University: Boston University

City: Boston

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Field of study: physics

Study type: Summer Sessions

I am a prospective mechanical engineering student and wanted to use the time between high school and university to refresh my knowledge of physics and improve my English.

I chose a 4 credit Elementary Physics course to avoid a visa. A visa is only required from 8 credits, in my opinion it is more worthwhile if you attend both summer sessions. The application documents could all be downloaded from the Boston University homepage or requested from MicroEdu. Completed, they are mailed to the United States. The MicroEdu team checked the documents for accuracy and then sent them to the USA. When applying, you have to keep in mind that there are two different applications – one for studying and one for housing. Also, a check for $200 must be enclosed with the housing application as a housing processing fee. Check mcat-test-centers.com to see University of Waikato.

When I arrived in Boston, I was given my dorm key right away. Most of the information is available online for students, studying is almost impossible without a laptop.

I shared my room with a roommate, which worked out very well. There is a toilet and a bathroom for 4 and 5 students respectively. It is cleaned every day, so everything was very clean and tidy. I stayed in a very nice old building just 3 minutes walk from the Charles River. The lecture halls were very close by, as was public transport. The rooms have a desk, a bed with a mattress (but no blanket!), a closet and a walk-in closet.
The canteen is very good, the food is really very good compared to local school canteens. Convenience points can be used for shopping on the university campus.

My physics course was in a large and well-equipped lecture hall, which was not fully occupied. There were about 60 students in my course. The lab courses were all very small, around 5-10 students per lab course. The lectures were very well structured and if you had questions, you could always go to TFs or go directly to the professor. There was quite a bit of homework, but there is support that helps you with questions and is really very helpful. A lot of fabric was pulled through; Even in summer you have to learn to stay on the ball. There were 3 tests of 2 hours each. Grades and homework are all available online, and if you have any questions before the tests, someone can always be contacted online!
There are large computer rooms where you can use printers, the main computer room is open 24/7.

Boston is a great city with many attractions. The Boston University campus is huge, a student told me that about 10 percent of the city of Boston is BU land. The private fitness center is amazing, it really has it all. Basketball halls, swimming pool and sports courses included. It’s a good way to meet students. There is also a sailing pavilion and a wheelhouse. I took a sailing course that was really great. The groups are very small and you will sail in individual boats on the Charles River in front of the Boston skyline.
There is everything you need on the university campus, from shops to Starbucks to hair salons. A visit to the Red Sox should be planned, the stadium is very close and one of the oldest in the USA.

You get to know Americans and international students very quickly if you are just a little open-minded. Once you get to know the people there is always a lot going on, on the weekends there are often parties organized by student associations (frats) or private house parties.
Across the Charles River is MIT, whose students you get in touch with because the universities are so close together. Harvard is also very close.
Boston is great for studying because there are so many students from all different majors. You can get to know humanities scholars from Harvard, or physics cracks from MIT. The town is small but nice, the pier is very nice, as is the North End, where you can eat very well.

Conclusion: I had a great time as a part-time student at the BU, you get to know a lot of people and it’s a great experience abroad. The university fees are very high, but the university is really well equipped and everything is of the finest quality.