Book it?

So, as the lazy, hazy days of August hit that almost-school stretch, I’ve been grabbing every moment of down time I possibly can – and for me, that means reading. With the weather being as nice as it is, I’ve been doing most of my page-turning outside.

Here are my top three favorite spots around campus to satisfy my inner bibliophile:

The BU Beach

The BU Beach

Kind of a no-brainer. Also, for this girl who was raised two minutes from the beaches of Maine, it’s as close as I’m getting to the sound of the waves this summer.

The COM Lawn

The COM Lawn

The COM Lawn – the lawn in front of the College of Communication – is great because of its fountain, its close proximity to the Warren Towers Starbucks, and its excellent people watching.

Behind the GSU...

Behind the GSU...

Behind  the GSU is one of those out-of-the-way places – but you can’t beat the proximity to the food court – Aesops Bagel and a good book, anyone?

Where are some of your favorite places to read in the sun, BU?

Literate-ly yours,

Julia

Foursquare Lists for BU!

Hey Terriers,

Exciting news on a new foursquare feature that's definitely going to make an impact around campus! Today, foursquare released an update with "lists" that allow users to compile their favorite places for other users to see. This means you'll start seeing lists for places like "Best Restaurants in Boston" and "Coolest Coffee Shops". Even better news- this means that the BU FYI team can share all of our favorite spots around campus and you can access them right on your mobile device! Check out our first list here that I put together of some great places to study around campus. Keep checking back to see more foursquare lists in the future.

Until next time, Terriers!
-Emma

Playtime

Hey there, Terriers!

All you BU veterans are probably aware of the wide variety of sports we have on campus, but our campus newbies are in need of some enlightenment. Varsity sports are awesome to watch and support, but what about playing? Let's admit it–not everyone here is a D1 all-star, but everyone deserves a chance to get involved and they can do just that with intramural sports.

41604_197320166286_5854775_nWhether you're a soccer player, a tennis pro or a volleyball prodigy, BU has tons of opportunities to get out and show off your athleticism. There are even low-level leagues for all you adventurers ready to try something new! The only problem I often see is that new students miss out on playing because they weren't aware of registration deadlines, so I'm here to fix that.

Starting as early as Splash, intramural sports begin readying leagues for the fall. SIGN UP asap to make sure you and your friends have a spot. Don't have a team? No problem! There's something called a free-agent recruitment process that gets everyone playing. Yeah...BU is pretty awesome about bringing students together. So for all your intramural questions, check THE WEBSITE and be sure to watch the stellar video.

Need some higher level competition or want to face off against other universities? BU also has CLUB SPORTS you can try out for.

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Or, if you're feeling like you need to start a new chapter in your life, join me and the rest of the quidditch team! For you tough guys, quidditch matches are full contact, aka bad@ss, so it's the closest thing you'll get to football on campus (lol, don't tell rugby I said that).

Anyways, keep being you, BU, and I'll see you on the pitch.

-Kedzie

BU: A Foodie’s Dream

Hey BU!

Even though we all know and love BU Dining Services, there are times when you’ve had one Panda bowl too many. If you are willing to spend a little money out of your own pocket, here are my recommendations for the best noms around BU.

Angora Cafe - Best froyo.

Absurd amounts of goodness

Absurd amounts of goodness

Best mix-ins available and anything you could possibly want. Reasonable prices, and coupons found in the coupon books from Barnes and Noble. (Make sure to pick one of these bad boys up.)

Japonaise Bakery - Best everything.

An Donut with red beans. SO GOOD!

An Donut with red beans. SO GOOD!

Egg and ham tea sandwiches? GREAT. Cream puff pastries? AMAZING. An donut? YOU CAN’T LEAVE BU WITHOUT EATING THIS!

Noodle Street – Best Thai food.

Sure, Brown Sugar is pretty tasty. But Noodle Street has the best Pad Thai around and is conveniently located next to SED (and they deliver!).

Cafe Pompeii – Best North End restaurant for the cash-strapped.

If you love Italian food, this is your jam. Located in the historic North End, Café Pompeii offers the quintessential Italian experience on a budget. Also, if you ever get in the mood for gnocchi at 1 am, this is one of the restaurants that stay open late, like absurdly late.

Budda C – Best Sushi/Asian Bistro

Delicious. And gone in 60 seconds.

Delicious. And gone in 60 seconds.

After they replaced my beloved Jae’s, I went into Budda C with disdain. While the service is a little slow at times, they have amazing sushi and Asian entrées that are well worth the wait. And there is a GIGANTIC buddha too, who doesn’t love that?

Also, I highly recommend following BUEats for the best updates on everything foodie near BU!

Get ready to loosen those belts BU.

Abbey

Discounts for Students

Hey there Terriers,

As summer is winding down and our summer salaries are lacking, it's time to start being resourceful when it comes to money. To survive first semester on a strapped budget, Here are some awesome sites with discounts around Boston.

Groupon provides deals in and around the Boston area for pretty much everything, including Boston Duck Tours, Yoga Classes, and even Laundry. LivingSocial and Buy With Me also have flash sales for great services in Boston. Or, if you're more of a fashion fanatic like myself, you can use pages such as Gilt Boston or Rue Boston. Based off of Gilt Groupe and Rue La La, these pages use discount prices in bulk sales at places such as restaurants and clothing stores, and even spa treatments at salons around Boston.

Also, make sure you ask stores if they have student discounts, as most places around Boston do. Many museums, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, are free with your BUID.

Lastly, Boston has so much to offer for free. Go for a walk on the Esplanade, wander the Boston Commons, walk along Newbury Street, or explore the many neighborhoods of Boston for an enjoyable afternoon with no damage to your wallet.

Until next time, Terriers. Stay Frugal!

Fiscally yours,
Emma

Summer movies!

So, as of this week, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 has surpassed The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King to become the 3rd highest grossing movie OF ALL TIME. (Fingers crossed that it beats Avatar - I can't stand James Cameron - but I digress.) What summer movies have you been checking out, BU? You should know that you can get discounted tickets to local Boston theaters at the Info Counter in the GSU! I've taken advantage of this to go see Midnight in Paris. (Superb movie!) For more info, just call the info desk at 617-353-5498.

Then grab your pop corn and head to the movies, BU!

-Julia

Heaven on Wheels

Hey there, Terriers!

So if you didn't know, Boston is being graced with the presence of one of the most glorious vehicles in existence: the Ben and Jerry's Truck.

I see BU students!

I see BU students!

What is this indulgent automobile? A colorful van chock full of free Ben and Jerry's treats. It's not too much and it's not too little, and trust me, it's all delicious. Be sure to tweet at it as much as possible to keep tabs on their location and to get them to our campus as often as possible! Their favorite hashtag is... #OMGFreeBenJerrys, so use it!

The B&J Truck arrived August 1st and will be hanging around our city until the 29th, so yes, my gluttonous friends, you will have your chance to nom some ice cream if you haven't yet.

Until next time, keep being you, BU.

-Kedzie

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Textbooks (Ugh, I know)

Hey BU!

To make everyone’s lives easier, I have created the best and most useful list of all time. A guide of how not to spend all of those pretty pennies you spent time lifeguarding for on textbooks. Voila!

Don't let this be you!

Don't let this be you!

At this point in the game, there are options for every person and their lifestyle, and most importantly, every budget. When I first purchased my textbooks going into my freshman year here at BU, I thought I had single-handedly saved the country from the debt crisis. However, I quickly found alternatives that not only saved me money, but also did some good for the world!

If you’re looking for convenience, the best option is BU’s bookstore at Barnes & Noble.  Lucky for you, they now have the option to rent textbooks, which depending on the textbook, is more economically sound if the book is older and more obscure. They also offer ebooks on many textbooks for those of you who are able to read entire books on your iPad or laptop (not I). And of course, they have new and used textbooks to purchase. Best of all when ordering from B&N, they package all of your books in a convenient box that makes lugging that Biology book to Warren Towers a whole lot easier.

If you’re looking to rent textbooks, Chegg is the best option. Not only are they almost always a reasonable price, they also give you more than enough time on your rental. In addition, the return shipping is FREE and you simply send the textbooks back in the box they came in. How easy is that?! Best of all, Chegg plants a tree for every order! Feel good points!

In the realm of do-good book sites, another great source is Better World Books .  They kindly offer FREE standard shipping, with the option to ship with carbon balanced shipping for $0.05 to reduce the carbon impact of your order. Also, this site is devoted to improving literacy programs around the world, and a portion of your order goes to a cause. If you choose to sell your books back to this site, you also can donate some of your profit to a cause of your choice as well.

If you just want cheap books, and don’t mind searching for them (which is simple since B&N now includes they ISBN number on all booklists), I recommend the tried and true. If I don’t rent from Chegg, I personally purchase most of my books used from either Amazon or Half.com. The books are super cheap used, and I can honestly say that all of mine have been in great condition, no room for complaints. The only drawback is the shipping costs for each individual book, unless they are all from the same seller. Overall though, you still can’t beat the low costs. (And I might add, I love getting packages; so getting 20 little ones is never a bad thing)

Best of luck in your searches BU! Keep in mind that the sooner you purchase your books, the more likely they’ll be available and the less they will cost!

And now that I’ve saved myself all that money, I think I’ll head over to Newbury Street.

Abbey

Breaking News. Breaking Ground.

Happy Thursday, Terriers!

I know we here at FYI are wicked excited about the launch of our new site, but that's not the only cool and secret information we have up our sleeves. At the Dean of Students office we often get wind of big events, news and changes going on around campus, and today I have some to share with you. Yup, with Dean Elmore's consent I have the scoop on some serious upgrades and construction projects that have completed/started up during the summer, so let's discuss what awesome, what's lame, and what you might have otherwise overlooked.

"At BU, the excitement is building."

Center for Student Service
It's official, folks. The rumored "GS2" is underway at 100 Bay State Road and is bound to be the new focal point of BU's east campus. The massive complex will rearrange some of the universities scattered offices and make them more accessible to students as well as provide a new, updated dining hall (say bye bye to your former nom-spots down east!). The project is due to end by August 2012, so we seniors are getting the shaft... but hooray for all you underclassmen! Living down by Kenmore is about to get a little bit nicer.

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Residential Facelifts
If you live in a West Campus dormitory and you were jealous of Claflin's upgrade, you're in luck. Sleeper Hall is getting a much needed touch-up and Rich is due for the same next summer. You'll see new wardrobe units, lights and floors, but sorry guys, no a/c for you. 203 Baystate Road and the Graduate Housing at 815 Albany Street are also underway for improvement.

Academic EnhancementsScreen shot 2011-07-28 at 6.33.37 PM
Just when you thought the Law Building was getting uglier, BU is getting it a complete and total makeover. The design phase for an updated Law school is almost done and after an estimated 4 years, we might have a place to study that doesn't make the list of top 10 ugliest buildings in the nation (ouch). COM kids will be pumped to know that COM101, a room nearly all of us sit in at some point in our college careers, will be getting a bit of a remodel as well, complete with new upholstery and other cosmetic touches. Another well-known room on campus will be revamped for the school year: B50 of the Stone Science building, aka: the wifi-less dungeon. Project specs describe new screens and audio, but I don't see anything about internet upgrades. Please, BU... help us out!!

Going Green
For all the environmentally friendly people on campus (ehem, that should be all of us by now...), you'll be happy to hear BU is focusing a lot of attention on green initiatives. New windows in all of CAS, MET, STH and SED will more eneergy efficient than the ones they are replacing while still maintaing the building's classic design. The university is also increasing the use of clean gas instead of oil at a number of campus sites, including 808 ComAve, 575 ComAve, 42 Buswell, 1 University and 712 Beacon. Aside from a few other lighting improvements, BU will be turning much of it's attention on a project at Walter Brown Arena, where a new low-emissivity ceiling will be installed above the ice rink to save 30% a year in ice-generation costs.

As you can see, Terriers, BU is doing it's best to improve our quality of living and learning on campus. Let's be bold here and leave our comments, critiques and reccomendations for what this university needs. More green initiatives, improved wifi capabilities and better control systems on heating in brownstones are my biggest concerns. But I'm a senior guys. I'll be gone soon. We need your help to make BU even better. More information will be posted for public display soon, and I'll be sure to link you.

Until next time, keep being you BU!

-Kedzie

New Views of BU

Great news BU!

Good things are coming to the blog. And by good things I mean Tumblr. If you're like me and would rather look through thousands of photos as you ooh and ahh instead of reading, then this is fantastic news. Each week our savvy little blog team is going to be posting photos inspired by Dean Elmore's magic hat of words. Like the pros we are, we'll produce beautiful photos (or Instagrams..mostly Instagrams...) inspired from thought provoking words such as "muse," "inception," and "french fries." Yes, even caloric greasy stems of potato can be artsy and insightful.

Best of all, you will be able to see BU through a whole new perspective. Not to mention, you'll be able to see our personalities in vivid color (read as, expect a lot of miraculously Maine inspired photos from Julia).

"Excuse me? Did you want something?"

"Excuse me? Did you want something?"

In the meantime, check out College Problems(started by a BU student!) to well, in a way, prepare yourselves for the fall. Or, if bright colors and text is not your cup of tea, try searching Tumblr for Boston to get cozy with our beloved city. And definitely make sure to check out the Dean of Students Flikr page to see what's happening!

Have your own view of Boston? Leave a comment with your link and we’ll be sure to check it out!

Don’t cry too hard waiting for my amahhhzing Holga-hipstamatic-instagramtastic photos BU.

Abbey