Recently got into BU, trying to figure things out (Boston: apartment, rental)

[FiguringStuffOut]

Hey there everyone,

I was recently accepted into Boston University for graduate school. I'm trying to figure out what the best living arrangement would be, given that I've never lived in a large city before. I grew up in seacoast New Hampshire, but I've spent most of my adult life at a university in an ultra-rural area of New Hampshire. Any advice on a relatively safe place to live would be fantastic. I don't mind a reasonable commute, but I don't want to go more than 15 miles away from Boston University, for the purpose of logistics.

My budget is a max of $600 for rent, plus a little bit more for utilities. I currently rent a whole house for that price, but I realize that I'm going to have to downsize to a studio to stay within that price range. I've found some studios for that price in Lynn, but I have no idea what life in Lynn is like. I've read bad things so far on this forum. Its also extremely important to me that I avoid a roommate situation.

Anywho, help or advice of any kind would be greatly appreciated.

[eevee]

a budget of $600 isn't going to get you much at all, even in a questionable location like Lynn. A quick search on Craigslist shows me tons of misplaced rooms for rent ads, but not even a single, legit ad fr a studio. You may need to bump up that budget to at least $800 (preferably $1K) in order to get a studio in a somewhat decent area, IMHO

[FiguringStuffOut]

Yah, I'm worried about that. My stipend only allows $700 for rent and utilities, so I don't really have any flexibility. Lynn is questionable for sure, though? Just so I'm aware, what does questionable mean? I grew up in a poor area, so I'm not too concerned about socioeconomic status, I just don't want to live in a gang infested area.

[joebloe]

Which graduate program? If it's the medical campus your option is more limited. Nevertheless, $600 is too low a price even when I went to school here 15 years ago. You're gonna need to boost it up to $1000.

[FiguringStuffOut]

My grad program is in the school of education. Think $600 is enough if I find a roommate? I don't really want to, only because of bad past experiences, but it seems like I'm going to have to.

[eevee]

$600 is fine if you go for a room rental

[proudestmonkey]

Originally Posted by FiguringStuffOut

My grad program is in the school of education. Think $600 is enough if I find a roommate? I don't really want to, only because of bad past experiences, but it seems like I'm going to have to.

I would say you'd have to look at a roommate situation or other alternatives. I had a friend who rented the "apartment"- basically a finished attic- in a Brookline home that was right next to the BU campus, which was really reasonably priced. Since you're not horribly far I'd venture to BU and take a look at postings you might find on campus and contact the housing resources people.

[ogre]

Great suggestion by ProudestMonkey about checking with B.U.'s housing office for advice, and to see whether they have any off-campus listings. I second and third that advice. I don't know about B.U. in particular, but many college housing offices can give you good info on what's available off campus, and how to deal with the local housing scene.

I'll add my voice to those suggesting that you're going to need to think in terms of either a rented room or a roommate. With a roommate you still may find your options somewhat limited, but at least you should have some options, while you're going to find little or nothing beyond a rented room on your budget if you don't pool your resources with someone.

I don't know Lynn well at all, so I can't suggest neighborhoods, but word of mouth has it that the quality of the area varies from neighborhood to neighborhood in Lynn. Based on anything I've heard, I would not categorically dismiss Lynn as a possibility, but you would want to get some good info on the neighborhood where any property you might be considering was located, because that city is said to have some bad areas.

[proudestmonkey]

I don't remember exactly at what point they have it, but when I was at B.U. they'd have a big off campus housing fair every year sometime in the spring- that might be something to ask about as well when you talk to the housing people.