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This time of year is especially exciting for high school seniors, as they are making big decisions about where they are going to be attending college. I remember when I was making my decision between Boston University and the University of Colorado Boulder; I was so torn, and the only way I was able to finally make up my mind required me to physically visit both campuses. The moment I decided to choose BU was when I was sitting in a lecture hall, listening to the dean of CGS talk about the benefits of the CGS January London program. If I never made the effort to attend Admitted Students Day, I would have probably ended up going to school in Colorado.
The problem many high school seniors may be experiencing now is the same feeling of being torn between their top two schools yet being unable to visit in-person. To assist those who may be feeling this way, I’ve come up with a list of 5 reasons why I think you should choose Boston University.
I hope this list helps anyone who is looking for guidance. Wherever you may end up attending school, you will make the right decision at the end of the day. Go Terriers!
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When I started this blog, my goal was to create a platform that required me to go out and explore Boston, write about my experiences, and share recommendations with my readers. Although, the COVID-19 pandemic has made that goal impossible; the rest of my semester will be taking place online from a desk in my parents’ house. I’m sure you can see the problem with continuing to write a blog that’s based on its original topic. So, I have planned to use this platform as a way to document my experience during this era of social distancing and to share ways with readers on how to get through it.
Currently, everyone I know is working from home and staying home to “flatten the curve.” Even though staying home isn’t the most ideal thing to do (especially after you’ve been doing it for 2 weeks and have a case of cabin fever) it’s important to keep following these social distancing guidelines because an actual fever is a lot worse and very dangerous to those around you. I’ve come to find that it’s so easy to get caught up in the negative aspects of the situation, so having a positive mindset during this time has been very beneficial to my mental health. For instance, the other day I kept overthinking the fact that my sophomore year of college got cut short and found myself saying to my family while we were eating dinner, “I have lost my will to live.” The moment after that came out of my mouth I realized how overly dramatic that sounded and that I didn’t want to actually die, but I needed to reevaluate my purpose and expectations during this season of my life called “the Coronavirus.” By viewing this time as an opportunity for self-growth instead of that one time when that really bad pandemic robbed me of part of my college experience, I have started to feel better about being home and not in Boston. Shifting your perspective is key to getting through this time. Whenever negative thoughts of boredom enter my horizon, I choose to think about this extra time as an opportunity to get to the things that I wanted to do before but never got to-do because I just didn’t have the time. Some of these things that have been on my to do list for a while now include: watching really good movies, drawing, taking online writing workshop classes instructed by one of my favorite poets (Rupi Kaur), experimenting with new recipes, listening to podcasts about self-love, running 3 miles every other day…. the list goes on. Also, whenever I find myself feeling bummed out about what would be currently happening if patient zero never ate that stupid bat, I try to channel my negative thoughts into optimistic ones. To do this, I think about what life is going to be like post corona. I try to visualize the first weekend when everyone can go out and see their friends after being at home for so long. I think about the first concert, museum trip, darty, music festival, my first day at my summer internship, beach days with friends, and everything and anything that requires me to leave my house and have contact with the outside world. I realize that it might be a bit of a wait before any of these things are possible again, but by adopting this mindset I have something to look forward to and I am completely hyped for when the time for these things to happen again comes. My point is, we have been given the gift of time and you can either use this time to improve yourself and try something new, or you can wallow in your own self-pity and be miserable the entire time. I chose the first option and hope you do too.  Before this whole coronavirus situation took a turn for the worst, I was spring breaking in South Beach Miami with eight other girls in my sorority. I would like to note that we went on this trip before social distancing was being enforced. Also, the Friday I left, the city was just beginning to restrict people from doing whatever they wanted. I had been to Miami once with my family back in 2015 for a family reunion. Although, as one can imagine, going there with college friends for spring break is a way different experience than going with your grandparents. One of the most exciting things a bunch of girls from all different years in Delta Gamma (the sorority I belong to at BU) participated in was renting a boat. Seeing Miami from the water was so exhilarating. We went through canals in between large high rise hotels and eventually docked at a small island of the coast. My friends were kayaking, swimming in the water, jumping off of the boat, and just taking in the sun on the island. I’ll remember that day for the rest of my life because of the fun I had with the amazing girls I was with. That day on the boat wasn’t even the best part of the trip; it was my realization that I want to live in Miami one day. Here’s why: 1. Every building’s architecture (even the pharmacies and grocery stores) was unique yet had a retro vibe that tied the city together in such an aesthetically pleasing way.
2. Miami’s art scene is unreal. On our last full day, we walked around a section of Miami called Wynnwood which is famous for its street art. There wasn’t one blank wall in sight and I seriously had never seen so much creativity all happening once all around me.
3. My last reason is a bit hard to explain to someone who hasn’t physically been to Miami, but it has to do with the energy of the people that filled the streets and beaches. So many people just casually approach each other and start conversing, are always playing music, express themselves in such trendy and fashionable ways, and just seem like they are way more relaxed compared to the intense energy I witnessed the weekend before in New York City.
Once this pandemic situation has come and gone, I definitely recommend everyone to visit South Beach Miami at least once in their life because I fell in love with the city and hope you will too. New York City is often referred to as the greatest city in the world. I believe that its bustling energy, filled with people from widely different backgrounds is what makes the city superior. This past weekend I visited New York City for Spring break with some friends. We are all college students so we had to ball on a budget. Transportation We took a bus called the “mega bus.” It was only $29 to get from the South Station of Boston to Penn Station. That specific bus was one of the nicer ones as you can find lower quality options for around $20. Although, if you aren’t feeling like sitting on a bus for almost five hours, your next best option is to take the Amtrak train. I prefer the train over the bus and will spend the extra money because it's more comfortable and takes a little less time. If you were to take the Amtrak from Boston to NYC it will cost you $85- $130 depending on the time you leave. Lastly, you can take a plane, which normally runs for $135+. Flights only take a little over an hour and when you are visiting a city for a short amount of time, time is money. Accommodations I was lucky enough to be able to stay at a friend's house for free for the weekend. Although if you don’t have any friends or family to stay within the area, AirBnb is a good alternative. They have a really useful feature that allows you to enter your price range into the search options to narrow your options down. If you wanted to stay in Williamsburg with 6 friends, you could find really cheap apartments starting at $85 a night. What to do: As most people already know, seeing a show on Broadway is one of the most iconic things to do in the city. I have had the privilege to see a few shows like Hamilton, Wicked, and Matilda. Although, my all-time favorite show that I have seen on Broadway is called Come from Away. If you are interested in watching a heartwarming historical fiction show about humanity during 9/11 this play is for you. It brought me to tears and will probably make you cry too. Tickets can get expensive, but if you buy your tickets through companies like TKTS, you can get 20%- 50% off of the original price if you buy the tickets the same day you see the show. There is an endless amount of attractions and things to do in the city that draws in people from all over. I hope you enjoy some of my recommendations!   A photo from June of 2017 at Island Creek Oyster. I was trying my first Lobster Roll while wearing a lobster shirt. As a sophomore in college who still lives on campus, I get a majority of my meals from the dining hall. After eating food that is mass-produced for a while, it gets old, especially if you are a foodie like me. I love trying new foods but going out in the city for dinner can get expensive for a college student. Personally, seafood is my favorite. I love all kinds of shellfish, sushi, and of course New England Lobster rolls. I think my love for lobster rolls began when my mom took me to dinner at “Island Creek Oyster” on Comm Ave. one June afternoon in 2017 when I was touring BU. Their lobster is from Maine and I was happy with the quality of the seafood. Of course good quality seafood comes with a high price.  Since then whenever I see a lobster roll on the menu, I get really excited. But, the price bums me out because I simply can not afford a $30- $40 roll. But that’s not going to stop the seafood lover in me from getting my fix. Luke’s Lobster is a chain throughout the east coast that also gets their lobster supply from Maine. A regular size roll goes for $17 and a jumbo roll goes for $23. Whenever I have friends visiting from the West Coast I always take them to get a New England Lobster roll here because not only is it good but affordable.  Oysters have also been another favorite of mine. Unfortunately, one can rack up a large bill when you get a plate of a dozen shells. A typical singular oyster can go for $3-4 each. Although, if you ever find yourself on Newbury St. you should stop by Puro Ceviche Bar. The ambiance of the restaurant is trendy as the restaurant is underground and filled with modern art and photography. Their oysters run for $2.50, which is a bit more affordable compared to other places, but they have a special deal on Thursday nights offering $1 oysters.
Finding affordable restaurants when you live in a big city isn’t always easy, but if you are in the mood for a good lobster roll or plate of oysters, I hope these recommendations help.
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