Congratulations COM class of 2016! I can’t wait to meet you all at the Open Houses coming up in the next couple weeks. Open House is not only a great time for you to learn more about all the exciting classes, programs, clubs, and activities at BU and COM, but its also the perfect time for you to fall in love with this city that has stolen my heart. I know many of you will only be in town for a couple days so here’s a short list of some of my favorite places in Boston that I recommend you visit during your short stay:
Newbury Street: Great shopping, beautiful scenery, and delicious restaurants
Spring semester hitting its midway point is the cue for summer internship application deadlines and for interviews to begin! A couple weeks ago, I had an interview for a summer internship position at my dream advertising agency, Digitas. Digitas is a worldwide advertising agency that is not only known for its awesome list of huge clients, but also for pioneering digital advertising. They have offices all over the world, but one of its biggest North America offices is located in downtown Boston, a convenient 20-minute T ride away. I was anxious and excited to be given the opportunity to interview, but was also nervous because I was informed by human resources that upon my arrival, I would be meeting with four of their employees in back to back interviews. I did my research on the agency as well as on my interviewees and discovered that one of them was actually a recent COM alumnus. While this made me feel a bit at ease, I also felt the need to impress her even more since she would be familiar with my background and could very well be tougher on me.
As she walked into the room, she greeted me with a warming smile, but wasted no time getting down to business. She clearly had read my resume, as her first remark after initial introductions was that she realized we had been on BU’s National Student Advertising Competition Team (NSAC) together over a year ago. After sharing with each other our experiences with NSAC, we realized that we probably never really met because my first semester with NSAC was her last semester not only with NSAC, but also with BU as she was graduating early and had a job offer waiting for her at the agency.
She came prepared with questions about my resume and coursework that were so different than the rest of my interviewees as it was clear she, as a COM alumnus, was plenty familiar with my background. We talked about the courses I took, discovering that she took many of the same ones as well, and asked me detailed questions about the projects I worked on, as she had done the same ones only a couple years ago.
Interviewing with a COM alumnus was such an amazing experience that I hope everyone is lucky enough have. It was awesome to be able to talk about my experiences and goals with someone who I had so much common ground with. It was almost as if it was easier to talk about my experiences, expanding upon them in more detail, and convey what I wanted out of my future simply because it seemed as if she already knew me and the environment, mindset, and general background that I was coming from.
Even if I didn’t land the internship, it was still great to make the connection as I’ve come to discover that COM alumni are really one of the greatest resources out there. I highly recommend networking and putting yourself out there as early as you are comfortable doing so because it will only help you in the long run. Even if that is just having coffee with a COM student who is a year or two older than you, chances are that they will be working in the real world when it is time for you to start thinking about it.
A week ago I was offered a spot in their summer internship program and gladly accepted. I’m so excited to have this amazing opportunity and look forward to learning and working alongside BU alumni. Stay tuned for updates in the summer months about my summer in Boston interning with Digitas!
BU’s unique, city-like campus, at a glance, doesn’t appear to have huge patches of grass like the typical college campus. But that is exactly what we love so much about BU – a place where you can feel like you are safe and at home while still living in an active, exciting city.
However, if you do ever get the urge to spend some time in a sizeable spot of greenery, there definitely are a few sweet spots on campus. When the weather heats up, students tend to flock to these spots to throw the old pigskin around or simply soak up the rays and get their tan on. I, however, like to visit these spots in the wintertime when they are rather unpopulated, but filled with fresh snow. They are the perfect spots to make snow angels and build a snowman! Excuse the native Californian in me who still gets extremely excited at the first snow of the year.
Whether you prefer to lay out in the sun and tan, or like me, make your own Jack Frost, here is a list of the best places to do so on campus:
COM Lawn
We are the only college in the university that has our very own beautiful lawn and fountain right in front of our building. It couldn’t be more convenient to be able to soak up some sun right before class or have a snowball fight after.
BU Beach
Located right in the middle of campus behind Marsh Plaza, BU Beach is a popular spot for throwing the football around in the snow or sunshine. If you are lucky, you might even catch BU’s quidditch team practicing here.
Nickerson Field
Right in the hub of popular freshman housing in West Campus, the athletic field doubles as the biggest message board you’ll ever be tempted to post on. Students often write messages in the snow for all of West Campus to see and when we play against our cross-town rivals in hockey, the field often has BC Sucks etched into the snow!
Stuvi 1
A bit more secluded and quiet, the lawn right in front of the high-rise student apartment building is perfect if you are in the mood to feel like a kid again and just play around in the snow. It’s where I built my first ever snowman!
It’s good to be back from winter break and I’m excited to start this semester and year off with a bang – even if that meant having to say goodbye to the 75-degree California “winter.”
I always look forward to the beginning of the new semester because I love the first day of classes where I get to meet new professors, see old classmates, and learn about the exciting work that the semester holds for me. But the class I’m looking forward to most this semester is AdLab.
AdLab is COM’s very own full-service, student-run advertising agency and the best part is that it’s a class! While getting course credit, students also get to experience what life is like working in an advertising agency and get the privilege to do so within the comfort of our very own school walls. Each student first interviews for the position of their choice whether that is an account executive, account planner, art director, copywriter, or interactive director. After receiving their position, students are then assigned to their teams and their client. The teams work closely with the client throughout the semester to create work that fulfills the client’s needs that may include, but certainly are not limited to, logos, taglines, print advertisements, commercials, website design and programming, and social media planning.
I took AdLab last semester and loved it so much that I decided to take the class again this semester. Last semester, I was an Account Executive and my client was Positive Living Magazine, a startup online magazine that sought to promote a positive, healthy, and balanced lifestyle. This semester, I have been promoted to an Account Supervisor and will join the Executive Board in monitoring the status of my assigned accounts while helping out my Account Executives with any problems that may arise throughout the semester.
AdLab is such a great opportunity and employers even consider it as real-world experience. Under the direction of our professors, Professor Tobe Berkovitz, Professor John Verret (on sabbatical this semester), and Professor Judith Austin, students have the opportunity to create work for real clients while having these amazing professors as a resource for guidance.
For anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in advertising, I highly recommend taking AdLab. It was my favorite class last semester and I’m really looking forward to taking on a new position and seeing a different side of agency life.
Happy summer everyone! Hope everyone is soaking up the sun and getting a nice tan.
Unfortunately, London isn’t too warm right now and the sun loves to play hide-and-seek with the clouds, while surprising everyone with a little rain here and there. But other than that, if studying abroad is of interest to you, I would definitely recommend it!
You will be surprised how much you will learn about other cultures, while also learning a lot about yourself. On one of the first days of class, my International Brand Management professor stated, “It is only after you’ve spent time abroad and are forced to not be American, will you truly understand what it means to be American because you will, again, be forced to realize and reflect on your values, customs, speech, media, and everything that used to seem so ordinary.”
I’ve only been here for 6 weeks and have already seen, learned, and experienced so much! For the past 6 weeks I took two courses, International Brand Management and European Marketing Strategies, and am just about to start the second half of the program where I will be interning at a fashion PR agency called Bryan Morel PR.
Other than coursework, I’ve been exploring London quite a bit and even traveled to Paris for a weekend (travelling within Europe is so cheap in comparison to what you would ever pay to travel from the States).
BU London is located in a really convenient area with lots to do right in our own borough of Kensington. It is in the most posh part of town, right down the street (literally a 2 minute walk) from Kensington Palace, past residence to Princess Diana, and where Prince William and Kate Duchess of Cambridge have chosen as their London home. Right next to Kensington Palace is the gorgeous Hyde Park where you can paddle boat, ride bikes, go for a run, or just sit by the pond and watch the swans. We are also located right next to all the big museums like the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum that are all free admission!
There is seriously and endless amount of activities to do and places to visit throughout London. Some of my favorite places so far are Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, and Regent Street (really good shopping). Also for my fellow foodies out there, there are Portobello, Camden, Borough, and Greenwich Markets that are a foodies dream come true.
I really recommend looking into study abroad and if anybody has any questions about London in particular, I’d be happy to answer them or, pardon my shameless self-promotion, you can select me as your COM Ambassador!
This is a shout out to all my fellow foodies out there!
After many conversations with my fellow Terriers and friends that attend other universities, I have come to the conclusion that BU dining halls are arguable on the better half of college dorm food because it actually tastes good and offers a wide selection that include awesome burritos, mac and cheese, and custom sandwiches on a daily basis.
A few times a year the dining hall goes all out and has specialty nights such as soul food night, Chinese New Year night, and lobster night. However, my favorite time in the dining hall is during the guest chef series where dining services brings in chefs from well-known restaurants around Boston to cater all the dining halls on campus. With a simple swipe of a BU ID card, students can experience an array of flavorful foods that would normally put a hole in the broke college student’s pocket. But with the help of dining services, students can experience the delicious foods of Boston with the same ease and for the same price of any ordinary meal in the dining hall, which is already pre-paid for anyway.
In recent years, visiting chefs from Jerry Remy’s Grill in Fenway, Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square, and Maggiano’s Little Italy have provided the dining halls with quality deliciousness and filled the bellies of BU undergrads. They even try and replicate the ambiance of the respective restaurant with white linen table clothes for a nice upscale restaurant like Eastern Standard or with a man throwing out bags of cotton candy and popcorn to replicate the game day feel of Jerry Remy’s Grill. With everything from the décor to the tasty food, dining services really transforms each dining hall into a real restaurant.
Nothing is more awesome than being able to go downstairs to the dining hall in sweatpants and flip-flops and having restaurants food at the tip of your tongue, right?
Congratulations COM class of 2016! I can’t wait to meet you all at the Open Houses coming up in the next couple weeks. Open House is not only a great time for you to learn more about all the exciting classes, programs, clubs, and activities at BU and COM, but its also the perfect time for you to fall in love with this city that has stolen my heart. I know many of you will only be in town for a couple days so here’s a short list of some of my favorite places in Boston that I recommend you visit during your short stay:
COM Lawn
the snow!
Hi everyone and happy new year!