<p>DS is starting his PhD at BU this fall. He chose BU for its program and the proximity to other schools in the area which also excel in his field. I am looking for input from people as to their experiences living on campus and off. His priorities are his studies, networking at other schools, working out, and a girlfriend 2 hours away; no desire to take advantage of the culture/nightlife in Boston. He would like to have his car, but could live without it. Living on campus would obviously give him more time to devote to his studies and such. He would probably even go on a meal plan if he was on campus. We looked at a couple of on campus studios which would eat up most of his stipend and were not all that nice. Where would you live off campus? We were thinking of Quincy, on the red line, but looking quick online, it doesn't appear to be much cheaper. Any input would be appreciated.</p>
<p>My D is an undergrad at BU, so I don’t know a lot about where grad students live. BU on-campus housing is very expensive for what you get. There are a lot of off-campus options in walking distance to campus. They are still pretty expensive, but offer more space for the money. You might want to check out options in Brookline and Allston, which are pretty close to campus. Allston would be less expensive; Brookline is nicer.</p>
<p>In the 70s, lots of MIT students I knew lived in Brighton/Allston area, which had good direct public transportation to the Back Bay area. (I lived in Brighton at one point.) Others lived in the cheaper parts of Cambridge, or on the Somerville line. Everyone shared houses or apartments. Back Bay itself was far too expensive, and the only people I knew who had apartments there were both working and had trust funds. I know that a lot of students lived along the Fenway, probably mostly people at Northeastern, but I didn’t know anyone personally. Boston housing is definitely expensive. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Really? I think it is a shame to live in the Boston area and not take advantage of its cultural offerings. This doesn’t mean you have to be out clubbing every weekend but the museums, the music scene in multiple genres, the history…</p>
<p>My son was at Berklee this past year and lived off campus. He lived in Allston/Brighton so he rode through BU’s campus every day. Although he paid a (by my eye’s) giant rent for an apartment shared with three others, his room/board costs were much less than what it would have cost if he lived on campus. I think this is true in most urban environments. his big savings was the “board” part – he probably saved $200 a month versus what he would have paid through an on campus meal plan.</p>
<p>As Consolation wrote, in the 1980’s as well many a BU grad student ( and other schools as well) lived in Brighton and Allston and the T (Boston’s subway/trolley) goes right by BU making as accessible as possible. The trick is finding an apartment that isn’t too pricy…Good luck. We were lucky many years ago but from what I’ve heard, you have to start early and hope for the best…</p>
<p>Not Quincy! I live in Braintree next to Quincy and my daughter attends a private not too far from BU in Boston. The ride in on public transportation can be long and not a straight short if attending BU, especially when traveling before and after rush hour. I doubt he will find anything nice that is also what many would consider “affordable”. Isn’t there a bulleten board for BU grad students that might list apts? How about the Fenway area?</p>
<p>I agree it would be a shame to not particpate in Boston nightlife as a grad student.</p>
<p>The PhD is likely to be a long haul. There is nothing wrong with starting out in on-campus grad housing while he sorts out where he’d like to live and with whom for the remaining umpteen years of his program.</p>
<p>If you’re S doesn’t have an off-campus place right now, the chances of getting one before the fall are pretty slim. There are many, many college students in Boston living in the Fenway, Allston-Brighton and other areas close to BU; these students have already leased the reasonably priced apartments. Most kids do this before they leave for the summer. I think your son’s best bet would be to stay on-campus this year and then look for housing off-campus if it turns out that would be his preference.</p>
<p>I don’t know what BU grad housing is like, but a work colleague recently told me how much she liked living in Harvard grad housing. Made friends for life and got to know people in various related disciplines that she could go to for research questions and ideas.</p>
<p>Where is BU grad housing and what is it like? Would he have a chance to meet other grad students at meals and stuff?</p>
<p>Allston, Brighton, Brookline, Coolidge Corner. Perhaps even Newton.</p>
<p>Housing around Boston is very expensive, and few people manage it without house mates.</p>
<p>If he thinks enrolling in a meal plan would save him time and effort (which makes sense), he can probably buy one even if he’s living off campus. Assuming you can afford it, it’s a nice perk never having to spend time planning meals.</p>
<p>My son chose to live in MIT dorms. he wanted to meet people and know that when he wanted to relax, there would always be people around. when he was ready, he moved out with 2 others.</p>
<p>Why not live on campus the first year? It’ll give him time to get to know the area, focus on the transition to his academic program, and meet people. After a semester or two, he’ll have a better idea of where and with whom he would like to live.</p>
<p>I live near Boston and I’d go with the on-campus option. At least his landlord will be BU. There’s been a number of problems with the areas near BU in the past year, including a fatal fire in an off-campus house that appears to have been in violation of some housing codes (specifically too many people living in the house). Sadly this was not an isolated incident. Boston is a great city but it’s not good at inspecting rental properties. Students can easily end up living in substandard housing - especially annoying given Boston’s high rents.</p>
<p>Quincy is a trek from BU. DS went to BU for undergrad. Most students who lived off campus lived in Brighton, Allston, Brookline. There are also studio apartments in the Kenmore Square area and on and off Commonwealth Ave. All are conveniently located on the T which gets you easily to BU. I can’t imagine going to BU and living in Quincy. </p>
<p>Isn’t part of the Student Village for grad students? If so, it’s quite nice. </p>
<p>My kid lived in Allston, right adjacent to the BU west campus dorms. His apartment was closer to his classroom buildings than some of the on campus housing.</p>
<p>However, I will say…if your son is looking for off campus housing for September, he needs to act very quickly.</p>
<p>The grad student apartments at BU look great - [Rental</a> Property Management](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/rpm/]Rental”>Real Estate) . If they are affordable, I would go through BU. Look at the “Our Neighborhoods” map…great locations. I noticed there was a note that said they were no longer taking applications for dormitory style on-campus grad student housing, but I didn’t see any notes saying the same for the on-campus apartments.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input! I have been promoting the idea of living on campus for the first year while assessing options for following years. As full pay parents, he saved us a bundle by doing undergrad in state and graduating in three years, so we don’t mind supplementing his income a bit to buy him some convenience. We live about an hour south of Boston, and have already started to plant the idea of living at home later on in his program when his classwork is done and maybe he only has to go in a couple days a week. And I get it, Quincy is out. Dumb idea.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think that living on campus at first is a good idea, but this idea of moving home a couple of years into a PhD…highly unlikely, IMHO. 
In any case, at that point he should have an established social network and will have options.</p>
<p>Your son might want to look into Allston sublets. That is to say, a subletted room in an apartment shared by students. Some students are away for semesters abroad or internships, etc, each semester, and they don’t always find their subletters as far in advance as would be prudent.</p>
<p>Since your son has a home base relatively nearby, a subletted room and a BU non-resident meal plan might be the way to go.</p>
<p>My son lived in an off-campus apartment for most of the time he was at BU as an undergrad. His rent was only $600 a month in an apartment shared with two other guys, but it wasn’t easy for them to find an apartment for three people for $1800 a month.</p>
<p>My son also lived off campus in Allston. His rent was $600 a month also, sharing with three others. They actually turned the living room into a bedroom. It was not a lovely apartment but it was convenient.</p>
<p>I honestly think for OPs son, living on campus this first year would be fine. BUhas nice apartments, and some brownstones as well. We did t see any grad student housing that was bad…curious where you saw that?</p>
<p>Agree with poster upstream…living at home after being in Boston for a couple of years…not likely…and not convenient. </p>
<p>There are TONS of apartments in Boston that are rented to college students. Once your son meets others, or gets a sense of what he wants to do living wise, it will be much easier to look for an off campus place next year. </p>
<p>Also, doesn’t BU have meal points you can purchase for use in the dining halls, and at a large number of restaurants on commonwealth ave?</p>