The Keystone Project: Choose Something Fun!

By Marissa Carty (CAS’22)

The best advice I got from a Kilachand Alumni was to choose a Keystone Project that was fun. The Kilachand Keystone is a unique opportunity to do a year-long project on essentially whatever you want, with funding and advising. Many students choose to use an honors thesis in their major as the Keystone Project. However, for students looking to take on a more creative or interdisciplinary project, the Keystone Pathway is an amazing opportunity to think outside the box and not be bound to the requirements of a thesis. Students have designed playgrounds, written screenplays, written business plans, and so much more. If a traditional research thesis excites you, then go for it! But don’t be afraid to take a chance and do a unique project. I am so grateful that I took a less structured, but extremely rewarding path.

I love creative writing, and it’s been a life-long dream of mine to write a poetry collection. What started as a blurry passion project I inconsistently worked on turned into a beautiful piece of research and artwork. With the help of Professor Preston in the Keystone Proposal Workshop, I developed research questions to guide my writing, connected with two wonderful advisors, planned my goals and timeline, and submitted my proposal. The idea of a senior project can be intimidating, but the Keystone Proposal Workshop helps you work through your ideas slowly with a lot of feedback and guides you through the process to set you up for success.

As a psychology major, I knew I wanted to write my poetry collection about well-being. So often when we talk about mental health, we talk only about mental illness. I decided to focus on flourishing instead. The two questions that guided my research are:

What factors contribute to well-being in young adults and how do they manifest in us today?

How can poetry and psychology inform each other to develop a broader, more holistic definition of well-being?

I conducted a literature review on the psychology of well-being and a contemporary poetry review to study scientific, lyric, and visual forms of poetry. Then, I began to write and submit 5 poems a week to my advisors for revision. I also got to travel to Copenhagen, the city with the highest rates of human flourishing in the world, for my research! My writing centers around themes of love, belonging, mindfulness, spirituality, nature, and therapy. I used 3 main poetic techniques, 1) documentary poetry which uses archives like psychology textbooks or therapy exercises and draws out the poetry in them through lineation or erasure, 2) imagining the story of someone who embodies a research statistic to reinsert the humanity into that statistic, and 3) writing from a purely experiential perspective of well-being that does not rely on scientific data. I currently have a manuscript of 90+ edited poems and a first draft of my artist’s note, which details my process and reflections on the project. 

The best advice I can give you is to think about your interests as early as possible and to choose a project you’re sincerely passionate about, rather than doing what you think you “should” do or what others expect you to do. You may never get an opportunity like the Kilachand Keystone again!

The author in Copenhagen.

My Favorite Classes I’ve Taken at BU

By Marissa Carty (CAS’22)

When it comes to courses, Boston University has just about everything. Here’s a glimpse of some of my favorites!

Public Writing: CAS WR415

This course gives students the opportunity to write for a public audience on topics of their own choosing. I wrote a science communication article on romantic passion, edited a real Wikipedia page on Taylor Swift’s song All Too Well, and wrote and filmed a TED talk-style video on the health benefits of fun and joy. This class was all about impact and real world implications. The professor was wonderful and she even brought in guest speakers for us to learn from! 

Keystone Proposal Workshop: KHC HC451

This course is for Kilachand juniors who are looking to plan out their keystone project. The keystone project can be an honors project in your department (an honors thesis in psychology, the senior engineering design project) or can be a project of your own choosing through Kilachand. Students who pursue a project of their own usually do something more creative and interdisciplinary (like creating a theater production, designing a playground, or starting a podcast). 

I took the Keystone Proposal Workshop with Kilachand Director Dr. Carrie Preston, whose insight was invaluable. She helped me formulate a research question, find an advisor, and create a timeline for my project. (I’m writing a poetry collection on the science of well-being!) This class was also amazing because I got to watch the unique projects of my classmates develop over the course of the semester. Since Kilachand students come from all majors, I learned about an economics project on luxury handbags, a business plan on sustainable fashion, and a documentary on road trips.

Psychology of the Family: CAS PS370

For upperclassmen studying psychology, this course is a must! We learned the science behind marriage, divorce, flirting & dating, child-parent relationships, family dynamics, and overall communication and empathy. If you’re looking to reflect on your own life and role in relationships, this course is an excellent way to both learn the theories and try the strategies in practice. Taking this class has absolutely set me up for more resilient, stable, and healthy relationships. No other life experience inside or outside of college has been so meaningful to me. 

Jazz, Modern, Ballet, Yoga, & more: PDPs

Did you know that Boston University offers exercise classes at FitRec (our gym) that are open to all students? You can take anything from ice skating to tennis to zen meditation to ballroom dancing. Having PDP courses in my schedule ensured that I had time to move my body, and they were a fun break away from my academic courses. I highly recommend them to all BU students!

Tips for Your First Year of College

By Marissa Carty (CAS'22)

Above: A view from the Esplanade. Just steps away from campus, the Esplanade is a great place to go for a walk and take space away from academics.


College is a thrilling time of discovery, surprise, and growth. But the transition is hard. Whether you’re moving to BU from across the world or you’re a Boston native, adapting to the academic, social, and lifestyle differences of college takes time. Here are my tips for a smooth(er) transition through your first year of college at BU.

1. Be Kind to Yourself

I was beyond excited to make the most of my every minute of college. I knew I would make friends quickly, start working on an impressive research project, and keep up a healthy routine of daily workouts on top of my heavy academic schedule and part-time job. However, my naive optimism was perfectionism in disguise. When I didn’t keep up with my workout schedule, I berated myself. When I couldn’t find time to commit to research my first semester, I felt like a failure. When I had a lonely night in, I told myself I shouldn’t be wasting time feeling down.

Over time, I learned to be compassionate toward myself and let myself make a mistake or have a bad day. The truth is, you’re going to have bad days, and that’s okay. When you do, remind yourself that the feeling won’t last forever and that you’re resilient for going through such a difficult transition. Everything is temporary, and it is alright if things are not going how you expected them to. That just means good surprises are around the corner!

2. Keep a Journal

We underestimate just how much we forget. The day I moved in, I took about twenty minutes to write in my journal before I went to sleep. I am so grateful that I did that. The days of college, especially your first year, go by in a whirlwind. You may take a lot of pictures or think that you’ll always remember the significant moments, but nothing can make up for a firsthand account in your own words of what happened. My journals are my most treasured possessions. I can read exactly what I was thinking after my first day of classes, what my first impression of the person who is now my best friend was, and how my perspective on home changed. I can also read about the day the Red Sox won the World Series and we paraded down to the Common until 2:00am. I promise, you will not regret taking a few minutes once or twice a week to write down your thoughts about college.

3. Utilize the Resources Available to You

BU has so many resources to improve the well-being of its students. Ask your advisor to chat with you about stress management. Go to events held by The Wellbeing Project. Reach out to Behavioral Medicine. Take a workshop or request a tutor at the Educational Resource Center. And remember that not all self-care has to be focused on academics or medicine! For me, taking dance classes (or other exercise classes called PDPs that students can register for), joining the meditation club (BU Zen), and signing up for a Writing of Poetry (CAS EN304) course made my first year enormously easier. Sometimes you’ll need help from the professionals, and sometimes you just need to make time for what you love.

4. Take Breaks

College moves at a fast pace. Cities move at a fast pace. New Englanders move at a fast pace. “The grind” can be self-destructive if we never give ourselves a break. When you have a massive to-do list, it can feel like you’ll never have time to take a night off of homework or go explore the city of Boston. I’m here to tell you that that’s exactly what you should do. Taking a step away from your workload restores you and helps you focus better when you return to your desk. When you feel overwhelmed, go for a walk along the Esplanade or facetime a friend from home. Not only will you be more productive when you have to get back to work, you will feel better overall. Academics are important, but they are not the only thing that deserve your time. I learned that the hard way, so hopefully my experience can help you.

Your first year of college will be challenging, but it is a challenge that you are up to. BU has so much to offer. Boston is the best city to be a student in. And you’re going to have a lot of fun. But you’re also going to have some bad days. Enjoy the good ones and keep in mind that the bad ones may be the ones that you learn and grow from the most. Good luck!