{"id":7611,"date":"2014-11-07T15:11:50","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T20:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/?page_id=7611"},"modified":"2026-03-23T11:13:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T15:13:36","slug":"buzz","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/contact-us\/buzz\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask BUZZ!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/osfs\/files\/2017\/09\/BUMC-Sign-e1505228117570.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"698\" height=\"287\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11210\" \/><br \/>\n<b>Hi, I\u2019m BUzz, the chatbot virtual assistant for Boston University Medical Campus Student Financial Support <\/b><strong>and<\/strong> <strong>the<\/strong> <b>Office of Housing Resources.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"> <\/span>I provide support for your general questions related to the above departments any time, any day. Below are a few tips to get the best out of your interaction:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><span>Keep it simple<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span><\/span>I do best when asked one question at a time. Complex, lengthy, or several questions at once make it harder to support you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><span>Use question format<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span><\/span>I support you best when you speak to me in question format. For example, \u201cI am a prospective student for the dental school and cannot figure out how to apply for aid\u201d, is better said as \u201cHow do I apply to financial aid?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><span>Be specific\u2026but limit identifying details<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span><\/span>I cannot access account or person-specific information. However, I learn by identifying keywords and can provide relevant information and links. The links I direct you to saves time for both you and me, as many common questions are answered on our website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Some Common Questions &amp; How to Ask Them<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Can I talk to a financial aid counselor?<\/li>\n<li>How do I apply for financial aid?<\/li>\n<li>When will I get my financial aid decision?<\/li>\n<li>How can I find the Graduate PLUS Loan application?<\/li>\n<li>Where can I find short-term housing?<\/li>\n<li>Where should I look for off-campus housing?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><span>Be sure you are asking questions about the offices I support<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>I support <strong>Boston University Medical Campus Student Financial Support <\/strong>and the <strong>Office of Housing Resources<\/strong> . Boston University is a large university, and I know you will have many questions about our many departments, programs, and services. If you need school-specific admissions assistance, registrars, or any of Boston University\u2019s other departments and services,<span>\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/grad\/admission-funding\/graduate-admission\/\">please visit their websites<\/a>, or contact them directly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><span>I speak four languages<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Click the globe icon<span>\u00a0<\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ask-buzz\/files\/2020\/12\/Globe-icon.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"23\" height=\"22\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-22\" \/><span>\u00a0<\/span>at the top of my window if you need English, Spanish, Vietnamese, or Simplified Chinese.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><span>I am not a human\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>While I am very intelligent and can support a lot of your general questions, I use artificial intelligence and work best when you follow the tips I have shared.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><span>Need a human? Use my contact form option<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>You can say &#8220;contact the office&#8221; and select your school\/college of enrollment\/application. <span>\u00a0You will then get a series of prompts asking for your name, email, BU ID (if you don\u2019t have one that\u2019s okay), and the opportunity to add a more detailed inquiry. You will know your form has been submitted when I say, \u201c<\/span><em>Your information has been submitted. You can close this window and someone will get back to you soon, or you can continue to ask me questions.<\/em><span>\u201d One of our counseling staff<\/span><span>\u00a0will get back to you within two (2) business days.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4>Further Contact Information<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/contact-us\/\">Contact Us<\/a> page has further information about our hours of operation, virtual drop-in hours, and other contact information.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Speak with Our Team Using LiveChat!<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>We\u2019re here to help!<span>\u00a0<\/span><span data-slate-node=\"text\">With LiveChat you can get one-on-one assistance with your medical campus financial aid and housing resource questions without needing to call or visit our office.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-slate-node=\"text\"><\/span>To speak with an SFS staff member, simply tell BUzz that you want to \u201c<strong>Speak with a Representative<\/strong>\u201d in the bottom right corner of our website during LiveChat hours.<span>\u00a0<\/span><span data-slate-node=\"text\">LiveChat is currently available on the following days and times:<\/span>\n<ul data-slate-node=\"element\" data-slate-fragment=\"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\">\n<li data-slate-node=\"element\"><span data-slate-node=\"text\">Wednesdays \u2013 3:00 PM \u2013 5:00 PM<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-slate-node=\"element\"><span data-slate-node=\"text\">Thursdays \u2013 11:00 AM \u2013 1:00 PM<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/ai.fatv.us\/embed\/standard\/a18e4a47-86a0-4c46-ad4d-677e7587d39e\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi, I\u2019m BUzz, the chatbot virtual assistant for Boston University Medical Campus Student Financial Support and the Office of Housing Resources. I provide support for your general questions related to the above departments any time, any day. Below are a few tips to get the best out of your interaction: Keep it simple I do [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7398,"featured_media":0,"parent":4,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7611"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15911,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7611\/revisions\/15911"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/osfs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}