University: Boston University
City: Boston
Country: United States
Continent: North America
Field of study: business administration
Study type: semester abroad
Before the start of the new semester, an introductory week is always held at Boston University (BU), during which the various introductory events are held in all rooms of the BU. Topics such as presentation of the nations, health insurance, accommodation, visas, events, clubs, funding programs, etc. are dealt with. Various team building events are also offered during this week. So you have a full program to do in the first week. Check liuxers.com to see UON study abroad opportunities.
The BU is integrated into the city and stretches 1.5 miles from Harvard Bridge to Nickerson Field. However, this is usually not a problem as there is one tram that covers the entire campus. There is also a free bus shuttle from the BU, which is not always on time.
In terms of studying, the BU is used in such a way that, as a foreign business administration student who only stays for 1 or 2 semesters, you come to the so-called Metropolitan College and not, as might be expected, to the School of Management College. The Metropolitan College is designed for students who want to work and attend lectures in the evenings. Accordingly, all but one lecture are always scheduled in the evenings between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. The one lecture referred to is “Introduction into American Management”. This is a required course on the history of Boston and New England. This is quite nice as there are also some excursions into the city.
Before the start of the lectures, you receive a so-called “syllabus” which can vary from professor to professor. Here the teaching content of each lesson is presented and the structure of the grade as well as the homework to be done during the semester is described. As a rule, you have to write essays and prepare individual and group presentations in every subject. A mid-term exam and a final exam are also scheduled during the semester. All parts mentioned are then part of the final grade. But you really don’t need to be afraid of that if you work hard. A special English talent is not absolutely necessary.
Accomodation
So I was accommodated “on campus” and I would definitely not recommend that. My accommodation was built in 1938 and that’s what it looks like. The furniture is simple and functional, the heating is loud and the gap in the window makes you think you could sail in the room. You don’t save anything financially either. I paid about $1500 a month. That’s about the same as if you live “off campus”. I was in a 15 square meter room with a fellow student and we were allowed to share the small old bathroom with 8 other colleagues. On top of that, you are being patronized and there are endless rules. Eg you are only allowed to have a certain number of people in your room at the same time and even for those over 21 the possession of alcohol is very limited.
If you take an apartment yourself, you don’t have a problem with it.
Actually, when you register at the BU, it says that you won’t get on-campus meals if you don’t live on-campus. In my experience, however, this is not the case. You can sign up for on-campus catering at any time.
In the 7 different restaurants on campus there is everything your heart desires. I use the word restaurant on purpose because you can no longer say Mensa here. The choice of food is really diverse and always all-you-can-eat. Germans usually have to add a lot of salt because no salt is used there, but that’s not the problem. In addition to various dishes from pasta to burgers to rice, there are of course fruit, salad, dessert, cake, coffee, juices and soft drinks. So that’s really very good I have to say.
Around:
Events are offered regularly at the university itself and there are many programs in which you can take part. For example, I went to the RedSox baseball stadium for free and collected the plastic bottles for it. At some events you can also get free tickets for games of the BU ice hockey team.
In addition to its own hospital and its own police, the BU also has a huge gym. There is almost everything you would expect in a good studio. There is, for example, an indoor running track, swimming pool, spinning, squash, racquet, sports halls and of course normal sports equipment. There are no costs for the student here.
The city has everything you could wish for in a good city. There are of course plenty of parks, a very nice city center and a very nice port. Of course, there is also plenty of opportunity to go out. In addition to a number of bars and restaurants, there are of course plenty of clubs. Here, however, you should make sure that you don’t go out too late, since everything closes at 2 a.m. in Massachusetts.
Conclusion:
If you compare the BU with other universities in the USA I think that the BU is one of the best universities you can find. What was a bit unfortunate is that we weren’t assigned to the School of Management as the building and facilities are much better than the Metropolitan College.
All in all, the BU was a good choice. Above all, the location of the university is ideal. It’s not too far to Canada and you’re in New York straight away. In addition to a very good name, this is perhaps also a good reason for choosing this location.
