Category: Kelly

By: Kelly Tang

I wasn’t a film student — and honestly, I’m still not sure I am. But somehow, through a combination of curiosity, chaos, and a questionable number of add/drop forms, I ended up with a film minor. And now, here I am in my last semester at BU, wondering how time moved faster than a jump cut. 

Looking back, taking that Intro to Film class might have been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made (right up there with choosing curly fries over regular). I’m a storyteller at heart — and what better place for a storyteller than COM, where the whole mission is literally to communicate something? 

It all started with FT201: Screen Language. Since then, my passion for storytelling has only grown, and I realized that film and television hold a permanent residence in my heart — rent-free. 

Was I terrified of making films? Absolutely. Borrowing equipment? Scary. Casting? Stressful. Editing? A crime against my sleep schedule. Every step felt like climbing Mount Doom with a tripod. 

But was it actually that scary? 

Spoiler alert: Nope. 

Once I actually did it, I found it exhilarating. I made some of my best friends during shoots, and directing taught me that sometimes, the unplanned moments make the best scenes. Life’s kind of the same — I used to think every moment needed to be storyboarded in advance, but turns out, improvising works just fine too. 

That intro class sparked something deeper — a love for film studies, especially horror (yes, the genre that forces you to sleep with a nightlight after class). Last summer, I took a horror film course with Professor John Hall. It was thrilling, terrifying, and oddly therapeutic. He made sure every voice was heard, even when we weren’t sure what we were saying. If you were lost, he’d meet you where you were and guide you like a final girl surviving the third act. 

This semester, I’m in East Asian Cinema, learning about my own culture — but through the lens of another country. And once again, Professor Hall’s teaching is top-tier. The discussions? Electric. The class energy? Chef’s kiss. 

Beyond Professor Hall, the entire film department is filled with amazing humans who’ve taught me more than just camera angles — they’ve taught me about life. They’re professors, mentors, role models, and occasional emotional support providers during finals week. 

Every class with them has reminded me why I chose COM.

To all the future Terriers — your adventure is about to begin. Buckle up, bring snacks, and don’t be afraid to chase what excites (or scares) you. 

Congrats on getting into Boston University — now go make something awesome. ��✨

I know it sounds hard, and it is hard indeed. But it is possible. People said that I was an introvert before coming to college. Looking back on my college experience so far, I truly changed. I gradually started to realize that one of the biggest advantages of being in such a big school is that you meet tons of people every single day. I always felt embarrassed back in high school since there were only 30 people in the entire grade, and if I made some mistakes, everyone would remember it for a really long time. 

College is unlike that. If you are not making mistakes, that means you are not growing. I still remember the first time I awkwardly raised my hands in a hundred-people lecture and gave a wrong answer; the first time requesting for an office hour with a professor (it still feels surreal thinking about that now); the first attempt to talk to a random person in a social event, etc. Looking back, I feel like everything happened for a reason. Knowing that making “mistakes” or having seemingly awkward moments in college is inevitable - is a sign that you are growing. It was because of that random talk to professors that I got my first on-campus internship; it was because of that random ‘hello’ to a random girl on my floor that I knew my best friend. 

Knowing that no one really remembers your mistakes, sometimes those are things that people do every day. Do what makes you happy and feel right; if it doesn’t seem like the right path, change to another one; if not, keep changing. College is about learning about yourself, if you never do something new, that’s not learning. 

If you are shy in high school, don’t worry! Sometimes, it’s always the quiet person who brings the room a lot of fun. Don’t force yourself to change, but challenge yourself to be a bit “different” every day! You will thank yourself when you graduate college!

I am lying on my bed, scrolling through the past two CA blogs I’ve written and wondering what kind of person I’ve grown into over my five semesters at BU. Did I become the one that I previously envisioned myself? Was college life that scary? If you had told the 16-year-old me that I’d be studying at an American college, I would’ve laughed so hard in disbelief. Now I have two semesters left at BU (ikr time really does fly by, and it’s hard to believe that I’ve decided to go to LA for my senior spring to study for the entertainment management track program!! SO EXCITED!!!). I would like to use this space to summarize my Fall 2023. 

Overloading sounds scary, but you will ace it if you manage it well! As an Asian kid, I’ve always been told to study more, practice more, sign up for more, etc. When it is that time of the year, and you hear all of your friends talking about internships, summer courses, and GPA, no doubt, overloading is a “MUST.” This is the first real semester that I started taking some upper-level COM-related classes, such as CM501: Introduction to Graphic Design. By the way, I forgot to mention that I recently just added a minor: innovation and entrepreneurship; that’s what I’m taking SI250 - idea to impact. I previously thought all of the business courses were drained, intensive, and boring until I met Professor Patrick for SI250. Genuine, caring, supportive, all of the good adjectives were made for him. I’m not trying to be cheesy, but as a COM student, it is truly rewarding if you take classes that involve a lot of discussion and personal interaction. Could you imagine that out of the five classes that I’m taking, three professors remembered my name right after the first class? Isn’t it one of the best things about being a student? I felt super valued and happy for myself to be a COM student and had the experience of immersing myself in such a closed community. Other than the two courses that I’ve mentioned, I’ve also taken FT201-screen languages since I’ve been thinking about adding another minor in film and television. You probably want to ask me, “Wait, why are you stressing yourself that much?” HAHA, I know one major and two minors across two different schools sound overwhelming, but if you truly love what you are learning, then it will not make you that stressed. I previously thought Adobe software was too complicated until I used Adobe Illustrator to design the album cover for my favorite idol. I previously thought that learning how to use the Tripod and the Canon camera was too much work for me, but when you hear people call your director, that feeling made it all worth it! Another course that I would like to mention is CM331- Writing for Communication! If you have the chance, take it with Professor Sender! Truly humorous and caring professor, you get to experience a wide range of COM writings such as press releases and news stories, and we even get to do a five-minute presentation approaching the end of the semester, introducing to the class the five moments in your life so far that you would like to give it a shout out! 

Don’t ever let others hit you down and tell you what you are capable of; you never know your potential until you try it!

I applied to the CA program in the first semester of my freshman year back in the Fall of 2021. Coming from a super small high school in another country, speaking another language, and living in an entirely new environment, my transition to BU was tough.

So many people this year said they felt like I adapted to college life well. I laughed a bit and thought about this question for a few seconds. “Ummm, did I? It didn’t seem to be that smooth to me.”

Now I’m about halfway through college. Looking back, so many things that happened during the past years were not the way I imagined it to be, but all the good and the bad were exactly what I needed to make me the person I am today. I know it sounds cheesy, but the famous quote ‘ “good things” take time," works here somehow. Thinking about planting a seed, some grow faster, while others are a bit slower, but that doesn’t deny their destiny of growing into a beautiful flower.

Before applying to become a CA, I had no other extracurriculars in college. I was even unsure why I applied. As a student who participated in a lot of things back in high school, I knew I would continue my spirit in college. I looked over the criteria of being a CA and some of the things that I might do as a CA, I felt like it could add to my resume and polish up my COM experience. Without further hesitation, I applied. I have to say it has given me much more than I expected.

I met my tour partner Mira last spring, who is now working at National Graphic in Washington, DC. We have made many great memories together every Friday afternoon, our regular tour time. Whether it was watching the heavy snow on the COM lawn or greeting up to three family groups, my Friday afternoons have been filled with excitement ever since I started my role. I’ve been watching Mira as my role model to lead the tour - with a gentle pace, engaging conversation, and always a bright smile. I also practiced my public speaking skill and have realized that what matters most is not how much information you remember that you remember from the COM handbook but how your own COM experiences changed your life here. I’ve learned to speak slowly, articulate each word clearly, and always try to make eye contact with the people I’m talking to ensure they understand what I said.

My happiness even appeared to be more than I expected when I saw smiles from the prospective students and parents when they learned more about COM. That’s always the best part of my job! I knew that I wanted to do hospitality stuff and make good relationships with people, and it even convinced me to continue pursuing my degree in Public Relations.

Here is a general tip for incoming COM students: when you are unsure of something, give it a try; the worst result is that you won’t get anything, and you never lose anything as well. Sometimes surprises are waiting for those who are not ready, that’s why it’s called a surprise!

Some solid tips to incoming first-year students, from a current freshman’s perspective

1. Remember you just graduated high school, don’t be too hard on yourself

I’m always the one who wants to accomplish everything in a short amount of time. While it might work in high school, college can be a lot different. With all the things going on, academics, clubs, friendships, families, mental health, and personal matters, it will be so overwhelming to balance everything so well when you first enter college. Remember, don’t feel guilty for thinking you are not doing the best you can. Prioritize things, ask yourself: what matters to you most? I came from a really small high school in another country, while I was in so many clubs at the same time while balancing school work fairly well, college was a bit harder than I thought it would be. Going to such a large school, other than having so many resources, could also be a problem when you try to be committed to everything, just because there are too many people and too many things to handle at the same time.

 

1. Seek opportunities for yourself, don’t feel ashamed to ask for help

I used to be a really shy person who always waited for others to come to me to ask me, “How is it going.” While in college, everyone is so busy with their schedule, I’m not saying it’s not possible to have people ask you about life, but it would happen a fewer times than you thought. I’m a pretty emotional person, and a little thing might affect my feeling, sometimes it might not show outside, but it definitely happens inside. Throughout this year, I’ve learned to take the initiative to ask for help, as many times as I want. Talking to friends is my first advice when you are not feeling right. I literally “spammed texting” my friends like 100+ messages a day just to tell my feelings. Some of them never replied (it’s ok tho lol). I also like to sit on the BU beach, just to look across the river and relax. Don’t feel like being physically alone is not right, it works for me so well especially when I feel exhausted mentally. And it helped a lot!

 

1. Be friends with your professors, say the truths

Since I’m a COM student, most of the classes that I chose was small-size class, even though large lecture like CO101 has discussion session (about 20 people). When I have a concern about life or questions for class, I talked to my professors and teaching assistants. Something I have too many things to handle, I will let them know. Remember we are all human beings, and mistakes and taking breaks are inevitable. Don’t feel like you need to be perfect at all times. I always say the facts, if I don’t like a specific content of my course, if my professor asks if this helps, I will just say not really. It doesn’t mean you are not learning, and it’s so normal to have likes and don’t likes in a class.

 

Congratulations class of 2026, I was in the same shoes as you all last year around this time. Don’t be nervous, things would all come along as time goes!