<p>So this is a general question about BU, but mostly concerns the Communications school (and Journalism program). I’m considering between BU, Ithaca College and possibly Northeastern. </p>
<p>I just attended IC’s accepted students day and was particularly impressed with the fact that you can immediately take classes in your major - you’re supposed to in fact. Also, they have a weekly paper (since I’m interested in print Journalism) and getting involved is extremely easy, as soon as the first day on campus. ALSO there are no Gen. Ed. classes, besides ones within the major and writing/foreign language requirements.</p>
<p>I was exploring course requirements on BU’s website and couldn’t seem to get a straight answer. How does it work with Gen. Ed. courses and how soon is it possible to take classes within your major? (you can answer even if your major isn’t Journalism…I think this applies to everything). ALSO - how difficult is it to get involved? In the newspaper and elsewhere? Since IC doesn’t have Journalism grad students, they give full preference to undergrads…and they’re also smaller. Is that in contrast to BU?</p>
<p>Basically if anyone could tell me about general course requirements and/or opportunities for involvement that would be extremely helpful in making my final decision. Sorry this got so long! Thank you very much! :)</p>
<p>In COM you would be taking COM 101 your first year, which introduces you to the communications world. I’m not sure if you also would get to start taking your journalism classes that you. You are required to have a concentration in CAS for COM. For example ,my boyfriend graduated with a film major from COM and a history concentration (just about as many classes as a minor) in CAS. It helps if you concentrate in something that is a bit related to your major. His helped him because he focuses on the screenwriting aspect of film, and an extensive knowledge of historical events and themes is a good base for writing.</p>
<p>As far as getting involved, it’s very easy! The Daily Free Press is published every weekday and is always looking for new people to get involved. We also have a radio station and television station as well as 400 student groups. You can check out [people.bu.edu</a> — people on the Web at Boston University](<a href=“http://people.bu.edu%5Dpeople.bu.edu”>http://people.bu.edu) for the groups that have websites (not all of them do). You can also check out the Student Activities office general website for even more ways to get involved [Boston</a> University - Student Activities Office](<a href=“Student Activities Office | Boston University”>Student Activities Office | Boston University) . The communication service center is also a very popular way to get involved at BU [Boston</a> University - CSC](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/csc/]Boston”>Community Service Center) . </p>
<p>Probably the most visual ‘getting involved’ event at BU takes place the day before classes start at SPLASH. A huge event on nickerson field with free food, and hundreds of tables set up with LOTS of student groups advertising. It’s the fastest way to get involved and learn more about the school. </p>
<p>Hopefully that was what you were looking for.</p>
<p>okay i have a question. so i’m majoring in communications studies and i was thinking of minoring in international relations, but since you said we have to have a concentration in CAS anyway, should i not even bother with the minor?
i’m thinking of going to BU for grad school as well because they have the major International Relations and International Communications which is basically what i want to study. thankssss</p>
<p>You’d have to check with the COM office (or if someone on here is in COM) I’m pretty sure you can also do a minor OR a concentration (or both). The concentration would be 4 courses and the minor would be 6 courses. I just asked my boyfriend this morning about it and he said he had the class space to do a minor but chose to take higher level film classes instead</p>
<p>When l&f refers to concentration, that doesn’t mean a major. IR is a common minor for COM students. Heck, I think IR and econ have become the two big majors across the country. </p>
<p>BU does absolutely require non-COM classes. You take writing - which is basically a literature course - probably two semesters since almost everyone places in WR100, not 150. The articulated BU COM philosophy is that writing is everything; whatever you do in communications, you have to be able to express yourself clearly and concisely.</p>
<p>In your 2nd year, they are not nearly as strict about adhering to timing of when you take COM classes, meaning you can get in subject to spaces being open. If you, for example, get a bunch of AP credits, you can be taking upper level COM classes in your 2nd year because you won’t that many distribution reqs to fill.</p>
<p>COM 101 is a bunch of lectures about COM, some good and some bad. COM 201 is communications writing, essentially a practical program of the various kinds of writing. Everyone takes these courses and then you track into your department. </p>
<p>The radio station is purely local, mostly campus - which is weird considering the biggest NPR station in Boston is BU’s WBUR, but that’s not student run. The TV station produces a lot of stuff, some of it for the local network and some for the MTV campus network. Stuff ranges from newscasts to soap opera.</p>
<p>Thank you, thank you, thank you to both of you for the wonderful answers! That perfectly told me what I needed to know and was extremely helpful. I’m not sure why I couldn’t find these sorts of answers on the Journalism website, but maybe I wasn’t searching the right way or something. The whole concentration thing is very interesting - would you still want to pick up a minor? Or you basically said that you’re taking the same number of credits either way?</p>
<p>And the newspaper involvement is big for me, so thank you! I think that being involved with the paper is probably the most important thing to do as a (print) Journalism major, so I definitely want to have the opportunity to do so immediately. Thank you so much :)</p>
<p>Doing just the concentration means taking 4 courses in the subject. Making it a minor requires 6. It doesn’t really matter which you do. Just what you feel like I guess.</p>