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Hi everyone! My name is Emma, and I am so excited to be one of the new COM Ambassadors. The whole process of becoming a CA has helped me fall even more in love with COM, but today I want to give a shout-out to my other true love: my planner.

Before, you scroll down or look up a video of goats in pajamas (the Internet is a wonderful thing), just hear me out. With the first two weeks of class under your belt, the spring semester is officially in full swing, and if you’re anything like me, it’s going to be a busy one. But in no way does busy have to mean bad! And one of the best ways to ensure that, is by getting organized.

This is where your planner comes in! Before you contemplate destroying your syllabi and taking a series of denial naps, grab a pen and try to map out your schedule.

With your planner, you can keep track of class times, assignment due dates, club meetings, professors’ office hours, and cool COM events in one, accessible place. Sure, a ten-page paper may seem overwhelming at first, but when you have all of the components of your schedule written down, it’s easy to see where you have time to work on it, even if it’s just 20 minutes a day. Then, you can space out the workload and see when you can drop in and ask the professor for help, if need be.

Also, writing things down really holds you accountable. Assignments and obligations are always there as soon as you open your planner, and only you can make them go away by finishing/acing them. It is so satisfying to finally get to cross off a major final project or presentation from your planner. More importantly, when you look back in your planner on a nearly impossible week, it just acts as another reminder that you are a rock star and can do anything.

And, sure, if you are more tech savvy than I am, you can do all of this on your phone and/or laptop. But then if you do that, you don’t get to pick out a planner with a super awesome cover design, which, I argue, is possibly the best part. Frankly, you will be missing out.

It is a brand new semester full of opportunity and great achievements to be made. Just don’t forget to try to stay organized, break down assignments little by little, and seriously make time for that video of the goats in pajamas. That one is a no-brainer.

All I can hope is, that by the end of the semester, you and your planner will have started a love affair of your own.

 

 

The fall semester is almost over which is insane. For me, the arrival of Halloween basically solidifies the fact that so much time has passed since classes began and that winter break will be here before you know it.

I partially blame the New England weather and the abrupt changes in seasons. One day it’s 75 degrees and sunny and the next its windy and cold and you’re just trying to not fly away on your walk to class (even though you want to fly away because you consistently have homework and test and projects).

The rush of the semester always makes me feel bad because I always set a list of things I want to do and then never accomplish them. Especially when it’s the fall and around Halloween and you’re trying to be festive but just can’t seem to fight the inertia of your room/bed.

Anyway, to make yourself feel better and revel in your accomplishments, here is a makeshift list of all of the things I planned on doing this semester and have yet to do.

 

1)   Watch “Hocus Pocus”

2)   See Jimmy Fallon receive some comedy award from the Harvard Lampoon

I don’t want to talk about this one because it makes me sad.

3)   Eat at Charlie’s Kitchen

Buzzfeed recently brought this place to my attention even though I live less than 3 miles away from it. I’m such a quirky millennial.

4)   Eat more ice cream

It’s getting cold, which means that eating ice cream is only socially acceptable for so long. As much as I try not to conform to societal standards, there’s nothing worse than eating ice cream while it snows and getting shifty eyes from strangers on the street.

5)   Cook chicken parm in my apartment and pretend to be a real adult for one night

As you can tell, I’m S T A R V I N G while writing this and all I can think about is food.

6)   Go apple picking and get lost in a corn maze

Apple picking does not seem like a fun activity to me but it’s a staple of fall and I’m trying my best to make my life into a romantic comedy. Also, what kind of blog post would this be from me without a Taylor Swift GIF?

7)   Go to Kane’s Donuts

I’m still hungry, if you couldn’t tell. I’ve tried to go eat these ~world famous~ donuts three times now and every time they have been closed. I think it’s a sign from the heavens.

Anyway, long live and prosper. Keep it real. Don’t be like me and actually go outside and live your life and do fun things. I, on the other hand, will continue to be stressed out consistently and never getting anything done. What’s falling faster, the leaves on the trees or my GPA? (just remember that grades do not guarantee you a job so…)

In a few days I will be done with my undergraduate career. No more classes, no more daytime naps, no more weekday Netflix binges. Even though I am very excited to graduate and enter the working world, there are a few things that I wish I did during my time at BU. So, learn from my regrets young ones!

 

1. Not doing FYSOP.

All of my friends did FYSOP and got involved as staff leaders as upperclassmen. I have only heard great things about the program and SO many of my friends met their closest friends during that time. Also, I hear it’s an absolute blast.

 

2. Not attending any student theatre productions.

Take a Friday or Saturday night to appreciate the talent here at BU. I wish I went to a production during my time here.

 

3. Not utilizing the resources at the career services until my senior year.

Although I am one of the lucky seniors who have a job locked down for after graduation, I wish I had started my career journey earlier. The COM Career Services is awesome for internships, cover letters, resumes, and connecting with alumni!

 

4. Not exploring Boston while it was still warm out.

Especially after a winter like this year, you really will appreciate the warmer months in Boston. I never took the time to go out and really enjoy the city while it was above 60 degrees! Take a blanket and a book and read along the Charles River. Or take a walk along the Freedom Trail. There is SO much you can do outside in this city!

 

5. Not taking advantage of student discounts!

What else can I say… we are all broke college students! TAKE ADVANTAGE- by your senior yea, you’ll be searching  for any and all discounts.

With the weather growing warmer places like the COM Lawn and the BU Beach start to become crowded as we all crawl out of our hibernations from this terrific and terrible winter. For me, warmer weather means the transition to iced coffee and more importantly, iced cream. As an East Campus resident, one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday is wandering down the uneven sidewalks of Newbury Street. While it may be known for its clothing boutiques, the coffee and ice cream scene at Newbury leaves nothing to be desired.

A short walk down the street, one can find the relatively new Barrington Coffee Roasting Company. They opened in December, and I am disappointed to say I just discovered their little coffee haven. With huge windows and tables outside (both with great wifi), it’s a wonderful place to spend an afternoon working on these final assignments. Their iced coffee is absolutely killer. They offer a super cool variety of coffees, including their “Steampunk” varieties, which they will gladly explain to you as they did to me. The Thinking Cup is a longer walk, but if you’re looking for sweets to accompany your coffee they have incredible macaroons that are totally worth the trip. They make their iced coffee with cold brew, and it goes great with whatever sweet you choose for the afternoon.

Continuing down Newbury, one can find Boston staple Emack & Bolio’s Ice Cream. Known for their fun flavors (which are all also incredibly instagram-able), it’s a great way to spend an afternoon, or to take a break from studying for exams. Personal favorites include Espresso and Chocolate Addiction, but there’s a fun flavor for everyone. For those who are looking for something a little fancier, Amorino Gelato has high-class flavors, many with names I would never even try to pronounce – like Cioccolato Ecuador Pure Origine. It’s a bit more of a splurge, but during the study period and finals week it might be worth it!

Separate than just study locations and study break options, Newbury is just generally a great place to spend these warm days. And with the semester winding down, these little excursions are a great way to spend some time with those people you might not get to see for the whole summer.

There is something that separates COM students from students at other schools, they are involved, and they are busy. While the former is a fantastic thing and is what makes BU so freaking special, it results in the second thing. It’s hard. You’ll go to SPLASH at the beginning of first semester and get wildly overwhelmed about all the amazing things you could be doing on campus (at least I did, but I also get overwhelmed about everything). At SPLASH, I signed up for everything and I still get emails from all of them. Like seriously, I need to unsubscribe to the Inner Faith Gospel Choir’s newsletter and I have no idea how. But anyway, I did end up joining a lot of those activities, and now as an almost sophomore (WHAT OMG PLEASE STOP!?!?), I think I’ve figured out a few things to help you manage your extracurricular schedule. 

Pick one or two groups that are most important to you, and arrange your schedule around them.

I have done this with Liquid Fun and BU on Broadway, making my nightly rehearsals my conflict for other things. So sometimes I can’t make it to a meeting for another group, but people usually understand because these are groups where you are working towards a product, instead of just meeting to discuss updates on what’s going on in the group. It’s important to not make every group the most important thing to your schedule. It’s great to pick a few things to put above others, but you need time to breathe.

Put it all in a planner! 

I rely on my iCal religiously to make sure I am places on time (even though I’m still never on time… whoops), and I set alerts before hand. I have different color coded calendars to make sure all things work out. It de-stresses me to look at my calendar and know things have been sorted out a bit. Pro-tip: download the app “Fantastical” it makes entering events waaaaay easier.

It’s okay not to do everything.

I had to quit a bunch of things that I had intended on doing at first, but once you get in he swing of things you realize how incredibly often things can and will conflict and you have to figure out what is going to be important. At the end of the day extracurriculars are here to make you happy and to enrich your experience at BU, and while we are fortunate enough to have such a vast extracurricular community, you don’t have to do all of it to get the full experience.

Acceptance letters were mailed out last week, and I just wanted to say congratulations to all those future Terriers! You are one step closer to an amazing college experience.

 

For those of you still deciding if BU is the right school for you, here are some elements that helped me choose BU. Hopefully it helps with your decision!

 

1. The city of Boston. So many opportunities, a great city with so much to do and a hub of diverse people I would have never met living anywhere else. With the city being a quick T ride inbound, there’s never a dull moment.

 

2. BU campus is the perfect balance of living in a city and living in a suburb. With East campus being so close to the city, and West campus being in a more residential area, there is a place to call home for everyone. Not to mention the walk between areas of campus is good exercise. But for those who don’t like walking – don’t worry. There is a free BU bus that rides around campus, and the Green Line and multiple city bus routes run through campus.

 

3. It’s so easy to find your niche. Whether you’re an athlete, an artist, an academic or a mixture of all three – it’s easy to find people you connect with. Everyone at BU is friendly and come from a variety of backgrounds. It’s easy to make friends with people from all walks of life and having diverse friend groups is a great perk of going to a university with a widely diverse community.

 

4. BU’s top-notch facilities: From three dining halls, over ten dorm options, a state of the art Fitness and Recreation Center and a massive library, BU’s facilities are impressive to say the least. All of the buildings are in great shape and offer a plethora of resources to all students.

 

5. I fell in love with BU the moment I toured COM. It’s so easy to get involved, everyone was so welcoming and I knew attending COM would push me to be the best possible form of myself. In my first month of college I joined BUTV10, WTBU, and the Daily Free Press. COM is what you make of it, and I highly suggest participating in COM to the fullest.

 

 

I hope you fall in love with BU like I did. I promise it will be the best four years of your life!

With the end of the semester quickly approaching, the onslaught of final exams, papers, and projects can be daunting and overwhelming. Additionally, if you’re involved with any student group, you’ll know that the end of the spring semester is probably the busiest time of the year for groups as well. My friends in acapella groups all have their spring performances, anyone who works with incoming students knows that admitted students are starting to arrive on campus in droves, and even comedy groups have their share of stressful times as their final performances of the semester are starting to occur.

Thus, as a COM student, a typical day for you might be a hurdle. Today, for instance, I started working in the Admissions office at 9:00 AM, then I had a 3-hour lecture, then I will be giving a tour of the COM building for admitted students before meeting with my group for a project due tomorrow (I’ll have to find time to eat somewhere). And this hectic schedule is not a rare one for most COM students.

Thus, it extremely important to remember to practice self-care. That is, in the midst of a crazy month, schedule time to do things you enjoy and take care of your emotional and mental well-being. Self-care can come in a variety of forms, ranging from going on a walk on the Esplanade, to just watching your favorite TV show on Netflix. You can organize a self-care meet-up with a group of friends and go to the movies, you can participate in the Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism’s weekly Self-Care Sunday sessions, or just spend time alone.

Regardless of what you decide to do, remember that you do need time for yourself. This is not to say you should procrastinate all of your final assignments, but you shouldn’t spend every moment of every day running around and working either. Listen to your favorite song and dance around in your room, watch that funny video your friend sent you but you never got around to watching, or take a trip to Pavement and get a cup of your favorite coffee. Whatever you decide to do, taking a 20-minute break to take care of yourself can actually help you much more than you’d think!

Wrapping up my fourth semester at BU is a lot to wrap my head around. So, instead of trying to think through that, here's three anecdotes from my two years here that prove why COM was the right choice for me, and why it can be for you too. 

1. September of freshman year: After joining BUTV10, I wanted to get straight to making TV. Armed with borrowed-from-BU-film-equipment, my partner, Louie, who was also freshman, and my first-ever T pass, I headed down to Copley to interview a Twitter-celeb named Tom. Turns out, that Twitter-celeb was the man behind the famous @BostonTweet account, and the event we were interviewing him at also had a guest appearance from Miss USA. Not even a month into my BU career, I went home with a signed Miss USA poster, an on-camera interview with her and @BostonTweet, and a wicked cool story. (By that point I'd picked up some new, hip Bostonian vocab too). Without BUTV10, though, I would've probably just spent the Saturday afternoon in my dorm room. 

2. April of freshman year: Second semester came crashing to an amazing end by the last week of April, and seeing as Boston is so easy to get to and fun to visit, my grandparents decided to pay me a birthday visit (my birthday's April 29th). Over a surprise dinner at The Top of the Hub, I told them all about the city I'd explored while looking down at it (if you haven't been to the top of the Prudential Center, find a way to get there. The view's incredible). I described studying at the Boston Public Library during snowstorms and wandering around the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum one random Sunday afternoon. Since it's so easy to get anywhere in Boston from BU, I was only one year in and I already felt like Boston was my city.

3. March of sophomore year: I'm home in CT for spring break. I'm exhausted from devoting tons of time to a project that one of my professors had encouraged our class to participate in -a film competition put on by New England Sports Network. I'm in constant communication with my incredibly talented teammates, also sophomores in COM, because any day now we could find out if our short film made the Top 10. The phone rings on Friday morning: we've made it. We're one step closer to the grand prize of $20,000 and a set of really cool bragging rights, and had our professor not told us that this competition existed, we never would have been in this position. Yet again, I owe a cool experience to the COM community, and yet again, I find myself so thankful that I chose BU.

Decision season is upon us, high school seniors. I've been here two years, and have made way more amazing memories than just these three in the past four semesters. They all come back to one decision though; one school. 

Forgive my cheesiness here, but: "This could Be U."