Student From Brazil - Questions about Boston (Cambridge, Somerville: apartment, to rent)

[adrielmckenzey]

Hello!

My name is Adriel, and I'm from Sao Paulo Brazil.
My dream is to study and live in the USA, and last weekend I met with some representatives from Bunker Hill Community College at an International Student EXPO here in my city.I'm very interested in applying, but first I'd like to ask some questions about the University, and about studying and living in the USA and about Boston, could you help me please?

1- Is this Bunker Hill Hill Community College a good school?
2- What's studying and living in the USA like?
3- Is Boston a good place to study and live?
4- It is a safe city?
5- What's the weather like? Does it snow a lot?
6- What are the best things to do there?
7- Do you have any advises or recommendations?


Thanks Very Much!!!

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by adrielmckenzey

Hello!

My name is Adriel, and I'm from Sao Paulo Brazil.
My dream is to study and live in the USA, and last weekend I met with some representatives from Bunker Hill Community College at an International Student EXPO here in my city.I'm very interested in applying, but first I'd like to ask some questions about the University, and about studying and living in the USA and about Boston, could you help me please?

1- Is this Bunker Hill Hill Community College a good school?
2- What's studying and living in the USA like?
3- Is Boston a good place to study and live?
4- It is a safe city?
5- What's the weather like? Does it snow a lot?
6- What are the best things to do there?
7- Do you have any advises or recommendations?


Thanks Very Much!!!

Hello Adriel, I wlll try my best to answer some of your broad inquiries.

1. don't know, but generally Boston area is status conscious and private school education has more status than public in many circles around here
2. in a word, competitive
3. if you like a stimulating place where people highly value lifelong learning and outdoor fitness, then yes
4. yes, relative to other metropolitan areas in the U.S.
5. long and often clammy winters, durable layered clothing is needed with good waterproof footwear
6. nature and outdoor sports, cycling, hiking, learning opportunities such as lectures
7. research other educational opportunities and then compare the best one for you

Hope you get some other responses.

[CaseyB]

Bunker Hill Hill Community College is not a good school. They do not award 4 year degrees, just 2 year Associates degrees. No dorms to stay in, it's a commuter school which means you'd have to rent an apartment. If you want to study in Boston or anywhere in the US, please apply to a decent school where you can get housing. Good Luck.

[flowbe202]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Bunker Hill Hill Community College is not a good school. They do not award 4 year degrees, just 2 year Associates degrees. No dorms to stay in, it's a commuter school which means you'd have to rent an apartment. If you want to study in Boston or anywhere in the US, please apply to a decent school where you can get housing. Good Luck.

There is a lot we don't know about the OP. BHCC may be the best school for them based on their current educational standards or accomplishments.

[professeurpablo]

BHCC does have a pretty well-subscribed English Language program for non-native English speakers trying to break into college-level study. Is BHCC a competitive, top-of-the-line school? No, but that certainly doesn't mean that it's not a good school. It has plenty to offer and is a good starting point for many. If you can obtain permission to work, attending BHCC while living with roommates in an apartment may be a very good and economical way to pursue an education and not end up in serious debt due to student loans. The student loan debt crisis is crippling - avoid taking on too much debt!

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by professeurpablo

BHCC does have a pretty well-subscribed English Language program for non-native English speakers trying to break into college-level study. Is BHCC a competitive, top-of-the-line school? No, but that certainly doesn't mean that it's not a good school. It has plenty to offer and is a good starting point for many. If you can obtain permission to work, attending BHCC while living with roommates in an apartment may be a very good and economical way to pursue an education and not end up in serious debt due to student loans. The student loan debt crisis is crippling - avoid taking on too much debt!

International students aren't allowed to take out student loans and have very limited work opportunities. They also have to prove they have enough cash to pay for school and living expenses while here.

You are correct that there is a possibility BHCC is the best choice for the OP, but there's also a very good chance it could be a huge waste of money. Given the investment international students have to make to come here, I would suggest the OP tries to find a 4 year college to go to. Going to BHCC could easily add a year or two of unnecessary expenses if some of the credits don't transfer to a 4 year degree.

[G-fused]

Bunker Hill is not a place I would aspire to attend. If you have the means to live and study in the USA, I would scope out other schools.

Best of luck.

[495neighbor]

In the plus column, Bunker Hill is very close to an area of Somerville with an established Brazilian community. Many businesses along Broadway Street. You would be in the company of some of your countrypeople, which would curb any homesickness you may first have arriving at a new country. I know there was also a group in Somerville who kept a Portuguese English language learning group going for awhile, to become fluent in one anothers' languages.

[charolastra00]

I just can't imagine why one would travel to go to BHCC, much less from abroad. It is a great community college, but limited as all community colleges are. Not all 4 year colleges accept credits from 2 year schools (and that includes most of the better colleges in the Boston area) so it would likely be a huge waste of money.

Adriel - are you competitive academically? Meaning, would you be able to go to one of the better universities in Brazil if you applied? What do you want to study? Boston has many great schools, quite a few that offer scholarships for international students. You want to go to a 4 year school offering bachelor's degrees - community colleges are 2 year schools that offer associate's degrees. Associate's can be good for people in an established career who need to get ahead or for breaking into certain technical fields with 2 year training programs.

As to your other questions, Boston is a safe city and a great place to study. I came here 8 years ago to begin college (in the suburbs, not Boston proper) and then began my career here. There are more than 20 universities - many among the top 50 in the US if not the world - in the greater Boston area. Even suburban schools (which have more of a campus than many of the schools right in the city) typically have good transportation links to Boston - beyond public transit, my university also offered buses into Boston and Cambridge on Thursday through Sunday. There is a lot of snow most winters, but one of the best parts of being a student is that if you live in a dorm, you don't have to shovel! Very few students have cars, which is helpful in the winter.