An Investigation of College Students in the Greater Boston Area: How Frequency of Interactions With the City Shape Students’ Social Lives

An Investigation of College Students in the Greater Boston Area: How Frequency of Interactions With the City Shape Students’ Social Lives

Although college students make up 9.98% of the average United States metro area population, college students comprise over 40% of the Boston metro area population. With over 50 colleges and universities located in the greater Boston area, and since students account for such a sizeable percentage of the overall population and surrounding areas, college students in the Boston area find themselves in close proximity to myriad other college students--providing opportunities for varied social interaction both with the city itself and each other. I explore how college students in the Greater Boston Area interact with the city of Boston, how this differs by school, and how these findings shape students’ overall “view” of the city through interviewing four students (one from BU, BC, Harvard MIT) and providing structure for further research. Overall, Boston serves as a bridge for its college students’ social interactions; a centralized platform through which students across universities engage in activities ranging from a Harvard student meeting a friend from Boston College at Cafeteria for dinner, attending a Red Sox game on a Monday night, bar hopping with friends for a 21st birthday, visiting the Institute of Contemporary Art, and so much more.

Caitlin Begg