Young people on the commuter rail? (Boston, Cambridge: schools, colleges, living in)

[Boston_Burbs]

I don't think Harvard or MIT are good examples of schools people graduate from with large student debt and unemployed.

There are a lot of colleges in the Boston area you can say that about, but Harvard and MIT are not them.

Fact Sheet

[495neighbor]

A lot of the multi-families, broken up glorious homes of their day where young working people once rented yes typically with several roommates (Somerville, Arlington, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Medford) have become condominium conversions. Additionally, there are few large apartment complexes or high rises in the Boston area. Thus, it has become increasingly difficult for young professionals and students to find a place to live.

It's too bad you don't reconsider getting a roommate or two so you could live closer to the hub.

Salem, however, is a decent alternative as there are many young single people living there, beaches, restaurants, bars and a good commuter train.

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by Estate28

It's just insane... someone said as a student in Harvard they wouldn't live in Arlington. That's the problem... everyone has to looks so privileged... OF COURSE the average student should be living somewhere like Arlington to go to Harvard. Why does a student even NEED to live right near campus or right near the city? Why do they need a 1 bed when a small studio should be their lot at best or better, just share an affordable house?

This makes no sense. There's a reason why 97+% of Harvard UNDERGRADS live on campus (much of it has to do with the residential house system which is an integral part of the entire Harvard College experience - you obviously didn't go to a university with a house system, but you can learn more about it here: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/home/cont...arvard-college). Once again, I know Harvard College students are an easy target but they're not the ones running around Somerville driving up rent.

Now why does a Harvard Law student (like Obama) want to live in Somerville? You're basically going to live in the library and you need every edge to make it. If you do, you're likely set for life. You're paying obscene tuition as it is. Do you think they'll want to save a relatively minuscule amount to hop on a bus home to Arlington at 2am? And as I said, it's not just law and med students. There are visiting professors, executive MBAs, international students, etc. Do you think George W. or the prince of Saudi Arabia lived in Arlington? I would say much less than half my college class truly came from privilege. I didn't get an MBA but even my masters had a surprising number of dukes, children of celebrities, etc. I would say more than half. And yes, none of them lived in Arlington.

[AbrasaxEos]

Just a word from the post-grad end of things - a lot of us do actually get paid a stipend and do not have to take out any loans because of a tuition scholarship as well. I pay for my apartment (well, my wife and I) and utilities, I paid for it when I lived in New Haven doing a MA, for which I also had a stipend, and I don't have any loans from undergrad. With my wife's salary and my stipend we could probably afford a nicer place in JP or even Brookline, but we actually want to save some $$ rather than burning 30k per year on rent. I think it is really a combination of factors. Not too many students are living in JP or Back Bay and those areas have or are approaching (in the case of JP) very high rents. In the case of the hovels of Allston and such, yes, students have something to do with that. But, not everywhere - lots of people in this city have six-figure incomes too!

[bjornofbrekkukot]

About the roommate thing--I actually did look at a lot of rooms. What I found was that, if I could manage to sort through all the spam, very few of them were reasonable. Several "rooms" I looked at, even in the $750-900 range, were only such by some very loose definition. Some were slightly larger than closets, or partitioned off from another room. Other places expected me to move in without even meeting all the roommates. Some especially desirable places were looking only for roommates with busy schedules--i.e, folks that would never be at "home." Other places were filthy, with 5 or 6 people to one bathroom or kitchen. This isn't my idea of a nice living situation.

As I mentioned, I lived in San Francisco before this for many years. I'm used to all this stuff. But while SF is certainly a house-share city, too, I have never experienced such a drab market as here.

As an artist, I spend a lot of time at home. Roommates produce a sense of anxiety in me, as if I can never be peacefully in my own space. Not everyone who wants to live in a city desires to be out and about all day and night.

This is why I opted for my own place. And after reading this discussion, which has turned into a general observation of housing problems in Boston, I am no longer so down about my move to Salem. For $800, I have a very nice apartment by downtown, the beach, and within 5 minutes to the train. And when I leave here, it most likely won't be for Boston, but for a city with a slightly more friendly housing market.

[djnaulty]

I faced the same thing when moving to boston. My wife and I found an apartment in Melrose for $1350 right on Main st. It is a one bedroom 840 sqft. I have only a 40 min door to door commute into back bay for work. have a great day

[Estate28]

Originally Posted by djnaulty

I faced the same thing when moving to boston. My wife and I found an apartment in Melrose for $1350 right on Main st. It is a one bedroom 840 sqft. I have only a 40 min door to door commute into back bay for work. have a great day

It sort of nit-picking saying that MIT & Harvard students "don't have debt".... sure, I guess a lot of them "come from money" if you want to generalize but I'm just saying those are the major 2 on my side of town, there's obviously MANY MANY colleges all over Boston and the problem isn't localized.

I did already say that I am not from here so didn't attend these colleges so as far as housing programs go... I don't know... every college has it's own system.

That being said... all I know is.. I live in a building mainly occupied by students of surrounding colleges, most of those live alone in their own 1 bed which is the same as mine, which I am struggling to keep up with the year or year price hikes because the managements company doesn't have any problem getting someone else in my apartment willing to pay a lot more.

Look, I don't know where each individual gets the money to pay for it but let's be honest. Someone is paying for this, be it students loans, parents, whatever...

... All I'm say is... is it really worth it?

The "ideal" is that as a student you make do with what you've got with the promise of being able to afford a little more luxury or a nicer place or closer to the city once you're earning "real" money.

It just seems weird that students are willing to pay so much to live within walking distance of a class and then will have to move out of the city and commute when they are out there earning "real" money... just think of the logic, does it really make sense just for a little privilege and status while you're a student.

It seems even from this thread there is a lot of snobbery... would a Harvard student be looked down upon because he/she said she was living outside Cambridge because it made financial sense? Or if you are attending these colleges, does financial sense just not come into it?

[Cantabridgienne]

The people who live there seem to think it's worth it.

It's hardly just undergrads who live in the city. Some people choose to or are able to pay more money for housing/location than you do. I'm not sure this comes as such a surprise.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by bjornofbrekkukot

About the roommate thing--I actually did look at a lot of rooms. What I found was that, if I could manage to sort through all the spam, very few of them were reasonable. Several "rooms" I looked at, even in the $750-900 range, were only such by some very loose definition. Some were slightly larger than closets, or partitioned off from another room. Other places expected me to move in without even meeting all the roommates. Some especially desirable places were looking only for roommates with busy schedules--i.e, folks that would never be at "home." Other places were filthy, with 5 or 6 people to one bathroom or kitchen. This isn't my idea of a nice living situation.

As I mentioned, I lived in San Francisco before this for many years. I'm used to all this stuff. But while SF is certainly a house-share city, too, I have never experienced such a drab market as here.

As an artist, I spend a lot of time at home. Roommates produce a sense of anxiety in me, as if I can never be peacefully in my own space. Not everyone who wants to live in a city desires to be out and about all day and night.

This is why I opted for my own place. And after reading this discussion, which has turned into a general observation of housing problems in Boston, I am no longer so down about my move to Salem. For $800, I have a very nice apartment by downtown, the beach, and within 5 minutes to the train. And when I leave here, it most likely won't be for Boston, but for a city with a slightly more friendly housing market.

I agree with all of your sentiments. The Boston area can be outrageously expensive, and it's definitely worth pursuing other options once you have decided to leave Massachusetts..

( In the meantime, Salem is a good, and affordable choice. And Arlington is a pretty nice town., as well).

[Cliff Clavin]

Forget the Old College Try, Ring the Concierge - WSJ.com

^ A recent WS Journal article about...

a local concierge company that helps today's moneyed students live like the privileged young swells of the Golden Age.