For my first two years at Boston University, I lived in East Campus over in Kilachand Hall. Every day, I marveled at the fact that I lived on Bay State Road and was so close to Fenway that I could sometimes hear “Sweet Caroline” being sung by the masses outside my window. Last year, I could even see the Fenway Park lights from my room!
I also enjoyed the East Campus dining hall, Marciano Commons, and my beautiful, daily walks to class along the tree-lined Bay State Road. But, when I started seeing junior year in my peripheral, I felt the need for a change.
This year, my junior year at BU, I am living with five of my closest friends in 1019 (Commonwealth Avenue, that is). 1019 is the farthest dorm in West Campus, so I definitely went from one end of the spectrum to the other. Although I’ve been an East Campus girl for the first half of my time at college, I’m glad I made this change.
Let’s start with the West Campus Dining Hall. Its fruit selection reigns superior over Warren and Marciano. I’ve eaten pears, peaches, and plums, oh my! Some days, they even have sliced up watermelon. Marciano could never compare with just its apples, oranges, and bananas fruit-game. Also, every day West has buttery rolls out at lunch and dinner! It’s the little things that make a difference. Of course, there are a few things I miss about Marciano Commons (including the grill employee who served me “just eggs” every day—miss you, man), but I don’t have many complaints about the West Campus Dining Hall—mostly just praise.
Besides the dining hall, the general food selection is better in West than in East. In West, I’m always a quick walk away from eateries, like Blaze Pizza, T. Anthony’s, Raising Cane’s, Chipotle, Sunset Cantina, Life Alive—I could keep going on and on. So, whenever I get sick of the dining hall food, I have plenty of other options. Star Market is also just a block away from my dorm, so I always have access to real-real food if I want it!
I also want to give a shout out to the views from not only my dorm but also both of the StuVi’s study lounges! I will never get sick of studying with the picturesque Boston skyline in my view.
What I like most about West Campus is the atmosphere. For the past two years, I’ve heard that West feels more like an actual college campus than the rest of BU, and it’s true. On my way to the dining hall, I can see the soccer team playing on Nickerson. Also, I can easily go visit my friends who live in StuVi whenever I want. Plus, I can’t wait to go to men’s ice hockey games at Agganis which is barely a five-minute walk away.
Even though my classes in East are at least a 20-minute walk away, I actually like it (ask me again once winter rolls around, though)! Having my classes and my dorm be farther apart makes me feel more normal, in a way. My academic life and my home life are separate, which helps ground me when I get stressed out.
As a former East Campus girl, I know that East folks love to brag about how much better East is than West. Yet, I’m here to defend West. By the end of last year, I was growing a little depressed, and living in the same place for two stressful years of college definitely contributed to that. I knew I would miss parts of living in East, but I was ready and excited for a change in my surroundings.
All in all, I don’t know if I will ever seriously say, “West is best,” but it certainly has its perks. The main perk: I’m happier.
Want to keep up with HCBU? Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, check out our Pinterest board, and read our latest Tweets!