Tag: Class of 2020

Emily: My Boston Bookstore Bucket List

This year, I made a resolution to read for pleasure more. It may have something to do with all of my professors telling me to be a “consumer of culture”, but really I just love reading and bookstores. And, as the first month of 2018 comes to a close, I’ve had the terrible realization that I’ve only read one book (It’s Commonwealth by Ann Patchett)!! So, to inspire myself (and hopefully you), I’ve compiled my Boston Bookstore Bucket List (because the idea of cozying up with a coffee and a good book sounds way better than doing homework).

 

  1. MIT Press Bookstore

Okay, so I’ve technically already been here but I cannot recommend this bookstore enough. The MIT Press Bookstore, as the name suggests, features works from the MIT Press. They have an extensive selection of design, art, and science books (and a pretty nice music section). But what makes this store stand out from the others (Aside from the selection of coffeeshops surrounding the location) is the book designs themselves. I have never been more inspired by book covers before. If you’re into graphic design or art, this would be at the top of my list.

  1. Trident Booksellers and Cafe

Brunch in a bookstore? Trident says yes! So, I’ve also been here a few times, but I always want to go back! Trident has great food (I recommend the tofu scramble for my veggie friends) and an even better atmosphere. I could seriously spend all day here – and not just because of the free wifi. If you’re looking for good books or good gifts, or a good place to take a friend, this is the place to go!

  1. Brattle Book Shop

This is at the very top of my bucket list… look how cool it is!! Brattle Book Shop offers a vast  selection of used books, plus their outdoor bookshelves would make for a great Instagram (amiright ladies)?

4) Brookline Booksmith

Located in the always-cool Coolidge Corner, Brookline Booksmith is one of the most recommended bookstores in Boston! For aesthetics alone, this is at the top of my list (look at the fairy lights, it’s a Tumblr dream!) Brookline Booksmith has a huge variety, a used book cellar, and also sells audiobooks.

Hopefully this inspired you to hit your reading goals this year! Happy Reading!

 

Becca: Tips on Finding a Job the Summer after Sophomore Year

I started the fall of my sophomore year listening to my older friends talk about their stress surrounding summer internships. Their rambling started my nerves. “Do I need a job? Who is going to hire me?”  My resume was scarce, to say the least. I had worked at summer camp and a dance studio but my real life advertising experience consisted solely of Ad Club. I scrolled through pages and pages of advertising agencies websites until I noticed one consistency with all of the applications:

“We are only accepting applications from graduation years 2019, 2018 or earlier.”

“Only rising seniors and post-grads are eligible to apply. “

“Sophomore are ineligible to submit applications for this position.”

Even agencies in my hometown had similar rules for their internship applications. This can be incredibly disheartening, especially for students who feel ready to see what the “real world” is like. So, as promised, here are my tips on finding a summer internship in your field.

  1. Use your network.

LinkedIn is an amazing tool that gives you the ability to see who can jumpstart your summer job search. I used the chat feature to reach out to several of my older friends to get insight on where to look when your age feels like the biggest hurdle in getting a job. Also, don’t be afraid to use your parents and their friends to introduce you to players in your field. Most of the time they are very excited to offer help and their introduction might carry a little more weight.

  1. Research a TON!

When I don’t know how to solve a problem, my go-to is to understand it. In the fall, I spent a lot of my free time reading AdWeek and AdAge as well as drafting resumes and cover letters to send out to any HR staff whose email I could find. Through research, I also figured out which COM professors were key players in the field and could help me get a foot in the door.

  1. Nail the Interview.

If you get lucky enough as a sophomore to get asked for an in-person interview, prepare very thoroughly. Research the company and clients. Be familiar with major campaigns and their results. Examine their social media to get a feel for the culture and what they look for. Know the lingo about different programs and field jargon so you can speak their language.   The fear of employers with younger college students is the ability to fit a professional workplace. Quell their fears by coming in well dressed and well educated.

  1. Just Study Abroad

If you still can’t seem to lock down an internship with all those brilliant tips: just study abroad. BU offers a ton of international and domestic internships during the summer that provides you with a global experience.  BU works very closely with those that are accepted to go abroad to make sure you are fully experiencing what it is like to work in another culture. In addition, you will be adding relevant experience to your future resume. So if in doubt, just hop on the plane and go!

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Carly: “How’s the cold?”

If I had a single dollar for every time I heard this question, I would have enough money to buy a Canada Goose jacket for everyday of the week. Coming from California, I expected to have a hard time adjusting to the Boston climate. Or rather, everyone around me assumed that I would have a hard time living in cold weather.

College shopping for my mother and me included an extra leg of work: buying winter clothes for the first time. My mother, frantic about her child’s ability to survive the cold climate, called every single person she knew on the east coast to get their insight and advice on apparel. She was determined, it seemed, to prepare me to present myself as if I had spent my entire life managing snowy winters. But the truth was that I had spent my childhood and adolescence in sunny Southern California, questioning the existence of four seasons and praying for rainfall. I had never even seen snow before.

As a result, my parents -- and everyone else who asked me where I was headed for college -- seemed to think I would have a hard time with the cold. It was a ripe topic for conversation before I left and when I returned over Thanksgiving and Winter Break.

Unbeknownst to my friends and family back home, I never actually struggled with the cold here on the east coast. In fact, I really enjoyed it during my freshman year at BU. Sure, some days were harder than others, and I cherished every break I spent under the warm, dazzling California sun, but I genuinely enjoyed living in a cold climate. I loved watching the leaves change, and I shed a tear during the first snowfall. I basked in the joy of a cold holiday season, and I absolutely loved experiencing New England culture when I had the opportunity to explore the east coast. I spent a weekend camping in New Hampshire under radiant fall foliage, and I also spent a weekend trekking across suburban Connecticut to reach the Mohegan Sun, a secluded casino and concert venue. Not only did I fall in love with New England, but also, in fact, a part of me felt complete, as if I had been waiting all my life to live among Northeasterners and their classic Colonial architecture. And as I finished my first year of college and watched the Boston skyline recede from the window of my plane home, it hit me: I was an East Coast girl trapped in a West Coast body. And then it hit me again: if I was made to live on the east coast, where should I go after school?

I wish I could take everyone I love and care about from home and move them out here. I wish I could stay in Boston or New York over the summer and still be able to spend time with friends and family from home. Sometimes I even wish I had my car and the gorgeous California coast line on cold, blustery winter days. Thinking about the two lives I have on each coast is so frustrating that I convince myself I’ll never be happy, regardless of where I end up.

But the truth is that I will have many decisions to make as I start preparing for my professional career. Do I want to pursue filmmaking in my hometown of Los Angeles, in accordance with my anticipated Film & T.V. degree from COM? Or do I try pursuing foreign policy and diplomacy in Washington D.C., as my classes for my anticipated International Relations degree from CAS seem to convince me? Or do I want to apply to jobs in New York City, a place I’ve called my second home since the fifth grade and a city that never fails to fill me with a special sense of excitement and hope? A city that houses some of my closest friends from college and my own older brother?

Thankfully, I still have time to decide where I want to live after school. Even still, much of the decision will be out of my hands, as it greatly depends on where (and if) I receive employment offers.

But wherever I end up, I know I’ll keep a part of each coast -- and the people I care about on either side -- with me.