To many of the 40 percent of first-year students placed on Boston College’s Newton Campus, the housing announcement was an email accompanied by disappointment and dread. “Just my luck,” most of us thought. Most criticisms about the buses turned out to be true: catching the bus takes anywhere from 10 to 50 minutes, the tracking app stops working randomly, and the rides themselves aren’t always safe for sensitive stomachs. But just as every former Newton student has reassured me, and I’ve come to believe myself, life on this quirky campus isn’t all that bad.
Stuart Dining Hall
The most talked about perk of Newton Campus is Stuart Dining Hall. Located directly adjacent to the cleverly named Stuart Bus Stop and nestled in between two Law School facilities, the affectionately nicknamed “Stu” is an unsuspecting sanctuary. The warm lighting and six seating booths in the center of the room offer the space a traditional diner feel which contrasts with the much larger, almost commercialized cafeterias on Main Campus. Additionally, because the only people accessing the dining hall are fellow first years, almost everyone feels comfortable attending dinner or Late Night already showered and dressed in pajamas. The smaller scale of Stu allows mealtime to be the judgment-free, laid-back occasion that it really should be at 11 p.m.
Newton Town Center
At least while the nice weather lasts, the Newton town center is only a 15-minute stroll away from Newton Campus. This collection of shops and greenspace offers a refreshing reminder of the surrounding residential community and a break from school-induced stress or the hustle and bustle of downtown Boston. If you need to get into the city, however, the Newton Centre T stop is not too far from the main shopping area. The shopping center itself is equipped with everything from a CVS to family-owned restaurants and salons. There are also multiple cafes, such as Tatte and Tous Les Jours, that are popular study spots on weekends.
Soccer and Field Hockey Games
On the topic of convenience, Newton Campus hosts BC’s soccer and field hockey games. For Newton Campus residents, every game is at most a 5-minute walk away from their dorms. Games tend to be free admission, and BC’s women’s soccer and field hockey teams have been having great seasons so far. All sports games are worth going to, but it’s even more of a treat to have so many games so close by. If a study break or a fun evening with fellow Newton friends is ever called for, the games are where it’s at.
Home-Work Life Separation
Although students note the distance as the primary disadvantage of Newton Campus, the roughly 1.5 miles between Newton and Main Campus provides students with a physical divide between their home and school lives. The importance of this separation was a prevalent topic while people were working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is just as applicable to college students who live in the same place that they study. People with a concrete separation between work and home tend to be more productive at work and more relaxed at home because their differing mindsets and tasks are not allowed to blend with each other. In addition to its practicality, the commute from Main Campus to Newton is reminiscent of driving home from school. In this way, the bus rides provide not only a more distinct difference between school time and rest time, but also allow students on Newton to “return home” every day. The exchange of concerned eye contact when the bus breaks a bit too hard is also a bonding experience that can’t be recreated elsewhere.
There may always be a friendly rivalry between Newton Campus kids and Upper Campus kids, but at the end of the day, the communities that form are more important than the location they form in. (Although, if you got to the end of this article, then you know which campus is really the best.)
Julia Beavers
Opinionated. BIG fan of iced hazelnut lattes and happy-face spiders!
