COM Ambassador Blog

Aidan: Open House Reflection

The temperature hit 70 yesterday, and COM had its first Open House for accepted students this past Saturday. All in all, a pretty stellar week. As a COM Ambassador, I sat in on many of the info sessions and talkbacks during the Open House, and got to meet a lot of excited perspective students. Perhaps I had forgotten, but I found myself reminded of all the factors that make COM an exciting and rewarding place to learn and work. I think every COM student, old and new, can be reinvigorated by some of the advice of Open House

1. Everyone here is here to tell a story.

Whether it be through an Ad Campaign, or a short film, COM students are here because they have something they want to say to the world. We come from all walks of life, all different parts of the world, and have unique experiences that we can share with others. COM students see the value in life events, and wish to convey messages to each other to help mankind in some manner. I think that makes us the most interesting students on campus

2. People who COM really love the field of Communication.

Pursuing any career in Communication takes guts. Some people accuse COM students of “taking the easy way out” for not majoring in some hard science or statistics. But that simply isn’t true. We all come to our respective majors because we know its what we love to do, and it is what will personally fulfill us in the end. Every COM student knows at times it will be hard, but we are ready for that. That makes us strong.

3. You get out what you put in

Attending Open House, it is clear that opportunity is the easiest and most rewarding thing to come across in COM. BUTV10, PRSSA, WTBU, every chance to refine a certain skill is readily available in COM. Just like in the job market all COM students will go into, we are taught right off the bat that, if you put yourself forward and do the work you want to be doing, you will get better and you will find more chances to advance. All the tools are there; it is just a question of how much you are willing to give to get what you want.

BU, we have an exciting new class of Freshman coming our way. If we can remember the excitement for COM that we had back then, and use that to continue our drive, this school and its products will only grow in quality.

Will: Gearing Up for Summer

Three more weeks left. Three. More. Weeks.

As soon as the sun comes out in Boston, it’s nearly impossible to focus on anything educationally important. Even during class, I find myself constantly thinking of all the activities I could be doing out in the sun instead: slack lining, running, laying, sitting, etc.

However, it’s these couple of weeks that end up being the most crucial in the semester. It’s the time of year when all the projects need to be turned in, the group papers need to be finalized, and the exams begin to flow over. And it’s at this point in time, that you’re strength of will is truly tested.

Even as I write this blog post, I catch myself looking out at the students lounging around on the COM Lawn. Such envy! But, I know that if I were to go outside now, when I have a blog post to finish, a video to finish editing, two papers to write, and a screenplay to critique, that I would hardly be able to enjoy myself.

Thus, the goal of lounging around on the fresh, green grass with nothing left on my plate to accomplish far outweighs the immediate temptation to ignore my tasks, head outside, and make things even more stressful in the days to come.

Happy Trails.

Hannah C: Freshman Housing

CONGRATUALTIONS if you’ve been accepted to COM, also known as the most spectacular place to receive a degree in the field of communication. In my book, that’s not an exaggeration. One year I received my own acceptance letter, I know just how pumped you are to be one step closer to joining the next generation of film directors, PR professionals, journalists, and creative directors. You should definitely be proud. You might even be #proudtobu.

If you’re one of the high school seniors who received a thick envelope and are seriously thinking about attending COM, make sure to check us out at our Open Houses April 12^th and April 19^th. If you’re unable to make those dates, you can take a tour of COM any weekday at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm. And, if you can’t to meet us at those times, I’m writing today to answer one of the most common questions I’ve received guiding tours: Where should I choose to live as a freshman?

Once you decide to become a BU student, the next step is filling out a housing interests survey. On it, you’ll rank your top housing choices and choose a meal plan. But which ones should be your top choices? Here’s a current first year’s take on some of your possible freshman residence options.

Warren Towers: Many freshmen in COM live here, since it’s right next-door to the COM building. If you’re the type to roll out of bed and into class, this is probably the dorm for you. There are also major-specific floors where COM students can live and learn together. It’s in the center of campus, amid Comm. Ave. excitement. There’s a Starbucks, a CityCo, and a Jamba Juice at street-level of the dorm.

West Campus: Located adjacent to Nickerson Field, the three dorms on West Campus have less of a city vibe and their own sense of community, although they are somewhat removed. Some students in West enjoy the walk home from classes and proximity to FitRec, our gym, and restaurants such as Canes or BugerFi.

The Towers: Nothing compares to living on Bay State Road, lined with its trees and brownstones, where this residence is located. The Towers dorm is near SMG, SED, and relatively close to CAS. It has single-sex floors, some of which are major-specific.

Kilachand Hall: If you plan to be a freshman in the Kilachand Honors College, this is where you’ll live. You may even have a class or two within the building. Also on Bay State Road, it is directly across the street from my personal favorite dining hall, Marciano Commons. There is a newly renovated study lounge on the first floor, as well as a study lounge on the ninth floor with great views of the Charles River and downtown Boston.

Hope this gives a bit more insight, and I hope to meet you soon!

Abby: Family Visits

This past weekend my mom was in Boston. She was in town for a National Science Teacher convention, but she had plenty of time afterwards to visit. I had so much fun being a tourist with her. We went on a Duck Tour and saw a Red Sox game, ate dinner in Harvard Square and did some shopping on Newberry. During her stay some logistic problems kept coming up so I wanted to share our fixes so when your parents visit it will be a great visit.

1. Have your family or visitors stay in a different area than your dorm. My mom stayed at the Park Plaza. It was great because whether we were around the hotel or by my room in East Campus and needed to drop something off, use the restroom or just rest we had a place to go.

2. Decide where you are going to stay while your family is here. The first night my mom was here we had dinner and then went our separate ways. Which was hard to do because we just wanted to catch up and visit, but I hadn’t packed an overnight bag so I had to go back to my room.

3. On that same note, if you do decide to stay with your parents make sure you pack everything. Since I’m from Florida, my mom doesn’t have a winter coat so she borrowed one of mine as well as a scarf and gloves. We kept forgetting things in my room that we needed at the hotel or vice versa.

4. Take advantage of being away from campus. Having your parents here is a nice excuse to unwind and escape from the stress of classes and campus. (At the same time though don’t forget important due dates. I did a little bit of homework in advanced so I could have a weekend “off”.) Enjoy going to sights and restaurants you may normally not go to during a normal weekend. My mom and I had fun exploring Cambridge and the Waterfront.

Kerri: 5 Tips for Making the Most of Summer

In the last week, Boston has seen a big change (better late than never) as the weather has finally changed from the winter cold to a sunny spring. With this nice weather on the horizon it can only mean one thing for BU students. Summer is just around the corner. Here's a few ways for everyone to occupy their summer before classes are back next fall.

1. Read a good book

Whether you are on the beach or in bed, a good book is always a great way to escape for a few hours. Here is a list of some of my favorite books (I included a wide variety of genres!):

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2. Catch up with old friends

Summer is the perfect time to catch up with your friends from high school. My group of friends and I try to make the most of summer with weekly dinners, trips to the beach, and just spending quality time together!

3. Internships or summer classes

Gaining experience in a career field or industry is the best way to find out whether you enjoy a certain career and a crucial step in standing out during the job application process.

Summer classes are another great way to utilize the summer months. Completing a class over the summer not only allows you to put your full concentration on one subject but it also lessens the amount of stress during the fall and spring semesters!

4. Explore the closest city to you

One of my goals for this summer is to venture out to New York City more. I live about an hour outside of the city but I rarely make the trip in. This summer I want to check out some of the city’s delicious restaurants, visit the museums, and enjoy the lively atmosphere of the big apple!

5. And most importantly… RELAX and enjoy the WARM weather!

Whatever your summer plans may include, make sure you enjoy every second of it because before you know it you’ll be back in Boston for fall semester!

Steph: Markets Galore

Since being abroad in London, I’ve come to find a bunch of differences between the US and the UK. For example, you should never tell someone that you like his or her pants if you want to avoid extreme embarrassment. Pants in the UK = underwear. Trousers = pants. Not saying that this comes from personal experience or anything...

One of the more fun, less embarrassing differences is that London is totally on their game when it comes to markets, and America should take note. Any given day of the week, especially Sunday, there are so many different markets in cool areas to explore. Here are a few you must check out if you ever make it across the pond!

Borough Market

Borough is probably one of my favorite places in all of London. Being as obsessed with food (and free samples) as I am, this place is heaven on earth. They have everything from the freshest produce, to fish, to cupcakes, to bread, to food stands, to mulled wine….My personal favorite is the Pie Minster food stand, where you can get any kind of traditional pie with mashed potatoes, mushy mint peas, and gravy on top that looks like this:

Need I say more?

Portobello Road

Portobello Road is an antiques market in the super cool area of Notting Hill. All the houses are colorful and you can get some really great leather goods if you don’t mind sifting through millions of piles. It’s always packed, but for good reason. There is always something fun to find.

Brick Lane

While Brick Lane is mostly known for it’s multitude of delicious curry restaurants, the long street is also home to a flea market on Sundays! If you’re into vintage clothing, this is the market for you. There are tons of stands and shops to browse for authentic clothes from the 1950s, or just some old sweater from a Philadelphia Relay for Life for your hipster self (true story). A must is a stop at Brick Lane Beigel Bake (yes, its Bagels, but they spell it weird. Silly Brits!). I had one this morning with loads of cream cheese and it made me feel right at home

Cant believe I’ll be back in the States in exactly 20 days!! While I never ever want to leave England, I have to say that I am really looking forward to being back on Comm Ave. Until then, cheers!

Dany: Hello and Goodbye

First of all, a big congratulations to all of you newly accepted COM Terriers! I’ve already met a few of you guys in our admissions office for Admitted Student Visits, and I can’t wait to meet the rest of you at our Open Houses these next two weeks.

As a senior, this is my last blog post as a COM Ambassador which sadly means I won’t be around campus next fall to help you guys adjust and watch you grow into amazing professionals. I know you must all know exactly how I’m feeling, being seniors yourself in high school. It’s time for your next big chapter, and that can definitely be a little overwhelming.

So here a few final pieces of advice, from one senior to another:

1. Sign up for everything. Your freshman year is about jumping out of your comfort zone. The great thing about BU and COM is that there’s no hierarchy or requirements for joining clubs and organizations. Go to meetings, get on email lists, talk to the E-Boards. This is your chance to try a little bit of everything. And when you find something that sticks, dive into it heart and soul.

2. Explore the city. I cannot stress this enough. Don’t wait for the weekends to make plans. Grab dinner in the North End on a Wednesday night. Have a picnic in the Common on a Monday afternoon. The weather gets cold quick so take advantage of any free moment. Let yourself be a tourist. Because it’s amazing how you can live somewhere and never visit it.

3. Be nice to people on the way up. You might meet them again on your way down. College isn’t a straight line - it’s a roller coaster. And along the way, you’re going to meet some truly remarkable people. People who will go out of their way to help you. Always look for the next opportunity to return the favor. The most valuable thing I’ve learned is that COM isn’t a competition. It’s a community.

You are all part of our COMmunity now. Even though I’m graduating this May, please don’t ever hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. You guys are in for a phenomenal ride. Make the most of it!

Congratulations again, and welcome to Boston University!

Stacy: Want to Take Summer Classes?

Hey COM! So, I for one want to take classes this summer, but I also want to go back to my home in sunny Florida. Well guess what, this is possible! With transfer credits, you can accomplish some general education classes in your COM freshman / sophomore requirement.

I recently met with a COM academic advisor, so I’ll share what information was helpful for me in figuring out my summer, and hopefully it’ll help you too!

So a few facts about taking classes at another college during the summer:

They don’t count towards your BU GPA. What this means is that as long as you get at least a C in the course, you’ve checked off a requirement. So I would advise taking a class in one of your weaker subjects, just in case. You don’t want to weaken your BU GPA!
Say you want to take a history class, for example. You’ll need to get a transfer credit form from COM Student Services, along with a syllabus for the class you want to take, and take it to the Department of History so they can verify the class is a valid equivalent to a class at BU. Do this step before enrolling in the course at the other college. You want to make sure the credit will count!
Once this form is approved, take it back to COM and they’ll put the form in your personal file.
Once summer is over and you complete the course, send a transcript of your final grade to COM and you’ll be all set!

Summer classes are a great way to complete requirement classes. This way you’ll have more time to take classes specific to your major! Hope this has been helpful towards your summer planning. After all, summer is only one month away!

Anneliese: Boston Outdoors

Currently sitting in the sun as I write this blog, I’m so obviously inspired by this gorgeous weather. Now that spring has finally sprung, it’s time to start taking full advantage of the great Boston outdoors.

SoWa Vintage Market

SoWa open-air market is now up and running again after a brutal winter. I took my COM freshman group in the fall and it was fantastic then, so I can’t wait to see what’s in store for spring. There’s a delicious farmer’s market portion of the bazaar, as well as vintage treasure and handmade art vendors. Even if you’re not looking to shop, you should definitely hit up SoWa to check out the awesome food trucks and local music!

The market is open every Sunday. More info at the following link:

http://www.newenglandopenmarkets.com/sowaopenmarket/

Amory Park, Brookline

Obviously, there’s Boston Common and the Boston Public Gardens, if you fancy a stroll in the sunshine. However, one of my favorite nature-y spots in the city is Amory Park in Brookline. There’s a cute pathway through the trees, plenty of green space to play a game of Frisbee or some soccer, and—best of all—there are always tons of dogs around. It’s quieter than the Common, and I love sitting beneath the giant maple trees while looking up at the gorgeous Brookline homes.

Located at 45 Amory Street, in between the Hawes St and Kent St T-stops.

Lunch at Dorado

For some reason, I equate good weather with Mexican food. My favorite Mexican place in Boston is Dorado, located just past Coolidge Corner. They have amazing fish tacos, the BEST guacamole (sorry, Chipotle lovers), and seasonal fruit juices—the watermelon juice was super weird and super delicious. Stop by Dorado to sit outside at one of their adorable picnic tables while sipping Coca Cola from a glass bottle. How quaint.

401 Harvard St., Midway between Beacon & Comm Ave, Brookline, MA 02446

Donald: Study Dance Breaks

It’s that time of the semester again - papers are due, exams are coming up, and life just seems extremely chaotic all the time. Studying can be extremely stressful, and before you know it, you can spend hours with your face buried in a book. My friends and I have established a bizarre way to relieve stress during our study sessions.

When the clock hits a new hour, we all stop studying and get up and just dance to one song. It might sound really silly, but taking 5 minute breaks to just move around and act like complete idiots really does help us relieve stress. It’s great to forget about all of the work we have to do and all of the information we have to memorize and just have fun.

Since I strongly believe you should try it some time, here’s a list of songs that are particularly great to dance to:

Let’s Dance To Joy Division - The Wombats
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Dance, Dance, Dance - Lykke Li
I Am The Lion King - Papa
Swing Tree - Discovery
Don’t Slow Down - Matt and Kim
All Of This - The Naked and The Famous
D.A.N.C.E. - Justice
3AM - Kate Nash
Tennis Court - Lorde
Airplanes - Local Natives
Air Balloon - Lily Allen