If you’re fresh meat on the college scene, you’re probably getting settled in this cozy new home called Northeastern by making friends, going to parties and just chilling. But you’re a resident of Boston now and while Northeastern may now seem to you more than enough to satisfy all your social needs, branching out will eventually become natural and desirable to you. Not only is Boston home to some of the finest schools in the nation, it also boasts a wide range of schools that specialize in particular areas. So if you’re feeling a little short in the art, tech or music department friend-wise, The News’ Maraithe Thomas scopes out the social scene of our collegiate colleagues.
Emerson College doesn’t know whether it’s a liberal arts school or a conservatory. Thus, there are two main groups of students at Emerson: ‘ kids who should be in art school because they don’t know how to function in academia and kids who should probably be at a more academically challenging school but aren’t due to an unjustified need to pursue their ‘passions.’ Its students are journalists, poets, filmmakers and writers who compete to be the most culturally and artistically aware, yet would never admit it because art is art, man. ‘Don’t clump us like some kind of soil,’ said Emerson student Kyle McDonald. See? Smart art.
Think of the New England Conservatory as kind of like Berklee on a small scale, though NEC students would hate that label. NEC is a little music school of 750 graduate and undergraduate students. The school itself is a National Historic Landmark, as is its main concert venue Jordan Hall, which is right across the street from Matthew’s Arena. Unlike Berklee, NEC is more focused on performance, though it does have classes in theory and history. They have buildings all around the Fenway and host many concerts and events throughout the year.
Wentworth is the closest school to Northeastern geographically, with many of our dorms overlooking their Sweeney Field. Wentworth’s full name is Wentworth Institute of Technology (or WIT), but don’t let that make you think they’re all just geeks ‘- there is almost always an athletic event going on at the field, which speaks to their affinity for sports. Students here study subjects like architecture, computer science and engineering, to name a few. Recognize these kids from their black and gold lanyards or sweatpants that say Wentworth down the side. Most all of them will have one or the other, or both.
What to say about Boston University? Just down the road on Commonwealth Avenue, BU doesn’t exactly have a specialty like many of these other schools, unless you count their special ability to beat us in men’s hockey every year (sorry, but it’s true). Sure, you’ll want to go here to party every now and then, but just keep in mind that with their 54 percent acceptance rate to Northeastern’s 35 percent, BU is known fondly around these parts as Boston’s least favorite safety school, and you’re better than they are (sorry, but it’s true).
Wheelock College tops the other schools in the area for having the smallest student body with only about 800 students. Wheelock is only for students who wish to be teachers, social workers or other child and family care professionals. It’s also over 90 percent women, so take note ‘- Simmons College and Wheelock are where the ladies are.
Simmons College is Boston’s only all-female college and one of only six in Massachusetts. Located in the Fenway, this small liberal arts college consists of about 2,000 undergraduates. Most of its students are nursing majors, with the second most popular major being social sciences. So if you need someone to nurse your sore shoulder or a little female companionship, head here.
One of the most famous schools for music in the country, Berklee College of Music is the alma mater of the likes of John Mayer, Prince and Howard Shore, composer for Lord of the Rings and Doubt. Students can major in performance of a particular instrument or in other cool majors like music synthesis and film scoring. Students must also audition or interview before being admitted. Berklee hosts dozens of concerts at its many performance centers each year. Artists like They Might Be Giants and Neko Case have performed recently.
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is just opposite Wentworth. It has an incredibly tiny campus, consisting of only two academic buildings (one of them is that really tall, black glass building at 621 Huntington Ave.) and two residence halls. Most of its students live off-campus in the Mission Hill area. Students here have unique majors including fibers, metals and museum education that are sure to get them all jobs immediately out of college, not to mention more traditional art school majors like painting, sculpture and film. Mass Art also hosts some great art exhibits throughout the year that are worth checking out. And no, those aren’t costumes they’re wearing. Those are their clothes.
Right next to Simmons is Emmanuel College, an even smaller liberal arts school in the Fenway. Emmanuel is a Roman Catholic college with a pretty (small) campus enclosed by a black gate. It’s tiny!
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‘- Maraithe Thomas is a middler English major and a member of’ The News staff.
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