<p>I applied to BU (Dec. 1 for MLK) and I was wondering about the campus, for anyone who has visited/goes there/knows someone who attends. </p>
<p>I’m from the country, and I’m used to seeing grass/trees/etc. I know BU is a city school (which is why it’s my second choice…just got deferred from BC so I’m looking into this one a little more), but I wanted to know…just how “city” is it?</p>
<p>I know it won’t be a lush as other campuses, but are there at least a few places that are a little secluded? I’m not talking wilderness here, just maybe somewhere with some grass that isn’t always crowded. (So BU Beach wouldn’t really fit this.)</p>
<p>If anyone knows, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>There are a couple spots on Bay State that qualify, BU beach is the only large portion but it's not always crowded. A lot of people sit out in marsh plaza and the steps of brownstones. A big difference between BC and BU is their campus "feel." </p>
<p>BU IS Boston. We play with its traffic, its sounds, its feelings. You walk outside and 20ft away is a major artery of 6 lanes of traffic on commonwealth. But some people love that.</p>
<p>It certainly IS very urban.. but like nalgene said there are a few spots that you walk to and just breathe for a second. Personally, I love being right in the city, and BU certainly is NOT anything like BCs closed campus and central location, there are however different spots within the campus that feel like little mini closed in places of their own. </p>
<p>But this is just the impression I've gotten from visitng a few times. Listen to nalgene, he knows what he's talking about.. AND actually goes there .. lol</p>
<p>BU is on the river so you can cross a pedestrian bridge and can then walk, jog, blade or ride for miles around the Charles River basin. The best views are from the Cambridge side, near the MIT boat house, or from the top of the Longfellow Bridge, but the Boston side has lots of greenery, some fountains, places to sit, etc. If you're around in summer, the Hatch Shell runs concerts and movies for free. On campus, around near Mugar are some quiet spots and the area around Baystate Road is beautiful.</p>
<p>The shops, restaurants, music venues, and street scenes that rub up against the campus are all part of an urban campus feel. There is not much green space but there are many pockets here and there so BU has a lot more than some city schools like NYU. The river park, Esplanade, runs along campus and there are a few "chill out" spots other than the beach such as that Zen sculpture looking area behind Commonwealth. WEST Campus has more of a campus feel overlooking the fields and somewhat of a courtyard atmosphere outside of the 3 buildings, same around the new FITREC center. Around the Student Village there are cobblestone areas with outdoor cafe seating. It is VERY different than BC so be sure and visit and make sure you can handle the city environment. Its not for everybody but it is more exciting. BU's Boat House is on the river right across the pedestrian bridge and there are a lot of secluded pockets around that area. You can park yourself under a tree behind many of the major buildings or in between but you won't have acres of rolling grass. Bay State Rd feels like a little village with huge trees and small roads. South campus is similar with brownstones. Go straight down Comm Ave., nice neighborhoods, a few T stops, and you'll end smack into BOSTON COMMON which is a stunning park with swan ponds and more.</p>
<p>In all fairness to NYU, they do have George Washington Square as their quad essentially.. and Bu doesn't really have a central setup like THAT..but there are places, the river is a good one and honestly, if you're in a dorm off the beaten path, walking those streets can be quite nice as well</p>
<p>But Wasington Square does not belong to NYU. It is full of tourists and New Yorkers walking dogs, watching kids in the playground area, elderly on benches, drug dealers, the whole spectrum of NYC and that makes it an interesting place but it is does not belong to NYU and NYU dorms can be very spead apart through the city, some are 10 blocks away and not near one another. Still NYU finds a way to have a community and the neighborhood in and of itself is their campus.</p>
<p>lavafrog, If accepted I recommend you attend BU's program in Apr. for accepted students. Most colleges offer these so accepted kids get a better feel for their choices before the May 1 deadline. Sign up early so you can stay overnight in a dorm. It is very different being in a city, even on the outskirts, so its good you are thinking about that. BU owns a camp/cabins in NH and some groups, like the Honors College go there on weekends. You could also get involved in some of the nature oriented clubs and go on trips such as skiing/snowboarding in VT. Coming from the country it will be overwhelmimg but after an adjustment period you may be glad you took a chance and stretched yourself since that is what college is about. BC is a great school but a lot like HS. BU has a very different feel and the lack of acres of green space is worth a pause. Still, even on bucolic campuses in the middle of nowhere I wonder how much of that land actually gets used. One would think 98% of kids congregate on 2% of the green areas so it may end up being equal in areas that are used. Go back a few pgs and look for several posts that include candid BU pictures. Its a way to remember/see more of the campus than what you get on the web site. Where else are you applying?</p>
<p>I mean, I know we're all kind of trying to make BU sound nice, but come on, if the poster thinks the BU beach is crowded, he or she is not going to find a space as green as that with less people (unless it's maybe one small square foot or two of grass). Yes, the city of Boston has green space...along the esplanade, which is right by campus (literally 30 feet away, but you have to cross crazy Storrow Dr. to get there, and Storrow Dr., with lots of cars, runs along it, at least on the Boston side), but in terms of ON campus, we're pretty urban. As it's been stated a billion times, we aren't like NYU, which is true only in the sense that NYU, aside from WS park, really has ZERO greenspace. Kids hang out on concrete sidewalks outside of their buildings. In terms of us actually having greenspace at BU, it's just because we have 10 or so feet of grass in front of every building. Call it what you will, but I think if this person is unhappy with the BU beach, I'm not sure how much luck he or she will have finding the secluded green area he or she is looking for.</p>
<p>I don't know. I'd just be wary going here if BC was your first choice and the BU beach isn't enough for you. BU is an urban campus. Every student you meet is pretty independent and LOVES the urban environment. And, if you check other posts, you'll see BU students are very different from BC. I think it's pretty safe to claim that unless you're extremely easy going, you're going to like one or the other. If you like Boston but also like green space, I'd check out other schools. Sure, we're not smack dab in the middle of Boston with big buildings all around us, but we're not a park either. We're smack dab in the middle of a commercial center. If you want a green space more secluded than the BU beach, I guess my point is you're going to have to look, it's not going to pop out at you.</p>