{"id":3092,"date":"2017-04-21T14:00:13","date_gmt":"2017-04-21T18:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/?p=3092"},"modified":"2017-04-20T12:10:42","modified_gmt":"2017-04-20T16:10:42","slug":"nick-being-open-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2017\/04\/21\/nick-being-open-to-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Nick: Being Open to Change"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Studies show that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of college students change their major at some point, and that\u2019s ok. While I\u2019m not among this group, I am here to tell you that over the course of your college career, your passions will evolve as you are presented with the world of opportunities available to you in COM.<\/p>\n<p>Whether this is inside the classroom, through one of BU\u2019s myriad of extracurricular activities, or in my case through one of our study abroad programs, you won\u2019t be the same person crossing that stage on graduation day \u2013 and stepping on the BU seal in Marsh Plaza \u2013 as you were when you first arrived on campus as a freshman. And that\u2019s the way it should be.<span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a creature of habit. I have the same order at UBurger every time (Phat Chick crispy with a side of fries) and sit in the same spot at Mugar (6<sup>th<\/sup> floor is where it\u2019s at), but I\u2019ve come to realize that change is a good thing. College is the time where you\u2019re meant to truly find yourself. It\u2019s your full Cory Matthews in \u201cBoy Meets World\u201d period.<\/p>\n<p>For me, much of that change and growth has unexpectedly happened this semester during my time in our nation\u2019s capital through the BUDC program. First off, I give this program my highest recommendation. Whether you\u2019re a journalism or PR student, or simply someone with a passion for the news or politics, this program is for you.<\/p>\n<p><span>\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019ve learned more than I could\u2019ve ever imagined, and the opportunities within the program are incredible. BUDC hosts a bunch of networking events throughout the semester with alums in the area, and I can assure you, there are plenty. Additionally, you\u2019re interning and taking classes in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, not to mention the hub of American democracy. I\u2019ve seen so much during my four months here, but with all the museums, historic neighborhoods and brunch spots, you could explore DC for a lifetime and never get bored.<\/p>\n<p>This is where the change part comes in. Up until last semester, I was the sports guy. That was my thing at BU. I served as sports editor of the Daily Free Press last semester and wanted to parlay my education at BU into a career in sports journalism. My decision to come to DC was based on a number of factors, but high on the list were the chances to develop professionally, explore a new city, and become more well-rounded as a reporter. Little did I know that I would develop a passion for politics and become a news junkie.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/FullSizeRender.jpg-3-1024x767.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"345\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3093\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/FullSizeRender.jpg-3-1024x767.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/FullSizeRender.jpg-3-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/FullSizeRender.jpg-3-768x575.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The 2016 presidential election piqued my interest in politics, and I doubt I would\u2019ve come to DC had I not already been following the campaign. But for someone who gets push notifications every three innings about the Red Sox score, getting the latest updates from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing was not high on my agenda. BUDC and my internship changed all that.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m interning for NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press\u201d this semester, the longest-running show on television. It has been incredibly eye-opening to assist in the day to day operations of such a highly-respected public affairs program and work closely with producers. Much of my duties involve research and greeting guests <span><span>on Sunday<\/span><\/span> mornings, but I\u2019ve also written some pieces for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/storyline\/meet-the-press-70-years\/opening-day-could-mlb-learn-world-baseball-classic-n741361\">NBCNews.com<\/a>. Through observing Chuck Todd daily and being a part of this institution, I am following the news of the day more closely than ever.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9226.JPG-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"420\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3094\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9226.JPG-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9226.JPG-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9226.JPG-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9226.JPG-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9226.JPG.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>My career ambitions have shifted somewhat thanks to this program. Though I\u2019m not entirely sure where I\u2019ll be or what I\u2019ll be doing post-grad in just over a year (eek), I know I don\u2019t want to just be the sports guy. The political journalism scene has become more attractive than ever before to me, and I would welcome the opportunity to tell stories about how the decisions lawmakers are making on Capitol Hill affect the lives of every American. That\u2019s why I got into journalism in the first place, right? To tell stories and help educate people.<\/p>\n<p>My point in explaining this shift is that at its very core, college is a time for self-discovery. COM is a goldmine of opportunity for you to explore any number of interests, and even delve into ones you weren\u2019t sure you had. My advice would be to take that random class or join that random club; open as many doors as you can during your time at one of the world\u2019s best universities. You may never know what life-changing experience is behind that door.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9536.JPG-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"420\" height=\"420\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3095\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9536.JPG-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9536.JPG-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9536.JPG-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9536.JPG-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/files\/2017\/04\/IMG_9536.JPG.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Studies show that anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of college students change their major at some point, and that\u2019s ok. While I\u2019m not among this group, I am here to tell you that over the course of your college career, your passions will evolve as you are presented with the world of opportunities available &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2017\/04\/21\/nick-being-open-to-change\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Nick: Being Open to Change<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2018,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[44429],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3092"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3097,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3092\/revisions\/3097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}