College student in Boston (Cambridge, Waltham: apartments, rental, co-op)

[TriniLiciousSs]

How much would it be to live in Boston as a college student?
Meaning, not a lot of money...

[HowGoesIt]

i imagine it would be an amazing time. boston has an enormous college population, so it's got to be great. Kids are resourceful and they manage to get by. I did..

[Stockholmaren]

It's great! However, it's probably more expensive than most other places for higher education. Many students share apartments and so forth to keep down costs.

What specifically are you wondering about?

[TriniLiciousSs]

Well .. I was wondering about...
1) Apartments
2) Transportation
3) Good Jobs for students?

[Stockholmaren]

Originally Posted by TriniLiciousSs

Well .. I was wondering about...
1) Apartments
2) Transportation
3) Good Jobs for students?

(Good) apartments can be tricky to find, but you can probably find a 1-bedroom apartment for less than 1,200. A lot depends on which area you'll be in. Do you know which school(s) you're considering? There are also many students here who share apartments to bring costs down to 700-800/month. Many places include most of the utilities, so try and get a place that does that.

As far as transportation, a typical transportation pass (t-pass) costs $59/month. You can check out the mbta.com website for some more information regarding schedules and costs. If you live further out and decide to take a commuter rail, the cost would increase.

Do you mean jobs while you're in school or for graduates? It seems like there are quite a bit of student jobs while in school since there are so many students in the area, but most of those jobs I can't imagine being very high-paying.

I hope this helps, and let us know if you have any additional questions.

[charolastra00]

The best place to seek jobs is on campus. Off campus places by and large are looking to make a profit and can't bend around a student's schedule (ie if you have one class from 11-12 and then another from 5-7, your whole day is practically gone for most outside employers). On campus tends to pay higher (at least at my school) and the staff are understanding of you needing to work, say, 2 hour shifts some days of the week or needing off for finals and breaks (depending on what job you work). I recommend working as either a receptionist or an office assistant- you get to make tons of contacts with professors that way.

Living wise, it depends. If you go to BU, you could live in Allston for around $600 a month (sharing a house/apartment) and if you go to Northeastern or any of the schools in that area, you could live on Mission Hill/JP for similar costs. If you're in Cambridge, it's generally more expensive though schools like Harvard do have some subsidized apartments.

For transportation, the monthly t pass is $59 a month but completely worth it. Otherwise, it's around $1.75 (with a Charlie card, $2 for a regular pass) for each trip which mounts up pretty fast. You won't need to feel guilty about hopping the T for one or two stops. Also, for most of the year, bikes are a really great way to travel. Once you get past the initial purchase of the bike, it ends up cheaper than a T pass.

[TriniLiciousSs]

[quote=Stockholmaren;3007962
Do you know which school(s) you're considering?

Do you mean jobs while you're in school or for graduates?

I hope this helps, and let us know if you have any additional questions.[/quote]
Thank you so much for taking the time to write that!
It was very helpful.

I am planning on going to either Bently college or Boston college.. and a slight possiblity of Northeastern.

I would work during the school year, however, I plan to focus on my schoolwork..
Do you know of any summer jobs?

[RemiJP]

Bentley College is in Waltham, which is about 10 miles away from Boston. BC is in Brighton (still part of Boston though) and Northeastern has the most urban campus.

There are tons of jobs available all year long for college students in Boston and in retail, restaurants/bars, healthcare, hotels and on-campus.

[smarty]

Good jobs... what is a good job?... high paying, little work, no responsibilites, surf the net, travels when you want to, with all the perks... I always want to be a boss and tell people what to do... sit back and enjoy my coffee...

Seriously, different people have different view...
There are lots of non-profits... if you're looking for experience, it may be something for you. If you're looking for pay, that is probably not for you.

The other thing about job... what do you offer? What skiills do you have? Why should a company hire you?

According to a survey, most young people just want to be rich and famous. Yet, they have the highest debt. No wonder American idol is so popular... I just want to be on TV... to show everyone how badly I can sing.

[AngelEyez02403]

I go to Northeastern, and with the co-op program you would have the opportunity to make $$ half the year, and go to class for the other half. I just saved enough money from co-op to carry me through the next six months.

As for housing, there are a lot of students in the Mission Hill area. However, the city implemented a "no more than four" law --- aka no more than four undergrad students living in the same rental unit. You can prob still find affordable housing with roommates though.