Fin.

The end is finally here. The last eight months have gone by so fast. Is it because I’ve been busy? Or having fun? Probably both… In just a few days, I’ll be done with the photojournalism graduate program and my classes and BU will be a thing of the past. Have I learned? Yea. Have I grown? Sure. Would I do it again?

Maybe…

There are things I’ve loved about the last eight months, and things I wish had happened differently. It’s been a couple of crazy semesters, so let’s take some time to reflect. Join me, won’t you? Won’t you…..?

I came to the BU photojournalism program because I wanted to surround myself in a professional environment, with professional people, to prepare myself for the professional world. There was a big variance in skill level among my peers (some people didn’t have any experience in photojournalism, and now some don’t want to go into photojournalism). I wish there had been more of an even playing ground. Now that the eight classes are over, I see that the world of photojournalism has changed over. It looked a lot more hopeful than it does now. The profession of photojournalism looks like it’s disappearing. Have I made a mistake?

College and the Internet: A retrospective

Do you remember when Facebook was cool? You waited and waited until BU generated your college email so you could sign up for an account. Before Facebook, there was only MySpace, where creepy guys hit on you and unsigned bands wanted you to check out their crappy demos.

Social networking and media tools grew with us over the past four years. I’m about to graduate with a MySpace page, a Twitter account, a Facebook profile and two blogs. I’m told I need to create a LinkedIn page, stat! Plus maybe a Flickr account to upload the photos I take on my post-grad jaunt to Australia. I GChat and Facebook message along with tired old AIM. While students in the College of Communication tend to be tech- and Internet-savvy, that’s a ton of passwords for me to remember.

Trash on TV

Local news is garbage.

Who can argue otherwise? Have you watched it lately? What do you actually learn in that 22-minute block?

Take, for example, the recent story about the “suspected Craigslist killer,” who also happens to be a BU med student named Philip Markoff. The local NBC affiliate, WHDH (Channel 7), opened its newscast with breaking news that Boston police had identified the man in the recent homicide at the Marriott Copley. This supposedly “serious” news program featured visually appealing logos and colors that looked futuristic and exciting. You can watch it here.

Here comes the video age

I was totally blown away this morning in my photo editing class. We were reviewing one another’s video work and the quality of the videos produced by my classmates — some of them are undergraduates — was just amazing.

At the beginning of the semester, I was upset that the size of the class is way too big for a graduate course, which I still hope the college can do something about for future students. We had to split the class into two sessions -  very inconvenient for both the professor and the students. However, the popularity of the class indicates a certain amount of need, and the need is compatible with the desired skills that a photojournalist should acquire before entering this field. I was sorry for the oversized class, but I was surprised to find out that after a whole semester’s struggle, we beautifully survived. So many talented work evolved and my eyes grew wide with excitement. We also took advantage of this opportunity to team up with some undergraduates, which personally turned out to be a pleasant experience. Check out some of the videos here, here, and here . View with full screen mode, please!

Music Masters

(courtesy of Tenacious D)

So, I am graduating in a few weeks. As I think over that, and all the totally awesome times I’ve had at BU, I’ve decided to see how I might share those experiences with you, the faithful reader. Now I don’t intend to do this with self-indulgent anecdotes that sound so cool to me but would ultimately bore you to tears, but instead, I hope to instruct you on how to do these things for yourself. First up? Wicked pissah music career. (Career is used loosely. I never made all that much money, but I played all over. It was fun. Here’s how you can do it, too.)

Run Faster!

I remember about a year ago, I was visiting BU for its open house day at COM. I remember driving up from Philadelphia, seeing roads signs just outside Boston that read, “Expect Delays: Patriots’ Day Weekend.” Flash forward a year later, and here I am at BU, shooting at the Boston Marathon.

Gym Class Heroes

These poor kids had no idea what they were getting into. They thought that some BU grad students would come teach them about exercising and eating right. Instead, they got COM Professor Jo O’Connor (wearing red, in the front). Just look at the poor kid 50 seconds into the video.

Drink Endorsements

(courtesy of girly drinks photos)

In continuation of my “How to have a totally awesome four years here” series, I’ve decided to make some bar endorsements. I’m not talking about the best place to chill with your favorite light domestic beer (for that I wholeheartedly recommend Our House West because it has great couches, a secret bar in the back, games to play, and it’s never crowded). I’m mean a place where you can get a well made cocktail and hang out.

Summer in Boston: A checklist

As the few bursts of fine weather may hint, summer in Boston is awesome. Yes, it gets obnoxiously hot in July and August, but where in the U.S. doesn’t? Student-filled Boston becomes pretty mellow in the summer, and most residents prefer it that way.

Sublets: First of all, you need a place to live. Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace are rife with listings, but chances are, you know someone who needs a summer subletter. Particularly upperclassmen, I’ve found, need help since many don’t stay through the summer because of jobs or internships elsewhere. While I’ve found success with the Internet, it’s nice to get a roommate recommendation from someone you know. 

A Perfect BU Hockey Season

Photo credit: Jim Rosvold

Getty Images Photo

You know the story by now. With under a minute to go in the national championship game, BU found the back of the net twice in 42 seconds. An unthinkable comeback.

Then, about 12 minutes into the overtime period, Colby Cohen’s deflected slapshot gave the Terrier hockey program its fifth national title.