Moving to Boston: BC Law Student needs Advice! (Cambridge, Newton: insurance, budget)

[aries4118]

My thread needed renaming...to better reflect its purpose:

Hello! I am an entering Boston College Law Student and I will move to Boston in mid-August. I have several questions about this move and I am seeking advice and recommendations from anyone who can help. All comments/posts are welcome!

Right now, I am looking into the graduate housing provided by BC (I have lived in graduate housing and furnished housing before...both were great experiences with lots of benefits). However, there are still many things I would like to know:

1. Car--Should I bring a car if I will be living in the Brookline/Newton area? I understand that parking is very expensive and the public transportation in Boston is great and extensive (unlike my present location in the American South). I have no problem living without a car, but if a car is highly recommended, I would really like to know.

2. Location--What are the recommended areas for living for BC Law students? I am not interested in an "undergraduate enclave." I would love a reasonable, urban, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood that offers easy access to the BC Campus (by foot, "T", shuttle, or bus).

3. Graduate Housing--For those of you who may know anything about BC's graduate housing, what do you think of this option? Do you recommend something else?

As I mentioned before, all advice, recommendations, and comments are welcome! Thank you in advance.

[ogre]

Congratulations on your law school admission!

I don't know anything about B.C.'s graduate housing, so I'll deal with your other questions.

Car: Public transit is pretty extensive in the city of Boston and the closer suburbs. You would get along fine without a car if you mainly wanted to stay in these areas. The one exception would be if for some reason you expected to be out often very late at night, like after midnight, as the transit system does not run all night. Other than that, if you're not living out in the outer 'burbs, the main reason for a car would be if you wanted to take frequent trips to the mountains, lakes, or coastal areas, so it's your call as to whether you'd be interested in making such excursions often enough to feel the need for a car. From anywhere in the vicinity of B.C. you should be able to get around the local area fine without a car, again, unless you would need to be out late at night very often.

Note that B.C. is located in an upscale, older suburban area, kind of close to the city, but more suburban than urban in most sections. It's at least possible that rentals in the immediate area might be in an older house that has been subdivided, possibly even an apartment building. In that case, parking might come with the territory, so the cost of parking you'd find if living right in the city would not be an issue.

Where to live: Keep in mind, housing is pretty expensive around Boston. You might easily find yourself paying 1,000 to 1,500 a month for rent, if you live in a full apartment rather than a room. If you were to decide not to live in B.C.'s grad housing, off-campus areas you might want to look at would be in the city of Newton itself, or possibly neighboring Brookline. Both are upscale family towns, so not a lot of nightlife right in the neigbhorhood, but plenty of shops and small eateries. If you want to avoid areas heavily populated by undergrads (and I don't blame you), stay away from the Boston neighborhoods of Brighton and Allston. Neighborhoods in the city you might consider are the South End and Back Bay, also maybe Jamaica Plain. From these areas it would be a reasonable commute to B.C. by public transit. The downside in those neighborhoods would be that they are in the central city, not far from downtown Boston, so rents are likely to be higher than they would be closer to B.C.'s campus. In these areas, parking is likely to be an issue, because of the density of population, but public transit is readily available, so in these areas especially, you might want to go car-free. Also check out Waltham and Watertown, two cities immediately north of Newton. The only slight drawback in those two towns would be that the public transit to Newton will be by bus rather than subway or trolley, so it might be a bit slower due to street traffic. Still should not take too long, though, since both towns are adjacent to Newton. A slightly longer, but do-able, commute would be from Cambridge. Lots of students around, because of Harvard and MIT, but also lots of professionals, not the kind of student ghetto you find in Allston/Brighton. More urban than Watertown, Waltham, Brookline, or Newton, with a collection of small clubs and funky ethnic restaurants, and a little bit of a bohemian feel in some sections.

One additional suggestion: If you do end up living off campus rather than in B.C.'s grad housing, you might do well to try and arrive in town a bit earlier than mid August. Moving at the beginning of August or before would help you beat the rush of students looking for housing for Sept.

Best of luck, and again, congratulations.

[septimus]

It depends where you live. If you live in cleveland circle/brighton along comm. ave you won't need a car, but you might want to invest in a warm coat since the bc shuttle sometimes takes its time.

A lot of bc law students live in cleveland circle, brighton along comm ave, oak sq. and newton centre. Others live farther out, but I wouldn't.

BC didn't have grad housing when I was there so I don't know anything about it.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by ogre

Congratulations on your law school admission!

I don't know anything about B.C.'s graduate housing, so I'll deal with your other questions.

Car: Public transit is pretty extensive in the city of Boston and the closer suburbs. You would get along fine without a car if you mainly wanted to stay in these areas. The one exception would be if for some reason you expected to be out often very late at night, like after midnight, as the transit system does not run all night. Other than that, if you're not living out in the outer 'burbs, the main reason for a car would be if you wanted to take frequent trips to the mountains, lakes, or coastal areas, so it's your call as to whether you'd be interested in making such excursions often enough to feel the need for a car. From anywhere in the vicinity of B.C. you should be able to get around the local area fine without a car, again, unless you would need to be out late at night very often.

Note that B.C. is located in an upscale, older suburban area, kind of close to the city, but more suburban than urban in most sections. It's at least possible that rentals in the immediate area might be in an older house that has been subdivided, possibly even an apartment building. In that case, parking might come with the territory, so the cost of parking you'd find if living right in the city would not be an issue.

Where to live: Keep in mind, housing is pretty expensive around Boston. You might easily find yourself paying 1,000 to 1,500 a month for rent, if you live in a full apartment rather than a room. If you were to decide not to live in B.C.'s grad housing, off-campus areas you might want to look at would be in the city of Newton itself, or possibly neighboring Brookline. Both are upscale family towns, so not a lot of nightlife right in the neigbhorhood, but plenty of shops and small eateries. If you want to avoid areas heavily populated by undergrads (and I don't blame you), stay away from the Boston neighborhoods of Brighton and Allston. Neighborhoods in the city you might consider are the South End and Back Bay, also maybe Jamaica Plain. From these areas it would be a reasonable commute to B.C. by public transit. The downside in those neighborhoods would be that they are in the central city, not far from downtown Boston, so rents are likely to be higher than they would be closer to B.C.'s campus. In these areas, parking is likely to be an issue, because of the density of population, but public transit is readily available, so in these areas especially, you might want to go car-free. Also check out Waltham and Watertown, two cities immediately north of Newton. The only slight drawback in those two towns would be that the public transit to Newton will be by bus rather than subway or trolley, so it might be a bit slower due to street traffic. Still should not take too long, though, since both towns are adjacent to Newton. A slightly longer, but do-able, commute would be from Cambridge. Lots of students around, because of Harvard and MIT, but also lots of professionals, not the kind of student ghetto you find in Allston/Brighton. More urban than Watertown, Waltham, Brookline, or Newton, with a collection of small clubs and funky ethnic restaurants, and a little bit of a bohemian feel in some sections.

One additional suggestion: If you do end up living off campus rather than in B.C.'s grad housing, you might do well to try and arrive in town a bit earlier than mid August. Moving at the beginning of August or before would help you beat the rush of students looking for housing for Sept.

Best of luck, and again, congratulations.

Thank you. This is very helpful. The reason I am so concerned about a car, is that I presently have a car. I am so tempted to sell it so I will not have to worry about payments, insurance, and, because it's Boston-Mass, parking! Seems like such a hassle. Is it worth selling a car if I already have one?

Everyone else, keep the posts coming!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by septimus

It depends where you live. If you live in cleveland circle/brighton along comm. ave you won't need a car, but you might want to invest in a warm coat since the bc shuttle sometimes takes its time.

A lot of bc law students live in cleveland circle, brighton along comm ave, oak sq. and newton centre. Others live farther out, but I wouldn't.

BC didn't have grad housing when I was there so I don't know anything about it.

Thank you!

[holden125]

The concern about parking in "Boston, Mass." is relevant but might be overstated as you'll be going to school in "Newton, Mass.", which is suburban. It's totally different from going to BU or New England Law in the heart of the city in that a car is less of a hassle and more of a necessity as you move out of Boston proper, and it might be nice to have one to get around Newton and to get out for weekends and such.

That said, you can certainly go to BC Law without one. As people have said, you don't need a car to live in the Cleveland Circle/Brighton/Brookline area, as transit there is extensive, although it's more extensive going in to Boston than out to BC Law. The options for getting to BC Law without a car are basically: (1) D Line to Newton Centre, 52 bus to BC Newton campus, or (2) B Line to main BC campus, then shuttle to Newton campus.

Brookline is problematic for parking because you can't park overnight on the streets, so you need a private space. Apts with them are more expensive, but without them you have to find a spot, which may be quite a walk from where you live, and they run $150-$200 a month.

Parking is also tight in the Cleveland Circle area and along Comm. Av in Brighton because all the spots are taken, and you'd need to register the car there and get a resident permit since almost all spots are reserved for residents.

Cleveland Circle is a bit of an undergraduate enclave. In fact, I would generally skip the B line, which is slow and full of 19-year-olds. I'd recommend maybe something along the D line in Brookline, leaving the option of the T to Newton Centre and then the 52 bus to BC Law, but there is still the Brookline parking problem and Brookline is generally is more expensive.

Parking is often provided with the apartment and a car more necessary if you live in Newton itself, but there's not much nightlife and while some of Newton is more urban than other parts, it's generally leafy and suburban there.

A possible choice is in Brighton Center, near Washington and Market Sts. There is easy on-street parking on many blocks (even for non-residents), the rents are reasonable, and it's a blend of 25-35 year olds and longtime locals. There are some bars and restaurants on Washington St. that are more frequented by grad students and locals than undergrads, so it's not dead but it's quiet enough to get to sleep. To get to BC Law, you could take the 57 bus to Newton Corner before Watertown Yard and then the 52 down Centre St, or you could drive there in about 10 mins. It's about $200 a year, I think, for a BC grad student parking permit.

If you're interested in real city life, you could live in Boston proper, preferably without a car (i.e. Kenmore or Copley areas, not Brighton, which is in the city of Boston but has a mailing address of Brighton rather than Boston). But to get to BC Law I'd stick to the areas right near the Green Line (D), but Copley is quite expensive and the Kenmore area is full of undergrads (and Red Sox fans 81 nights a year). Hynes is also popular with students from Berklee and Northeastern, etc. Audubon Circle might work if you really want urban.

[holden125]

Originally Posted by ogre

If you want to avoid areas heavily populated by undergrads (and I don't blame you), stay away from the Boston neighborhoods of Brighton and Allston.

Just to reply to some issues. I am convinced that rents in Brighton Center are kept lower in part because Brighton is so universally lumped in with Allston. Allston and Brighton can be split into several distinct areas, each with their pros and cons. The area near Harvard Av in Allston has a lot of nightlife but tends toward undergrads, and it's also dirtier, noisier, and more crowded. Going out on Comm. Av. into Brighton there are a lot of apartment buildings as well and the area is a little nicer but still too many undergrads.

Brighton Center and Oak Square are totally different. They are quieter, with a lot of longtime residents and people 23-35 either going to grad school or working. There are a lot of apartments in houses instead of apartment buildings, relatively easy street parking including many blocks without resident restrictions, and also a number of restuarants and bars on Washington St and Market St. The major drawback is that a T ride downtown is longer since you need a bus to the T, but to BC Law it's a pretty quick drive or even on the bus. From anything on a street off Washington St that is not too far from Lake St, on a nicer day you could even walk 15 mins or so to the main BC gate for the law school shuttle.

Originally Posted by ogre

Neighborhoods in the city you might consider are the South End and Back Bay, also maybe Jamaica Plain. From these areas it would be a reasonable commute to B.C. by public transit.

To BC Law in Newton I'd not recommend JP, which is a great area, since you'd have to either take the Orange line all the way downtown (or at least to Back Bay and walk to Copley), or take a bus, to get the D Line and the other bus in Newton. You can park in a lot of places in JP, though, so you could drive through the back roads of Brookline (worth a drive anyway) to school.

The South End is another great area but the commute could be just as bad unless you're within walking distance of Copley. There is a bus (10?) to Copley from parts of the South End, but that still means bus-train-bus. Much harder to park in the South End.

Originally Posted by ogre

Also check out Waltham and Watertown, two cities immediately north of Newton. The only slight drawback in those two towns would be that the public transit to Newton will be by bus rather than subway or trolley, so it might be a bit slower due to street traffic. Still should not take too long, though, since both towns are adjacent to Newton.

To BC Law, you could take the 52 bus directly if you lived right by Watertown Yard. From anywhere else in Watertown or Waltham you'd have to take another bus such as the 70 or 71 to Watertown Sq. and walk across the river for the 52. I'd avoid the two bus commute if possible. Not fun in winter, or any other time either really. They are very close by car, though, and have some great deals.

Originally Posted by ogre

A slightly longer, but do-able, commute would be from Cambridge. Lots of students around, because of Harvard and MIT, but also lots of professionals, not the kind of student ghetto you find in Allston/Brighton. More urban than Watertown, Waltham, Brookline, or Newton, with a collection of small clubs and funky ethnic restaurants, and a little bit of a bohemian feel in some sections.

Cambridge is also great but this is a bit of an inconvenient commute by transit as well. You'd have to (1) take the red line into downtown Boston and change at Park for the D, then take the 52, or (2) take a bus from Central of Harvard such as the 70 or 71, out to Watertown Sq. and walk over the river for the 52.

[aries4118]

Hello holden125--

Thank you for the two extensive posts! Very helpful.

[JoshStein]

I'm an entering BC Law student looking for housing, too! Exciting, isn't it?

Anyway, I was an undergrad at BU (and lived in Allston for two years), so here's my advice:

1) Keep your car. The T is famously inefficient- and I'm not saying that as someone who has lived in a city all his life and expects New York style public transportation (I grew up on a farm in rural Delaware).

There are a lot of areas that are not T-accessible, though the bus system is pretty good.

If you're commuting to BC Law from a neighborhood far away (anything that's not on the Green Line B), you're going to have to ride the T into a hub downtown and then back out along another subway line. Trains come by about every 10-20 minutes, depending on where you are, so you'll spend a lot of time waiting for an inbound train and then waiting again for an outbound train.

Once you get on the T, you're going to be taking the Green Line B train all the way to the end of the line. You could also take trains C and D, but then you'll be in for a bit more of a walk. The B train is very crowded around BU (from Kenmore until Harvard Ave) and stops for a long time (to let the people in the back shove their way off) every few blocks. It's very common for people to wait for a few trains to pass because they simply couldn't get on. On the bright side, it used to be free outbound and I think they're changing that, so there may be fewer people riding it next year.

When you get off the T, be it the B, C, or D lines, you're going to need to walk to the bus stop at Boston College and then take a bus from the main campus to the Law School campus, which is about a mile and a half farther.

Also, never ride the T during a Sox game.

2) Neighborhoods! I'm probably going to be living in Allston again because I'm rooming with my little brother, who is a BU undergrad. Anywhere you go in Boston, you're going to find college students. There are no neighborhoods without them. What you want to avoid in Boston are the entirely undergrad dominated areas of town. You can tell which they are by the PBR bottles in dumpsters per capita.

Allston Village (the Harvard ave/Commonwealth Ave/Brighton Ave area) is a great neighborhood. It's dirty and rundown, but if you know where to look, there are some real treasures in it. For one, there's excellent and cheap food everywhere. There's a place called the Reef Cafe near the corner of Brighton and Commonwealth that has the best Middle Eastern food in New England. Right next to that is a great Thai place and a great Indian place, all with top notch meals for under $10. There's also a bar and grill down the street with something like 200 types of beer and excellent nachos. If you're into wine or really high class beer, there's a liquor store called Marty's that's a bit overpriced, but has a gigantic selection. And if you can cook Chinese food, there's a gigantic Chinese grocery store with little restaurants in it, all of which are excellent, at the corner of Brighton and Commonwealth.

I'm not sure about BC, but the BU undergrads tend to concentrate themselves in an area boxed by Commonwealth Ave on the south, the river on the north, and Allston street in the west. If you find an apartment even a few blocks outside that area, there will be far, far fewer of them.

If I were you, I'd also at Watertown very closely. It's just north of BC and a really short commute. Were I not living with my brother, I'd be living in Watertown (with a car). There's no T nearby, but I'm sure there are buses.

3) Bedbugs. They exist and they're in Boston. Apparently, these things were nearly extinct when they made DDT illegal and now they're on the rise again because nothing kills them.

A lot of college students dump their furniture on the street instead of trying to move it to wherever they are moving and a lot of people dumpster dive. If you see upholstered furniture- especially beds- on the side of the road, don't go near them. A foot of breadth should be enough.

4) Grad housing: Personally, I didn't think the BC PDF grad housing file was that helpful. I didn't bother talking to anyone there about it, though, so they may have better resources.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't get any good information out of a 3 page list of apartments without any pictures. I've been looking at craigslist and am very happy with some of the places that I've found.




I guess that's it! I don't mean to sound overly negative- Boston is a great place and there's no major city in the country where I'd rather live.

The T is great for commuting into the city and back out, but its design just doesn't work if you're going from one suburb to another and you need to be in class on time.

Please do make sure you go to the Reef Cafe. Order a lamb kabob sandwich, but don't tell the guy you want it without pickles or anything like that. Just let him do his thing.

See you in August!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by JoshStein

I'm an entering BC Law student looking for housing, too! Exciting, isn't it?

Anyway, I was an undergrad at BU (and lived in Allston for two years), so here's my advice:

1) Keep your car. The T is famously inefficient- and I'm not saying that as someone who has lived in a city all his life and expects New York style public transportation (I grew up on a farm in rural Delaware).

There are a lot of areas that are not T-accessible, though the bus system is pretty good.

If you're commuting to BC Law from a neighborhood far away (anything that's not on the Green Line B), you're going to have to ride the T into a hub downtown and then back out along another subway line. Trains come by about every 10-20 minutes, depending on where you are, so you'll spend a lot of time waiting for an inbound train and then waiting again for an outbound train.

Once you get on the T, you're going to be taking the Green Line B train all the way to the end of the line. You could also take trains C and D, but then you'll be in for a bit more of a walk. The B train is very crowded around BU (from Kenmore until Harvard Ave) and stops for a long time (to let the people in the back shove their way off) every few blocks. It's very common for people to wait for a few trains to pass because they simply couldn't get on. On the bright side, it used to be free outbound and I think they're changing that, so there may be fewer people riding it next year.

When you get off the T, be it the B, C, or D lines, you're going to need to walk to the bus stop at Boston College and then take a bus from the main campus to the Law School campus, which is about a mile and a half farther.

Also, never ride the T during a Sox game.

2) Neighborhoods! I'm probably going to be living in Allston again because I'm rooming with my little brother, who is a BU undergrad. Anywhere you go in Boston, you're going to find college students. There are no neighborhoods without them. What you want to avoid in Boston are the entirely undergrad dominated areas of town. You can tell which they are by the PBR bottles in dumpsters per capita.

Allston Village (the Harvard ave/Commonwealth Ave/Brighton Ave area) is a great neighborhood. It's dirty and rundown, but if you know where to look, there are some real treasures in it. For one, there's excellent and cheap food everywhere. There's a place called the Reef Cafe near the corner of Brighton and Commonwealth that has the best Middle Eastern food in New England. Right next to that is a great Thai place and a great Indian place, all with top notch meals for under $10. There's also a bar and grill down the street with something like 200 types of beer and excellent nachos. If you're into wine or really high class beer, there's a liquor store called Marty's that's a bit overpriced, but has a gigantic selection. And if you can cook Chinese food, there's a gigantic Chinese grocery store with little restaurants in it, all of which are excellent, at the corner of Brighton and Commonwealth.

I'm not sure about BC, but the BU undergrads tend to concentrate themselves in an area boxed by Commonwealth Ave on the south, the river on the north, and Allston street in the west. If you find an apartment even a few blocks outside that area, there will be far, far fewer of them.

If I were you, I'd also at Watertown very closely. It's just north of BC and a really short commute. Were I not living with my brother, I'd be living in Watertown (with a car). There's no T nearby, but I'm sure there are buses.

3) Bedbugs. They exist and they're in Boston. Apparently, these things were nearly extinct when they made DDT illegal and now they're on the rise again because nothing kills them.

A lot of college students dump their furniture on the street instead of trying to move it to wherever they are moving and a lot of people dumpster dive. If you see upholstered furniture- especially beds- on the side of the road, don't go near them. A foot of breadth should be enough.

4) Grad housing: Personally, I didn't think the BC PDF grad housing file was that helpful. I didn't bother talking to anyone there about it, though, so they may have better resources.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't get any good information out of a 3 page list of apartments without any pictures. I've been looking at craigslist and am very happy with some of the places that I've found.




I guess that's it! I don't mean to sound overly negative- Boston is a great place and there's no major city in the country where I'd rather live.

The T is great for commuting into the city and back out, but its design just doesn't work if you're going from one suburb to another and you need to be in class on time.

Please do make sure you go to the Reef Cafe. Order a lamb kabob sandwich, but don't tell the guy you want it without pickles or anything like that. Just let him do his thing.

See you in August!

Hey JoshStein...

Thanks a lot for the post! I have a lot to figure out...I'm moving to Boston from very far away and the apartment search will not be easy or inexpensive...it's a severe (and financial) disadvantage. I've even had thoughts (just a few!) on whether or not I can attend.

I have visited BC Law...great, but did not have the time (or money) to do a full apartment search this April.

I like the idea of walking and using public transport (and the BC Shuttle), but a car is still good to have. The problem is that Boston (and other Mass towns) have these parking laws(!). And parking is so expensive.

Plus, the Massachussetts norm (so I've been told) of 1st month+last month+another month rent deposit up front! This is unheard of in my part of the country! I'm a student, not a tycoon. Wow.

My dilemma is trying to combine having a car (with payments) with paying rent.

Ideally, I'd like to find a small studio somewhere with inexpensive (or included in rent) off-street parking. I was originally looking in the Brighton area, but I keep hearing all this good stuff about Watertown (and since I'll possibly have a car, it might be the best choice).

Oh, I forgot to mention, I toured BC's graduate housing...I liked it. Pluses: nice, close to campus, furnished, on BC shuttle route, in a more "graddy/single-prof neighborhood/block", all utilities (with cable+internet) included, convenient. Minuses: Parking...um...$150/mo., and people have said that the rent is still overpriced.

This bedbug thing is starting to freak me out. It's funny, I was reading the "off-campus housing booklet" from BC last night and I was kind of wondering why they had nearly a full page dedicated to bedbugs. I didn't think too much of it at the time...now I know--thanks for the information.

Well, this week, I'm sitting down with my friend (who is a budget specialist...and former law student) to iron out all of my financial/budget details so I can see what kind of options I have and what I can do.

Again, thank you for the help and the post. See in you in August. Feel free to offer more advise and wisdom as you see fit!