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Information For Parents & Guardians

For many of you, this is the first time your child will be away from home for a significant period of time. We understand that this can be an exciting and anxious time both for parents and students. In this section, we hope to give you a better idea of what to expect in the areas that matter most to you. If you have any questions that we have not answered here, please do not hesitate to call us at 617-353-1378 or e-mail us at buhssumr@bu.edu.

Housing

Housing in the Warren Towers residence is provided for all high school summer program participants. Summer Challenge students are required to live on campus. Click here to find out more about housing at Boston University.

Safety & Supervision

Students live together in the Warren Towers residence, which is made up of three separate towers of dormitory rooms, connected by common areas on the fourth floor. Young men and women live in separate towers, usually two to a room. Warren Towers is staffed with security guards 24 hours a day. In addition, carefully selected Program Assistants live on each floor with the students and accompany them on all program activities. There is a curfew of 11 p.m. on weekdays and 12 a.m. on weekends. All planned activities are mandatory; however, during free time students are allowed to leave campus as long as they have at least one other program participant with them, and they inform a program assistant of their plans.

In addition, Hall Directors and Resident Assistant Staff live in the dorm and Boston University maintains a full-time professional police department with over 40 police officers, available to assist in the event of an emergency.

Program Residential Staff

Our program residential staff, comprised of Program Assistants and their supervisor, is always on hand to help our high school students. Program Assistants are typically Boston University students going into their junior or senior year, and some are even alumni of BU’s high school programs. Their residential supervisor is employed as a Residence Hall Director during the academic year at Boston University. Our program residential staff has a thorough knowledge of Boston University and the city of Boston. Program Assistants get to know the high school students well, acting as chaperones for all program activities and living on the same floors in the residence. They are highly visible and a great resource for the students.

Academic Credit

Students in the General Honors section of the High School Honors Program receive up to eight Boston University credits for the courses they take. Most other colleges and universities will accept this credit, but you need to confirm this fact with the school your son/daughter may attend. Students who matriculate at Boston University will have these courses count towards their degree and overall GPA. The grades received in these courses are permanent and cannot be stricken from students records.

Summer Challenge students do not receive academic credit for their academic work but will receive written evaluations from their instructors in the fall. Summer Challenge is a chance for high school students to experience life and college-level word without the pressure of grades.

Activities

All program activities are mandatory unless otherwise stated. This is to ensure that a community develops within the programs, and to expose students to all that Boston has to offer. In the past, activities have included group trips to Faneuil Hall, Harvard Square, the beach, and the theater. As a parent, if you are in town and would like to spend time with your son or daughter, please schedule it during the student’s free time when there are no activities planned and inform the student's program assistant. A schedule of activities will be emailed to you approximately one week before the start of the program.

Fitness and Recreation

Students may purchase memberships to the Fitness and Recreation Center as long as they are at least 15 years of age and have a Permission Form signed by their parent or guardian. We recommend that you fill out the form even if you do not purchase a membership. We have some planned activities at FitRec and our students are required to have the signed permission form. Forms will be mailed with program acceptance packets, and are downloadable from our website. Fees vary by the length of the program and will be set in the spring. Visit the Fitness and Recreation Center website to learn more about the facility.