Julianna: My Journey to Israel

An Open Letter to My Fellow Travel-Hungry BU COM Kids

Shalom BU COM Class of 2016!

Quick re-cap of my summer away from BU: I returned to my summer office job for two months, cranked out a story a week for the college news section of NextGen Journal, got hooked on HBO’s The Newsroom, warmed up to the new cast members on the Real Housewives of New York City and prepared for my trip to Israel.

Now I am Stateside again after participating in the Anti-Defamation League’s Campus Leaders Mission to Israel with 17 other college students from across the country. It was a whirlwind eight days of touring and learning first-hand about Israel’s domestic issues, the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israel’s relations with nations outside of the Middle East. I met journalists, political analysts, new immigrants at an absorption center, IDF soldiers, a world renown professor of Holocaust studies, university students, among others.

The mission to Israel was most definitely the best experience I’ve had in my 20 years of living. Dramatic? Totally. But, I really mean it. Since returning I’ve perused my 600+ photos countless times, daydreamed about zatar (the most delicious spice ever) on everything and reread my notes to further absorb everything that I learned. All this nostalgia and post-travel blues has me longing for another adventure. I want stamps on stamps on stamps in my passport book. I want more culture, another foreign language in my ears and new (or some more ancient) roads to conquer.

I know that I am one of many college students with an endless hunger for travel and adventure. If you find yourself with the very same desire, think about how that aligns with why you chose BU. Speaking for myself, I was completely won over by BU’s location in the heart of Boston. You’ll see that with living in Boston comes constant adventure, whether it be taking the T to the last stop of a particular line, exploring the quaint South End or meandering through the famers’ market at Haymarket. So get ready for the adventure that awaits you in Boston, and along your path to graduation you’re bound to make some stops in near and far places whether through educational or volunteer missions, study abroad or trips for pleasure. Check out www.bu.edu/abroad to begin mapping out your study abroad options for junior year or keep Alternative Spring Break in mind for spring 2013.

Lauren: Internships- Finish Strong!

With the end of summer comes the end of summer internships.  During your time at BU, you’re bound to complete an internship at one point or another.   While first impressions are very important, you should treat your last days at your internship just like you treated your first.  Here are five things you should do as your internship comes to a close:

  1. Ask for a recommendation letter.

About two weeks before your last day, approach your supervisor, or a person that you have worked with closely, and ask if they would write you a letter of recommendation and serve as a professional reference.  Specially tell them what you are looking for in the recommendation letter.  Suggest, for example, that they highlight your work ethic or comment on your writing skills.   If you have a LinkedIn account, you may also want to ask if they could recommend you on that social networking site.  In return, offer to write a little internship testimonial that the organization can use to promote their internship program.   Don’t be nervous to ask for a recommendation letter or reference- you’ve worked hard, and you deserve it!

2. Set up a meeting with your supervisor on your last day.

On your last day, ask your supervisor if you can sit down with them for a few minutes to get some feedback on your work.  Learning about your strengths and weaknesses can be helpful when you have other internships and jobs.  This can also teach you how to take constructive criticism, a skill that will be beneficial in the future.  Also, let your supervisor know what you thought of the internship program, but make sure you express how thankful you are to have had this opportunity.  After all, it’s hard to get an internship nowadays.

3. Give out hand-written thank you notes.

Writing a thank you note is the perfect way to express your gratitude at the end of your internship.  A hand-written note is much more thoughtful than simply sending a thank-you email.  You can visit this Her Campus article to find thank-you note templates!  Be specific in the note by thanking them for either helping you with a particular project or assigning you an exceptionally rewarding task.  I always sign professional thank you notes using “Sincerely” or “Best wishes.”  Last impressions really count, and writing a note is a great way to stand out and be remembered.

4. Update your Resume.

Internships are great professional experience and can help bulk up your resume.   Make sure when you add this experience to your resume that you list specific examples of assignments you completed.   Update your resume and LinkedIn page right when your internship is ending so your work is still fresh in your mind.  Also, ask for permission to use some of the work that you completed (like writing assignments, design work or video clips) in your portfolio.   It will look great when you apply for another internship or job!

5. Keep in touch.

Connect with your fellow interns, supervisors and other employees at your internship site.  Add them on LinkedIn and exchange contact information.  Make sure that you stay up-to-date with what’s going on with the company by following them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media sites.  You may also want to email your supervisor every three months or so just to stay connected!  You never know- staying in touch may help you get a full time job with the company!

Follow these simple steps to make the most out of the last days at your internship!  Remember to start strong and end strong!

Dany: What to Leave Behind

Hey everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your last few weeks of summer before the semester finally starts! These last days can be pretty bittersweet: saying goodbye to all your friends, enjoying the last of your mom’s home-cooked meals, trying to decide what to bring with you and what will stay behind. Anyone remember that scene in Toy Story 3 when Andy can’t decide whether to bring Woody or Buzz Lightyear with him to college? A more accurate dilemma has never been portrayed.

That said, I’m sure many of you are now beginning the most daunting of tasks: packing your life away. I am here to bring you some advice. While mostly everything you read will be frantic reminders of things you absolutely must have in college, here are five things you definitely won’t need:

1. Your high school t-shirts

All those senior shirts, club t-shirts, spirit day shirts that have been accumulating in your drawer for the past four years - take it from me and leave them all behind. BU loves to give out free stuff, especially t-shirts. Within a few weeks, you’ll have a whole new set from all the clubs you joined and all the giveaways you took advantage of.

2. Old school notebooks

You thought you were clever saving your tenth grade world history notebook didn’t cha? Let’s be real: your upcoming courses will render your old notes useless. Chances are you’ll forget you even brought them and they’ll just sit in some dark corner of your desk collecting dust for a year. Your professors, classmates, and the Internet is all you need.

3. Candles

They’re not allowed. They’re dangerous in a dormitory setting. I know it sucks. I love candles and how they make a room smell so good and how relaxing they can be. But really, just don’t bring them. They’re banned, it’s a fire hazard, trust me, it’s not worth it. Those wall plug-ins and air fresheners will work perfectly in their place.

4. Surplus storage units

Here is the irony with storage units - they take up space. I’ve found that the most useful and necessary storage units are the ones that go under the bed. Anything else, I would suggest waiting until you get to your room and seeing how much space you have left and how much stuff you still actually need to store away. That way you can make sure you get one or two that will fit your needs, and not four or five that will take up the entire room.

5. School supplies

You need something to write on and you need something write with. Anything else (rulers, glue, markers, etc.) is totally unnecessary. And I would just wait and pick up a few notebooks once you’re here instead of bringing stuff from home. Each class is different. For some, you’ll get by with taking notes on your laptop. Others you might need a binder for all the handouts and papers. Wait until the first day and your syllabus will tell you everything you need to know. Same goes for textbooks!
I hope this helps as you begin the packing process and saves you at least a little space in your suitcases and boxes! I know it’s hard to leave but it’s important to remember the amazing journey you’re about to start and how many incredible moments you have ahead. You all have so much to be proud of and it only gets better from here! See you all in a few weeks!

Tiffany: Document Everything

I hope you’re all enjoying your last weeks of summer before school begins in just a few short weeks!

As my senior year is quickly approaching (yikes!), I’ve found myself having many talks with friends about how great the past 3 years were and trying to relive the memories through photos, Facebook wall-to-walls, old blog posts, and anything we could get our hands on to remember those days.

I’ve decided that for my last leg of college I’d document the adventures, hoorahs, good times, lessons learned, mistakes (let’s hope there aren’t too many of these), and all the beauty that comes with being in college by starting a new personal blog. While revisiting some of my old blogs I found it rather fun to be able to meet my younger self and wished that I had been more consistent with posting throughout the years. But thankfully, for those times I wasn’t so active in writing about my life, I had plenty of photos to fill in the gaps.

Many of you are about to start a whole new chapter in your lives that we like to call college.

Take it from me, someone who is unfortunately on her way out, document everything! I’m choosing to do it through a new blog, but any way you can or prefer will do!  Write about it, photograph it, save mementos from special events, anything! Take advantage of the fact that we live and breathe in the digital world, so what we write online is written in something more permanent than Sharpie and will always be there (assuming the internet stays alive forever!) for us to stumble upon whenever we want to take a stroll down memory lane.

You should all be so excited because there really is no other time quite like college. It’s full of fun, adventure, friends, and so much more. So take my advice and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!

See you all very soon and shout to #district7! Let the #COMGames begin!

Kaitlin: 5 Things To Do Before You Leave For Boston University

Hey everyone! I hope your last few weeks of summer are some of the best you’ve ever had. As the countdown for the first day of school begins, I can’t help but think of some things I wish I had done before trekking to Beantown.  Take a look at my list! Hopefully it inspires you to take advantage of my suggestions, or even think of some last minute to-dos before you go!

1. Start a Facebook group with your friends from high school.

Losing touch with your childhood buddies is inevitable.  Everyone is off at different schools, doing his or her own thing, making it super easy to lose touch with one another. I suggest creating a Facebook group with your peeps to share new stories or talk about some good memories.  This way, even though you won’t see each other face-to-face everyday, you’ll still have some idea what is going on.

2. Have your mom make you your favorite meal.

Don’t get me wrong- Boston University’s dining halls kick ass.  But there’s nothing better than your grandma’s famous mac and cheese or your dad’s veggie burgers (my pops makes the best around). So before you go, ask to have your favorite dish for dinner, and invite the whole family to join.  It’ll be a good chance for you to appreciate what you’ll be missing while being around the people you love.

3. Make goals for your freshman year.

Take a while to think about the awesome year you have ahead of you, and try to come up for somethings you want to achieve.  No one wants to fail a class, or gain the freshman 15 or lose her BU ID for the millionth time, but try to come up with a small bucket list that will inspire you throughout the year.  Maybe that means starting a new club or charity or visiting all of the special museum exhibits or having lunch with Dean Elmore.  Stay hungry and motivated!

4. Get yourself a journal.

I know you’ll have plenty of papers to write throughout the semesters ahead, but nothing compares to sitting down and recording what’s going on in your head.  Write it all down, brothers and sisters. You’ll appreciate it when you want to look back on your first few months of college and remember what you were up to.

5. Buy a bunch of disposable film cameras.

Even better than a written recollection of your year are some photos to go along with it.  And I’m  not talking about low quality pictures that you tag on Facebook.  I’m talking hard copy, raw film that you can stick in a physical photo album and look at.  There’s nothing greater than developing your rolls months later and seeing what shenanigans you were up to at the time it was used.

Let me know if you have any other off-to-school must-dos! See you all in a few weeks!

XOXO Kaitlin

Richie: Finding the Right Professor

Summer’s nearing its end and soon you’ll all be in Boston, enjoying the company of new friends and starting an incredible four year long adventure. The start of college is no doubt, exciting. Yet, I know some of you might have your small fears or may be even experiencing minor panic attacks. I promise you it’s a lot easier to adapt to than you think.

Starting off new classes was one of my personal fears. First off, its definitely wise to look up what building your class will be in before the first day. The majority of your classes your first semester are general education requirements, and for that reason, will be very spread out across the campus. Get familiar with the names and acronyms of the different buildings. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for directions.

Having a good sense of where your classes are located will also help you better understand where you’ll be able to stop for lunch in between your classes. Will you have time to make it to this dining hall, or even go back to your dorm for a bit?

It’s also good to know that all professors always go through the syllabus on the first day of classes. A break down of the grade percentage, tests, upcoming projects, will be will be explained to you right away. That way you’ll have a good sense of what’s expected of you and you won’t have to worry about being thrown to the wolves. If you realize the class you signed up for wasn’t exactly what you thought it was, don’t hesitate to talk to an academic advisor to switch out of a class.

My main bit of advice is on professors though. I know I was worried about trying to build connections with my professors.  I left high school with a lot of friends in the faculty. Recommendations and help from teachers were easy to come by, and I worried it might not be the same in college. In your smaller classes you’ll be able to stand apart and establish a good relationship by just speaking up, but your larger classes will require a bit more of you.

I’d definitely recommend finding out a professor’s office hours and making an effort to show up. They’ll admire your desire to receive extra help and will also appreciate the company. Trust me, this will be very helpful later on if you need a recommendation later on in an extracurricular, and, for many COM professors, it’ll be very helpful when your looking for that internship during the summer.

BU really has some incredible professors and I really do suggest you shape your classes around them. I always schedule my classes according to recommendations from other students, and sometimes even the website ratemyprofessor. Obviously, the reviews on the site have to be taken with a grain of salt since most people writing reviews are going to be either irrationally angry at the professor, or madly in love with them. Either way, it does help a bit. A great professor really does make all the difference in your experience at college. Not just one that will give you an easy grade, but will engage you, interest you, challenge you, and then be able to help you in after you leave their class.

Ask upperclassmen (and obviously your COM Ambassadors!) what professors they must absolutely recommend and I’m sure they’ll give you a huge list.  I definitely know the film professors that are top in my head.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer, and get excited for Boston. I’m already excited and it’s not even my freshman year.

Steph: Clubs, Clubs, and More Clubs

Hey guys, guess what? SCHOOL STARTS SO SOON! While I’m pretty sad that summer is coming to an end, I also can’t wait to get back to Boston in just about 20 days!

The first few weeks as a college student were definitely a tough adjustment. It seems like everyone is wearing their favorite band T-shirts, desperate for someone to walk up and say, “Hey, you like the Jonas Brothers too?! So do I! LET’S BE BFFS!!” But, just remember that you aren’t the only person feeling a tad lonely—everyone is starting out the same way, hoping that someone likes the Jonas Brothers just as much as they do. Everyone is looking to make friends, so don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and introduce yourself. The best way to do this is to join a club! Think about it: by joining a club, half the work is already done—you know that the people who signed up for the same club have to have something in common with you!

At the beginning of the school year, BU holds an even called SPLASH, which is an enormous club fair held on Nickerson Field. As a freshman, I was totally overwhelmed. There are just SO many clubs and organizations to get involved in; you might feel a bit lost. I did, and I ended up waiting until second semester to really commit to anything. When I finally joined BUTV in the spring as a production assistant for the soap opera Bay State, I totally regretted my decision of not starting earlier. It was clear that it’s the best and most fun way to meet people.

My advice to you is to do your research. Before you get to Boston, visit this website for a list of all the student organizations at BU so you can go into SPLASH with a better idea of what you want to sign up for: http://bu.collegiatelink.net/organizations

So do some research, sign up for anything that seems fun, and stick with one or two things. Don’t waste time like I did! See you all so soon!

Jon: ‘Round, ‘Round Get Around

Hey all,
I hope everyone’s starting to get excited for the start of the school year! I know I can’t wait to get back on campus and hit up all my favorite haunts, from the SMG Starbucks to the shady lawns of the Esplanade. There are so many places on BU’s campus to hang out, you might wonder why anyone would ever go off campus.
However, Boston is a great city with an awesome night life and plenty of cool spots to check out. So, you might want to venture beyond the BU bookends of Kenmore Square and West Campus once in a while. But how’re you going to go out on your city excursion you wonder? Boston’s a big town!

Not so! One of the amazing bits about Boston is how easy it is to get around. The public transit is great (though if you’re going inbound, walk the block down to Kenmore Square – you’ll find a train much quicker that way), and the city’s small enough that you can walk from campus to the Boston Common in only a half hour or so. However, for those who are really inclined to explore, I can only recommend one mode of transportation. The bicycle.

The bicycle’s roots come from the 1800s, and there are nearly one billion bikes worldwide, which is twice as many as there are cars. This elegant form of transportation is one of the most efficient machines in use today, and is a fun and healthy way to get some exercise. But, even more important, it is a fast and easy way to get off campus when the urge to explore strikes you.

I’ve spent some time biking around Boston this summer, and what amazes me is that a seemingly long trip – like walking to Faneuil Hall – takes almost no time at all when you bike. It normally takes me a half an hour to walk over to Northeastern University, but on my bike, I made the trip in ten minutes flat. Now that’s efficiency.

Boston makes it incredibly easy for you to bike around, with the Hubway rental bike system and comfortable bike lanes on most roads. What’s even better is that BU offers indoor bike parking at several locations, in a swipe-access garage with security cameras monitoring the area, to give you the best security for your bike. A strong U-lock is basically a requirement as well, as the cable locks are just too easy to cut, as I’m sure the BUPD showed you at Orientation.

So, when you’re preparing to come to school, think seriously about bringing your bike or picking one up here. You won’t regret it, and you’ll probably find some friends to bike with too!

See you in the fall (on my bike),

Jon

Sarah: Surviving the First Week

Hey everyone!

It’s hard to believe the Fall semester is almost upon us! Where did the summer go? While I was beyond excited to start college my first semester, I was also a little nervous. Big changes can be a stressful. Here are a few tips to make that first week a little easier.

Check out your classes beforehand.

It’s no secret that BU is a big school. The COM building and The College of Arts and Sciences are easy enough to find, but there are plenty of other classroom buildings on campus. During my first semester, I had one class in the Kenmore Classroom Building and one class in the Stone Science Building (I had no idea where they were either). It’s not a bad idea to check out where your classes are before they start. It’ll save you the stress of getting lost, and you can see how long it takes you to get from one class to the next.

Bring your order number when you pick up books.

If you have to pick up books at Barnes & Noble, be prepared for a pretty substantial line. Book pick-up is on the top floor (and is the hottest part) of the building. You only need your BU ID to pick up your books, but if you have your order number with you, you’ll move through the line much more quickly. Also, if you know you don’t need your books before the your classes start, try heading to the book store after your first day of classes.

Don’t bring your books to class on the first day.

Despite what I thought on my first day, your professors probably do not expect you to bring your textbooks to the first class, unless they tell you otherwise. This time is typically used for introductions and a syllabus overview (your hour-and-a-half-long class may only last 20 minutes!). There’s no need to lug around that 10-pound US History book. But, definitely come prepared with a pen and paper. For when you will have to carry those books around…

Buy a backpack!

Yes, I know – backpacks are dorky. Or, at least that’s what I thought going into college. I thought I’d buy a trendy over-the-shoulder bag and would be good to go. While these bags seem to work well for some people, my back didn’t stand a chance. I immediately went out a bought a backpack and haven’t looked back since.

Jason: Summer’s Coming to an End

Wow. It's pretty crazy that the summer is almost over. As you all know I stayed in Boston for a few different reasons.

My internship at WGBH has been a great experience. I have enjoyed working with the production team behind the upcoming JFK documentary and the rest of the American experience team. It has been a great opportunity because not only was I doing work directly related to the film but I know my colleges and other contacts I made in the last four months will be beneficial to my career.

The graduate thesis film I am producing is in post production and I am currently working with my director on financing. Unfortunately we did not have time before production to secure a budget so we are now working on fundraising. The film will be complete by the end of the fall semester so I should return from Spain in time to attend the screening.

Speaking of Spain, in the last few weeks I've found out my internship and the family that I'll be living with. My family is a mom, dad, and son who is 20 years old, and 3 dogs. The housing form for abroad programs that involve homes-stays is great because you can include a preference of the type of family that you would like to stay with. I will be interning with a documentary production company called Lopez-Li Films. One of my friends participated in the summer version of the Madrid internship program and she was happened to be also be at Lopez- Li Films. She said she had an incredible time with the 8 person team and was heavily involved in the company's work.

It'll be tough to not have my friends and family so close by for the four months that I'll be away but I'm extremely excited for the four month adventure that is to come.