Dear Freshmen,
Welcome to Boston! I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about this place. We have a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner and people talk funny!
First off, take this week to enjoy the weather because it’s going to get ugly quick, but at least you can go back home for vacations and tell all of your pals about how life is such a struggle waking up at 11 a.m. on a Monday and there being snow on the ground. Now, you may think that this city is your oyster, and in many respects, it is, albeit an expensive oyster with a lot of nonsensical rules about having fun. Explore, try things, and gain some experiences that you might not be able to in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, or “just outside” Philly (because that’s where 90% of you come from anyway). But please be cautious of these things while doing so. You’re already a freshmen, don’t make things harder than they need to be.
– Don’t call it Beantown.
– Don’t be a dick. Just because your new home is in Allston, Mission Hill, Cambridge, or Medford doesn’t mean that other people haven’t called those places home for decades. If you act like you run the place, chances are you won’t win over the respect of your neighbors. That won’t come in handy the first time you try and throw a highlighter party at your buddy’s off campus apartment, and you aren’t going to want that party to be broken up because Chad from your floor is a sophomore and he makes sick beats and will probably DJ said party if chicks are there.
– Don’t worry about your student loans for the next four years. You’ll have the next four decades after you graduate to do that.
– Say thank you to your T drivers. It’s not their fault that the B Line is dreadful. If you’re bitter about making it a few minutes late to your weekly meeting at the “Hookah and Philosophy” club, just chill for a minute and think about how much fun it would be to be driving the B Line train.
– If you join a fraternity, just don’t be an asshole about it.
– People here tend to like the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots. You’re bound to make a ton of friends if you walk around with a Yankees jersey on, so definitely do that.
– “Boston Strong” is a tricky thing to explain. At this point, if you use the phrase a lot, you’ll be subject to a lot of haters who think that it’s totally trite and commercial even though you were only trying to express your love of Boston and its resilience after a tragedy. Of course, if you are also outspoken about your disapproval of the term, people will think that you aren’t a true patriot and that you must support terrorism or something. It’s a double-edged sword really, not quite sure how that happened.
– Appreciate the growing state of Boston. There’s a lot to be a part of in this city at the moment, and many opportunities to leave your mark on it. In the next four years, do something to make Boston a better place than when you arrived here. Hell, it may even catch the attention of one of those startup bros.
– Be realistic and don’t plan on getting a job after you graduate.
– If you go to Harvard and are inventing the next essential social media platform, get in touch, lets talk business.
– If you’re a biker, there are many hazardous roads to try and avoid. Basically, there are a few in Jamaica Plain that are cool and that’s about it.
– There are many rules against drinking at certain hours, playing music in certain places, and even dancing. Break these rules, just don’t get caught, and do so in a way that’s safe and not intrusive to others. Not really sure how dancing without a license could be terribly bothersome to others, but I think you’d know it if it were happening.
– Keep an eye on each other. Not to get all dad on you, but college can be a dangerous place at times. Don’t be the one who wouldn’t leave that bitchin’ “CEOs and Corporate Hoes” themed party with your friend that got a bit too rowdy. That friend definitely needs you more than that party does.
-Seriously, this city has nothing to do with baked beans.
That covers only a couple of the bases, but I’m sure you’ll figure out others in time. In the next four years you will become educated, and with that New England education you will become cynical of the rest of the country and skeptical of everything. But you will grow and you will prosper. Just be sure to make some time for Boston. It’s not just a quick stop in your journey, it’s actually a pretty cool city. Be good to it, and it won’t be such a bastard in return.
Now go get WICKED SMAHHHT (haha lol, don’t say that, seriously),
Your pals at BDCwire
[Photo Credit: Boston University]
