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Hello everyone! I am a college student, yea another one of those, and I'm strongly considering moving to the Boston area (I'm from GA) to continue my education. I'm currently enrolled in school, have a very small loan amount to pay (less than 2k), and I was hoping to get some help. I have looked at two schools in particular, UMass Boston (not Amherst) and Boston University. Now, obviously UMass is cheaper (by a great deal) but there is no room or board while BU offers both but at a greater cost. My question is whether it would be cheaper in the long run to go to UMass and rent an apartment and if so what area's should I look at, or would it be better to apply to BU and pay for on campus living? My financial situation is "decent". What I mean by that is I currently work in retail and I have a meager amount of money saved up (hey, I'm a young college guy, you actually expect me to save money?). Also, for a college student, what are easy yet "good" paying, at least by college student standards, jobs to get and where would they be located? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hello everyone! I am a college student, yea another one of those, and I'm strongly considering moving to the Boston area (I'm from GA) to continue my education. I'm currently enrolled in school, have a very small loan amount to pay (less than 2k), and I was hoping to get some help. I have looked at two schools in particular, UMass Boston (not Amherst) and Boston University. Now, obviously UMass is cheaper (by a great deal) but there is no room or board while BU offers both but at a greater cost. My question is whether it would be cheaper in the long run to go to UMass and rent an apartment and if so what area's should I look at, or would it be better to apply to BU and pay for on campus living? My financial situation is "decent". What I mean by that is I currently work in retail and I have a meager amount of money saved up (hey, I'm a young college guy, you actually expect me to save money?). Also, for a college student, what are easy yet "good" paying, at least by college student standards, jobs to get and where would they be located? Thank you in advance for your help.
Well, there are a number of factors at hand here. First, you may be limited by where you are accepted. Typically, it's difficult to be accepted to a state school if you are not currently a resident. That said, admissions at BU are far more competitive in general.
If you are accepted to both schools, you'll essentially have to decide if living on-campus and all the great social aspects that come along with living in res halls are worth the additional $16,000+ dollars (the difference in tuition between the schools, since you'd likely have to pay out of state tuition at UMass). UMass Boston is, as you know, a commuter school, so you might find it challenging to make new friends. But it would be cheaper, even if you have to pay out-of-state tuition. I've found living off-campus to be cheaper than living on-campus, but that's not the norm for all college students. Some of my friends paid almost $800/month to share an apt! I'm not sure where I would live if I went to UMass - the immediate area around the school isn't great. In fact, I would probably take on a longer commute in order to live in a better neighborhood. You've got a lot to think about!
Other schools that you might want to look into are Emmanuel, Suffolk, Emerson, and Wentworth. They are less expensive/less competitive than BU, much more centrally located than UMass, and they all have on-campus housing (though at some of the schools, housing is not guaranteed for transfers).
As for jobs, many students work on-campus. The pay is usually good ($8-10/hr) and the hours are very flexible. Other students work in restaurants, bars, retail, and tourist spots. I had one of the best paying jobs out of my college friends, working at a hospital doing clerical work (for $12/hr).
I would tell you 100 times over again to go with BU. UMass Boston is a good school, but it's not really geared towards your typical college student. It's sort of a commuter school and meeting new people and being part of the community won't be easy.
BU is in a better location and you would have the option of living in the dorms OR living in an apartment with some room mates later on. Also, BU is closer to the area's retail centers if you're looking for a job. Newbury Street has mid and high end retail and is close by and the Shops at Prudential Center and Copley Place aren't too far off either. You could also try retail at one of the merchandise shops at a Fenway Park area shop (Jobs IN Fenway are hard to come by... usually you need to know someone). Also, if you can wait tables, bartend, or even host you have a good chance of getting a job at one of the many of restaurants in the area (I have a friend who's a student and pulls in $50-60k/ year bartending part time as at Game On! at Fenway Park).
BU is on the Greenline (B Branch to be specific) so you could easily work anywhere along the subway line. You're also within walking distance of the busy Kenmore Square and activity along Commonwealth Ave. Fenway Park is right nearby as well.
While it may be cheapr in the end (actually, it probably will be), UMass Boston won't give you the real college in Boston experience that you'll get at BU. Not only are there no dorms, but it's located in South Boston away from the city center and other colleges. While you may be able to get an apartment near UMass near some college kids, it's a lot less likely than if you went to and lived near BU. There are also fewer job opportunities right near UMass Boston (but you are on the Red Line which puts you within reach of most downtown opportunities).
Again, as long as you can afford it, I would say go with BU. Good luck!
My personal experience with UMASS Boston: HORRIBLE!!!
UMASS Boston has got to be the most bureaucratic, incompetent, inept, and all around inefficient university ever! I only took one course through their College of Continuing Ed but the way I got to that course and the way I went through it is enough of a story. I first enrolled in it through undergraduate day. Instead of hiring a set of professional staffers to help you with the registration process, UMASS employed a set of elderly volunteers, some of whom hardly even knew how to use a computer let alone tell you critical registration information. I remember spending an hour just to get one course registered. The people didn't even know the campus or any other offices, in fact it seemed as if they weren't even employees of the university, just mere temps or volunteers.
My first instructor immediately proved to be a lazy, incompetent, impatient, and rude instructor. He made his "office hours" after class despite the fact that the class was a three hour night class beginning at six and I know everyone would be in a rush to get home at that time. During the first meet, he rudely made fun of students who didn't know prerequisite material ("That's strike four on you, you gotta know the game called Algebra" - it was a Precalculus class) because he was impatient with us. During the second meet, he cut class short all because he was too tired and didn't want to teach that day. I just got fed up, dropped the class, and got my money back.
My second instructor was nearly as bad if not worse. All she did was give us diagnostic quizzes, which we all ended up failing, a ton of homework, and stupid university issued rules. Can you believe it? I once had to excuse myself from a class meet one day to take the LSATs and I told her one full week in advance. Then after I took the exam, she told me she would not accept taking the LSATs as a valid excuse for missing a class and docked five points off my average all because there is a university-wide policy of not missing any classes if they meet only once a week. What other university would create such a stupid rule!? Goodness, even high schools are not that harsh. In the end, I felt as if I had learned nothing new and the instructor even had to give us an opportunity to earn 100 free additional points to raise our grades - something that could have been avoided if she really focused on our education!
On top of the poor quality education you will get at UMASS Boston, the bureaucratic horse manure, and the overall inefficiency, the campus looks outright ugly! Other than the new campus center, which is the only nice looking building, all other buildings are 1970's era brute force architectural disasters. In some buildings (particularly Wheatley Hall), the hallways are like a labyrinthe and you will get lost to the point of frustration. The classroom buildings are all old, dirty, decrepit (oh yes, graffiti in the restrooms), and unwholesome. Oh yeah, the food court in the student center and the bookstore all have odd hours because they can't afford to hire enough shifts. Did I also mention that the campus is isolated by itself near the ocean so if you miss the shuttle bus, you will either have to wait a while or walk a long walk to the nearest tranist station? Why do you think they charge such a low price for tuition? You pay for what you get and worse. Really, even Bunker Hill Community College, a two year institution with lower academic standing, had far friendlier people who were far more helpful, better instructors, and far less bureaucracy for a much cheaper price than this mega-disaster of a university.
I would really choose BU over UMASS Boston. Sure BU is a lot more expensive but it has far better quality education (I graduated from Northeastern University, BU's rival, which to me isn't even as good as BU but way, way better than UMASS). I would check your financial aid package and see if work-study is included. Then you can get a decent job on campus, even part time office jobs. If you weren't offered work-study there are still plenty of opportunities in a school like BU to make good money, even if it means working in a canteen (hey, at least they pay). Check if there is a student employment office on campus, there should be one. On a last note, go to UMASS Boston only if you cannot afford anything else. I would even consider staying in Georgia and finish out at the school where you are at rather than go to UMASS Boston. Good luck!
Thanks everyone for you timely responses. A commuters college doesn't bother me, that's what I'm currently attending. From the sound of it, the experience is very similar to what I'm going through now. Only reason I'm still here is financial, I gotta be cheap. No mommy and daddy money for me. As such, that's why cost is such a big deal to me. I don't really want to graduate from some place and end up spending the majority of the next 20 or so years paying it back. Not saying it's not an option for me to do, but a very unnatractive one to say the least. Thanks Remi for supply additionaly colleges to take a look at, I appreciate that very much.
Hello everyone! I am a college student, yea another one of those, and I'm strongly considering moving to the Boston area (I'm from GA) to continue my education. I'm currently enrolled in school, have a very small loan amount to pay (less than 2k), and I was hoping to get some help. I have looked at two schools in particular, UMass Boston (not Amherst) and Boston University. Now, obviously UMass is cheaper (by a great deal) but there is no room or board while BU offers both but at a greater cost. My question is whether it would be cheaper in the long run to go to UMass and rent an apartment and if so what area's should I look at, or would it be better to apply to BU and pay for on campus living? My financial situation is "decent". What I mean by that is I currently work in retail and I have a meager amount of money saved up (hey, I'm a young college guy, you actually expect me to save money?). Also, for a college student, what are easy yet "good" paying, at least by college student standards, jobs to get and where would they be located? Thank you in advance for your help.
Boston is a fantastic place to spend your college years; I graduated from BU in 2007 and had a wonderful experience, both academically and socially. If you have any questions about renting apartments, places to go out, public transportation, or BU's administration or academics, please do not hesitate to direct message me (I now live in NY and don't check the Boston forum all that often). Best of luck!
good news about your student loan. i love boston also went to school there.
i am encouraging anybody that will listen to avoid debt during the current economy. it could actually discourage employers from hiring you.
please consider VE at jr college , my favorite is nursing, RN later when you got it going you can work on advanced degrees but get the employer to pay not you.
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