By Raahi Mehta
Every college has its pros and cons, its green flags and red flags, if you will. From someone who lives and breathes inside 640 Commonwealth Avenue—and during finals, practically sleeps there too—here’s the insider intel of BU COM.
🔴It’s not the grandest, flashiest building on campus. It also doesn’t help that it sits in the shadow of BU’s most iconic structure: CDS—or as some people call it, the Jenga building. BU COM is planted at 640 Commonwealth Avenue, with three floors, a basement, and the COM lawn, which is currently hidden beneath a blanket of snow—BUT it’s got everything a COM major could ever need. Take a step inside, and you’ll find more than just classrooms: innovation labs, field production services, a production studio, editing rooms, career and writing centers, a screening room, a study lounge, and much more. It’s a place where any idea, any vision can be brought to life.
🔴The wind tunnels surrounding the building can be intense. I’ve lost count of how many times my eyes have teared from trekking past COM—BUT the building has good heating, which is great during Boston winters. Although, it complicates picking an outfit since it’s freezing outside and warm inside.
🔴The closest dining hall is Warren Dining—for those who don’t know what that is, it’s not the most favored eatery on campus—BUT Starbucks and Saxby’s are a 2-minute walk, AND they take dining points! This is a lifesaver when you have a busy schedule because you can quickly place an order and pick it up within minutes.
🔴You can’t escape. Forget a bad hair day going unnoticed because you’re guaranteed to run into a familiar face in this building—BUT that also means you’re bound to see a friend everywhere you go! Oftentimes, the best part of my day is rushing into the building for an AdClub meeting or late nights in the study lounge, and turning around to find a fellow COM friend there too. I never feel alone because there’s always someone there who’s happy to see me. A long, stressful day easily turns into the perfect mix of productivity and fun.
BU COM goes beyond just this rectangular building. It’s made vibrant by the people who pass through its door every day. My coworkers in the Undergraduate Affairs office, my friends from class, my academic advisors, my professors, and even the janitors who I’ve befriended from how often they see me in the building—they remind me that BU COM is more than just a place, it’s the people. At the end of the day, the red flags of COM fade when you look at everything else it has to offer.