It would be impossible to write a series on BU culture and not talk about stereotypes.
They’re everywhere. I think it took me two, maybe three weeks into freshman year to hear about the joke acronyms for the schools and colleges at BU: College of Average Students for CAS, Expect No Girls for ENG, College of Failed Aspirations for CFA… the list goes on.
These are not exactly the kinds of things BU advertises on its admissions website. But inter-school stereotypes at BU are a reality. Joking or serious, we parrot them every day. “You don’t have any work to do, you’re in COM!” “You were in CGS? …really?” “SED? But you’re a guy!”
In the end, we interviewed over fifty students for this piece. We asked how they felt about inter-school stereotypes, whether they thought these stereotypes were fair, and if so, why. Most of the answers followed the same general format: list the stereotypes, laugh awkwardly, and deny their veracity.
This week, we chose to focus on COM, ENG, SMG, and CGS–but as part of our research, we examined the stereotypes within all the schools.
At the end of the day, are these stereotypes hurtful? Can jokes like these actually affect the daily student experience at BU? We didn’t come to any conclusions. But in bringing them to the forefront, we hoped that maybe it might start a conversation.
Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
