I remember being devastated when I checked my housing portal over the summer and realized that Keyes was on Newton. I scrambled to read old articles about Newton to prepare myself for what I assumed was the worst freshman housing. I was under the impression that living on Newton was a tragedy, and that my social life would suffer because of it. I worried about being that stupid freshman running to catch the Newton bus. I worried that I would hate BC because I was living on Newton.
But I was wrong. Living on Newton made my freshman year incredible. Sure, the bus can be a hassle and it can be inconvenient not living on Main, but that is literally the only downside. The community found on Newton is unlike any other and made the transition into college that much easier. Due to the amount of people that live on Newton, you always see a familiar face in Stuart and get to know a lot of people in your building. All of my best friends live in Keyes, and most of the friends I have made this year live on Newton. I always heard people say that Newton has an edge over Upper because of the community here, but I never understood how much of an impact that community would have.
I never thought I would say this, but I am definitely going to miss Newton. While I won’t miss the crowded morning buses or the weekend limited buses that run every half hour, I will miss everything else. I am going to miss doing homework and hanging out in the lounge on my floor with people that won’t be living near me next year, and I am going to miss walking into Stuart on a Sunday morning and sharing stories with friends I didn’t go out with the night before. I am also going to miss heading back to Newton after a night out, because there is a feeling of coming home when my friends and I return to Newton. I will miss pregames and parties in the Keyes basement and I will miss making the location of my Instagrams “Boston College-Newton Campus”. At first, I hated telling people I lived on Newton for fear of feeling inferior to Upper people. But now, I am proud to say I live on Newton because I have found a family here. I wouldn’t trade my Newton experience and my best friends I made here for anything.
Thank you, Newton, for giving me the best freshman year I could’ve asked for and the best friends that I’ll have for life.
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