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<li><p>I'm not a COMmie, so I don't really feel qualified to comment. Though publishing something and submitting writing samples with your application couldn't hurt. </p></li>
<li><p>I was confused about what year you were since you mentioned teacher recommendations and essays and all that you did a play senior year. Gotcha.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're in COM, you'll spend most of your time between COM, CAS and your dorm (most likely Warren Towers). I'm sure that you'll be able to get a tour of COM--I would recommend taking a quick walkthrough of CAS and try to catch a tour in Warren Towers. I'm sure that the Admissions Reception center can help you with that.</p></li>
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<p>I'm not too sure of what they show on the tour...but I'll tell you what I would recommend seeing.</p>
<p>Most of the campus follows along Comm Ave...I would start at Kenmore Square and take a walk until you hit West Campus. Should take you about twenty minutes if you walk quickly. You'll see most of the important buildings and get an idea of where everything is. Take a minute to walk down Bay State Road (where the Admissions Reception Center is along with Towers and the East Campus Brownstones--where I live now). It's probably the nicest part of the campus and really great to walk around. If its open (might not be), stop in the GSU (George Sherman Union), which is sort of the "student center" (some people spend a lot of time there...has a food court and a bunch of assorted offices and banks). Also, take a walk through Mugar (the libary you'll probably spend most of your time in). It's next to the GSU behind CAS.</p>
<p>If you keep walking past the GSU, you'll hit StuVi (the Student Village), which has the Buick Street apartments (the nicest housing on campus), Agganis, FitRec and a couple other things. Be sure to look around there. Past that is the West Campus dorms and Nickerson Field.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend NOT staying on campus the whole time you're here. You're going to spend a lot of time out in the city if you go here, so make sure you get to know Boston itself (I don't know if you're familiar with the area or not--if you are, I apologize). I recommend taking the time to walk the city. My favorite route would be to follow the green line. Start at Kenmore, walk to Mass Ave, take a right and then a left onto Newbury Street. Newbury Street is a very popular area and there are a ton of shops. If you take a right while on Newbury Street, you see the Boston Public Library, the place where the marathon ends and more shops. Keep walking and you'll hit things like the Boston Common and the Public Garden. Make sure you stop by Fanny Hall and Government Center. It's a great walk during this time of the year.</p>
<p>Also, if you start at Kenmore and walk down Beacon Street, you'll come across Lansdowne St. (if you enjoy clubbing, you'll get to know this street very well...) and Fenway Park. If you keep walking, you'll hit a shopping center with a Stone Cold Creamery, which, IMO, is the best ice cream in Boston.</p>
<p>Oh, and take a minute to walk on the Esplanade. It's the patch of grass that's between the Charles River and Storrow (pronounced Stir-row...don't mispronounce it!) Dive behind Bay State Road. Just cross one of the footbridges on Bay State. Really beautiful walk.</p>
<p>Best way to get a sense of what BU is like would be to snag a student (NOT a tour guide) and have them give you a tour. Anyone you know or does anyone you know go here that can show you around?</p>
<p>Hope that helped.</p>