Tag: Freshman Year

Stephen: COM and Beyond

I am a COM student. Naturally, I have many friends in COM. I spend lots of time in COM and love talking about COM as well. Basically, COM plays a huge role in my life now, and although I knew it would get to this point when I first came to BU, I didn’t quite realize just what else would be present in my day to day activities. I say all of this because I wanted to talk about something I mentioned during the first Spring Open House which came as a bit of a surprise to me once I arrived on campus.

When it was my turn to introduce myself as a COM Ambassador, I knew exactly what to say to answer the question “What did you wish you knew before coming to COM?” for all of the prospective students. I said how I was so surprised to find just how easy it was to interact with so many different students across all sorts of different disciplines and majors, and that I would spend a huge amount of time with them outside of the classroom.

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Coming into college, I always had the expectation that almost all of my friends would be from my program and that I might meet a couple people here and there on my floor from different majors but that would be about it. I had no idea that the environment I was actually being thrust into forced me (in a good way don’t worry) to meet new people and make friends wherever I can. At this point, a good majority of the people I hang out with are business students with the occasional engineer and bio major mixed in, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

I say all of this because I truly believe that interacting with as many different people as possible is one of the most important things you can do, not only as a student, but as a human being. You want to expand your horizon as much as possible and take in every experience that is offered to you so your perspective can adapt for our changing world. Quite simply, it helps you enjoy life to the fullest.

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An example of the COM world colliding with Questrom can be found with my good friend Jimmy. I met Jimmy through a GroupMe chat that was started prior to anyone arriving on campus. Jimmy and I both joined the specific chat as it was made for a focus area of BU’s First Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP – If you’re an incoming freshman, definitely take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity). We both bonded over our home state of Pennsylvania and the fact that we lived on the same floor, so we quickly decided to meet up and became fast friends.

Overtime, this friendship has grown and I’m proud to call Jimmy one of my closest friends. Where the collision between the worlds come in is BUTV10. I became a writer for the show COED and Jimmy decided to audition for a part I wrote. He got the job, and at this point, he’s getting a taste for what I’m truly interested in while also gaining new experiences for himself. On the other end, I have been able to get a glimpse into his world through his business fraternity DSP. I have gone to different events for the frat to understand what he goes through, and I actually took headshots for a lot of his peers during a LinkedIn workshop.

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As I’m sitting here trying to conclude this blog, words are truly failing me. All I can say is that BU and COM has been absolutely 100% fantastic oh man 10/10 it’s a masterpiece. If you’re a prospective student or perhaps a junior considering some options for application, don’t pass up on the opportunity to apply to this school. It may not have specifically what you think you need, but you’ll be surprised what opens up once you arrive on campus. I don’t have a single doubt about coming here and I’m only just getting started. I’m excited for what the future has in store – Go Terriers.

Casey: Boston is Not the Midwest

Seeing as this is college decision time for high school seniors, I thought I might share my experience.

I went to school and spent most of my time in Noblesville, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. Noblesville (and all of Indiana, really) is a lot like Sacramento is described in Lady Bird. It was a great place to grow up, I made some of my closest friends, and I learned a lot. But for much of my life, it also felt like a cage and left me feeling like I was missing out on the world and life, while many of my classmates were completely settled on the idea of staying there their whole lives.

But luckily, I found a way out early on. My mom was a BU grad, and told me a lot of her experience going to school here, of all the people she met, great things she learned and did that she could never have in the small city outside of St. Louis she grew up in. From the first time I heard of it, I knew BU was where I wanted to be. So as trapped as I felt, I always had a way out in sight.

About a year and a half ago, as I began to decide which schools to apply to, I only visited two colleges: BU, and DePaul in Chicago. To comfort my parents and guidance counselor, I applied to a couple other schools, of course, but anyone who knew me knew where I wanted to be.

Now, I arrive at the present. My gamble paid off, and I now have nearly a year under my belt at the school I’ve wanted to go to since I was 4. BU has been all I hoped it would be. I’ve gotten to meet amazing people from all over (the best ones being in COM, obviously), experienced great things, and learned a lot about myself.

Looking back, this entire story and experience that occurred across 15 years of my life taught me some of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned and will be invaluable to me as I continue my college career.

First, trust your heart. It knows what you want and where you want to go, even when you don’t. I just knew deep down in my gut that BU was the right place for me, and would get me where I wanted to go in life. My heart knew it, so I never questioned it. College involves making a lot of decisions, and it can be extremely stressful trying to figure everything out, and it can be difficult to see what you truly want. But even if you don’t know, your heart does. Try listening.

Second, remember where you came from. I know I just spent this article ripping apart my home state, but its true. As I said, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many people this year at BU from all over the world, and have learned a lot from them. But that's what you have to remember, just as you learn a lot by meeting all these great people, they also have a lot to learn from you. Where you come from shaped you and made you who you are. Embrace it. In the end, where you came from and how you grew from there is what will set you apart in college, and later, the world.