<p>I’m curious as to how it works…I’m currently an admitted student (Class of 2015) and I am confused as to how I will fly over there? Do they give us the money if we have financial aid? Or…? If anyone can give me a basic rundown…that would help a lot! Thank you!</p>
<p>If you have financial aid, part of your total expected cost is “travel expenses” (something like $800, which should be about enough for four one-way tickets to and from here, provided you book in advance and when there are deals). This is lumped together with everything else, so you won’t explicitly get this money. Rather, some of your family’s EFC can go towards travel, and then you’ll have to pay less in tuition/room and board/etc. If you have a 0 EFC, then you’ll still have to pay for tickets on your own, but you’ll get money from Brown at some point in the semester (you’ll have to look on the finaid site to see exactly when) that would be able to help cover this cost.</p>
<p>If you spend more than $800/year on travel, then you may end up paying more than Brown’s total cost of attendance. This will have to come from your family’s pocket, as Brown won’t reimburse more than the expected cost (though you could spend less on miscellaneous things to compensate).</p>
<p>From the West Coast, I can’t imagine you spending more than $500 a year on travel, unless you plan on going home for more than winter break. I’m from the SF Bay Area and buy tickets on JetBlue way in advance - if you buy them early enough, tickets from SFO to Boston are $120 one way. Multiply that by 4 trips a year, and I spend $480 travelling to and from Brown each year. From Boston, there’s a train that costs around $8 that will bring you to Providence.</p>
<p>And its not uncommon for west coast kids to stick around for thanksgiving, and most kids stick around for 3 and 4 day weekends, so its not like you’ll be alone on campus either.</p>
<p>That’s so true. Also, for Thanksgiving, I happen to have family on this coast, so I brought my roommate with me for the holiday. A lot of people end up doing something like that. For Spring Break, people do all sorts of things. Some people stay on campus, some visit friends at other colleges, some go home with their friends to somewhere nearby, and some travel further.</p>
<p>Any travel tips? Best flights, airports, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Where on the West Coast are you coming from? It really depends.</p>
<p>If you want to fly directly, you’ll probably be flying into Boston Logan airport. If you don’t mind layovers, you can fly to Providence.</p>
<p>My favorite site for looking at flights is hipmunk.com - they show you all your options and the price of each with a handy little graphic.</p>
<p>Could you provide the specifics about the train that goes from Boston to Providence for $8? I think we’re booking a flight that arrives in Boston at around 9pm, so I’m looking for cheap ways to get to Providence after that!</p>
<p>@chippedtea You take the MBTA commuter rail out of South Station to Providence. It takes about an hour and 20 min and costs 8 dollars. To get to South Station from Logan Airport, you take the Silver Line.</p>
<p>Every time I have travelled to Brown, I do LAX->Logan->South Station->Providence. Works fine.</p>
<p>@burningham, thank you so much! That sounds super convenient.</p>
<p>One thing to note (that’s pretty nice): Southwest flies direct from PHX to PVD, and is usually pretty cheap. However, weirdly enough, getting from TF Green to Brown is going to cost you ~$11 (the cost of the shuttle), whereas getting to Boston Logan costs ~$9 ($7.50 for MBTA, $1.50 for the Silver Line), despite it taking a lot longer to get to Boston (and the airport being more of a hassle to fly out of).</p>
<p>You can take the train from PVD to Providence now</p>
<p>Keep in mind that for move-in/move-out you are likely to have large luggage-- not fun to handle on commuter rail, and also not during the transfer from Logan to South Station. For a little more, the Peter Pan Bus (google it) goes directly from the Logan to Kennedy Plaza in Providence.
Do check airfares and schedules for both Providence and Boston.
(Does Southwest still allow two free checked bags?)</p>
<p>may I ask how you get jetblue fly book such good deal. Are you taking Amtrak or other train. Amtrak cost $30 on way</p>
<p>@bueningham17, you mention MBTA commuter rail, How many times a day to Providence? Do we need to buy ticket before hand?</p>
<p>@Rfgmx836 It runs all the time, especially on weekdays. You will not have a problem finding a train that fits with your schedule. I have always bought the tickets when I get there.</p>
<p>You can also buy commuter rail tickets onboard the train for a bit more money. Otherwise, there are ticket machines in the Boston station, and you buy the tickets from the little cafe in the Providence station.</p>