Ask a BU Student (2011)

<p>thanks shiningstar! I had looked into The Buzz already it seems like a great option. I do Her Campus at my current school so I was also looking to get involved with Her Campus BU, have you heard of it? I heard there’s also a service fraternity for girls at BU, do you know anything about that vs. APO? I’m in APO at my current school, so I’d basically automatically get in but it seems like a more formal fraternity from bu from what I’ve seen. I don’t want to feel like I’ve missed out on pledging so I’m considering the other one as well.</p>

<p>As for housing, I want a dorm that’s going to be as social as I could get as a junior. Preferably closer to COM as well. Any input helps since I haven’t looked into it much yet. Thanks!</p>

<p>Hi Shiningstar I was accepted to SMG and was wondering if grade deflation is a fact or a myth and was hoping you could throw some light on this. Also how are the employment opportunities for international students after graduation?</p>

<p>@shiningstar91 thanks!!</p>

<p>Can any current students give some reasons they chose BU over the other schools they were accepted to? After the open house this past Friday, the decision has become even more difficult for me! Thanks!</p>

<p>I’ve never experienced grade deflation personally, but it is heard of in the large, weed-out science courses. As far as SMG goes, I get the impression that job prospects, if you do relatively well in school, are great. The career center tries hard to make sure you’re set up with the job that’s right for you. I’m not in SMG, but this is what I’ve heard from other students.</p>

<p>I chose BU over the other schools for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest was the location. The other schools that I was accepted to were in relatively remote areas (with the exception of Washington D.C.) and BU stuck out as being an urban campus in a big college town. There’s always stuff to do, whether it be on campus or off. Another reason was the size. I came from a small high school, so I knew I wanted to be at a bigger school with lots of opportunity. Finally, another factor was the prestige of program. I’m in COM, so having a good reputation school-wise was important. </p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>D chose BU over other schools because of the small class size in CGS while being in a large research university, the strength of the programs and reputation, the attitudes and level of satisfaction of every student she observed or spoke with, and the palpable passion for learning and innovation, both at BU and Boston as a whole. BU’s commitment to service and alum satisfaction were also factors.</p>

<p>what program of COM are you in and how do you think it helps you professionally?</p>

<p>@elephant9 I’m actually on E-Board for BU’s chapter of APO… so if you have any specific questions or want to know more about it, feel free to hit me up. I have had the most terrific experience with it my past three years here. I’ve met many of my closest friends through the group and done such a large variety of service. We have a really big chapter (about 100 brothers) and offer usually 5-7 service options a week. I love the flexibility of choosing services and getting to experience so much of Boston through them. Socially, I think you definitely could fit in as a transfer. You always could attend pledging events to get to know people too. We offer large scale fellowships too and do a lot of group randomizing and stuff so people can get to know each other when coming back from abroad and everything. </p>

<p>I’d really encourage you to check it out here if you’re interested. We’ll be doing a lot of welcome stuff and pledging this fall. Even if you won’t be pledging, that’d be a great time to go to meet some people. But, yeah, let me know if you have any questions!</p>

<p>Lauren, so you’d say APO is pretty social there? Are its members in frats or sororities as well? At my school it’s huge and basically just something people do with friends. I really am worried about transferring because I’d be leaving all the comfort I have at my current school behind to start over new–I’m not unhappy here, but BU’s COMM department is just perfect for me. I just wanna make sure I meet people and I know it’s harder as a junior! So how would you compare APO to social sororities and the other girls only service fraternity?</p>

<p>What is participation in vocal ensembles like at BU? Is it mostly a cappella groups or do people join the BU Choral Ensembles as well? Is the BU Choral Society active on campus anymore (their webpage hasn’t been updated since 2007)?</p>

<p>How likely is it to find a paid internship through SMG? I a concerned with the cost of travel and possibly housing while interning.</p>

<p>@elephant9 I know very little about the service sorority except that it is smaller and has less service options just because it’s a lot newer than APO. Obviously, they have zero guys too which differs…even though APO has a very high girl to guy ratio as well (typical BU life!)</p>

<p>To answer your other question though, APO’s really social. It’s not just a friend of friend join thing at all. We do a lot of advertising before pledge classes so a lot of people just find us. Some come through friends but it’s definitely a mix. We expect to get a huge pledge class this fall too actually so many people will be new too if you decide to join us in the fall! You definitely can come and talk to us and see what we’re all about before committing to anything too, haha.</p>

<p>But, yeah, I have met so many cool people from APO who have become really good friends that I hang out with all of the time. A couple of my very best friends and I didn’t know each other pre-APO. It’s a great way to meet a ton of people easily and do a huge variety of service at the same time. Still, it obviously is different from social Greek life in the way that it has way smaller dues, focuses on community service, and requires less emphasis on connecting with other Greek life groups. We do work with social Greek life on occasion though. We do some community service with the frat “Sammy” and also often attend Greek life sponsored events as fellowships. Some of our bros are doing “Dancing with the Sigmas” for Sigma Kappa philanthropy. We have a lot of members who participate in Greek Life too, especially girls in sororities. For example, I know APO bros who are really involved in APO and also do sororities like Sigma Kappa and Gamma Phi Beta. A ton of people are involved in other big extracurriculars too like Admissions, acappela groups, huge dance teams like Fusion, the Community Service Center, and cultural groups too.</p>

<p>I have a question about the extent of Boston University’s urban campus. I really want to be in the center of a city, because I crave the synergy of excitement, energy, freedom, and independence it would afford me, but sometimes I worry that at times it may be overwhelming and that I may need a break. When I visited campus, I noticed that there’s not a lot of green space or areas outside for relaxation. Sure, there’s the “BU Beach,” but it’s rather small, and when I visited Northeastern today, I couldn’t help but notice the abundance of enclosed, “quiet” space where students can sit around, chat, and relax. I feel like that’s substantially absent at Boston University. Is that accurate? Are there places to go that are immediately nearby (unlike Boston Common, for example) that would provide a little solace from the city? Thank you so much in advance for any responses.</p>

<p>There’s Nickerson Field, as well as the COM lawn, and a few grassy areas on Bay State Road. Honestly, the weather isn’t all that great. You won’t be spending that much time “finding solace” outside to begin with. And if it is that nice, you can travel to the Common, etc to find more green space. If I “need a break” I just head off campus.</p>

<p>I go to the Esplanade when I want to read and do homework right next to the river. There’s a ton of open space and greenery. It’s connected to BU by a little bridge next to Towers and next to the GSU. The Esplanade has tons of grassy areas like the “Soldier’s Field” part and also gorgeous views.</p>

<p>There’s also a ton of parks in South Campus.</p>

<p>If you love BU for all of the other reasons, then don’t worry about this part. You’ll be fine and find your own little places of solace in the city.</p>

<p>Awesome. Thanks guys!</p>

<p>what do the sections mean when signing up for courses? A1, A2, etc.</p>

<p>Each section will have a different number and most likely a different time and room, so A1 might be at 12:00 and A2 might be at 1 pm, that sort of thing. Honestly I wouldn’t really look at the sections, focus on the time/professor.</p>

<p>Which dorm is closest to the aquatic center?</p>

<p>Hi! I applied to BU as a transfer back in Feb. and my application status recently (yesterday afternoon) went from “application is complete” to “review of your application for admission is complete” Has anyone else gotten the samet thing on their portal? if so, how long did it take to hear an answer? I’m pretty anxious and nervous!! I applied to the Speech, Language and Hearing Science Program of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College. Please, if anyone can give me any information they have/know about, i’d appreciate it greatly!! Also, if anyone can help me and give me a brief opinion on my chances of getting in, thanks!</p>

<p>Transfer from: Florida International University (Miami,FL)
Female/Hispanic
College GPA: 3.6
High School GPA: 3.4
will be coming in as a JUNIOR fall 2012.
several community hours/job experience
SAT/ACT weren’t required
my essay/recommendation letter were pretty strong. Recommendation letter came from a professor I took my sophmore year at Florida Internatinoal University and did excellent in her classroom ending with an A average.</p>