Of all the decisions I've made in my life so far, going to school in Boston was by far one of the best. I always expected to end up in New York for college — NYU was my dream school for a while — but when I got into Berklee College of Music on a full ride, I knew I couldn't turn down the opportunity. It was safe to assume my actual schooling was going to be fantastic, but going to college in Boston was totally underrated for these seven reasons, and I'll never forget the time I spent there.
Boston is such a fun place filled with incredible food (especially the chowder and lobster rolls), so many colleges so you can make friends from all over the world, and unbelievably beautiful scenery, especially in the fall and spring. I think about my time in Boston often, and always consider moving back just because I loved it there so much. Who knows whether that'll happen in the future or not, but for now, I'll always have my pictures from college to look back on. If you're deciding whether or not to head to Boston for college, I can't recommend it enough.
The Charles River Esplanade is one of the most scenic routes you can take in Boston. It truly never disappointed — especially in the fall and spring.
In the fall, the leaves along the walk begin to change colors and everyone is excited for the start of a new semester. In the spring, it was the first place my friends and I would go when the weather was finally warm enough for us to enjoy a day outside. The pic above is from the first spring walk I took along the Charles after my first harsh winter in Boston. (Clearly I was super thrilled.)
Living in Boston and seeing how much the locals root for the teams is a fun part of the city's culture you can get into as a student. My college was down the street from Fenway Park and a quick ride on the T away from TD Garden, so I was able to go to games whenever I wanted.
I've never seen an entire city so overflowing with joy after a huge team victory. (I lived down the street from Fenway when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2013.) And even though I'm not a huge sports person, being in Boston made me want to be. Sports is a huge bonding tie throughout the entire city — so much so that a stranger might befriend you on the sidewalk simply because you're wearing a Patriots T-shirt.
Newbury Street is fabulous for many reasons. The shopping, the cafés, the glamorous salons... but most of all, I loved brunching there. All of the cutest and chicest restaurants are located on Newbury Street (I'm partial to Cafeteria and Trident), and you can always find a good go-to brunch spot for you and your crew.
I've always been a fan of lobster rolls and New England clam chowder, but it just tastes different in Boston. I think living there spoiled me because now I don't enjoy lobster rolls or chowder anywhere else. Whatever seasoning or secret sauce the restaurants in Boston put in their food just makes it taste so much better than anywhere else in the country, in my personal opinion.
One major thing I really loved about Boston as a whole is that it's such a walkable city. Most fun neighborhoods are accessible by walking to them, and anything you can't or don't want to walk to is likely accessible via the T or the buses. This was a huge plus as a broke college student because I didn't really have to worry about paying for cabs.
Boston is home to many different colleges and universities. So when you're exploring the city, it's not unusual to run into groups of students from other colleges.
I made so many friends from neighboring schools, including Emerson, Suffolk, Harvard, MIT, and Boston University, just because we were all in close proximity to one another. Plus, because there are so many colleges in the area, a lot of usually expensive places such as museums, theaters, and clothing stores often offered student discounts.
OK, I'm fully aware Boston winters are brutal. But even though it gets super cold and the snow piles up high on the sidewalks so you can only walk in single-file lines, there's something that's beyond magical about seeing the city all covered in snow.
I was in Boston during the "Snowpocalypse" of 2015 (the pic above is from when blizzard Juno first started) and remember school being cancelled every Monday for over a month. When I looked up the snow-covered and empty Massachusetts Avenue and saw nothing but white, I fell in love with the city even more.
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