Is it normal to say that you started college for the first time and studied abroad within six months of each other?
In January of this year, I officially began my college journey. I still remember the nervousness of attending my first (and only) class of the day, RH103: Rhetorical Practices from the Ancient World to the Enlightenment – a rhetoric class that was required of me and my 10 other classmates, as well as around 600 other students admitted to Boston University’s College of General Studies (CGS).
Students who are accepted into CGS are required to have a gap semester during their freshman fall. During this time, students are permitted to do anything: travel, volunteer, work, or even take time to reset and recharge. CGS ensures that when their students arrive on campus in January, everyone is right on track, regardless of how each student spent their gap semester. Moreover, to “make up” for this gap semester, students are permitted to study abroad over the summer on BU’s London campus!
In all honesty, I should not be writing this article at this given moment. In the fall of 2024, I was deciding whether to extend my gap semester an additional year after a family emergency. In other words, I would not have officially started my college journey until January of 2026.Â
Nonetheless, I am beyond grateful for having started this past January, especially as part of the CGS program. Within my first semester in CGS, I was able to go on free excursions to a Boston Red Sox game and Salem, Massachusetts. For six weeks during the summer, I studied abroad in London, where I immersed myself in London’s thriving culture, learned from some of my favorite professors, and created unforgettable memories with my peers.Â
As I now wrap up my third semester at BU, but second semester in Boston, I have begun to reflect on how transformative this past year at BU has been. I was honored to meet a Nobel Laureate, have lunch with an author, witness my first Boston Marathon, and create lasting friendships with extraordinary individuals.Â
I want to extend my warmest gratitude to the entire Her Campus Boston University leadership team, both former and current, for creating such a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere in which my peers and I can thrive on campus – whether that may be professionally, academically, or personally. I am also endlessly thankful for my fellow Her Campus Boston University girls.
You all make Mondays something I truly look forward to!
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