College Students Prepare for a Summer in Boston

By: Jimena Ballina

Boston wins the title of America’s College Town with its numerous universities and colleges in the area. Since I have yet to spend a summer in Boston, its dense population of college students lead me to wonder what a summer in Boston looks like and what its college students do when classes aren’t in session.

To satisfy my curiosity, I decided to interview students from Northeastern University and Boston University whose combined student population make up 34,000 of Boston’s residents.

Many students return home for the summer, take on interesting jobs in other cities of the U.S., or explore international opportunities such as studying abroad. However, the majority of students I spoke to are staying in Boston.

Amruta Garikaparthi, a third-year student at Northeastern double majoring in Communications and Political Science with a minor in International Affairs, is participating in Northeastern’s Dialogue program where she will be going to Japan for five weeks to study the country’s taxation policy. When she returns to Boston in July, she’s hoping to have an internship or a co-op at a law firm or government office, such as the Massachusetts State House.

When asked why she wants to stay in Boston during the summer rather than going home to California, Amruta said, “I think there are many opportunities for what I want to do in Boston. I also like the network of friends and support I have here. I like the culture of Boston and the dynamics of the population; Boston’s such a young city.”

Emma Rotondo, an English major and Psychology minor graduating in 2011, is originally from Connecticut but is staying in Boston for the summer. She’s living on campus and is taking courses to finish her minor. Emma chose to stay in Boston to avoid a “boring summer.” She notes that there are many more college students in Boston than in her hometown, making her feel comfortable being around people in her age group.

The general consensus is that most would love to stay in Boston for the summer. Northeastern’s Nina Desimone, an English major with a minor in Education graduating in 2013, stated that although she cannot live in Boston for the summer, she would have really liked to “experience the city without school.”

Jennierose Rizzo, an English student at Boston University from the graduating class of 2011, is from a suburb outside of Boston but is living on campus and working full-time for BU’s housing services over the summer. She shares the views of many wanting to stay in the city for the summer and put it best:

“I love Boston in the summer. There are so many things to do. The weather is beautiful and I feel badly for all the kids who only experience Boston in the colder months.”