Trapped on Commonwealth Ave

As a City School, do BU Students Actually Venture Outside Campus?

By: Olivia Berg

Photograph by Serena Sharma

“Do you like Boston?” is one of the most repeated questions for BU students heading home for a break or catching up with family friends. My answer is always an enthusiastic yes — but the follow up questions are where things get murky. One of Boston University’s most celebrated attributes is its location in the heart of the city of Boston. Yet when asked for Boston recommendations beyond Commonwealth Ave and Beacon Street, many students draw a blank. This raises a question: do BU students explore the city or are we attached to campus?

It’s unlikely that the types of students who chose BU are homebodies. Choosing a school smack dab in Boston suggests some appetite for city life. The green line runs straight through campus, how much more “city” can it get? While Boston is a milder city compared to others, it doesn’t diminish the fact that there is a hustle and bustle of a true metropolis. The student culture, then, can’t be to blame for the absence of exploration.

Time, however, might be. Students juggling school, club meetings, jobs, or social gatherings find that most of their obligations take place on or near campus. It’s entirely possible one doesn’t even venture to the other side of campus — moving between a lecture hall in the Questrom School of Business, a Zoom call from an east campus dorm, a meal at Marciano dining hall, and an evening with friends on Newbury Street (which also happens to be east).

Transportation is another factor. Many students who own a car are originally from somewhere near Boston. BU is a very diverse school so many of the students are from a long plane ride away. This makes possession of a car in the city very expensive and futile. That leaves rideshares, public transit, biking, and walking to get around the city.

Uber and Lyft, while convenient, become a test of patience on a busy Friday or Saturday evening. Not only are they expensive, but they take a long time. The number of times my friends and I had to factor in an extra 20 minutes because we were Ubering is blood-boiling. The T offers a cheaper alternative, but the hordes of people packed into the cars like sardines is not the most appealing. Further, the unreliable ETAs turn four minutes closer to ten.

Biking is an underutilized option. Boston’s Bluebikes have stations all over campus, making it fast and affordable to get from Allston to Back Bay or even Cambridge. For the students willing to brave Boston’s biking paths, a bike can cut travel times in half and avoid the unpredictability of both rideshare apps and the T.

This leaves walking as BU students’ most accessible means of travel. This is a peachy option when walking to class, but getting anywhere outside of campus becomes a trek. Perhaps more transportation versatility would be enough incentive for students to make the time to explore. After all, BU students chose a city school, and Boston has plenty to offer!