Category: Emily W.

Welcome back Terriers! If getting back into the swing of things has you feeling a bit out of whack, you’re far from alone. Here are a few quick tips for achieving more balance between work life, class life, and life life.

1. Working/studying at clear hours
This one is way easier said than done as a college student, but it makes a world of a difference. This semester, I’ve been on co-op, and working a clear 9-5 has improved my life tenfold. While it may be a little more difficult as a student, you can work in time between classes to study, tell yourself you’ll close your studies at a certain hour each night, and outside of those hours, commit to doing things for yourself.

2. Have at least one club that has nothing to do with your major/career
Yes, it’s super important to take advantage of the opportunities COM gives you to get experience in your degree. However, having a commitment to something outside it will force you to get out of that “work mindset” each week. My first semester of school, I was so inthralled in the journalism space, that it felt like my studies were my whole life. After that, I made time to join one of the campus theatre groups, which not only helped me meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise, but it put hours in my schedule that were just for me and something that I loved.

3. Put time into the work that most excites you (but don’t forget the rest!)
I think as COM students, many of us are lucky to be studying the thing we’re most passionate about. When you actively choose to work on things that matter to you — whether that’s the topics you write about, the kinds of clients you advertise for, or the subjects of the films you make — it makes work all the easier. Of course, there are going to be times when you have assignments that don’t especially tickle your fancy, but where you have the opportunity to do what you love, take it! Join the organizations that feel most right to you — even if they aren’t the ones you thought you’d most enjoy when you came into school or you feel look the
strongest on the resume. Ultimately, when you love what you do, you’ll do your best work!

Growing up right outside New York City, I became obsessed with theatre. I’m not sure when I got bit by the bug: whether it was when my parents took me to see my first Broadway show, when I became obsessed with “Wicked,” or when I auditioned for my first musical in freshman year of high school. 

Regardless, at some point I started buying into the old saying that when you’re inside a theatre, everyone’s heart beats in rhythm. A huge part of the reason I chose BU over other schools was because of the strong presence of the arts on campus — and in the city. I wanted to be somewhere where I could keep the arts as a part of my life. 

My second semester, I got involved with BU on Broadway as part of the lighting team on “Heathers: The Musical.” I met two of my dearest friends in the process — they keep me grounded and remind me what’s really important. 

From that point on, I made an effort to get more involved with the Boston theatre scene. BU has four main theatre groups: BU on Broadway, which focuses mainly on musicals, Stage Troupe, which puts up straight plays and musicals, Wandering Minds, which produces indie straight play works, and Shakespeare Society, which I hope is self explanatory. 

Right on West Campus is the Boston Playwrights’ theatre. The theatre produces lots of new indie works each season, and student tickets run as low as $10. The school of theatre’s productions, which often run at The Booth, are consistently impressive as well. 

There are also loads of national tours that come through Boston, and professional theatres like Moonbox Productions in Cambridge. Lots of my friends caught “Six” at the Emerson Colonial downtown; I saw “Into the Woods” on press night for The Daily Free Press. 

My point being: if you want to get involved in the theater scene in Boston, it will welcome you with open arms, and even if you didn’t grow up a Broadway baby, it’s a great way to get out into the city and involved on campus in a really strong community.