About a 7-hour drive north of St. Paul’s, there lies a small city called Boston. Home to over 150,000 college students, Boston has about 26 colleges and universities within official city limits, but over 50 in the greater metropolitan area. A large part of the city culture involves young college students; coffee shop baristas look only a few years older than me, girls walk in through the Boston Common wearing Northeastern sweatshirts, and people speed-walk to the T in outfits that look exactly like those saved to my Pinterest board. A few weeks ago, I was able to play pretend and step into the shoes of these students for a couple of packed yet unforgettable days.
My first stop was Harvard University. When I heard the words “college town” before my visit, I didn’t know exactly what to picture. But stepping onto Harvard’s campus cleared up my confusion instantly. The focused yet active energy of the main academic campus is apparent mainly within its official gates yet is carried into the surrounding town. Similarly, the welcoming and exciting atmosphere of Cambridge blends right into Harvard’s main campus. My information session and tour lasted about 2 hours, which was common amongst the rest of my visits. The information session was very structured and straightforward, with typical presentations about academic and social life, housing and amenities, applications, and financial aid. Harvard being Harvard, of course, brought some added detail into the session, for example in depth discussion about each aspect of the selective application process and Harvard culture. Then, the campus tour began. The campus was somewhat smaller than what I imagined, but beautiful nonetheless. Although campus is open to the general public and official tours are available, the academic buildings are not accessible without a valid school ID and thus the tour was completely outdoors. This is not the case for many schools, where tour guides usually lead the group into at least a few buildings.
My Harvard tour would have ended perfectly if my dad didn’t reach into my bag and discover that all of my belongings have been completely drenched in my $15 hair mousse with less than an hour to grab lunch and head to our next tour, Tufts University. Despite the efforts it took to clean as much of my bag as I could, we were thankfully able to eat, call an Uber, and still make it to Tufts only 5 minutes late. My visit lasted about the same amount of time as Harvard, but the information session was a lot more analog. There was no slideshow, no fancy auditorium, just the admissions officer and a small hall with rows of chairs. The campus tour, however, was really a workout. The hilly and steep campus kept all visitors on their toes, but in an enjoyable way rather than a stressful one. The nature and scenery of Tufts reminded me of St. Paul’s, yet its hominess resembled my previous Harvard tour.
Unlike Harvard, where most students come from all over the world, both my Tufts and Boston University tour guides came from nearby Massachusetts cities. This was an experience different from my other tours, as most schools select students from farther areas to show the way they adapt to the region's cultures. Although this would be helpful for someone like me who is visiting Boston from a completely different region of the country, the perspective of Massachusetts natives gave me more insight into how these schools harmonize with Boston and Massachusetts as a whole. Boston University, in particular, truly feels like an extension of the city and seamlessly blends into the overall setting. If I did not see the sign marking the start of the campus, I would never have known I was looking at anything but the city of Boston. Although this portion of my trip was over the weekend, campus was teeming with students just as it would be any other day. This may have been in part due to the fact that it was Alumni Weekend, which entailed a lot of different festivities around campus. But regardless, the people running alongside the Charles River, which the campus lies right next to, numerous restaurants and apartments, and packed roads made me feel like I was right in the heart of the city. Besides BU’s urban setting, it remains a visibly intellectually stimulating space. The cozy libraries, futuristic student centers, and countless academic buildings clearly indicated a concentrated aspect of the city’s lively overall nature.
Despite the pervasive nature of college-aged individuals, Boston remains a lively city filled with a diverse and rich experiences. Festivals in the Common, families relaxing in the Public Garden, and bustling shopping districts are just a few examples of Boston’s variety of spaces and activities available for many different groups of people. This balance between college and city culture is what makes the Boston college experience so unique, as it allows young adults to thrive in their present state while accessing endless opportunity and experience.