Boston University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Psychology – On a Pre-Med track
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Hispanic Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m on a [varsity team.]

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public school outside of Nashua, New Hampshire with a graduating class of about 200 students. There was a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Psychology – On a Pre-Med track
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m on a [varsity team.]
What impact has your sport had on your experience?
It’s really fun being part of a team. It’s an experience I’d definitely recommend. I actually walked onto the team. They recruited me at the club fair and told me I should come to try out. I decided I might as well, and it was a fantastic decision. I met a lot of people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I also enjoy being part of a team, and the time structure with practice in the morning and afternoon. It’s nice to plan your days around that.

Academic Experience

What was your favorite class in your major?
Right now, I really enjoy Psychology 101. It’s a basic entry-level class, but it’s really fun and is what I was looking for. I feel like I made a really good decision switching my major, and I’m excited about it.
What was your least favorite class in your major?
I took a class called Existentialism last semester because I was going to be a Political Science/Philosophy major. It was pretty bad, but mostly because it was an upper-level class and I wasn’t really ready for it, plus I wasn’t interested in the subject.
Is there anything you feel BU has done especially well or poorly academically?
I think BU does a really good job of supporting everyone academically. If you need help, it’s there. I went to a few office hours last semester, and I wish I went to more now that I look back on it. If you want to do well, you can. It’s not impossible to succeed as long as you put the work in and talk to the professors.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s pretty competitive here. It kind of depends on what classes you’re taking. If you’re taking non-stem classes it’s not as competitive, which is how last semester was for me. Now that I’m in classes like Biology, Calculus, and just on the pre-med track, it’s a lot more competitive. It might just be the people in those classes that are more openly competitive. Otherwise, it’s usually a pretty collaborative environment and people help each other out.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re really accessible. They usually answer emails pretty fast, even if you email them at a strange time they do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. They all have office hours, and other times you can meet with them by appointment.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I took a Psychology class in high school and really enjoyed it.
How was managing both your sport and coursework?
It can be difficult sometimes, but it’s definitely doable. Last semester I had trouble balancing my sleep schedule with everything going on, like hanging out with friends, doing my work, and also going to practice and trying to find out where I have time to sleep. It was a tough learning curve, but now I have it mostly under control. As long as you work ahead before the week on Sunday when you have practice off, it’s not that bad.

Reasons to Attend

1) There are so many options here for you. Whatever you want to major in, you can create it. The sky is the limit.
2) We get to live in the heart of Boston. It’s fantastic and everything is so close to us. We have so many people supporting us. I had four different advisors. It’s kind of insane, but there are so many people that have your back and want what’s best for you.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The spread-out campus is a turn off for some people and is something to get used to. We don’t have a quad or anything like that.
2) It’s such a huge school that I could understand if somebody said they felt overwhelmed by how many people are here. There usually isn’t an overlap in the classes I take. I’m okay with it, but I could see why somebody wouldn’t be.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Honors College dorm. I have one roommate and two suitemates.
How was transitioning from Nashua to Boston, MA in terms of location?
Nashua is pretty close to Boston. I grew up coming into the city a lot, and I do have a lot of family that lives close by. I was used to the city, but was excited to finally move here and either walk or take the train places instead of having to drive. It was a pretty easy transition for me, but definitely a great one.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel pretty safe on campus. We have the blue light system. You usually can’t go too far without seeing a Boston University Police car driving around. If I need anything or feel unsafe, I have the number on the back of my ID card.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in?
I like hanging out with friends. I’ll go to sports games and stuff like that. We do have frats here, and there are parties close to my dorm. They aren’t BU frats, they are MIT frats.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
I’ll usually go out on Saturdays if anything is going on, and sometimes Friday night. Since I do have practice Saturday morning, I usually try not to go out the nights before because waking up at 5 AM isn’t fun.
What is the impact of having several Boston schools around on nightlife? Do you like doing stuff with those different schools?
Yeah, I do like it. Northeastern is super close to us. I’ve been to a couple parties over there. I have a few friends who go there so it’s nice that I can just walk over and hang out with them. We also have Harvard and MIT. It’s nice that I can just take the T or walk over. They’re mostly my friends from high school.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a night out?
There are a bunch here in Boston. You can go out for dinner with your friends if you want. When it was warmer we’d go to the Common or Faneuil Hall, or Quincy Market.
How happy are you with the weekend options at BU? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’d say a solid eight just because the actual frats from BU are over next to West campus, which is two miles from me. The MIT frats can sometimes be scary. You hear a bunch of horror stories about sexual assault.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my closest friends the day I moved in. There was a GroupMe for the students in the Honors College, so everyone was texting in it. I looked at it the first day to figure out where I can find people to spend time with, and this girl invited me to her room. I walked in and there were twenty people in there, and I just met some of my closest friends from that.
How would you describe the social scene at BU?
It’s a laid back social atmosphere. Everyone does their own thing. If you want to be friends with somebody, it’s not hard to just go up and talk to them.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix on campus?
To a large extent. I have a bunch of friends that are other races and sexual orientations. It’s a very diverse campus, so most people have a similar experience. [About 32% of students are White, 22% are Asian American, and 23% are international students.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s diverse and motivated in terms of being career-oriented.
How do you like the size of BU in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [There are about 16,600 undergraduates.]
I like the size. I was afraid it would feel too large because it is a big school, but it honestly just feels like one big community.
Do you ever feel like you’re more so a resident of Boston than you are a student of Boston University?
Sometimes when I’m walking through the city and just know where everything is. Over the break, some of my high school friends and I came to the city and I knew where everything was. It was weird, but it was nice feeling that I’m a resident of Boston.
How would you describe the Hispanic community? How strong is it?
I don’t participate in it a lot. I am part of the Alianza Latina, but I don’t go to meetings because I don’t have a lot of time. The community is there and is strong if you choose to participate in it. I came to the Multicultural Weekend before coming, and it was nice to meet other Hispanic people thinking about coming here.

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating were they to your needs?
I do get financial aid, but I haven’t ever gone to the office and talked to them. They are pretty generous. BU gave me the most money out of all the schools I applied to.