Campus and city
BU's campus is a four-mile linear ribbon along Commonwealth Avenue, running from Kenmore Square (West Campus, near Fenway Park) through the heart of the campus near Marsh Plaza, the College of Arts and Sciences buildings, the GSU (George Sherman Union), and the Mugar Memorial Library, then continuing east toward Boston University Bridge over the Charles River. The Green Line T runs straight through campus with multiple stops, making the city accessible without a car.
Marsh Plaza, anchored by the BU Beach (a riverfront grass strip along the Charles River) and the Marsh Chapel (where MLK Jr was a graduate student), is the symbolic campus center. The BU Beach is a major spring/summer hangout β students sunbathe, study, and watch sailing on the Charles. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is two blocks from West Campus dorms β game nights are a campus event in spring and summer.
Freshman housing is mostly contained on West Campus or Warren Towers (a 1,800-bed high-rise on Commonwealth Avenue). Upperclassmen scatter into apartments in Allston (3-block radius from West Campus, dense with bars and restaurants), Brookline (south of campus, quieter and more upscale), and Back Bay (east of campus, expensive but central).
Winters are genuinely cold and snowy β December through February typically brings 30-50 inches of snow and lows in the teensΒ°F. Spring and fall are stunning along the Charles River with crew teams rowing daily. Summer is humid but pleasant.
BU Terriers hockey is the dominant sport β the Beanpot tournament (rivalry with Harvard, Boston College, Northeastern, played at TD Garden every February) is a major campus event. Greek life is modest (~10 percent participation). The Daily Free Press student newspaper has 100+ year history. WTBU radio and BUTV give College of Communication students hands-on broadcasting experience.
International student communities are large and visible β particularly Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Latin American β with regular cultural programming, dedicated International Students and Scholars Office advising, and active student organizations. The Charles River esplanade, the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts, free with BU ID), Symphony Hall, and the entire Boston cultural infrastructure are accessible by T.