COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Boston University accepted an undisclosed number of students through the university’s early decision program in December. Statistics for the incoming ED class have not yet been released, BU spokesperson Colin Riley said, though the official class of 2023 Facebook page currently has more than 600 members.
Riley said there are certain attributes that the 2023 applicants all share and attributes that BU admissions specifically looked for.
“We look at students in their entirety,” he said. “We are not hoping that students just come here and expect to be taught. We want them to become full participants in their education and contributing to their education and the education of others.”
Riley added that applying early decision is a “serious commitment.”
“They have decided that BU and the city of Boston is the place that they decide to spend their next four years,” he said.
Thomas Durand, a high school senior from Rhode Island, was one of the students accepted into the early decision program. From the moment he first stepped onto Boston University’s campus, he said he knew it was the school for him.
“I love Boston, I think it’s a great place,” Durand said. “I’m from Rhode Island, so I grew up going [into Boston]. The university itself was very exceptional and impressive to me.”
Durand said he was interested in BU’s computer engineering program, which he found diverse in terms of the disciplines it explores. He said he also plans on joining BU’s ROTC program as a member of the Air Force.
His acceptance into the class of 2023 came unexpectedly early, he said, on a gloomy Friday afternoon at the end of a long week.
“I saw a post from the BU Admissions that said, ‘Congratulations Early Decision applicants, your decisions are ready,’ and I had a mini heart attack,” he said. “I saw my decision and was very surprised — I jumped up and told my parents.”
Riley said that more than anything else, a visit to BU’s campus can be vital in deciding whether or not a student wants to apply early decision to BU.
“It could also be that they had some interaction with students at BU or students that they knew that had enrolled at BU who they knew through their high schools or their family or friends,” Riley said.
Geneve Lau, a co-coordinator of the College of Communication’s student ambassador program and a sophomore in COM, said she believes BU’s increasing popularity is a factor in how many people decide to apply.
“BU is becoming more and more popular, so a lot of students are attracted to that,” she said, “and they also know that the BU Hub is a new curriculum, so that’s also attractive to a lot of students.”
More and more Lau said she sees students applying who have done prior research about the university and have specific questions about its programs.
“BU is taking steps to advance education, so there’s definitely a lot of students who come in asking about that,” she said. “A lot of people have been looking at BU for a while they have visited before or they know someone, so they’ll ask about particular experiences.”
Navika Reddy, a 17-year-old student from Hyderabad, India, was also among those who applied and was accepted into the BU Class of 2023 early decision in the Questrom School of Business.
“I’m excited to take part in the academic clubs and networking opportunities it provides me with,” Reddy said. “I believe that BU cultivates the spirit of learning and will equip me with the necessary skills needed to succeed and create memories that will last a lifetime.”
Like Durand, Reddy said she was thrilled to find out she was accepted to BU.
“When I got my acceptance, it was the best feeling ever,” she said. “It made me realize that all my hard work paid off, and I’m just so excited to see what BU has in store for me fall 2019.”
High school senior Kenzie Morris, of Massachusetts, will join class of 2023 and also said she was excited to take advantage of the networking opportunities BU offers when she gets to campus in the fall.
“I am really excited to be in the BU community because it is so diverse, from the students to the alumni network,” she said. “A lot of the opportunities that I want to do connect to the BU alumni, so they can provide students with those opportunities as well.”
BU was also the only school that offered Morris a program for her desired path of study, she said.
“I want to go into the business and entertainment world, and BU is one of the only places that offers an L.A. program,” she said. “A lot of the entertainment executives who come from Holywood went to BU.”
Most of all, Morris said, she felt welcomed by the BU community.
“Even since I’m accepted, a lot of people who are going with me next year seem to have that same pride for the BU community,” she said. “Everyone is so different, but at the same time you can get along and find various overlapping interests.”
