A Boston Terrier's Final Year

 Hi! My name is Neeta and this is my Boston University experience!

[bostonuniversity]

Nickerson Field is prepped and ready to welcome all of our 2016 grads and their guests. Congratulations, Terriers! See you tomorrow!

[needaterrier]

it's my first semester of college and i have basically close to a 3.0 GPA. i know its only my first semester but I'm worried that it'll be difficult to raise it up from there. Any advice?

Definitely don’t stress too much, you will get the hang of things.

Get help. Go to office hours; I’ve met a lot of professors who will actually try to help you if you come to them and flat out say “I’m struggling, I didn’t do well on the last test, what can I do differently to do better on the next one?” There’s also peer tutoring at the ERC for the most of the big classes.

Also, something that I found just this semester actually, is that you can shift the balance of time you have between academics, extracurriculars, social life etc as needed. The first round of midterms I had this semester I just lightly studied for and went about life as usual, and I didn’t do so well. For the next exams, I tried to devote more time to academics, stepped away from my extracurriculars and friends (they understand, really) as much as I could for the couple days leading up to the exam, and I did a lot better. And then I went back to normal life to make sure I wasn’t forgetting about enjoying my time here at college. I don’t know what your balance currently looks like, but remember that while you should definitely enjoy your time at college and studying should not be the only thing you do, that is a great part of why you’re here.

[needaterrier]

i'm currently a freshman in a double in warren and im pretty miserable in my living situation. my roommate goes to bed very early and i don't and then she'll get visibly annoyed if i try to stay up later quietly and with minimal light to study (which i REALLY need to do). we also don't not get along, but it still feels like im living with a stranger. it honestly is making me so unhappy, but at the same time it would be so awkward to tell her i don't want to live with her anymore. but if i (cont)

(cont) were to try to swap out, how would i go about doing it and would you recommend it and would it be hard to do midsemester. ideally i'd prefer a single in west or warren but i know that's unlikely, but i'd take a double preferably in west but in warren if i absolutely have to. idk. my roommates very nice & everything but shes super passive aggressive and i really just feel so miserable and uncomfortable in my own dorm (on top of a rough start to freshman year not being able to make friends)

Honestly, confrontation might be the first step. And it might have to be aided by your RA to make sure a conversation actually takes place. But if it were me, and I don’t know your roommate personally but, I’d probably say something like, “Hey, I know you sleep really early, does my late night studying bother you? Because I really have to study, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t just trying to be polite by not saying anything. If it’s really bothering you maybe we can figure something out or maybe I should move out.” (Obviously she’s not exactly being polite, but there’s an art to confrontation without causing yelling and insults). These things are always so manipulative haha but it might work if you make it seem like you’re trying to convenience her, rather than you escaping from her.

If you can’t work something out, like her wearing an eye mask or you studying somewhere else, you can do a direct swap. There’s information here, but basically you have about a month at the beginning of the semester to find someone who also wants to switch rooms. Talk to your RA for details and help!

[needaterrier]

If we get a package over break will they hold it for us?

Yes, I believe so.

[needaterrier]

What does class closed mean? I want to take the intro level sociology class and there is one seat open, but it says class closed? Could I email the professor to try to get into the class?

Again, sorry for the delay!

Yes, you can email the professor and ask why the class is closed and whether or not you would be able to get in. Sometimes the professor is just keeping a waitlist and wants to abide by it, and closes the class to keep the order.

[needaterrier]

If I want to overload for next semester when do I need to turn in the overload form by? Can I still register for over 18 credits without getting charged?

Hey! Sorry for the delay, but I just googled it and according to this form, for CAS, it just has to be submitted by the fourth week of classes, I presume during the semester you intend on overloading.

[needaterrier]

[needaterrier]

[needaterrier]

How do we get half the money back for unused dining points at the end of the semester?

You won’t get it at the end of the first semester; it’ll roll over to next semester. And then, if you have more than, I think, $50, I believe half of the amount gets credited to your student account.

[needaterrier]

Are we allowed to have overnight guests over thanksgiving break?

I actually have no idea, since this is a new policy. Ask your RA.

[applytobu-deactivated20170628]

Breathe in that autumn air, BU.

[needaterrier]

[needaterrier]

hi! as a freshman i was wondering about the housing process 1. do most freshman live on or off campus 2. for on campus when do you register for that 3. when do people start to look for off campus housing/sign leases (a lot of my friends from other colleges have already done this for next year) 4. for off campus living where do most people go? thanks so much im just confused about the whole thing!!!

Hi! So I’m not that familiar with the process either, as I never chose to live off campus, but I’ll try to give you what I’ve heard.

1. Most freshmen live on campus; I think it’s required unless you commute.

2. You’ll get an email over the summer, around July, asking you to choose your housing preferences.

3. They start looking towards the end of the fall semester, but sign in the spring semester. It really depends on what you’re looking for, because if you’re just looking for a room anywhere, it’ll be a lot easier to find later in year.

4. Most people look in South or in Allston. Anywhere more east than that gets a bit pricey.

[needaterrier]

Hey! As registration is approaching i need one more class for a liberal arts requirement the only requirement for the course itself is that it is in CAS so I was wondering if you had any recommendations. I'm looking for something hopefully relatively easy as I will be overloading next semester and something super interesting, so I was wondering if you've had any classes (or know people that have had classes) that would be good to take!

Hey!

I have no specific recommendations, but my friend had a good piece of advice: do something that interests you. If you like what you’re studying, the class usually becomes a lot easier.

[needaterrier]

Hi! I'm an incoming freshman in January and a CAS student. I'm wondering about the dorm situation - I know Warren is closest to CAS, but I'm feeling drawn to West for a number of reasons. How bad do you think the West-->CAS walk is? Would it just be better to go for Warren?

Hey!

Well first of all your classes may not all be in the CAS building. They might be, but they also might be in other buildings like the Psych building or even in CGS sometimes. I chose to live in East campus because I’m a science major and all of the labs are in East campus, not just my classes (although all of my classes are).

I know a lot of people who still choose to live in West. Usually they just acquaint themselves with the bus system. Also it often just means you can’t leave for class 5 minutes before class starts, but if you don’t mind then it’s not really an issue. I love not having to walk very far to get to class, but again that’s a personal choice.

[needaterrier]

Are the locker rooms at fit rec locked? If so do you know we can get access to them?

I know the women’s locker room is. My friends gave me the password, but I think if you just ask the people at the front desk they’ll tell you.

[needaterrier]

Random question, but if I have a friend who has a sports pass but won't be going to a certain BU game, can they get a ticket to the game and then give it to a non BU student use?

Yeah! I haven’t been to a game in a while, but they don’t check IDs.