Relationships

Hello friends!

As I sat in my room in Edmond's Hall this evening watching the sun set over Gasson Hall (gorgeous despite construction!), in an attempt to avoid tackling my monster marketing homework, I started to think about relationships.

The word "relationship" can be kind of limiting, because at first it may seem like I'm just talking about romantic relationships. Though those are definitely important, there are so many other kinds of connections to be made at Boston College. There are "friend" relationships. These are the people that you meet in your freshman year dorm, through activities you are involved in, or from friends-of-friends-of-friends. These relationships have been so important to me at BC. Without my friends, I would have nobody to eat turkey and brie sandwiches with at Hillside after class (which would be a great tragedy).

Being in CSOM, I have been told about the importance of Networking (with a capital N) since my first day of classes. Boston College alumni are so eager to help current students and can frequently be found at panels put on by the career center in the evenings. Hearing about the careers of these people, who were in my shoes only a few years ago, has given me a great deal of confidence about my future in the workforce. Many professors at Boston College also have a great deal of connections to people working in industry. This year alone, I have had a total of eight guest speakers in my classes! I'm not sure you could get this kind of experience at any other university.

The final type of relationship I've been thinking of is that of mentor-mentee. With a staff of hundreds of professors and other professionals, there is no shortage of experienced and worldly adults willing to dispense advice to undergrads. The greatest thing about the faculty here is that they truly do care about the students. Everybody is looking to see us succeed and will do everything they can to help us achieve our goals, whether by writing recommendations to grad programs, helping us prepare for Big Four interviews, or getting us through a particularly nasty bout of homesickness. In short, the relationships that I've had the opportunity to make at Boston College have been some of the best of my life, and I have no doubt that they will continue long after graduation.

-Amanda Penza '12
penzaa@bc.edu

Hello! An Introduction

Hi everybody! Like many of the other recent posts, I am here to introduce myself as a new member of the blog. My name is Seth Yarkony and I am a freshman in the Carroll School of Management here at BC. I intend to concentrate in Management & Leadership and Marketing and pursue a minor in Faith, Peace, & Justice. I am from Lake Forest, IL (about 30 miles North of Chicago), and I absolutely love BC.

When I was beginning to ponder colleges, I thought strictly in the Midwest until my counselor suggested BC. I have some family out here but never really considered applying because it was somewhat far from home. Despite my concerns, I decided to include BC in my list of schools to visit over Spring break of my junior year. Needless to say, I fell in love with it the moment I stepped on campus. The beauty of the buildings, strong academic programs, wide array of clubs and other extra-curricular opportunities, and spirited student body is what attracted me to the school. Now that I have been here for over a month, I can affirm that my perception of BC was accurate and has not changed at all. This is a great place to be and everyone I meet is just as happy as I am.

I have managed to become involved in a few clubs on campus, through student activities day and my researching of them before school began. I am a member of the Emerging Leaders Program and I am also on the Leadership Council for Boston College Republicans, along with my newly found work with SAP on this blog and through the High School Visits program. While it may seem like a lot, I find it very easy to manage my time due to the much more free time I have been given at college compared to that in high school. My first suggestion to all high school students entering college: GET INVOLVED! I have met a lot of new people in my clubs that I wouldn't meet otherwise and it is very easy to find a group that shares your passions.

I will do my best to post regularly to share my own experiences and discuss the new things I learn each week here at school. Feel free to ask me any questions through email or on Facebook, I will do my best to answer them. Until next time, GO EAGLES!

-Seth
yarkony@bc.edu

Hockey Banner Raising

Hey Everyone,

Quick blog here but I just wanted to quickly talk about this weekends Banner Raising Ceremony. Im a pretty big college hockey fan so I thought this was awesome. It was the night of the first home game for BC this year Conte, the rink was packed. I went with all my friends to the student section early so we could get some good seats right behind the opposing goalie. The actual ceremony started a little after we got there. They showed a quick video with BC's success in the past decade and then brought out members of the past championship teams. Finally they unveiled the new banner and it was like something I've never seen before. The feeling of seeing a national championship banner unrolled and hoisted in your school is like anything else. It has to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Another good thing was that this signaled the start of a new hockey season which I cant wait for. Anyways thats all for now and I cant wait for the next banner to be hoisted up (hopefully!).

-Dan

SPLASH at Boston College--this weekend!

For any former attendees of the MIT Splash education program, the popular event is set to take place at Boston College this Saturday for the first time, sponsored by UGBC! This weekend, I will be teaching a class with fellow blogger Christina Quinn (CSOM '13) titled: "The Six Degrees of Social Media."

Having glanced at the classes available (everything from "Perspectives on the Music of Pink Floyd," "College Pranks 101," and even "Dimensionality and the Shape of the Universe"), I can say that there has been much anticipation, enthusiasm, and excitement around campus surrounding the event. We have a great lineup of classes and knowledgeable student-professors! If you haven't signed up, today's the last day! Find out more information about the event here.


Hopefully I'll see some of you soon!

-Dara
fangda@bc.edu

ICE JAM 2010

Hey - so this post has nothing to do with CSOM, its just about the awesomeness that went down tonight at Conte Forum. They had half of a hockey rink and half of a basketball court, and the event was centered around the four teams at BC that compete in these two sports. Bob Costas hosted, which was sweet, and Vanilla Ice was there because, come on, it's ICE Jam. Also, Doug Flutie was there, even lighting it up in the three point contest. And there was tons of free stuff. This is just another event that shows how sweet BC is, and is definitely worth looking at for all you kids who love sports.

P.S. I'm incredibly biased because I'm on the committee that planned this event.

P.P.S. Did i mention we GAVE AWAY A BMW?

Boston Excursion: From Chestnut Hill to the North End

Hey everyone! In my last post I shared some of the things I love about Boston and being so close to the city. I spoke about how I loved Boston’s many neighborhoods and that because it is relatively small, it’s fairly easy to get around even if you are just walking. To prove my point my friend and I went on a little excursion last Columbus Day weekend and walked all the way from Chestnut Hill (Boston College) to the North End. To get a sense of the neighborhoods in Boston, check out this map.

When you want to get from place to place in Boston, it is usually easy and cheap to take the T, the Boston subway system. But when it is a beautiful day I would recommend walking through some of the neighborhoods yourself. You will notice that things are not to far away from each other and it is easy to get across the city just by strolling along through each neighborhood. On a Saturday afternoon my friend and I began walking down Beacon St., heading towards the center of Boston…

We first arrived at Cleveland Circle, a common destination right down the street from the main campus. Here students will find a variety of eateries such as Roggies and Eagle’s Deli, convenience stores such as CVS, the Reservoir T stop, and even off campus housing. After saying hello to some friends, we continued our way down Beacon St., passing through several beautiful neighborhoods, and then arrived at Coolidge Corner. This Brookline intersection and the streets surrounding it have a quaint and pedestrian-friendly feel, and are home to many small and family-run shops and restaurants (not mention my favorite Jewish deli and brunch location, Zafitgs.) You can also catch a glimpse of the restored art deco Coolidge Corner Theatre. This is a great place nearby to walk, eat, shop, and relax with friends.

We soon reached Commonwealth Ave. and passed the famous Boston Citgo sign (see the photo of me above.) With the top of the Prudential Tower growing in the distance, we crossed over to Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, which was filled with pedestrians. This is a popular destination for anyone visiting or living in Boston. Newbury Street is lined with historic 19^th century brownstones with house an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, and salons, making it a great destination for shopping, dining, or just enjoying a day in the city. The area of Back Bay itself is part of old Boston and one of the city’s most expensive neighborhoods. It is home to many great Boston destinations such as Copley Square, the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church, John Hancock Tower, and also the Berklee College of Music.

After being entertained by a college jazz band playing outside of Starbucks and perusing in and out of boutiques, we exited Newbury Street and entered the Boston Common, one of the oldest city parks in the country. On beautiful days the Common is filled with picnickers, dog walkers, musicians, families, and street vendors. Here you can walk through the public garden, ride the famous swan boats, or enjoy the “Frog Pond.” My friend and I decided to buy a snack from a street vendor and enjoy a small musical performance taking place that afternoon.

The Common is surrounded by the Boston Theatre District, Financial District, and Beacon Hill Area; however we decided to make our way down to Faneuil Hall. This building is a historical Boston market and meeting hall and one of the most frequently visited sites in the US. Inside and around Faneuil Hall you can find lots of great places to eat, shop, and walk around-you might even see some really awesome street performances by various dance and musical groups. Faneuil Hall is also part of the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile walk marked with red bricks that leads one through 16 historical sites in the city.

My friend and I finally followed the Freedom Trail all the way to the North End, Boston’s “Little Italy,” and one of my favorite areas of Boston. The North End is Boston’s oldest residential communities and home to Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church. Its quaint streets are filled with Italian restaurants, pastry shops, cafes, and markets. It’s almost impossible to leave with out a box of cannoli or having eaten some gelato or pizza. We ate at a tiny restaurant off of Prince Street and ended our day with some delicious homemade pasta and gnocchi. As you can see, Boston is fairly easy to navigate and accommodates a wide variety of interests. This is something every Boston College student should take advantage of.

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you have any questions feel free to send me an email! papastam@bc.edu

Thanks for reading!

Sofia Papastamelos

(Another) Introduction

Hey everybody! Just figured I'd follow suit and give you guys a bit of an introduction as well. My name is Eddie Jonny; I'm a sophomore with a Marketing concentration in CSOM and just like Dan and Christina, this is also my first post on the blog.

I'm originally from Long Island, New York but even though I'm familiar with the northeast I had never really looked into BC during my college search. I drove through campus on a whim during a trip to some other New England schools and before I even reached the end of Campanella Way I could tell I wanted to go to school here - something just clicked. From that point on BC became my main focus and fortunately everything went according to plan.

On campus I'm involved in SAP, working online and doing high school visits. On top of that, you can find me in the office on Thursdays from 12-1. I'm also involved in the Marketing Academy as well as BCVC, our Venture Competition here at Boston College. I'm also a huge music junkie; I interned at a record label in New York this past summer, so for any of you with the same obsession, feel free to reach out if you're looking for someone to talk music with.

I hope this post didn't get too verbose for you guys, I just wanted to give you a bit of information on who I am and the type of things I'd be more than happy to talk to you about.

Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions on anything I talked about (or even on things I may have left out). I'm addicted to my Crackberry so you'll more than likely hear back from me within minutes.

-EJ

jonny@bc.edu