I must admit that from the very first moment I walked around the Boston downtown area, I had the feeling my life in America would be totally different from the one I used to have back in Europe. And it’s not only about the different metric system, the big trucks, and skyscrapers. The approach to and speed of life is something really special here. The scent of availability to get everything you can ever think of is in the air. People seem to be way more open and communicative than people in Europe.
However, my biggest impression was once I arrived to Commonwealth Avenue – the avenue that hosts to Boston University - to organize everything before classes began. Thirty-five campuses, a huge fitness and recreation center where you can find every sport you can possibly imagine, a medical center, lots of different cafes and restaurants, a libraries with so many books that you will need your whole life to read them all. They even have their own Barnes & Noble bookstore, where you can find pretty much everything: books, clothes, stationery, mugs etc. – and all with the BU logo. For me, who came here from a three-floor school building with only one café and supermarket across the street, it all looked just amazing.
Of course, Boston University is not only about all those amazing things they offer. It’s an educational institution first off, so let’s keep it serious from this point on. The educational system here is way different from the one you get used to in Europe. Lectures cover just around 20% of what you will actually see in the exam. But it’s not that bad as the books, case studies, and manuals you are provided with are more than enough to get you well-prepared. During the lectures you watch a lot of videos and tutorials, and mostly the classes here are practical-skills oriented, which I personally find very good for a graduate student.
So I have to say that if you choose BU for your exchange semester or degree, I don’t think you will ever regret it.
However, my biggest impression was once I arrived to Commonwealth Avenue – the avenue that hosts to Boston University - to organize everything before classes began. Thirty-five campuses, a huge fitness and recreation center where you can find every sport you can possibly imagine, a medical center, lots of different cafes and restaurants, a libraries with so many books that you will need your whole life to read them all. They even have their own Barnes & Noble bookstore, where you can find pretty much everything: books, clothes, stationery, mugs etc. – and all with the BU logo. For me, who came here from a three-floor school building with only one café and supermarket across the street, it all looked just amazing.
Of course, Boston University is not only about all those amazing things they offer. It’s an educational institution first off, so let’s keep it serious from this point on. The educational system here is way different from the one you get used to in Europe. Lectures cover just around 20% of what you will actually see in the exam. But it’s not that bad as the books, case studies, and manuals you are provided with are more than enough to get you well-prepared. During the lectures you watch a lot of videos and tutorials, and mostly the classes here are practical-skills oriented, which I personally find very good for a graduate student.
So I have to say that if you choose BU for your exchange semester or degree, I don’t think you will ever regret it.
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