Magdalene: Why You Should Shop Local, Even In College

You’re running on fumes and need a pick-me-up. And there it is, in the distance – Warren Towers Starbucks. The overpriced caffeine penetrates your bloodstream and with relief comes an unshakable feeling of shame for not buying local. This is obviously a highly dramatized account, but I think we could all (myself included) do a bit better at shopping local. 

Why shop local? Great question. There are several answers. On a basic level shopping local is a great way to not only support the community but also to get to know people you may not interact with on a regular basis. Making intentional choices about where to put your money can help stimulate the local economy and therefore keep more of your dollars within the community. Food that is sourced locally is more “green.” There is less travel time between where the food is grown and sold. Eating seasonally is also cheaper and arguably more delicious. (Which is great for those of us trying to save wherever we can!) 

A few suggestions around BU:  

Pavement Coffeehouse 

736 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Local coffee shop in Boston with multiple locations, one being right on campus. Fills up quickly but is a great place to meet friends and professors between classes. Quality coffee and tea plus yummy bagels, too. 

Taqueria El Barrio 

1022 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Quick counter-service Mexican restaurant. Really delicious and authentic tacos among other dishes.   

Farmers Market 

775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Held at George Sherman Union Plaza on Thursdays from September 5 to October 24. This is a fantastic and convenient way to buy from local vendors who care about sustainability. Select vendors sell unique art, as well. 

The Goodwill Store 

965 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215

Well not exactly a “local business” per se, going thrifting is a sustainable way to be a fashionista without hurting the environment. This Goodwill is a prime donation spot for BU students, so you can actually take home some really great finds for little cost. 

This is obviously not a comprehensive list. Just a few of my favorites. ☺ 

Feel free to reach out with any questions! My email is: jsoule@bu.edu

Frank: Is Abroad Really That Cheap?

You’ve heard the tale. “A semester abroad is cheaper than one at BU.” I heard it on my first tour of COM. I’ve heard fellow COM Ambassadors say it on their tours. I’ve even said it on my tours and now that I’m abroad in London, I’ve gotta say the rumors are true. A semester abroad is definitely cheaper than one at BU. Well, um, it’s technically cheaper. 

It’s true that when the semester bill came I did end up paying less, but I failed to account for a few things when I applied for my abroad semester. The first one being maybe the most obvious: airfare. I’m from Puerto Rico. I’ve been hoping on planes all the time to get back and forth between home and BU, but for some reason the fact that I’d have to pay for an even more expensive plane ticket to Europe completely slipped my mind during the whole process. Imagine my surprise when the modest $160 plane tickets I usually bought so far off in advance had become almost $800 ones. Buying these tickets also proved to be a terrifying endeavor. Like, I know Boston and I know Puerto Rico. They each have like one airport and a half. London has three airports. Three full airports. Can you even imagine how terrible the headaches me and my mom had while trying to buy these tickets? Thankfully BU offered a group flight, or else I really would have not figured it out... Like really? Three airports? Do you really need three airports?

Another thing I just fully blanked on was the fact that both the UK and Europe have their own currency. “What? They don’t use American dollars?” Yeah, they don’t. I know. Crazy. A non-american country that won’t take American dollars? It’s honestly preposterous. The thing that stings most about it though is that you essentially have to become an economist while you’re abroad. Every single day, you wake up, brush your teeth, check the updated conversion rates, and cry because you’re not living in the parallel world without borders and a shared currency. Oh and also: did you know that banks have a thing called “international transaction fees”? It’s as terrifying as it sounds. Essentially every time you pay for something with your American card the higher ups at your bank go “hmm, this poor fool seems to be out of the States, how about we make them pay for the mere attempt to use their money, won’t that be a hoot!,” and then they have a big ol' laugh as they strip between 25 to 50 cents from your bank account. Yeah, well I’d like to see you laugh when I decide to start Venmo-ing all my friends for groceries. You’ll get these 25 to 50 cents from my cold dead hands. 

You might think I’m having a miserable time abroad. That honestly couldn't be farther away from the truth! I’m truly enjoying my time here in London! London is a great city that I honestly wouldn’t have been able to visit were it not for BU. I’ve gone to Spain and Ireland, I’ve met some really cool people here in the abroad program and in the general London area, and I’ve taken some of the most fun and interesting classes in my entire college experience. I can’t really put into words how much of a great time I’m having. Honestly, I think every BU student should go abroad AT LEAST once! But only if they can afford it. What I’m trying to say with all this is that you should really think beforehand if you should go abroad. As much fun as I’m having, if I didn't have a job during the summer I would probably be struggling really hard to get by. Going abroad is actually a bit of a strain on your wallet and like every big financial decision you make, you should really think it over. If I started saving up money for abroad earlier than this past summer, I would honestly be less stressed about the whole experience. So before you pay that $55 non-refundable application fee remember that when COM Ambassadors say it's cheaper to go one semester abroad, they only mean it technically. Really think about if you want to go abroad before actually going. Or go to DC or LA. Those might be actually cheap. I hear they take US dollars.

Carlee: It’s Okay if You Aren’t Ahead of the Game

I am currently in my junior fall semester, and I just started my first internship this week.

I’m ABROAD, too!!! As a junior, I always felt so much pressure during my past semesters to have an internship, especially while getting my education in a school as hard-working and career-devoted as COM. The environment in COM is definitely motivating, and I love that about it, but at times it can lead to feelings of falling a little behind. I’m here to shed some light on waiting to get your first internship and why that worked out best for me and my career plan. At the end of the day, we all move at different paces and follow our own path!

I was super busy with extracurriculars

During my past two school years, I always found myself insanely busy with on-campus activities. I know that if I did each of my extracurriculars plus classes plus an internship, I would feel overwhelmed and wouldn’t be able to enjoy life as much; I most likely would have had to give up one or two of my activities. Because of the relevant experience I gained from those extracurriculars, I still have cool things to plug on my resume, even without an internship. BU students are honestly superheroes – we’re always on the grind!!

I’m a double major

You know what they say – classes always come first. I took two classes this past summer, during the same session, and doing that left little room for an internship. They crammed a full semester’s load of work into 5 weeks! With those classes I also worked with BU orientation as a sustainability ambassador and made such heart-warming memories, so sometimes valuable experiences can lead to as much personal growth as an internship would. This summer schedule also allowed me to work to save money for abroad, too!

I’ll still graduate having at least three-four internships under my belt.

Compared to other schools, three-four internships are a lot! Many students across the country graduate having worked about one or two, so we are lucky that BU gives us the foundation to work more. Now that I’m a few days into my first internship, I do already know that I love working. I’m feeling very excited for my future internships and very happy to have finally stepped foot in the career world!

We really do all move through life according to  whatever works best for us, and the beautiful thing about humanity is that we’re all unique in our own ways. Also, if you are currently a junior and haven’t had an internship yet, please don’t let this stress you out about it; you’re all good! What matters most is that we enjoy whatever we’re doing, because before we know it, we’ll be saying our final goodbyes to COM.

Shaun: Some thoughts on, and from, a co-op

I know what you’re thinking — aren’t co-ops a Northeastern thing? If I had wanted to take a semester off of classes to go work, wouldn’t I have gone to school on the E Line, not on the B Line?

Maybe, but hear me out when I say that, even for a BU student, a co-op can be a fantastic experience and a great way to break up the rhythm of classes. I’m doing a co-op this semester at The Patriot Ledger, a daily newspaper based in Quincy, Mass. that covers about 30 cities and towns south of Boston. That means I’m not taking any classes; instead, I commute to and from an office each workday like a (semi) adult. I still live on campus and eat in the dining halls, but I haven’t done a lick of schoolwork since May. 

I’m really happy that I chose to do a co-op, and while I know it's an uncommon thing for a BU student to do, it’s something I would suggest considering if you have the space in your schedule. Many COM students will have that space, I’ve found, and it’s an experience that can show you firsthand what a future career could look like on a daily basis. 

Luckily, I still like what I’m doing — print journalism — after almost five months of doing it for 40+ hours a week. That’s the big risk you take with a co-op. It’s a bigger commitment than most internships are, so if you hate it, you’re kind of stuck for the long haul. But if you love it, I don’t think there’s any better way to get real-world experience in your field as an undergraduate student. 

I’ve also found that my co-op is a nice break from the rhythm of classes and, especially, exams. I know it’s midterm season on campus because my friends are busy studying, but for me, it’s just been like any other couple weeks. In fact, I’ve almost found my life has more structure nowadays than it did at any point before in my college career. I wake up at the same time, eat at the same time, commute at the same time and get home at the same time every weekday.

And I think that when the time comes, I’ll be more than ready to get back into that full-on college student rhythm. So yes, I know we don't go to Northeastern. I know ours is the B Line, not the E. But consider a co-op, anyway!

Kaya: Biking Out of the BU Bubble

When I was a freshman, one of my first weekend adventures in Boston was on a bike: pedaling along the Charles River, ogling at the sights and navigating through the city’s West End where the Esplanade hits the Museum of Science. It was an amazing way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time and to see the places that weren’t as accessible on foot or by the T.

But after that inaugural ride, biking in Boston (and borrowing my roommate’s bike) fell to the wayside as I grew accustomed to the wonders of the BU Shuttle and the far reaches of the Green Line. It wasn’t until this year, when I started my internship at America’s Test Kitchen in the Seaport (hey there, CA Jamey!), that I rediscovered the wonders of taking on the city on two wheels.

I use Bluebikes, Boston’s citywide bikeshare program, to get from point A to point B — and oh, what a difference a bike makes! Instead of squeezing onto a rush-hour train underground, I’m lucky enough to cruise past Boston landmarks like Fenway Park, Copley Square, and the Boston Public Garden as I pedal my way down Boylston Street. While walking through the city gives you the chance to soak up all the sights and sounds, there’s something blissfully breezy about gliding past buildings and watching the landscape blend together at a low-to-moderate speed. (Just keep an eye out for the cars, too). 

But the real magic of the bike is that it takes me outside the BU bubble — that cozy hub that stretches along Comm. Ave. and bleeds into the edges of Back Bay, Brookline and Allston. Biking takes me outside of the far reaches of the Green Line and into a whole experience of Boston. 

While riding to work, I get to watch Chinatown wake up and the throngs of people head to their offices at South Station. I get to marvel at the shiny, towering behemoths of the Seaport and take in the sights and the smells of the harbor while I get my blood pumping and wake up myself. The ride home is even better: I take the scenic route through the North End, fueled by the sounds of a lively neighborhood (I once overheard an outdoor opera concert!) and a whiff of something delicious from one of the dozens of incredible restaurants. These are places I probably wouldn’t stumble upon if I weren’t following bike paths and lanes, and gliding around from the perch of my seat feels all the more exciting in these previously-undiscovered areas. 

My ride home also takes me along one of the most beautiful stretches of bike path in Boston: the Charles River Esplanade (and during golden hour, no less!). Riding along the river — and dodging the occasional scooter-er — is a great way to decompress after a day at work, and it allows me to savor the sights and sounds of the city we’re so lucky to call home instead of tuning them out. (Yes, this blog is getting soft and mushy, but I’m a senior and I’m very soft and mushy!)

As the weather gets chillier and riding the T becomes more of a necessity, I find myself wishing I had started biking around the city much earlier than I did. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors: if you can bike, do. It’s a wonderful world out there — so strap on a helmet and see for yourself!

Lindsey: It’s Still Hot Out.

Welcome to Boston. The city where it can be 61 degrees and pouring one day and 80 degrees and sunny the next. Between your light fall jacket, heavy winter coat, t-shirts, sweatshirts, raincoat, sweaters (the list goes on, and on, and on), you need a lot of different garments to survive out here in New England. One thing I’ve been trying to figure out for the past three years is how to pack for school. 

As a notorious overpacker, I’ll be honest, I still haven’t mastered it yet. However, this year, I made a conscious effort to pack only what I needed and leave behind the unnecessary things. Here are some of my tips and tricks for packing to live in Boston weather:

Bring shorts, but not too many. 

Like I mentioned in the title of this article, it’s still hot out. But, the truth is, no one will notice if you’ve been wearing the same three pairs of shorts for the last four weeks (as long as you wash them). Just pack a few pairs of shorts, because unfortunately this weather is not lasting long. 

T-shirts are your best friend. 

Probably right now, you are sweating through two t-shirts a day as you walk to class like the rest of BU students. That’s fine because you need a lot of them. If there is one thing to overpack, it’s your t-shirts. Even after the weather cools down, classrooms turn up the heaters and it can get very hot inside (#layer). 

Your parents can mail you things. 

Also, if you just really feel like you don’t have enough summer clothes for now, have your parents mail you stuff. This is how I survived my first two years. And then, I mail back the clothes once I’m done wearing them. 

I hope you like jackets.

You need a lot of jackets. And, you’ll accumulate overtime (especially if you’re from a warm weather state, like me, and never have lived in the cold before). I like to bring a light jacket (like a jean jacket) to wear during the first month of school, a raincoat, a light down jacket for the fall, and of course, the heavy duty winter coat that you could survive in Antarctica with if you needed to. (Tip: Get your Antarctica-level coat during Black Friday over Thanksgiving! You won’t need it until December, usually.)

Buy storage zip pouches. 

Your dorms have little to no closet and drawer space, so having clothes for every season is hard to fit. If you decide not to bring home clothes over break, put your summer clothes in a storage bin or zip-pouch thing (they sell them at Bed, Bath, & Beyond) and store it under your bed. This way you have room for all the important stuff -- those bulky sweaters. 

Although the fall weather and soon winter weather is fast approaching, enjoy this beautiful weather while you can and get some Vitamin D. Feel free to email me at lindseyr@bu.edu with any questions 🙂 

Sophia: What to do with all that time!

Class schedules are a beast of their own. A lecture at 10am, a lab at noon, and then nothing else until those sweet sweet COM night classes. Not to mention you're (hopefully) not taking all of your classes in one day, so you'll probably end up with weird gaps between classes. How do you fill this time? Too short to pick up a shift at work, too long to go wait by your next class, just the right stretch of time to leave you lost. Fear not readers! I've spent four years figuring out all the activities that can fit into those odd class gaps, and below I've listed a few of my favorites!

Bake cookies

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I'm not a good cook. That said, even I can scoop dough and pop it in the oven. Pre-made cookie dough is your friend, although if you have the time to make your own more power to you. If you're one of the lucky Terriers living in a dorm with a kitchen, making a quick batch of cookies between classes is a nice way to shut your brain off for awhile. Plus, you get cookies.

Dogwatch outside COM

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The people of Boston like their open spaces, and lucky for you COM student, we have an open space right outside our door! The COM lawn is a magnet for doggos, and with ample seating from various angles there's always a way to enjoy the company of these good boys. Beware! The winter weather is on the way, and with it the puppers appear less frequently. Get out there while you still can!

Listen to a podcast

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Okay, it doesn't technically have to be a podcast, but listening to something informative or just enjoyable is a great break from a day of listening to things that may not be quite so aligned with your interests. Personally, I listen to a Power Rangers recap podcast, but there are plenty of niches out there. True crime, Dungeons and Dragons, manners, history, everything on WTBU, the possibilities are endless!

Actually start on an assignment

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I had to put it on here I'm sorry, but if you have a free hour you probably could get a little work done on that reading you were assigned. We are students after all.

Anna: A New Approach to The School Year

“This summer, I studied abroad in Madrid and it was an experience like no other...” 

…but studying abroad didn’t exactly “change” my life, it just brought to light a different side of me that was always there. My time in Madrid still impacts me to this day and is why I’m going about this school year with a whole new perspective! These are my biggest takeaways from this summer:

Becoming more aware of time

Studying abroad pushed me to be more aware of the time that I have (and as college students, we have very, very limited time!). My abroad program was only 6.5 weeks long--and while that sounds like a lot, it really isn’t. Coming back to BU, this realization of time pushed me to get involved with only the things I truly wanted to do and be with the people I wanted to be around. 

Doing things with confidence

I became more confident in who I am after this trip. Being in a country where no one knows you and you don’t have to fear that you look “weird” is a pretty great feeling. And studying abroad pushed me to be that person even in Boston. I became more grounded in my decisions and less afraid to speak up for the things I believe in. Once I started doing that, I not only became more confident but also happier!

Seeking adventures

A lot of my friends say I have the travel bug now because while my study abroad adventures ended when the program ended, the desire to explore the world continued. The northeast is a pretty great place to live, and as students, we have access to so many states and cities! Since coming back, I’ve grasped a new beauty for meeting new people and discovering new places. (It’s important to get out of the BU bubble too!)

Studying abroad was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. It pushed me in ways I could’ve never imagined both mentally and physically. The breakdowns I had made me stronger. The friendships I made, I know, are lifelong. Most importantly, studying abroad has given me a new sense of purpose for the rest of my college career at BU, pushing me to do the things that bring me joy!

Jamey: Commuter’s Test Kitchen

This semester, I’m an intern in the TV/Podcast/Video Department at America’s Test Kitchen, an independent multimedia company focused on a trial-and-error approach to the culinary arts. I’ve been working at their (incredibly cool) office/kitchen/studio space in the Innovation and Design Building at the Seaport, helping them with the production of one of their two cooking shows: Cook’s Country. ATK chooses their recipes very carefully by tasting and testing every ingredient to try to get the most delicious recipe. I’ve had the honor of working as a taster during my internship, and it is definitely the most fun task for which I have been paid. $12 an hour to try different types of chocolate cake all day? I’ll take it. If you join their website, you can see that they often publish TASTER’S REVIEW to announce their findings.

So far, working at America’s Test Kitchen has been an absolutely incredible experience, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. What I am not grateful for, however, is the commute to the Seaport from the Innovation and Design Building.

If you are not yet familiar with the geography of Boston, the Seaport is just about as far from BU as a place in Boston can be! So, for this blog post, I thought I would do a COMMUTER’S REVIEW in the style of an America’s Test Kitchen tasting review,

NOT RECOMMENDED: Uber/Lyft 

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While Uber and Lyft can be incredibly convenient services for short rides, it is very hard to get an affordable ride to and from the Boston Seaport. I have yet to see a price under $20 on either app around the beginning and end of the work day. On top of that, the traffic to get downtown can be extremely slow getting into the Seaport, so you will not save much time. 

RECOMMENDED: MBTA 

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The T may be the most obvious and popular choice for a commute from BU all the way downtown, and there’s a reason for that. Once you get the hang of it, the T is a wonderful and easy-to-navigate service that costs very little and can get you to the Seaport in about 45 minutes. However, you have to keep in mind that the trains can be extremely cramped between 8am-10am and 4pm-6pm, so be prepared with a Plan B if it’s too full! (Pro Tip: If the Green Line is too full, try to take the 57 bus down to Kenmore station and get on a C line train from there. The C line tends to be the least full!)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: BlueBikes

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While BlueBikes have been on campus since my freshman year, I’m embarrassed to say I just discovered how wonderful this service was two weeks ago! I signed up for a membership after finding that the T was constantly full, and now I’ve biked to work almost every day. This option is the best because it never takes more than 40 minutes to bike to the Seaport, you can always rely on a bike station being nearby, you get in your daily exercise, AND it’s much more sustainable than any engine-run transportation! One thing to keep in mind is that you should not be using a BlueBike to get to the Seaport unless you are familiar with the route enough that you don’t have to look at your phone. GPSing while biking can be extremely dangerous. Also, NEVER bike without a helmet! In Boston, cars can get quite close to the bike lane, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

MK: Taking Courses Outside of Your Major

Here in COM we like to stay in our bubble of communication oriented people. Whether we’re exchanging headlines or memes, it’s pretty easy to get caught talking about the same topics with different people. When things start to get monotonous though, I feel like I always find myself diving into my courses outside of COM. I feel so lucky to go to a school with incredible programs across all colleges, and I can’t stress how important it is to explore courses outside of your major and college. 

Early on in my collegiate career, I remember my advisor confessing his favorite course to me: a Mozart course. Despite his business major, whenever he looked back on his favorite classes in college, the Mozart course always stuck out to him. Ever since we had that meeting, I’ve changed the way I thought about my course selection. Instead of focusing only on courses that could reap more practical, ‘real-world’ skills I tried looking for different courses, ones that piqued my interests outside of my desired career path.

We have our whole lives to learn plenty of practical skills in the workforce, we only get to take college courses during our years in college. Looking back on the past three years, my opinions have started to align closely with my advisor. Some of the most impactful courses I’ve taken, courses that I would deem my favorites, didn’t count for my major and existed outside of our COM bubble.