this great sense of responsibility to end the blog semester the right way.

And it terrifies me.

That’s so much stress! Especially considering all of the fantastic blog posts we have had this semester. Come on, we have had CA’s create killer playlists, tell you how to get a summer job, pour their hearts out about bad college experiences, and share their triumphs. How do I top that?!? FLERG??

So, I decided… I WONT! HAHA

That’s right, COM-panions, I won’t make a blog post summing up what a great semester we have had, all the cool people who have joined the CA program, and the STELLAR accepted students I have met who are #BU2019.

Instead, I am going to spend this time telling you what I am looking forward to, during the summer, and for next year.

1. Orientation

Shouts to #BU2019 who puts down there deposits THIS WEEK! As you may or may not know, I am one of the four student advisors for COM who will be meeting the Class of 2019 during the summer at Orientation. I can’t wait to meet you all, be your weird camp counselor/friend, and set you up to come into BU in September like an all-star.

2. The Next Generation of Com Ambassadors

This semester, we hired something like 13 new Com Ambassadors. WE DOUBLED OUR ENTIRE OPERATION YO! In that group are individuals who love radio, people who film rockets being launched, people whose snapchat game is ON POINT (side note: follow us at comsnaps). Needless to say, I can’t wait for these youngins to get the chance to have their own freshman COM Ambassador group, and to start spreading the love their own special way.

3. Social Media FOR DAYS

Lets get down to brass tacks. I LOVE SOCIAL MEDIA. In this semester alone, @COM_Ambassadors has doubled their followers, and new terriers means NEW FOLLOWERS WOO! I have a good feeling that all COM social media (@comugrad on both twitter and insta included) is going to have a major year. I look forward to spending my free time finding GIFs.

Most importantly, I am excited for next semester. With it comes new experiences, new people, and infinite fun. I don’t have wise words to leave you with, so I will just leave you with wise GIFs. See you next year, COM-patriots.