<p>My D has been offered an internship starting this month in Boston. The office is about a block from Northeastern. Intern pay, as usual, is not great so we will likely supplement her income to help with housing, but would like her to be as self-sufficient as possible.</p>
<p>Any tips on trying to find a place in the area where she can live on an intern's salary? Anyone still looking for a roommate?</p>
<p>We welcome all ideas and suggestions. Thanks.</p>
<p>The area around NU isn’t really “intern salary” friendly. Mission hill is the more affordable area, though not everyone prefers it because it’s a little further–about a 20 minute walk or 5 minute T ride, and several years ago (5+) was a bit of a rough neighborhood. Now it’s mainly upperclassmen Northeastern students and I always felt safe there during the 2.5 years I lived there.</p>
<p>There’s also Allston which is a little cheaper, but a longer commute.</p>
<p>Most people I know (myself included) just used craigslist to find places. It sounds sketchier than it is, but having moved around a lot I think it’s the norm for college & post college kids.</p>
<p>Also think “intern salary” might need to be expanded. If you want to barely supplement someone who is going to make 18 dollars an hour, then she might be able to afford the area. But if you want to barely supplement someone making 8… You’ll be looking at Allston, Mission Hill, or north of Cambridge for common spots.</p>
<p>I guess a plus would be that learning how to commute is a pretty big part of growing up. My first co-op was 1.5 hours away on the train. You learn to deal.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help/suggestions. We know she would need to sublet, likely with several roommates. Most of the places she has looked at were in Brighton, but none has worked out yet. The “perfect” listing was on Craigslist for a place that was a five-minute walk from her office. She only got to see the outside, because the person who placed the ad canceled the showing five minutes before my D got there. The person made it sound like she would be back quickly but she never responded to additional emails by my D. Too bad, because it sounded so nice and the price was reasonable.</p>
<p>She starts the internship next week, so maybe something will work out soon. The hostel won’t let her stay more than two weeks, so time is running out.</p>
<p>We’re hoping she won’t have to go out any farther than the Watertown area.</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>