121 Breakdown
121 is what we lovingly call the AdmissionsReceptionCenter. It is the address of the office- 121 Bay State Road. Know it- your families will ask you countless times where to go.
881 Commonwealth Avenue (881) is where the Administrative Admissions offices are located. It is where the Assistant Directors and other members of the professional staff have their offices. Please do not refer families directly to this office; let the Front Desk staff handle any specific questions these families may have about applications, financial aid, etc… They are trained to handle these kinds of things.
Admissions Ambassador is a volunteer program at the AdmissionsReceptionCenter. These students answer questions and mingle with prospective students and their families in the waiting rooms and walk large groups over to the information sessions. They also serve as lunch hosts.
Admissions Students Diversity Board (ASDB) is a volunteer program here at 121. These students represent diverse backgrounds and help Admissions think of and carry out ways to recruit under-represented minority students. They also help out with multicultural events here on campus.
Assistant Directors (ADs)are members of the professional Admissions staff. They give the Information Sessions, travel to recruit students and read student applications. Applications are read on a geographic basis, so if you are touring a student from Florida, and they want to know who their representative is, ask someone at the Front Desk to find out whom that AD is, and give the family that person’s business card. There will be an assistant director on duty at the AdmissionsReceptionCenter everyday, so if you have a student with questions you can’t (or shouldn’t) answer, please direct them to the AD on duty. (ex: Questions regarding application process)
Boston University Experience Room (BUEx)is a 25 minute multi-media presentation about the history, alumni, faculty, and student life here at BU. Families must pre-register for this program, as the room has a limited capacity. The Front Desk can answer any questions regarding this.
Business Cards are available at the Front Desk for you to fill out with your name and e-mail address. Feel free to plug them on your tours; families love being able to get in contact with the person who gave them their amazing tour! Tip: Take 20 minutes some day and fill out a bunch of them and then keep them in your P-Host jacket pocket.
Day/Overnight Visit Program is you!!!.
Fitrec Tours are offered on a limited basis during the year. They are at 1:00 P.M. and are led by members of the Front Desk staff. Families must pre-register for this program. However, Fitrec offers separate tours throughout the day. Questions should be directed to the Front Desk.
Front Desk is home to many materials that you may be asked to give to your families. They include financial aid information, course bulletins, school and college brochures, AP/IB credit information, driving directions to other schools and major roadways, restaurant/hotel guides, sign-in information and MBTA/Boston maps, among other things. Please feel free to talk about these things at the end of your hosting and refer your families to the Front Desk staff to assist them with getting the information they may need.
Front Desk Staff , among other students, are the paid staff here at 121. They answer phones and questions at the Front Desk. Feel free to pass off families to them for help answering questions.
Front Room is one of the waiting rooms here at 121. It is the room with the coffee, water, and bathroom.
Information Sessions are hour long presentations about the University by the Assistant Directors and Scarlet Speakers. It includes information such as application deadlines, financial aid, student life, and time for question and answers. Most tours will be leaving directly from these sessions. Most of the time, they are held in outside classroom buildings, typically SMG 105 or KCB 101 or SAR 101, although other rooms are used.
Jacquie Serafino is a Senior Associate Director of Admissions. Her role is to manage the on-campus recruitment process. While most Associate Directors have their offices at 881 Commonwealth Avenue, Jacquie does all of her work from here. Ultimately, she is in charge of the entire office.
Kelly Walter is the Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Her office is at 881. She’s kind of a big deal so keep her name in mind.
Kitchen is the small room with the “Harry Potter door” kind of under the stairs. Volunteers can also put their belongings in there. Please keep it neat, since a lot of people use this room.
Lunch HostProgram is for prospective students to go to lunch with student volunteers (most of the time, from the Admissions Ambassador program) in a campus dining hall. This program is for prospective students only (no parents, siblings), and they must be pre-registered. Please direct any questions to the Front Desk.
Meredyth Thomas is an Assistant Director of Admissions and is our advisor and go-to person for all things volunteer related. Her office is on the second floor of 121 next to the Coordinator Room. If you ever need anything, she’s here to help; stop by or send her an email ().
President’s Hosts are the tour guides of the BU campus. They also help out with special events, matriculation, and graduation.
River Room is the other waiting room. It is the room overlooking the Charles River. Sometimes it is used for information sessions.
Scarlet Speakers are paid students who help lead information sessions. They complement information given by ADs by elaborating on personal experiences at BU. Their program is overseen by Meredyth Thomas.
Stephanie Nuñez is the Senior Staff Coordinator at 121. She is in charge of all the paid staff (Front Desk). Her desk is in the alcove, to the right hand side of the front desk. Please be respectful of her workspace and remember to be as quiet as possible. She will tell you where you will be leaving from for your tour and distribute dorm room keys. Make sure you let her know if you will be running late, even if it’s only five minutes. It will greatly reduce her stress level. Stephanie keeps tabs on guides who run late/no-shows. Make sure you’re not one of these people, so we don’t have to be mean. See the procedures for calling in and our policies on being late/not showing up. (617-353-2318)