The Wall

The big secret about college is you’re actually here to learn how YOU learn: partly about what’s in your classes, mostly about how to get along on your own and relate to a whole bunch of new people from different backgrounds. College is to set you up for continuing to learn how to learn for your whole life, so you do NOT need to get it all right today. Be patient, be curious. You’ve got this. And lots of people on campus can help when you feel like it’s a lot. Because it is. But you’ve got this.

Who wouldn’t love Star Trek? A universe-wide egalitarian society plus a deflector shield? And Spock? Sign me up! (No, but seriously, thanks for the visit Mr. Spock.)

It is hard to move away from friends, even for exciting reasons like college. I am always advocating for more snail mail! Send your friend a letter! Stamps available at any post office, including the campus post office in McElroy. Odds are, they’ll write back 🙂

Those kinds of questions usually fall under metaphysics, and you’ll get different answers depending on what kind of expert you ask. I’m feeling philosophical rather than astronomical, so maybe start with this very short introduction to some early Greek philosophers who were super interested in questions like that: bit.ly/greek-universe

It is totally normal to feel some loneliness after a full day of social activities. Fortunately, the semester starts in a few days, so there will be plenty of opportunities in and outside of class to meet and hang out with people. Welcome to BC!

New dining options are always a good thing, though i’m sure Five Guys, Tasty Burger, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King would all disagree.

IDK, but here are some solid tips about the whole process: https://bit.ly/nfl-fantasy-tips

Take the green line to some cool parts of town!
-Coolidge Corner. Shops and restaurants abound.
-Back Bay. Copley Library, shopping, boba tea, and more!
-On campus, be sure to look up lectures in the Lowell Series, find this fall’s theater production schedule (Enemy of the People, Midsummer Night’s Dream), and in general get in the habit of scrolling through events.bc.edu.
-Go for a walk in the Webster Conservation Area, Hammond Pond Reservation, and nearby Houghton Garden

Same guy who stabs the Cyclops in the book version of The Odyssey. Nobody!

Aside from family (Mom is a sea-wall on the north shore), I have to say China’s Great Wall. Huge fan. It was never very effective keeping out the Mongols, but it’s a massive success as a tourist attraction, and as one US President famously commented, “It is indeed a Great Wall.”

Boston College chose me, but I do find the welcoming attitude and intellectual diversity of this campus fascinating.

I am not a theologian (IANAT), but it looks like both of those would be day five activities. Genesis 1:20-23. bit.ly/genesis-chicken-egg

I love my wall job! BTS: RM, of course! He waves at me from across the lobby when nobody’s looking.

Rationally I know that “best” varies each season, for example, the Knicks won the championship this past season so they were the “best” in 2026. But, as a Boston Wall, I have to say the Celtics!

GO CELTICS!!

Valid! GO CELTICS!

There are lots of options, depending on where you are. There’s a complete list and rundown of what’s open when here: bit.ly/bc-dining-open

The top 10 circulating books in the Pop Collection (to my right, your left) in the last year are: 1. The Raven Boys (graphic novel), by Maggie Stiefvater, Stephanie Williams, Sas Milledge, and Abel Ko, 2. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, by Kiran Desai, 3. Alchemised by SenLinYu 4. Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall, 5. Don’t Sleep with the Dead, by Nghi Vo, 6. Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor, 7. Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins, 8. The Eights (no, really!), by Joanna Miller, 9. The Names, by Florence Knapp, 10. Amity, by Nathan Harris. None of these individually surprise me, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the diversity of genres and authors.