<p>Hi everybody, so I am attending the BU Summer Challenge this summer and for those of you who have attended or know about the program could you please answer my questions? Thanks!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How are the dorms? How many people do you share with? Are the rooms clean? Are they big/ small? Do they have air conditioning? </p></li>
<li><p>Are there showers in the room? Or are they communal? Are there curtains or just an open room? Are they clean? (I'm a guy if that makes a difference) </p></li>
<li><p>How are they students who attend the summer challenge? Are they nice/ easy to make friends with? Do people get made fun of or left out? Do some students drink/ smoke? </p></li>
<li><p>How are the seminars? Difficult? Were the teachers nice? How big were the seminars? How many students attend each session? Was there a lot of homework? </p></li>
<li><p>How was the food? Did they have different options or just one thing everyday? </p></li>
<li><p>How were the activities planned? Did they keep you busy? Were they enjoyable? </p></li>
<li><p>What was your favorite part and why?</p></li>
<li><p>Would you recommend it and why/ why not? </p></li>
<li><p>Is there a partying vibe to the program at all or are students mostly focused on their classes? </p></li>
<li><p>What would you rate the program out of 10 (10 being the highest) and why? </p></li>
</ol>
<p>PS. you don't have to answer all, anything would be helpful. These are just the things I am wondering. If you have any advide please share. Thank you so much!</p>
<p>My son attended at the same time - July 2013, so you probably have your answers already, but posting for others to view. He stayed in the freshman, 7-story dorm, Warren Towers, and there is NO air conditioning in the rooms (insane) so it was 85-90s and HUMID - I felt so bad dropping him off, as everyone was sweating bullets at check-in. There is air conditioning in the study rooms. They will not allow you to place an AC unit in the windows. We bought a Vornado circulating fan at Bed, Bath, Beyond (took subway there - it’s easy - one transfer, two stops total) and he left the windows open, with fan blowing on him all night. I highly recommend the Vornado fan! It’s superior circulation to basic fans. The rooms are not particularly nice and the bathrooms are communal. The food was so-so. My son said the pizza was too greasy. He returned home very thin! Expect to visit restaurants. There are activities but most of the time is down time to do what you want, so find the right friends ASAP. Students can venture around on their own. Helpful to buy a Charlie Card (a card where you pay for subway rides so they don’t need cash). CVS and Jamba Juice next to the dorm. Bookstore also has dorm goods, although overpriced. Instructors were very good, but the main point of this program seems to be to experience the college life and Boston, not the academics. It seems like a money-making venture for the college. Your child can also experience colleges by attending summer Nike Camps at colleges.</p>
<p>My son enjoyed his time but didn’t have a blast - I think it depends on who you hang with. Most seemed to be there to socialize and didn’t intend on attending BU. He did not choose to attend BU based upon wanting a college campus feel instead of urban, but the experience was worthwhile for sure. Another reason he didn’t choose BU is the administration is terrible - they are incompetent and don’t care about the students, although I hear the professors are good. The summer admissions people were good, but the others were just plain bad. Even the employees at the Visitor Center know nothing and told us the wrong subway stop. Shouldn’t a university put their most knowledgeable employees at the Visitor Center? First impressions? It seems you’re on your own if you attend the college - no hand-holding in sight - don’t bother to complain - they don’t care.</p>
I ended up having a good time. The academic side of the program was not the greatest… most people there did not seem to take it seriously. However, what the program did provide was an excellent sense of the social life at BU. There were many activities around the Boston area that showed everyone what it would be like living at BU as an undergraduate. I really fell in love with Boston because of this program. Another thing that surprised me about the program, was how diverse the students were. There were people coming from all over and US and the world. Just on my dorm floor there were kids from Brazil, Japan, China, and Italy. Speaking of the dorms, they were horrendously hot because of no air conditioning (I stayed in Warren). It was almost unbearable. Overall I would recommend the program for students wanting to get a feel of what it’s like to be in college, but I wouldn’t recommend it for students wanting to experience the academics at a university.