Hello everyone! I’m a CAS Environmental Major at BU, graduating in May. Feel free to ask me anything about BU or BU life
Thank you @soursop09! What is the process of declaring a major like? My son’s applying for dual degree: computer science in CAS, and music composition in CFA. If he’s admitted to CAS, will there later be a competitive admission process for comp sci? Or will he be able to declare a comp sci major as long as he’s passing and taking the prerequisites?
Is adjusting to the new environment really hard freshman year? I committed already and am pretty nervous about leaving home & all my friends here
Alright so it depends on the person. If you’re really social, you’ll have zero problems at BU. If you’re more introverted, you may have a harder time. For introverts, I really recommend joining a club at BU. Clubs are usually where less social people find friends because they all have a shared interest. There’s a ton of clubs at BU, but if you still don’t see any you like, join a BU gym class or take the FY101 class – it’s a class made for Freshmen and they take trips out in the city and try good boston restaurants. It’s a pass/fail class and it’s 1 credit so it should be fine for most schedules. Bottom line is that if you’re social, you’ll fit in fine at BU. If you’re not very social, you’ll have to put in a bit of work initially, but you’ll find your way eventually.
And Texas Mom – so declaring a major is pretty informal. Technically you’re supposed to declare by the end of your sophomore year but BU is pretty good with helping you switch between majors to find one you like. I actually had a hard time choosing a major, but BU has this place called the center for career development and I walked in one day – no appointment-- and a counselor sat down with me and discussed what I wanted to do in life and what major would fit me. He’ll be able to be a double major so long as he can fit everything into his schedule. It can be hard when you’re in two separate colleges (CAS and CFA) at BU, so that may be a challenge. I also know that for music majors (not sure about music composition majors) at CFA, they have this practical exam sophomore year that evaluates whether they can continue or not. Comp sci is a more workable major since the classes themselves don’t overwhelm your schedule but your son will definitely have a lot of homework throughout the week but so long as he has a strong support system he should be fine.
What is the social/night life like at BU? What would be the best way to get involved in the night life? Is it worth joining a fraternity because I know that greeklife is not that big at BU. What are the top tier fraternities, clubs, and bars that students go to?
Also, what is the reality of grade deflation? Is attaining a 4.0 for the first year doable?
Hi! Three questions! How does registering for classes Freshman year work? Also, what are your thoughts on Core? Finally, as an Environmental major, do you have options lined up for post-graduation? Grad school, job, etc.? Thanks so much!
how is the social scene? i have committed to bu and i am so excited but was wondering if a lot of frats have good parties or if people mainly go to other schools/ clubs. This by no means is my only concern but it is a part of the college experience i would like a little more insight on. Also, are the clubs competitive to join? i know some schools where people struggle to involved bc they are so selective. thank you!
@bman100 not the original poster, but i am a sophomore at BU currently. If you are really interested in going out on weekends the best way to do it is to join a frat or a sports team. All of my guy friends who aren’t in frats don’t go out unless we go to an apartment party (which is rare your freshman year). Greek life is not that big at BU but it absolutely has a presence. I just rushed a sorority on campus as well as a ton of my other friends. Boston is really hard on fake IDs so students don’t typically go to bars/clubs until they’re 21. Frat parties take up most of the going out for your first two years and guys cannot get in unless they are in the frat.
@es8712 Hi! not the original poster again but I feel I can comment on this! BU kids typically go to BU/MIT frat parties. If you are a girl, show up on time and these will be easy to get into. If you are a guy, joining a frat is pretty much your only chance for parties. Boston is very strict on fake IDs so normally bars are out of the option for the first two years. Other schools in the area have parties, but they aren’t fun. MIT and BU are really fun and easy to get into, Harvard finals clubs are wicked fun but you need to have inside connections. Don’t waste your time going to Northeastern, BC, or anywhere else, really not fun. I am not sure what clubs you are referring to when you ask if they’re hard to get into. Hope this helps!
By all means go to BU and spend/borrow $65,000/year for the fun!
@TomSrOfBoston if you had actually read any of the conversation you would’ve realized that the poster was asking about social life and where the best parties are. no BU student goes to Northeastern or BC for parties. read before you comment.
what will get me rescinded? I got accepted ED I and my grades are falling. I got two C’s
@bman100 No, getting a 4.0 freshman year will not be doable. Grade deflation is real, though as I’ve said over and over, “grade deflation” at BU is really just rigorous academic standards and grading. It’s not the BU is hard (though it can be), it’s that BU is not easy. (and I just refrained SUPER HARD from making a rival school joke lol)
If you work hard/smart, you can come through freshman year with a good, respectable GPA. It’s the students who go in aware of the reputation and don’t slack who get a mix of As and Bs (and you can also strategically pick your classes…). It’s everyone else who gets a bunch of Cs and Bs and is very confused as to what happened. FWIW, I never met a single BU student with a 4.0. I met someone with a 3.9 once and I’m still convinced they were a unicorn. (and I do not recommend BU to students who are GPA focused and aiming for, say, med school.)
Since you’re a senior at BU, have you felt symptoms similar to high school senioritis? I’m a senior in high school and I’ve felt really lazy/burnt out. I just wanna graduate already and get on with college. Do you feel similarly, wanting to graduate and move onto the real world?
@proudterrier would you say graduating BU with a 3.75+ is doable? I’m not aiming for med or law school but just want to know what to expect
@Uni1234 For that question, I’ll have to defer to more current students… in my day, a 3.75 was rare but not impossible. Since I graduated 11 years ago, while I’m confident grade deflation hasn’t changed too much (based on the news, and some posts by more current students on here), I’m less certain, re: typically attainable highs. You may also want to ask students in the same or similar major, if possible. I do know it’s far harder to get high grades in the sciences and engineering than, say, journalism (my major, which I love, but it is not rocket science).
@TomSrOfBoston All those neighboring schools are just about the same price, maybe less $2,000 per year. So your point is…?
Tiny question, I’m thinking about going in to law school for graduate, but I heard that GPA is really important for Law School. Do you think that it is hard to get into a top law school from BU because the avarage GPA is quite low?