Boston University Top Questions

Joe, I know you must be getting pretty nervous about taking the next step in your life...the four years of undergrad life. You've heard amazing things about college, and some not-so-amazing things. Trust me when I tell you, you are right to be nervous. Take it from me...the first semester of college will be extremely lonely and awkward. That can change however, as soon as you get your feet wet with student organizations. This is one of the best ways to meet people; friends that you will likely be in touch with for life. As soon as you can get involved this way, your second semester will surely bring a completely different attitude out of you. As far as academics are concerned...trust me...though your high school seemed like a breeze, BU is not. Do not take your classes for granted...but in the same vein, don't freak out if you get a C...its all part of the learning experience. Lastly, take advantage of the time you have...study abroad, volunteer early with professor's work, and most importantly, don't forget to have the best time of your life. Joe

Turning your tassel at the end of your graduation is not closing the doors to your future, but an opening of your professional preparation! Take a look into your heart and declare the anxiety you have for teaching in an elementary school! Your preparation for your future is yours to transform! There are many colleges waiting for your subscription, willing and well prepared to answer your questions! Yes you might feel that you are leaving your group of friends behind, but hey, invite them to also pursue their dreams of becoming professionals. College is not just reading and writing. College is many other things. College is academic tutoring, student housing, resume preparation, job fairs, and student clubs! Make calls, turn on your computer, ask questions,and get yourself informed. Do not let this opportunity slipped by. Transform your dream into a fact! Do not wait for others to bring college to you! Just take that first step and everything else will fall into place! I assure you; at the end of your college journey you will look back and congratulate yourself for making such a wise decision of pursuing a college degree!

Dear "high school senior Lisbeth", Remember how in high school in our small town everyone knew everyones business? If a person made one small mistake or hooked up with the wrong kid at a party they were labeled for the rest of the year. Trust me on this one, where you're going you need to think less about the drama of high school. In college you'll find that most people are there to actually learn and do well at school, whether it be for Mom and Dad or to keep a scholarship or for themselves.You'll find that getting good grades in college is going to feel better for you than it ever did in high school because you did it on your own. Dad wasn't there nagging you to study for a midterm--you did it on your own and were disciplined and because of that you succeeded! Like you did in high school, you need to stop worrying about whether people are going to be talking about what happened over the weekend, because come Monday nobody judges you! Focus and put your effort into your school work to earn the weekend and stellar grades!

I've gotten my future out of my college experience. I've committed years of my life to an amazing school and now that graduation is only three months away I'm confident, relieved, and so excited! The diversity of my school is the biggest contributor to my personal growth. BU has a large, diverse student body. Being able to work with this broad cross-section of my peers has taught me what an amazing place our world is and inspired my dreams for its improvement! I start graduate school in the fall and will study Urban Planning with a focust on sustainability. The liberal arts education I received at BU has given me an awareness and confidence to successfully deal with my chosen field's complex, interdisciplinary problems. Thank you for making this scholarship opportunity available to students like me, and have a great day!

I have learned how to take my education into my own hands; by attending a large university, I now have more responsibility to meet my professors and seek help since these things that seemed so easy in high school prove to be much more rare at the college level. I like to think that I am not getting an education, I am taking the education I deserve, and I think this outlook is the best thing that my college experience has given me.

I have truly gotten a feel for being part of a community that comes to exsist soley by choice, and being somewhere where I have all the possiblities and opportunities available to me that I could ever want. Even though I have just started, I already feel like part of the BU community, which is possible because everyone is so set on making you feel at home and helping in every way possible.

Although costly and at times detrimental to my health, going away to Boston University has helped me forge a new identity for myself. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, as a son of two immigrant parents, academics was never the means of getting anywhere. Nearly everyone in my extended family either immediately got a job out of high school, or dropped out of college to work. Going to Boston University meant immersing myself in an academic community that fully embraces the leverage of education. Through hard work, and considerable support from established professionals, I have been able to establish an identity of myself that is rooted in intellect rather than ethnic background. The established members of academia and industry in Boston embrace the fact that they were once aspiring students, and will not hesitate to lend a helping hand. Were it not for the support and intellectual maturity that I gathered at Boston University, I would not be able to return home as a pillar of inspiration to the younger generations in my community.

I've gotten the friends I have today, I've gotten a great education and new experiences. I'm from the suburbs so it's interesting to live in the city. Boston University has definitely been a good choice for me.

While I have been in college for only 5 months, it so far has been part of some of my best memories. Unlike high school, I no longer feel as if my classes are just something that I take because I need a certain number of credits to graduate. Instead, I see each class I take as information that I will be able to apply for running my own company in the future. It is not always easy, but I know it will pay off in the end, because my energy is being applied to exactly where I want it too, rather than busy work. College is also rewarding for the people that I have met. My high school was diverse, but it did not have students from other countries, such as Ireland, China, Egypt, and Zimbabwe. I fell that if I did not go to such as large school as Boston University, I would not have been able to experience different cultures from the individuals who know them best. I hope that I will be able to make and keep friendships with people from many different countries so I can understand different cultures more fully.

College has been a valuable experience because of the unaccpected lessons you learn. For the first time you are on your own. You feed yourself, you do your own homework, you study for your own exams , and you do it all on your own schedule. The most important lesson that college has exposed me too is how I perceive myself. You learn how you do things, how you interact with people, your study, sleeping, eating habits. You learn that college is your big first step into adulthood. While you arn't completely on your own, you do have a certain independence unexperienced before. College is important because you learn how to be you. And that in itself is incredibly valuable.