{"id":3775,"date":"2018-02-27T11:00:58","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T16:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/?p=3775"},"modified":"2018-02-26T21:07:45","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T02:07:45","slug":"nick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/2018\/02\/27\/nick\/","title":{"rendered":"Nick: 10 Things I Wish I Knew as a BU Freshman"},"content":{"rendered":"

I only have a little more than two months left on Comm. Ave. as a student, and as exciting as that may seem, it\u2019s also pretty daunting. No less daunting, though, than first arriving on campus as a freshman. The feelings I\u2019m having now as I look for my first job are the same ones I felt in the fall of 2014 \u2013 anxious, scared, uneasy, unsure. But not to worry. If you\u2019re new to BU, I\u2019ve got some tips for you. Below are 10 quick tips I\u2019ve picked up along the way that I think would be useful for any BU freshman, or any BU student for that matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Get a semester T Pass<\/span><\/p>\n

You may think, \u201cOh, Comm. Ave. is walkable, I\u2019ll never need to take the T.\u201d Wrong. As unreliable as the MBTA is, it\u2019s indispensable for any BU student. Especially now that I live in West campus, taking the T to COM on a time crunch is the way to go. It\u2019s cheaper than buying a pass every month, and if you plan on doing a lot of traveling around the city, it pays for itself quickly. Be on the lookout early, though. I\u2019ve missed the deadline a few times because it\u2019s just before the semester starts.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. The \u201cfreshman dorms\u201d are your friends<\/span><\/p>\n

I was unsure about Warren Towers and West campus when I first arrived at BU, but I shouldn\u2019t have been. I spent my first year in a brownstone on Bay State Road, and while I loved that space for its peace and quiet during study time, I made my best friends at Warren and spent a great chunk of my free time there. Being on a floor with so many of your classmates is super valuable \u2013 make the most of it. Keep your door open and don\u2019t be afraid to make new friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Join BU On Broadway<\/span><\/p>\n

One of my only regrets about my college career is that I didn\u2019t join BU On Broadway sooner. It\u2019s an amazing group with amazing people, and the perfect outlet for any theater geek to continue their high school passion in college. Semesters only get busier when you become an upperclassman, so make the most of your free time as a freshman and get onstage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"I
I joined BU On Broadway sophomore year, but would do anything for more time performing in Tsai.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. COM swipe access is a major key\n

    Though COM students now have access to the entire Adobe Suite, if you\u2019re like me, you prefer to do your editing in COM. I bet you\u2019re thinking, \u201cBut I thought COM closes at nine, Nick\u2026\u201d And while that\u2019s technically true, with swipe access you\u2019ll be able to get into COM later and finish any work. Just get a professor\u2019s sign-off and go see the tech-guru himself, Brad Fernandes in room 102. You\u2019ll thank me later.<\/li>\n

  2. Don\u2019t be afraid to take classes in other colleges\n

    With the BU Hub on its way, taking classes across colleges at BU has never been more attractive for COM students. I only took the necessary classes outside of COM to fulfill my major and minor, but I know there are a few classes in CFA I would have loved to explore. Don\u2019t make the same mistake. And thanks to BU\u2019s pass\/fail policy, you really have no excuse not to take that music theory course you\u2019ve been eyeing.<\/p>\n

    6. 26th floor of Stuvi2 & 6th floor of Mugar are ideal study spots<\/p>\n

    This one took me awhile to perfect, and while I\u2019m ashamed to admit it, I hadn\u2019t studied in Stuvi2 until junior year. The views of the Charles River and downtown Boston from the 26th floor are truly the best in the entire city. And the sixth floor of Mugar is one of the only places in the library that isn\u2019t constantly packed. I don\u2019t mind the view from up there, either. Hey, it beats studying in your dorm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"The
    The views atop Stuvi2 are stunning, and the location also makes for an ideal study spot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Take advantage of all the great events BU has to offer\n

      In just the past month, I\u2019ve seen Obama\u2019s White House photographer and took part in a discussion about media in the age of Trump featuring the executive producer of POLITICO podcasts. This is just a sampling of some of the events going on around campus that interest me, and things are happening every day. During my freshman year I generally kept my head down and studied, and while there\u2019s a time for that, be careful not to miss some of the extraordinary opportunities here through COM, the Howard Thurman Center and BU at large.<\/p>\n

      8. Don\u2019t miss the Power of Narrative Conference<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Journalism majors and anyone who loves a good story \u2013 this is a must. Every march BU hosts this unique conference featuring some of the finest narrative journalists in the world. It\u2019s an opportunity to meet industry leaders and strengthen your storytelling skills. This year\u2019s guests include ESPN\u2019s Don Van Natta (BU alum), Emily Steel of the New York Times and longtime NYT feature writer Sonny Kleinfield.<\/p>\n

      9. U-Grill is a Hidden Gem<\/p>\n

      Though it\u2019s only about a three-minute walk from COM, it took me until sophomore year to discover University Grill & Pizza. It\u2019s one of the best places on campus for a quick bite. The chicken parm is my go-to, but their menu is full of cheap and tasty opstions. The service is fast, the food is always hot and the folks working there are super friendly \u2013 always willing to talk some Boston sports. (Sadly, no convenience points accepted.)<\/p>\n

      10. Apply to be a COM ambassador<\/p>\n

      The COM ambassador program has been one of my best experiences at BU. It has introduced me to so many incredible people, and I\u2019ve even mentored some incoming freshmen through the program that have become great friends. Being involved with open houses, giving tours to prospective families and writing these blogs has given me a whole new appreciation for my school. APPLY APPLY APPLY! You\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n

      \"The
      The senior COM ambassadors – smiling because in this picture we still had a year left in COM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      I only have a little more than two months left on Comm. Ave. as a student, and as exciting as that may seem, it\u2019s also pretty daunting. No less daunting, though, than first arriving on campus as a freshman. The feelings I\u2019m having now as I look for my first job are the same ones … Continue reading Nick: 10 Things I Wish I Knew as a BU Freshman<\/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":[44488,44487,44355],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3775"}],"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=3775"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3800,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3775\/revisions\/3800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/comblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}