Ready for College
One of the things that is especially fun about the first weeks back from winter break is that our college-aged alums come back to visit, since their semesters have often yet to start. They pop in on their teachers and friends – catching up on their college fall semesters and on what’s been happening at BUA.
We hosted a lunch for that cohort last week, which several dozen BUA graduates attended. I had a chance to ask them about how things are going. What I heard was heartening. We know from recent survey results of young alums that they feel ready for college. 95% of recent graduates agreed that having attended BUA, they were better prepared for college than they would have otherwise been. 100% reported that BUA prepared them well as writers. 91% agreed that their experience at BUA helped them navigate college life with confidence and independence. The stories I heard added some helpful context. Certainly, they told me about their confidence in navigating their courses. But I also heard about advanced classes students were able to take because of their BU coursework and how that opened the door to a second major. Alums told me how they took advantage of office hours to build relationships with professors and how some of those conversations turned into research assistant positions. Others told me about how they have started new clubs, noting a need in the community and having the confidence to navigate the college bureaucracy. The picture that emerged was a group of students with the confidence and savvy to not only succeed in college but to get more out of experience. I’m really proud of them, and it makes me happy that they are thriving.
View more from our Young Alumni Lunch with the classes of 2021-2025 from Thursday, January 8th, 2026 here.