Boston University Visit Report by momonthehill

Visit Activities:

Information Session: Yes - There was a very large group of students and parents in an auditorium. The session was conducted by an admissions rep., along with a current BU student--mostly Q & A. A video was also shown.

Campus Tour: Yes - After the info session, the audience broke up into several smaller tour groups. Our tour guide was good--but being in the city, it was sometimes hard to hear her outdoors, due to traffic noise.

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Campus:

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We didn't directly interact with any students, except, perhaps our tour guide.

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We also didn't encounter any BU staff, except for a few admissions staffers, who seemed cordial and helpful.

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Considering that BU is an urban campus, the grounds like they were maintained well. From one section of the campus there was a lovely view of the Charles River.

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The buildings were mostly contemporary style, with some brownstones serving as administrative offices or dorms. They appeared to be clean and well-maintained, albeit somewhat dated.

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We went up in one of the towers dorms and visited a double room in a "corridor-style" hall. The room looked serviceable--pretty basic, but okay.

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Once again, BU is an urban campus, so good "street smarts" are important. We saw plenty of "blue light" stands around campus during our tour.

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What the campus may lack in terms of green space, it makes up for by being right in the heart of Boston, with access to all the cultural, social and professional opportunities therein.

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Off-Campus:

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From what we saw, it didn't seem to be a bad area, but still very important to employ common sense when venturing out, especially at night.

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With all of the cultural attractions, along with all of the other colleges there, there doesn't seem to be many cities better than Boston for going to college.

Campus Visit Notes for Boston University

Visit Description:

Daughter is a HS junior, so we just did an info session and campus tour visit. There were two big events also going on that weekend: Family Weekend for the current BU students, and the "Head of the Charles" regatta on the Charles River. The campus was pretty busy with the families of current students, as well as prospective students. The regatta on the Charles River was quite scenic, and we were told that the green space along the river is, understandably, a popular "hanging out" spot for students when the weather is nice. BU is relatively large for a private university, and it seems like they have a variety of good academic programs. Plus being in Boston, there are numerous opportunities for internships. From our visit, BU definitely met my daughter's expectations and she'll keep it in consideration.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We opted for a Hampton Inn in one of the outlying suburbs, rather than one of the pricey hotels in Boston.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Our visit was in the morning, so we had lunch at a Bertucci's restaurant (Italian food), which happened to be located right near the BU bookstore.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

Because we visited on a Sat. AM, we travelled in our car(as opposed to taking the MBTA). The traffic was fine, and we had no difficulty finding parking in an outdoor lot off of Commonwealth Ave.