<p>Can any current student give me a ballpark of how much you spend in personal expenses? BU says 1636 for the whole year and that includes transportation, but for a city that seems pretty low. Thanks!
–jake</p>
<p>It really depends on what you do on the weekends. If you eat out a lot, go to lots of movies, go to parties where they charge you, etc. you could be spending a good amount of money. I haven't kept an exact tally of how much I've spent, but I don't go to very expensive restaurants when I eat out, and movie tickets aren't more than there are at my home, so I don't think I've spent more than I would have anywhere else. </p>
<p>As far as traveling, you can find pretty cheap air fares if you book far in advance, which I would recommend. Also, my roommate always gets really cheap bus tickets home, but I don't know much about that since I fly. When I come back to school, there are always people from BU to share cabs with, so I've never paid more than $10. I don't know if any of this really helps...</p>
<p>If anyone lives in NY and is coming to BU, you can take the Fung Wah buses in Chinatown. They're only $15 one way. That'll save you a lot of money each year.</p>
<p>i'm pretty cheap.. even in a relatively expensive city, i've spent under $500 throughout the year.</p>
<p>transportation: less than $10/month (less than 8 T tokens a month). whenever i needed a cab when i was out past 1 AM, i was always able to split the cost.. and that's only been less than 5 times the whole year.</p>
<p>food: about $20-30/month from going out to eat about once or twice a month and buying some snacks and juice cartons from the supermarket. (my main source of snacks is bananas from the dining halls)</p>
<p>fun, arts, recreation: i've went to 4 musicals and 1 david copperfield magic show this year.. each costing $25. i've went to 2 movies.. $7.50 each. 4 clubs.. $15 each. other places, each under $10.. museums, aquariums.</p>
<p>school books can cost a lot.. i'm not sure if BU counted that into the personal expense estimate. i bought most my books online to avoid the BU Barnes and Noble high prices.</p>
<p>i never bought clothes or school supplies in boston. i traveled by car from new jersey, so it was easy to bring that stuff. folder and notebook costs are ridiculous at BU stores.</p>
<p>I live well on far less than a thousand a year and its mostly spent on food, concert tickets, food, clubs, this is without the books though.</p>
<p>That BU estimate must include books and/or transportation home since it is way high. I think you can do it on $500. and more if you tend to eat at expensive places and go to more than a few big name concerts.</p>
<p>That BU estimate must include books and/or transportation home since it is way high. I think you can do it on $500. Anyone can spend a little or a lot more than that if you tend to eat at expensive places and go to more than a few big name concerts.</p>
<p>BU is in the heart of Boston, which is small, so you walk most everywhere. Unlike NYC or Chicago, you won't be taking cabs. The T is not expensive and if you use it a lot you can get a T pass. Food ranges in price but there are a lot of inexpensive eating and buying options - like a huge Shaw's supermarket in West Campus and an Asian supermarket with a great food court (Super 88), almost next to Shaw's. As for things to do, you're on the river and the park is right there, plus you have all of Back Bay, etc.</p>
<p>My apologies for being petty, but I want to make a small correction:</p>
<p>BU isn't in the heart of Boston. In fact, it's at the very edge of Boston and a portion of the campus is technically outside of Boston proper.</p>
<p>As for living expenses, it really varies on the spending habits of the person. I know some people who spend little if anything and can survive on their dining plan and work-study money. I also know people who need to carry their father's credit card on them at all times and regularly charge $200 each and every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at various bars/clubs.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, I had a job as a light guy in a nighclub my first semester that paid $50/night and I only worked once a week. I was able to get by on that without much parental aid, if any.</p>
<p>BU isn't in the heart of boston, but because boston is such a small city, it's easy to walk from BU to downtown boston. BU certainly isn't surrounded by skyscrapers.. but it is not suburban either.</p>
<p>Guys, I have lived my entire life right near BU. The vast majority of the Boston is places like Dorchester, Roslindale and West Roxbury, which are far to the south of Back Bay and Kenmore Square. Even most of Allston and all of Brighton extend way to the west of where BU is. You may never go in most of those places and that's most of Boston. BU starts in Kenmore Square which is the edge of Back Bay. </p>
<p>You can't arbitrarily define the "heart" of Boston. Downtown is several neighborhoods - Downtown Crossing, the Financial District, the Waterfront, etc. Just coming out to BU, you have Bay Village, Beacon Hill (which divides in at least three sections - the Flats, the Hill and the Back of the Hill) and Back Bay (which also divides in multiple sections, from the Public Garden to Copley to Kenmore). </p>
<p>BU is very much in the heart of Boston, if you define that heart as including the main sections which surround the Back Bay. The Red Sox play a few hundred yards from BU and one of the two main bar / night club centres is righ there too. The river and the Esplanade, which are definitely part of the city's heart, are over the pedestrian bridges from campus.</p>
<p>It depends on how you view things. If you're from a suburb someplace, then BU is in the middle of Boston. If you grew up in the city, then you know it's in a couple of very specific neighborhoods, from Kenmore to Cottage Farm in Brookline, out to Packard's Crossing in Allston.</p>
<p>From what I've observed, the campus layout leaves a little to be desired (if one is looking for a picturesque quadrangle), but BU students are fortunate to live in a nice part of a great city (and buying a condo or renting an apt in that part of town after graduation would be very expensive so enjoy it while you can). </p>
<p>But I'm interested in the "expected expenses" part of this thread from the current BU students...What is reasonable for the student to plan on? Assuming she isn't particularly frugal or a spendthrift? Kind of a middle of the road budget and what that pays for?</p>
<p>I'm sorry for my vagueness... the 1,636 does not include books, but I think it includes a T pass. I guess my question is if their estimate seems about right/too low/too high. I am from Montana where the cost of living is pretty low and so I am just trying to research a little bit so that I may plan accordingly (aka... make a budget, as wretched as that sounds :cP ). Thanks again for all your help.</p>
<p>It seems to me that the $1600 estimate would be too low... but thats just because I enjoy my shopping and I plan on going out quite frequently. I am definately going to get a T-pass because when I visited, I used the T sooooo much and I had to pay at least $20 just in passes for the 4 days I was there, so I can imagine living there for several months that $1.25 each way will start to add up...</p>
<p>The T is free going in one direction.</p>
<p>i dont know which T you got on, but each time I went to downtown station, or even got on a T on the boston campus for that matter, they made us pay no matter where we got off...</p>
<p>It doesn't matter where you get off--it matters where you get on.</p>
<p>The Green Line is free when:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Going outbound on a B train after Kenmore Square (i.e. taking Babcock/BU East to BU West or BC is free). </p></li>
<li><p>Going outbound on a D-train after Chestnut Hill is free.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There are a few other spots, too, when you're going outbound.</p>
<p>i think u mean Blandford/BU East?</p>
<hr>
<p>basically for the BU campus (green B line):</p>
<p>kenmore is underground.. u have to pay to get on.</p>
<p>after kenmore, the T comes out of a tunnel and is above ground.</p>
<p>all these above-ground stations west of kenmore are..
blandford street - close to hojo, SMG, SCI, shelton, towers, COM
then BU east - COM, warren towers, CAS
then BU central - marsh plaza, GSU, CAS
then BU west - CFA, CGS
then st. paul street - fitrec, student village, agganis arena
then pleasant street - west campus dorms, agganis arena
then babcock street - west campus dorms (a bit closer to rich), shaw's supermarket
then a bunch of other stops until boston college</p>
<p>all those stops west of kenmore are free if you're going "outbound", which is going west on the BU campus. so it's free to get on at blandford and travel all the way to babcock. u have to pay $1.25 to go "inbound" (east) no matter where u are.</p>
<p>if you've never taken the T before or u haven't visited BU, you'll soon realize that some of the T stops at BU are ridiculously close to one another. unless the weather is awful, it's not worth waiting for the free outbound T if you're not traveling that far.</p>
<p>other notes:</p>
<p>1) when you're crossing comm ave and u reach the middle, where the T tracks are, always look left and then right. the first track u cross always has the T coming at u from your left.</p>
<p>2) the fare is $1.25 in most cases (and in all cases on the green B line). even if they say no dollar bills allowed, most conductors don't care. there's a place below the coin slot where u can stuff a folded dollar in.. then u drop in a quarter in the coin slot.</p>
<p>3) if you're trying to enter a westbound T and the doors start to close on u, push the doors apart like u would an elevator door. you'll get a few stares, but everyone knows everyone does it.</p>
<p>4) don't go crazy with riding the T for everywhere u go. boston is a really small city.. the distance from BU to downtown boston (around the park street T stop) is about 2.5 miles. walk sometimes.</p>
<p>Going outbound anywhere aboveground is free - B, C or D lines. If you know the routes, this can save you a little cash. For example, why go into Kenmore if you can walk outbound a few blocks to ride free? Many frequent users will start walking if there's no train and then hop on when one comes. The stops are not far apart, except on the D line, so that's possible.</p>
<p>do people recommend getting the semester pass from the school? it says that you save 11% of the cost but is it worth it when the outbound is free?? plus, I heard the free outbound rides are ending in january when they start raising the prices. is this true??</p>