COM Ambassador Blog

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

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

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

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.

Josee: A Journalism Major Walks into COM and Walks Out … Not in Journalism?

When I entered COM as a freshman, I wanted to live, breathe, and die on the journalism hill. With my sights set on international correspondence, I wanted to become a digital journalist covering the world’s stories. I had a passion rushing through my veins and a plan set in my heart.

After my experiences with The Daily Free Press, BUTV10, and WBUR, I found so many amazing mentors and upperclassmen who were driven, talented, and inspiring. If you want to study journalism, COM is definitely the place to be. I fell in love with covering stories around Boston.

Writing for the Freep, I felt like a professional from day one, running around with a notebook and a lot to learn. With BUTV10, I started producing the daily news show The Wire in my spring semester, and it all started to become real.

There’s a certain energy in COM. Sure, many of us run on little sleep and lots of coffee, but there’s a passion within the community. There’s this unsaid energy that is shared within your peers and your mentors. It’s something you can’t describe until you’re there.

At the end of freshman year, with international correspondence in mind, I started planning my dual-degree in international relations. With an IR degree, I had the chance to experience the sort of deep background I wanted to bring to the news desk. In all my classes, I looked at the course objectives through the lens of a journalist. Remaining impartial but observant - thinking about how social sciences and communications can interact.

Over the course of three years, including a semester in London and a summer in DC, I realized an evolution in my interests. At first it was hard letting go of my love for journalism. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it. But, through my internship experiences and international relations courses, I noticed that there were other avenues I had not discovered yet.

As I continued to grow through my time at BU, as a person, as a student, and into a semi-adult, I realized that I had to come to terms with the fact that my dreams and aspirations evolved as well. Now, I would love to merge my two interests in IR and journalism.

With the technical toolkit from COM and the academic background from Pardee, I want to use the power of narrative and storytelling to build bridges across borders. I’m not quite sure where it will lead me, but I definitely am excited.

Morgan: Boston, the secret music capital of the world?

Stand outside Marciano Commons and the sounds of Billy Joel or The Who can be overheard coming from Fenway Park. Right across the street, you’ll see the blue walls of the House of Blues. Cross the river to discover venues such as the Sinclair and Middle East. Wander down Commonwealth and you’re sure to catch glimpses of lines for the next show at Paradise Rock Club winding around Canes. Go farther west and you’ll find students looking for good food and partaking in the Allston Crawl mixed in with the crowd outside of Brighton Music Hall. Venture downtown to Tremont Street and the marquee lights of Royale, the Boch Center, and The Wilbur will draw you in. Jump on the T and hop off at North Station and catch the songs of artists at the top of the Billboard charts vibrating through TD Garden. And right here on our very own campus at Agganis Arena, unless the crowds are decked out in red hockey jerseys, it is safe to assume that our hockey arena has been transformed to house a big name superstar for that night.

Boston University may lack a football team or be far from extensive green space, but one thing we have in excess is accessibility to seeing live music—and thank god for it! School has been in session for just around two weeks and I have been so lucky to have attended two shows in that limited time period. I saw Pink Sweat$ and Tyler the Creator, and was able to get affordable tickets for them both. Concerts have a reputation of breaking the bank and it is understandable as to why that is. Musicians now-a-days are relying almost solely on streaming revenue to make money with the decline in physical record sales, which leaves artists making a fraction of a cent each time someone clicks their song on Spotify, Apple Music, or a like platform. In response, touring is what artists turn to make a more solidified income. As a result of this changing economy, I believe that artists are touring more than before, which has brought everyone from today’s biggest names like Post Malone and Lizzo, to smaller indie names like Mt. Joy (who I am obsessed with) or Omar Apollo to Boston’s venues.

It may seem like a trap knowing that all of these artists are performing so close to campus, when ideas of paying for concert tickets are overwhelmed with looming thoughts of paying for student loans, but live music is all around us and does not always come attached to a hefty price tag. I advise you look into artists playing at the smaller venues and listen to their songs. You may discover an artist that you end up loving and can have the satisfaction of saying you saw them (for cheap!) before they made it big. Personally I even prefer these smaller venues because you are able to have a more intimate experience with the performers often being just a few rows, or less, in front of you. Scrolling Facebook event pages or BU Free and For Sale pages can also connect you with students or others in the area reselling tickets for a steep discount because they can no longer attend for one reason or another. I did this for Tyler the Creator and was able to snag tickets for a quarter of it’s face value! The Boston area even has live jazz music at Wally’s Café or Beehive Restaurant, or if you’re looking for something completely different, Howl at the Moon features shows with dueling pianos. Another option is to take in the music of the talented street musicians that take over Faneuil Hall or Harvard Square. Boston may be known as “Beantown” or for being a “College Town,” but a layer of Boston that I believe doesn’t get enough credit is its abundance and love for good-old live, loud music.

Geneve: How to Make your Dorm/Apartment Look Home-y

I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve never understood why or how people can live with just plain sheets, three books on a desk, and a black lamp. Some people might say I’m extra. I mean, I won’t deny it. But throughout my three years at BU, I’ve had a great time putting up decorations of my favorite things and creating a space that I love coming home to every night after a long day of class and work. One really common misconception about my decorations is that I spent a ton of money in order to put everything together, but that’s just all false! I paid for all of my decorations myself, and as you know, #brokecollegegirl so these options are all super affordable! I also recycle decorations from year to year, which saves me a ton of money because I am not shopping like crazy every September.

Marble contact paper

This is probably the one trick that everyone asks about the first time they step into my room. Since freshman year, I was inspired by my friend who attends the other BU (what’s up Ally!) who did this when she moved in. I used to get my marble contact paper from Lowe's and actually pack it in my suitcase from home, but now I found that Target has rolls as well! I purchased this one and this one this one for my apartment currently. My biggest tips for putting the contact paper on is to cut it beforehand, use the grid on the back, and use an ID card to smooth out bubbles. If you can't smooth them out, take a thumbtack and poke a microscopic hole to get the air out that way!

Frames

I always thought it was B.S. that people put their wall art in frames, but it actually makes SUCH a big difference and makes your space feel more like home. The dollar store is actually just two blocks from where I live, so I get gold frames from there and print out designs I made on Canva. You can get super creative with this because you can literally print anything out and frame it for a polished look.

Clear your desk

Since freshman year, I've always taken the desk hatch off my desk. The desk hatch is the shelf thing that most dorm desks come with, and most people will store books or decor on it. I promise you, after I've done this and told my friends to do this, not one friend has kept it on. When you take the desk hatch off, it opens up so much more space on your desk and makes it feel less claustrophobic and more inviting to do work on. You might wonder, where do I keep the hatch then? I've put it under my bed or in my closet as a shoe rack, wherever space allows!

Get a rug

I don't care who you are, or what your style is. You can benefit from a rug. Rugs transform space instantly, help make cleaning for you easier, and make a great landing spot for your feet when you come home. Avoid white rugs, because although they will look nice the first few weeks you get them, they inevitably will start turning other colors. My go-to is a grey rug, because it literally never gets dirty, and doesn't close in a space like a black rug would. If you're feeling more fun, get a patterned rug. This is the only exception of having a lighter rug, because if there is a darker colored pattern on it, dirt will look less obvious. Also, don't be afraid to have more than one rug in a room! It helps you separate spaces. For example, I have a smaller, shag rug right by my bed for my feet when I wake up, but a larger area rug right next to it.

Wheels change your life

I got a three-shelf cart my freshman year and I have used it every year since then. There are metal utility carts, wooden carts, metal carts, and larger carts, so get any one that fits your style and taste. You can use them as a bar cart, as a bedside table, or a makeup station. The options are endless and they're super easy to take apart at the end of the semester.

Build your throw blanket collection now!

Throw blankets transform spaces, whether it's your living room or your bed. They also keep you warm at night when the heat isn't doing enough! They're also great because they add a new layer to your bed and are easy to change up when you get bored, especially if you get a reversible one. My favorite throws are either fuzzy sherpa ones or knit ones.

Lighting is key.

Most of the time, the dorm lights are really harsh and not inviting at all. String lights are a popular option to spice up your space. I used to use these globe lights in white because I thought they were a little more unique than the standard christmas lights. Since sophomore year, I've also been loving the pendant light, which is literally just an Edison bulb in a hanging pendant light that you plug in. I use a command hook to hang it off the ceiling and think that it gives off a more sleek, clean look than all-around lights.

Display mementos

80% of the things I have on my space are things that remind me of someone, something, or a moment in time. I also love to display things that people gave me. Don't get so focused on creating the "perfect aesthetic" and instead, choose some key colors to stick with and add in things that correspond and also remind you of the things you love most. For example, I bought this postcard when I visited the Camp display at the MET this past summer, the Kauai bracelet is something my mom got me as a surprise from our cruise trip to Hawaii, and the stone is from One Stone, a group I was in in high school that means a lot to me.

Keep it level!

There's now a level right on your phone with the "Measure" app, so you don't even need a friend around to give you a second eye when hanging things. Just make sure your phone has the rotation lock off.

Functionality

Lastly, the most important part of your space is functionality. It might be a bit too late now to move stuff around, but if it's not, consider it! Before I start unpacking in a new place every semester, I always assess the space to see how it may be more functional. The way the furniture was left by the previous person may not be the best way for the space to be optimized. For example, I always like to keep my dining table closest to the kitchen as possible. You don't want to be walking through a labyrinth of couches to put your dinner on the table. Extra tip: in small spaces, you might be tempted to push all your furniture as close to the wall as possible to optimize space. It'll actually look bigger if you pull each piece about 1 inch off the perimeter, because the space behind gives the illusion that there is more space than there actually is!

I hope these tips help you create a space you love! I'd love to see pictures of your decor and how you set everything up! Feel free to reach out to me glau99@bu.edu or via Instagram @genevelau!

Laura: Seeing Comm. Ave. From a New Light

I will never tire of walking up and down Commonwealth Avenue. Home of Boston University’s campus, stretching about a mile long.

Endless amounts of energy, students rushing to class, saying hi to friends old and new -- I love it all.

After being abroad last semester in Sydney, Australia I was really excited about returning to Bean Town for my senior year.

Experiencing the magic of Comm Ave for the past three years makes the view from my fourth year exciting, but different. Walking from my West Campus apartment to my East Campus classes I notice how much has changed, how much I have learned, and how confident I feel as I walk with a purpose. Long ago are the days where I wouldn’t be able to find my classroom in Kenmore, turning on Google maps in a panic, or leaving an hour before my class started to make it on time.

As I walk our iconic street and campus, I watch my memories unfold. The moment I decided I wanted to attend Boston University on my campus tour in 2015, matriculation, every first day of classes each semester, when the Patriots won the superbowl and the student body created a parade, and so much more. Every time I walk down Comm Ave I am reminded of so much Boston University has given me in friendships, following a career path, and growing up.

While Life Alive used to be a Panera and the bookstore used to be in Kenmore, these are not the only changes made on Comm Ave. This street holds memories and shows you how much you have learned about yourself. You learn that it does not take an hour to get from one end of campus to the other, but more importantly you gain a foundation of who you are. Now being in my last year I not scared about leaving because I know I can always return back to Comm Ave to remind myself of who I was as I walked this street each day and more importantly who I became because of it.

Steven: CLUBS CLUBS CLUBS (clubs)

Clubs open so many doors for you at BU and in COM, and for me, clubs have helped me find friends, gain professional experience, and find communities of like-minded people that have made this big campus feel so much smaller. I wanted to share my experiences with clubs on campus my first-year at BU, so hopefully you can learn from what I've learned. So without further ado, here is what I’ve learned about all things clubs.

The best thing about COM is its clubs.

Yeah, I said it *drops mic.* COM classes are great, don’t get me wrong, but the best experiences I’ve had as a student so far have come from the clubs I joined. As a Freshman, I signed up for both WTBU & BUTV10, our radio station and television station, respectively. These clubs are fun, but they also have academic value; through BUTV10 and WTBU, I figured out I really wanted to be a Film & Television major instead of a Journalism major. Without these clubs, I probably would have still been undeclared right now.

Clubs give you professional, hands on experience as soon as you arrive on campus.

I was amazed by how quickly I got hands-on experience through clubs. My third week at BU I walked into a radio show with no idea what being an intern entailed. I quickly found out that being an intern meant I was actually speaking, on-air, with a group of strangers I had literally just met. Within a year, though, those DJs became some of my closest friends, and I was SO much more comfortable using radio equipment and speaking to an audience.

At BUTV, I was immediately trained to use cameras, hang lights, set up boom microphones, and use recording software. The best thing about the television programs at BUTV was that I was able to dabble in many different aspects of television production, and find what I was interested in.

Clubs can help you find friends with similar interests.

Some of my best friends have been made through clubs at BU. Equally valuable, these friends are now professional contacts for my future career. I can’t understate how important clubs have been for me in making a campus of 16,000 undergraduates feel smaller. I truly feel like I’ve found a community through the clubs I’ve been in, and made my transition into college as smooth as possible.

Joining clubs and finding out what you’re not interested in is equally valuable as finding out what you are.

Perhaps the strongest piece of advice I can give you is that even if you drop a club, you still learned something. I dabbled in Journalism-oriented clubs my Freshman year, only to realize it wasn’t my main interest. I soon found that my academic interests weren’t aligned with my extracurriculars, and this realization helped me decide on changing my major. So dive in; join that acapella groups (even if you can’t sing), try out for that comedy group (even though you’re not funny), and find your COMmunity.

Remy: Why I Don’t Believe In Peaking

“Oh yeah, they definitely peaked in high school.” I’ve heard variations of this sentence all too many times. Whether people are using this term in regards to themselves or others, it is almost always used disparagingly.

People throw around the term “peaking” in reference to an individual or group of people who have reached their prime in some sort of activity or phase of life.

I do not believe this is an actual phenomenon. Whether we are saying it seriously or sarcastically, we need to stop saying “I/he/she/we/they have peaked.”

For starters, using the term about someone else is unnecessary. This goes back to the classic line you hear in elementary school, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Sure, sometimes we don’t intentionally use this term in a malicious way. However, there is nothing to gain from forming an unfair opinion on someone else’s personal timeline and success.

Ultimately, forming judgments about the people around us can only negatively affect us. For example, when I arrived back to BU this fall, I constantly was asking and answering the “how was your summer” question.

Especially among my COM colleagues, the most popular response to this was an overview of their summer internship. Almost everyone I talked to seemed to have fallen in love with their internship and were eager to share stories from their experiences.

Here’s the thing, I never once thought to myself that any of them were peaking (obviously by the title of this blog, you know I don’t believe in this). However, I did begin to doubt my own capabilities. As someone who learned a lot from their internship but did not necessarily fall in love with it, I was intimidated, even a bit jealous. I so badly wished I could have come back feeling confident in what I wanted to pursue after college, or even next summer.

My point in sharing this is to highlight that even when we are not directly stating that someone else has “peaked,” the peaking mindset can creep in. By this, I mean that I compared myself to others and let their experiences and success make me wish that I had done better or enjoyed myself more.

Therefore, the biggest flaw with the peaking conspiracy is that it causes us to compare ourselves to others’ success, timelines, goals, experiences, etc.

When I have overheard peers or friends use the term “peaking” about themselves, it has usually been in a comedic, sarcastic way. Their tone should make it easy to laugh with them, and for a moment maybe we do. However, even if the conversation only lasts a mere moment, I have noticed an underlying self-critical inclination in their voice and viewpoint.

We tend to look back at our accomplishments and sense that we have peaked when we currently feel like we are at a low point. If we did truly believe peaking exists, wouldn’t that be incredibly disappointing? What else would we have to look forward to? Again, the peaking mindset takes over and whether we are kidding or not, it can alter our motivation, mood and self-confidence.

Rather than comparing ourselves to others or mocking our own prior personal success, we should celebrate others’ success and let it inspire us. We should recognize our own strengths and accomplishments, regardless of their magnitude.

One of the most authentic things we can do is to simply be ourselves. There is no right or wrong timeline to follow. There is so much to learn from those around us, so instead of comparing yourself to others, congratulate them on their victories and continue pushing forward until you have your own.

At times, we may feel like we are peaking, but this implies that we are about to start heading on a downward slope. Work on changing your vantage point. Accept yourself, set goals, take your time, ask for help, don’t give up. Continuous effort and perseverance does not mean you are failing, it means you’re making progress.

There’s lots of mountains to climb so let’s stop declaring when we are peaking and assuming that this can only happen once. The descent down requires just as much energy as the ascent upwards. So let’s appreciate the journey.

Brady: Visit The Fenway Campus, You Won’t Be Disappointed

I’m just going to come out and say it.

The Fenway Campus deserves your respect, your attention, and your love.

It’s easy to forget about the new Fenway Campus, the former home of Wheelock College. Comprised of just a handful of street blocks along the Riverway, this previously private institution features classroom buildings, a library, a dining hall, a student theater, a variety of housing options for on-campus residents, and more. This was not some extension built to fill the needs of the larger Boston University: this was a fully developed college that thrived for decades before merging with BU.

Alright, so at least now you know the Fenway Campus exists. But what makes it worth your visit?

For starters, the recently-built Campus Center and Student Residences, simply abbreviated as CCSR, offers a complete dining hall, preparing a wide selection of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The physical size and number of food options of this dining hall may be inferior to that of its Charles River Campus counterparts, but I prefer to see it as a matter of quality versus quantity. The CCSR dining hall serves significantly fewer students on average than the Warren Towers Dining Hall, Marciano Commons, and the West Campus Dining Hall. Therefore, the staff can devote more time to maintaining the quality of their meals and tailoring their cuisine to the individual who will be consuming it. Not only that, but the decreased demand means that food lines are shorter, tables are always available, and the overall dining experience is much more relaxed. Oh, and they have lemonade, frozen yogurt, and the good fries. You know what I mean.

Away from its dining hall, the Fenway Campus presents a plethora of quiet study spaces, including the Earl Center for Learning and Innovation, another modern building with comfortable seating, a third-floor outdoor terrace, and few regular occupants. The Wheelock Family Theatre presents several series of shows throughout the year, and is capable of holding a larger audience than the popular Tsai Auditorium on BU’s Central Campus. There are also multiple green spaces available where students can get away from the speed and sound of city living and spend some time sitting in the fields before leaves and snow come to make the grass disappear.

Students often blame their ignorance of this additional campus on the distance it sits from the Charles River Campus. However, let’s try to put this walk into perspective.

From Marsh Chapel, which is commonly regarded as the geographical center of Boston University, a southbound walk across the St. Mary’s Street bridge, through the BU’s South Campus, and down Park Drive to the Fenway Campus will take the average student 15 minutes. A 15-minute trek headed west from the same starting location will see students only get as far as Agganis Arena, which is still well short of the residences and athletic facilities that Central Campus dwellers regularly frequent without a second thought. So, does that 15-minute walk to the Fenway Campus still seem so intimidating?

As a former Warren Towers resident now living in the aforementioned CCSR, I understand the feeling that everything a student could possible need is on the Charles River Campus. However, the BU Bubble is real, and it will not take long for students to start feeling that this fall. So, when you need to get away from the familiar confines of Commonwealth Avenue, always keep in mind that your new friend, the Fenway Campus, will welcome you with open arms.