
Since the first day I arrived at Boston, I could see that Bostonians are crazed about sports. Every single pub has TV screens showing 24/7 sports events and games, the Kenmore Square and Fenway area is always crowded, especially on game days, people (no matter the weather forecast) are running and jogging on the streets, gyms and healthy eating ads are all over the place, and most of the people walking around BU are constantly in sports apparel.
This sports love is also translated to the University and its facilities. Boston University has the biggest fitness facilities in all of Boston; it is a state-of-the-art fitness center called FitRec. This 5 story building has an Olympic pool, numerous indoor courts for basketball, volleyball, rollerblading, field hockey, squash…ping pong tables, dance rooms, thousands of workout machines, an indoor athletic track for when the weather is not good, and my personal favorite: an indoor climbing wall. These facilities are of free access to all students from early morning till late at night.
FitRec also provides many classes: from ballroom dancing and fencing, to spinning, muscle building, ice skating, and hockey. All of these classes can be taken for credit, ranging from 0.5 credits to 1.5 credits. As a MET International exchange student, you are eligible to make use of two free PDP sports credits, which I highly encourage using. During my first semester, I joined three different ballroom classes throughout the week (Ballroom for Beginners, International Ballroom Standard, and International Ballroom Latino), each of which was only 0.5 credits, and I couldn’t have enjoyed them more. I met all sorts of people and had a lot of fun. And it never hurts to know some sweet moves! =D
In addition to this awesome building, BU has two sports fields with an outdoor athletic track, and two ice skating rinks: one for the hockey varsity team and the other for the skating teams, female hockey, and club hockey.
After knowing all of this, it is my belief that one of the best ways for an international student to integrate is through doing PDP courses, joining one of the many sports clubs, or even, if you are committed enough, joining one of the competitive sport teams.
When I was a little girl, I used to do competitive ice skating, but as I grew older I decided to stop and center myself on my studies. But in the months previous to my coming to BU, I saw on the website that there was an ice skating rink with free skate hours. So I decided to bring my skates with me just to have some fun. After barely two weeks of skating every single available free skate, the coach from the BU Figure Skating Club saw me and asked me if I would like to join. I thought it over and jumped into the pool. I could have never made a better decision! I love travelling all over USA with the BUFSC team, and I’ve met many amazing people. Do not get me wrong, it is extremely demanding and requires a lot of hours and dedication, but it is all worth it. After 10 years of not skating I’ve placed 2nd once and 1st twice at intercollegiate competitions, and the BUFSC team has qualified for Nationals, which will be in barely two weeks at Berkley University in California.
This sports love is also translated to the University and its facilities. Boston University has the biggest fitness facilities in all of Boston; it is a state-of-the-art fitness center called FitRec. This 5 story building has an Olympic pool, numerous indoor courts for basketball, volleyball, rollerblading, field hockey, squash…ping pong tables, dance rooms, thousands of workout machines, an indoor athletic track for when the weather is not good, and my personal favorite: an indoor climbing wall. These facilities are of free access to all students from early morning till late at night.
FitRec also provides many classes: from ballroom dancing and fencing, to spinning, muscle building, ice skating, and hockey. All of these classes can be taken for credit, ranging from 0.5 credits to 1.5 credits. As a MET International exchange student, you are eligible to make use of two free PDP sports credits, which I highly encourage using. During my first semester, I joined three different ballroom classes throughout the week (Ballroom for Beginners, International Ballroom Standard, and International Ballroom Latino), each of which was only 0.5 credits, and I couldn’t have enjoyed them more. I met all sorts of people and had a lot of fun. And it never hurts to know some sweet moves! =D
In addition to this awesome building, BU has two sports fields with an outdoor athletic track, and two ice skating rinks: one for the hockey varsity team and the other for the skating teams, female hockey, and club hockey.
After knowing all of this, it is my belief that one of the best ways for an international student to integrate is through doing PDP courses, joining one of the many sports clubs, or even, if you are committed enough, joining one of the competitive sport teams.
When I was a little girl, I used to do competitive ice skating, but as I grew older I decided to stop and center myself on my studies. But in the months previous to my coming to BU, I saw on the website that there was an ice skating rink with free skate hours. So I decided to bring my skates with me just to have some fun. After barely two weeks of skating every single available free skate, the coach from the BU Figure Skating Club saw me and asked me if I would like to join. I thought it over and jumped into the pool. I could have never made a better decision! I love travelling all over USA with the BUFSC team, and I’ve met many amazing people. Do not get me wrong, it is extremely demanding and requires a lot of hours and dedication, but it is all worth it. After 10 years of not skating I’ve placed 2nd once and 1st twice at intercollegiate competitions, and the BUFSC team has qualified for Nationals, which will be in barely two weeks at Berkley University in California.