Academic and Wellness Resources

A variety of resources to helping students with their academics exist at BU. For first steps, we often recommend students go to their professors’ and Teaching Fellows’ office hours, which are noted in the course syllabus, and attend review sessions with the professor, TFs, or Learning Assistants for the course. Another useful resource that we recommend is the Educational Resource Center (ERC) which offers one-time and recurring appointment peer tutoring as well as academic skills workshops. Other academic resources that students may find helpful:

• For help in BI 107 and BI 108, students can utilize Student to Student tutoring. Additional information can be found by visiting your course website or by emailing introbio@bu.edu.
• For help in chemistry courses, students can get free peer tutoring for general and organic chemistry through Chemia, the Chemistry Department’s student organization.
• The CAS Writing Center offers writing support for CAS students, including help with papers for WR 120 and WR 150/151/152. Other writing centers at BU include the ERC, COM’s Writing Center, and the Core Curriculum’s Writing Fellows.
• The ERC’s Language Link program allows students to engage in conversations in the second language they are studying to help improve their fluency.
• Finding a study buddy or study group. For help with this, check out the Meechu app, available for free on the App Store and Android’s Google Play store.
• CAS Academic Advising can help students choose a major, plan for a double major or minor, and can advise on CAS requirements and policies.
• If none of these resources match the one you’re looking for, the ERC maintains an extensive resource guide for all academic resources at BU.

When considering resources for your physical and mental wellness, Resources for Well-Being with Student Health Services or the Wellbeing Project with the Office of the Provost are great places to start.

For your mental health, Behavioral Medicine with Student Health Services has a variety of resources. Students can call for short-term treatment, referrals to long-term treatment, and in the case of mental health emergencies. They also provide resources on a variety of common mental health issues encountered by college students. If you need help during a break, you can find a list of national resources here. Students on BU’s health insurance can use this tool to find a provider.

The Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) with Student Health Services advocates and assists students who have experienced a traumatic incident, particularly sexual trauma or rape. They have guides for family and friends of those affected by sexual assault and trainings and workshops on preventing interpersonal and sexual violence.

For substance use and recovery, Behavioral Medicine provides multiple resources, including the Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP). The CRP is not a therapeutic group, and can be a supplement to Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous groups. It’s a small group (under 20 students, undergrad and grad) and has a messaging group, social events, recovery meetings, book clubs, and more.

One of the biggest challenges at a large school like Boston University can be the feeling of being alone in a crowd. We recommend students explore student groups that may be of interest. Some of the groups we recommend for Biology students can be found here and all student groups and events can be found here. Beyond student groups, students often find community through their courses (for help with finding a study buddy/group, check out the Meechu app, available for free on the App Store and Android’s Google Play store), in their dorms, or through extracurricular work like research or volunteering.

BU has a wide diversity of communities you may want to get involved with. CAS maintains a list of Diversity and Inclusion resources that help all students to be included and find support, information, and community.

Global Programs has an extensive resource guide for all members of the international community at BU called Compass. Additionally, the International Students and Scholars Office under Global Programs is an important resource for international students. In addition to guiding international students through their specific requirements, they also have lists of resources and frequently asked questions for international students.

The Center for English Language and Orientation Programs also has useful resources for international students seeking to improve their English skills.

Changing colleges presents unique considerations and often acclimating to a new school can be challenging. We recommend our students look into resources for transfer students such as the Transition to BU student group and FY 101, an introduction to BU and Boston class. Transfer students should register for sections T1, T2, or T3 of FY 101 as these sections are specifically for transfer students.

Students who are in the first generation of their family to attend college, or “first gen students,” often do not have the same support or resources when they start college as other students. The Newbury Center is a resource at BU for first-generation students with workshops and events as well as other resources. In addition, there is a student organization, First-Generation Low Income Partnership (FLIP) that supports first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) students at BU. There is also an honors society for first gen students called Tri-Alpha National Honor Society. 

Students looking for resources for LGBTQ+ students at BU can check out this list from the Queer Activist Collective (Q). There is info for LGBTQ+ students on mental health resources, sexual health resources, as well as guides on how to change your name in BU systems and where all-gender bathrooms are located on campus. There is also a compiled list of resources for trans students that can be accessed here.

If you have concerns about your tuition, we encourage all students to discuss their tuition bill with Student Accounting Services and financial aid options with the Financial Assistance Office. The Fellowships and Scholarships Office has a variety of ongoing opportunities listed on their website.

If you are experiencing a financial emergency, the Dean of Students office has support for students. They can support requests for need related to food, housing displacement, or in the event you need to travel home for a family medical crisis. If you are concerned about paying for course materials, support may be available to help you. Please contact Melissa, Erin or Anne in the Biology Office to discuss options.

If you need any sort of accommodations to fully participate in the opportunities at BU, you should consider Disability and Access Services. In addition to helping students get accommodations for disabilities they have tips and recommendations for the transition to college.

If you feel you need to take a Leave of Absence or withdraw from Boston University, you should contact the University Service Center. One of their associate directors will work with you to discuss options and arrange appropriate next steps.

If you have a question or problem and you’re not sure which resource is right, contact Erin, Anne, or Melissa in the Biology Department and they can help refer you to the appropriate office or resource.

Additionally, the Office of the Ombuds is a confidential, impartial, and independent office at BU that can help any member of the BU community. If you have a concern that isn’t addressed by any of these other resources, you can consider setting an appointment with the Office of the Ombuds.