Nikhil Pol (CAS’27)

Who is Nikhil Pol? How has BU helped you find yourself? 

I am a Political Science major who is thoroughly involved in harnessing visual design and other creative techniques to voice messages and ideas. To this extent, my time at the university has given me the tools to architect experiences of my own; BU’s central addition to my life has been granting me the ability to mature and define my own likings, affinities, and passions through a series of abundant resources and communities. The vastness of both academic and recreational resources available at BU has boosted my capacity to new levels of involvement in terms of both the work and the people around me. 

Where do you currently fit into BU? Talk about how you engage with the university.

I stand at an important threshold of not just my university experience but also my professional life of converting thought and ideas into tangible action. My learnings over the first year about my artistic talents, creative preferences, and political leanings now push me to an era of combining all three and implementing them in the form of The AFA Collective. Using art to generate political advocacy is a concept that I have seen an acute lack of; filling the gaps with meaning is an artist’s one true purpose. I hope that my collaboration with BU clubs, academic departments, and local museums will help channel creativity into the, often intimidating, realm of political advocacy.

How has your experience been as an international student?

The term “international” is burdened with the weight of otherness and exclusion in most circumstances. However, the organic process of transitioning into college is one that allows you to make the kind of home that you choose to be comfortable with. True integration involves overcoming the two-inch tall barrier of being unable to connect with other college students who are just like you: going through the same experiences, fears, hardships, and joys as you. 

What’s next for you at BU? 

I now see BU as an essential path to success not only in terms of professional goals but also my maturing into a personality who can undertake the toughest and unique kinds of challenges. The circle of friends, academic accomplishments, and creative goals which I have achieved in my first-year act as the foundation for me to reach new heights of networking, apprenticeships, and exploration.

What’s one thing about BU that you wish you knew earlier?

How integrally student-run the institution is – BU involves its students in the workings of the university to the point where every point of contact is a student. This is true in the case of residential life with the RAs, academic work with the TAs, and student organizations with the vast number of clubs and communities that students can reach out to. Having a student-run space, at its core, grants you the capacity to take on new responsibilities and rethink your own goals in terms of what can be achieved in your years at the university. 

What advice would you give to incoming international students?

New experiences, spaces, and routines can be tough – they can especially be tough if it’s your first time doing them. I have found that involving myself in as many public and community events as possible evokes a sense of direction and definition in terms of the people, academics, recreations, and activities that suit you the best. The goal that you must have in your mind is to be involved with something that you wouldn’t otherwise be involved in – college is a time for new experiences and the myriad of resources, contacts, and experiences available at BU truly allow for this to happen.