By Emily Unsworth

So, my parents aren’t really in favor of the 10-year college plan that I had in mind. Go figure. The last three years at Northeastern have been such a great time that I thought staying a student here until I reached my mid-thirties would be perfect. That would give me pleeennnty of time to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I mean, after about 20 co-ops it would be impossible not to know what career path I wanted to follow through with, right? Nice try, I know.

Too bad they didn’t go for it. Sadly, this means I only have two more years to take advantage of what this school and our amazing city have to offer before I become part of the working class. Sure, co-op gives us a good glimpse into what this “real world” is all about by working in our chosen fields, but with a distinct end in sight after six months, it is not uncommon to see friends’ profiles on AOL Instant Messenger with daily countdowns of when this temporary professional life ends. I have a feeling this type of countdown will be useless once I enter the real real world, since a retirement countdown seems kind of far-fetched.

Which brings me to a realization: I need to make the most of the time I have left here at Northeastern and not take my last two years as a carefree college student for granted. (This is far too easy to do, even living in Boston.)

Over the past three years here I have formed my own group of favorites in Boston, but only after taking numerous T-rides, getting lost, deciding to walk and then getting lost again. Despite Boston’s small-town feel, it is home to thousands of college students and can easily feel overwhelming. Other times, when you enter college as a freshman you don’t take advantage of all the city has because chances are you are on the five-year plan and that seems like more than enough time to hit every restaurant or museum, right? Wrong. Get out there as soon as you can. Time is going to go by a lot faster than you might expect.

Some of these favorites I have made so far in college have been as simple as favorite professors to my favorite place to bring my parents that serves good food yet doesn’t break the bank, which is already demolished by tuition; or my favorite place to shop when I get my co-op check (or more likely when I realize how little I have saved over the six-month period so I decide window shopping may be a “better” choice).

Regardless of if you’ve been a student here for four years and are already thinking about graduation, or are entering as a freshman, we all have formed our own relationships here at Northeastern and throughout Boston. Some are instant, like falling in love with the campus, while others take awhile as you begin to explore the city and campus on your own. It’s hard to believe, but there is life beyond Huntington Avenue. With my favorites also come the not-so-favorites, which will also be featured in future installments of this column.

I can’t deny how much I rely on Google to find what “they” think is the best restaurant or the cheapest place to get a haircut, but I find it more reliable to find things on my own and to hear other people’s individual experiences so that I can really decide if something appeals to me and my budget.

When it comes to going out, it’s only natural that we tend to favor the things we have done before, or places we have gone before, because we know they won’t let us down. I will share my own favorites and continue my search to find new and exciting things in and around Boston, hopefully creating some new ones.

We are all college students, which means three things usually apply to what we are looking for when it comes to going out in the city: The cheaper, the better; the later places are open, the better; and the closer to campus, the better. The search is on!

Also, the best way I have found many of my favorites here in Boston is by word of mouth, so suggestions are more than welcome.

— Emily Unsworth can be reached at [email protected].