Boston University is an urban, private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Only 40 minutes away from Abington, it’s divided into the Charles River, Fenway, and Medical Campuses. BU also has three stops on the Green Line at Boston University East, West, and Central. This makes it possible for students to either commute or dorm on campus.

As a sophomore, I was lucky enough to attend Boston University’s Winter Visit Day on Feb. 21. The event was held for upcoming high school juniors and seniors, or the classes of 2022 and 2021. Interested students and their families could attend the university for a day, visit one of eleven schools opened to the public, and even have lunch in one of BU’s top-rated dining halls.

The dorms and colleges were a mix of modern and old architecture, which only added to BU’s diverse atmosphere. Although considered a large campus, with 17 total schools, the campus is very easy to navigate. BU is right in the heart of Boston, and is only a short walk away from the home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park.

As previously mentioned, students can either dorm or commute, but last year 75% of the BU population lived on campus. Living options include standard large or small-style dorms, suites, and apartments. Warren Towers is the most common dorm for incoming freshmen,with options for single, double, and quad housing.

Warren Towers is in close proximity to the university’s world-renowned College of Communication (COM for short), which I chose to tour that day. Interestingly enough, my tour guides both hailed from the West Coast. Jessica is a COM sophomore from Los Angeles majoring in Journalism and Public Relations, and Anika is a freshman from San Diego majoring in Media Sciences.

The tour started with an overview of BU’s general education curriculum known as “the Hub“. No matter what year, students enrolled are required to take courses in 6 different “capacities”, or subject areas such as Scientific & Social Inquiry, Communication, and Quantitative Reasoning. This allows students to explore topics outside of their major and learn through other schools while also fulfilling general education requirements. Class sizes have an average of 27 students, which isn’t bad for a university with around 35,000 total students. And while the average national student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1, BU comes in with a smaller 10:1.

The tour continued with a more in-depth look at COM.  Both girls emphasized how flexible the majors at the school are, and explained how they could take classes involving other departments in the COM curriculum. For example, a Journalism major would take their normal required courses, but could also enroll in a class for something like Film Studies or Advertising.

My biggest takeaway from the school was the fact that no prior knowledge is required for any COM student. Professors are willing to share their knowledge with any skill set, from amateurs to other professionals like themselves.

Besides their educational aspect, Boston University boasts over 450 clubs and activities (many of which are student-run), 24 NCAA Division 1 sports, and 34 club sports. BU is particularly known for their Terriers hockey team that both produces some of the NHL’s top stars and brings BU sports fans together. They participate in an annual tournament known as The Beanpot, where BU, Northeastern University, Harvard University, and Boston College face off to win a trophy (and major bragging rights).

If you’re not into sports, then the BU Beach is a great place to hang out. Don’t be fooled-it isn’t a beach at all, but a grassy knoll that’s comparable to a quad. Students can walk, hang out, do homework, play frisbee, or just enjoy the nice spring and summer weather. After saying all this, Jessica and Anika assured that no matter who you are, you’ll find somewhere to belong at Boston University.

For an introductory college tour, the whole experience was really immersive and let me see what life would be like after high school. I’ve been told to pay attention to how students interact with one another on an average day, and at BU, everyone just seemed at home and happy to be there.

As a current sophomore, I have a lot of time until college. After completing my tour of Boston University, I hope to become a Terrier in 2022 and will definitely keep BU at the top of my college search.