Boston (Tufts) Housing

[PhillyMD2006]

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Just curious about best areas to live if attending Tufts, which is located in the Chinatown area...

I'm not from Boston so I'm going off a limited working knowledge of the area, but the areas I'm going to be looking in for an apartment are Copley Sq, Prudential, Symphony, Northeastern, and then along the Orange Line around the Back Bay, Mass Ave, and Ruggles T stops. Obviously, cost will be a factor so I'm going to be looking at 2 and 3 (and maybe 4) bedroom places. Are these good areas to be looking in? What kind of prices can I expect to pay? Craigslist is pretty useful, but pictures and descriptions can often be quite deceiving.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[slb830]

Just curious about best areas to live if attending Tufts, which is located in the Chinatown area...

I'm not from Boston so I'm going off a limited working knowledge of the area, but the areas I'm going to be looking in for an apartment are Copley Sq, Prudential, Symphony, Northeastern, and then along the Orange Line around the Back Bay, Mass Ave, and Ruggles T stops. Obviously, cost will be a factor so I'm going to be looking at 2 and 3 (and maybe 4) bedroom places. Are these good areas to be looking in? What kind of prices can I expect to pay? Craigslist is pretty useful, but pictures and descriptions can often be quite deceiving.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would say Copley and the Prudential area are the nicest - but also the least residential and the most expensive. I think it is a great area to live however - if you can afford it. Back Bay is also pricey, but a bit more residential, but, i think that would be your easiest commute to Tufts Med. If it were me, and I could afford it with roomies, I would look for something in the back bay, south end area.

I HATE the Symphony, Mass Ave, and Northeastern area. i think ruggles is too far out.

Another option - Tufts Med is an easy walk from South Station and even Park St (both red line) - maybe about ten mintues. The red line goes down into the cambridge / sommerville area. You could try Central Sq (Cambridge, red line).

good luck.

 

[isobel]

Just curious about best areas to live if attending Tufts, which is located in the Chinatown area...

I'm not from Boston so I'm going off a limited working knowledge of the area, but the areas I'm going to be looking in for an apartment are Copley Sq, Prudential, Symphony, Northeastern, and then along the Orange Line around the Back Bay, Mass Ave, and Ruggles T stops. Obviously, cost will be a factor so I'm going to be looking at 2 and 3 (and maybe 4) bedroom places. Are these good areas to be looking in? What kind of prices can I expect to pay? Craigslist is pretty useful, but pictures and descriptions can often be quite deceiving.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i agree with the other poster. copley, prudential, and back bay are nice if you can afford them, and maybe you can with enough roommates. i don't know symphony or mass ave but ruggles is probably about as far south as you want to be on the orange line. northeastern is ok but if you stray too far, you might be in a not so nice area (i work around there and we get the occasional reports about assaults happening overnight). in general, most people avoid living too far south on the orange line or or the ashmont branch of the red line. the far east end of the blue line can also be a little sketch. i've lived in 2 of those areas and they're ok during the day but riding the T there at night feels a bit less safe than the other lines.

you should consider the red line up into cambridge and medford and the green line out west (although it is above ground and you have to deal with the weather in the winter). almost anywhere on the T will get you to downtown boston within 20 min, 30 max.

 

[PhillyMD2006]

any other thoughts?

 

[skypilot]

If you are looking for cheaper rent and slightly less urban locations consider Malden Center and Oak Grove which are right on the Orange line. These are quiet locations though and you will have to go into the city for nightlife. Also think about Jamaica Plain at the Green street stop. Again this might limit your social life.

The South End is close to Tufts as well. There is an express bus that runs up and down Washington street between the south end and tufts. Not all the neighborhoods are safe so make sure you check it out before you move.

In general in my opinion living walking distance from campus is awesome though.

 

[Orthodoc40]

Previous posters have it covered, pretty much. Doesn't the school give you any help or suggestions, or can you contact current students who need roomies or something? Wherever you go it will probably be expensive, unless you stumble upon something by luck... Good luck!

 

[minnie2240]

I also am not from the Boston area and basically have no idea about the good areas to live...but before I start looking I need to find a roomate(s)....Does Tufts help out with this at all??

 

[isobel]

I also am not from the Boston area and basically have no idea about the good areas to live...but before I start looking I need to find a roomate(s)....Does Tufts help out with this at all??

there's a "housing" link on the selected applicant webpage. at some point hopefully soon, they will have housing info and probably a way to find roommates.

 

[PhillyMD2006]

Yeah, I think Tufts sets up some sort of arrangement to find roommates. I like the idea of living somewhere close to campus (either walking distance or 10-15 mins by subway).

I'm looking at Copley Sq, Prudential, Back Bay, and the North and South Ends proximal to Tufts Med Center.

 

[r1oid]

Same comments as above, I wouldn't life off the Rugles, Jackson Square stops, its a bad area and people get robbed at the T stations late at night. Green Street and Stony Brook on the Orange are fine, Green being nicer, students and profs live in that area. The rent there is much more reasonable than say Coply/Back Bay/South End. Not many people walk from South Station to school thought its only 4 blocks its kind of long in the winter. If you are looking at living off the Green /Stony brook stops places on the side of the tracks of Jamaica Pond is the good area, theo other side of the tracks towards Franklin Park is not a good area.

 

[cammy1313]

I'm a current Tufts students and can tell you that people live all over the Boston area. I live in Quincy next to the Wollaston T stop on the red line. Most people think this is a far commute but I like a little distance, and it's a cheap area.

Others live in Jamaica Plain, Back Bay, and Malden if on the orange line; Cambridge, South Boston, JFK/Umass area, or Quincy if on the red line; and Brookline if on the green line.

Also, there's dorms literally across the street from the Sackler bldg where we have classes. You can apply for this if unsure and overwhelmed by the choices.

Hope this helps!

Just curious about best areas to live if attending Tufts, which is located in the Chinatown area...

I'm not from Boston so I'm going off a limited working knowledge of the area, but the areas I'm going to be looking in for an apartment are Copley Sq, Prudential, Symphony, Northeastern, and then along the Orange Line around the Back Bay, Mass Ave, and Ruggles T stops. Obviously, cost will be a factor so I'm going to be looking at 2 and 3 (and maybe 4) bedroom places. Are these good areas to be looking in? What kind of prices can I expect to pay? Craigslist is pretty useful, but pictures and descriptions can often be quite deceiving.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[silas2642]

I'm a current Tufts students and can tell you that people live all over the Boston area. I live in Quincy next to the Wollaston T stop on the red line. Most people think this is a far commute but I like a little distance, and it's a cheap area.

Others live in Jamaica Plain, Back Bay, and Malden if on the orange line; Cambridge, South Boston, JFK/Umass area, or Quincy if on the red line; and Brookline if on the green line.

Also, there's dorms literally across the street from the Sackler bldg where we have classes. You can apply for this if unsure and overwhelmed by the choices.

Hope this helps!

The dorms are all single rooms, right? And are they as bad as they are rumored to be?

 

[r1oid]

They are very much like 10x12 box dorm rooms. Not awful but definatly not anything to brag about. My 2 cents are that the short commute due to the good public transport is well worth having a real place to go home to after school.

Hey Cammy, saw the encinitas tag. I went to UCSD too probably around the same time as you over at Marshall. Good luck with Anatomy.

 

[isobel]

I'm a current Tufts students and can tell you that people live all over the Boston area. I live in Quincy next to the Wollaston T stop on the red line. Most people think this is a far commute but I like a little distance, and it's a cheap area.

Others live in Jamaica Plain, Back Bay, and Malden if on the orange line; Cambridge, South Boston, JFK/Umass area, or Quincy if on the red line; and Brookline if on the green line.

Also, there's dorms literally across the street from the Sackler bldg where we have classes. You can apply for this if unsure and overwhelmed by the choices.

Hope this helps!

yay quincy! i've lived there before and plan to move back this summer (i currently live on the commuter rail and that's too far for school). quincy tends to be overlooked. i'm not sure why. it's about 20 minutes from park street but so are the far ends of every other T line.

PS. i grew up on the south shore and i cringe when people call it "quin-see". it's pronounced "quin-zee" by locals.

 

[skypilot]

I really like Wollaston in Quincy. It is very quiet, very safe and a quick bike to the ocean. If you can bear the commute the apartments are a lot cheaper. Look around and you might land a two bedroom for $950. Doesn't get any better than that in Boston.

 

[gossmer]

i agree with the other poster. copley, prudential, and back bay are nice if you can afford them, and maybe you can with enough roommates. i don't know symphony or mass ave but ruggles is probably about as far south as you want to be on the orange line. northeastern is ok but if you stray too far, you might be in a not so nice area (i work around there and we get the occasional reports about assaults happening overnight). in general, most people avoid living too far south on the orange line or or the ashmont branch of the red line. the far east end of the blue line can also be a little sketch. i've lived in 2 of those areas and they're ok during the day but riding the T there at night feels a bit less safe than the other lines.

you should consider the red line up into cambridge and medford and the green line out west (although it is above ground and you have to deal with the weather in the winter). almost anywhere on the T will get you to downtown boston within 20 min, 30 max.

I used to live in Medford and commute downtown. The actual train ride may be 20 to 30 minutes, but between waiting for the train and getting to Davis or Wellington stations, it's 45 minutes, easily. If you could live really close to the Davis station in Somerville (which is an ok area), you could maybe pull off 30 minutes. Stick to the Red Line. If you live North (Orange Line), near Wellington Station, there's not much housing within walking distance of the station.

 

[DoctorPardi]

I really like Wollaston in Quincy. It is very quiet, very safe and a quick bike to the ocean. If you can bear the commute the apartments are a lot cheaper. Look around and you might land a two bedroom for $950. Doesn't get any better than that in Boston.

Oh god, I am seriously considering applying to medical schools in New England but I almost threw up when you said cheap and $950 in the same breath lol. I live in Alabama and regularly around my college you can find 2 bed room apartments for 300-400 dollars, or in downtown birmingham you can stay in the 500-600 dollar range.

How does one pay for the costs living in a more expensive place like Boston? Do your loans just cover everything? I mean you will owe money on housing, food, tuition, books and all? I thought I might be able to sneak by in Alabama with a little help from the parents and some saved up money. Wow in-state tuition of 11 grand at UAB is looking better all the time 🙁 . I really want to get out of Alabama though. Sorry this post was off topic and not helpful at all lol.

 

[skypilot]

Everybody gets roomates. That makes a 2 br. $950 apartment only $475 a month. The roomate industry is huge in Boston. You will find a place to live no problem.

You save money by not needing a car at all. That comes to about $200 a month savings.

Having said all that the schools in Boston are all private so be prepared to pay for tuition through the nose! 🙂

 

[jwiddi]

Anyone moving out to boston? I have a house full of stuff that I don't want to move across the country. It's all in great condition and you could save a ton of cash by buying everything at once. Let me know if your interested.

 

[PhillyMD2006]

So essentially most leases begin Sept. 1, but school (w/ orientation) begins mid-August. How lenient are places about moving in? Or do I just have to bite the bullet and find a place that opens up on August 1st?

 

[isobel]

So essentially most leases begin Sept. 1, but school (w/ orientation) begins mid-August. How lenient are places about moving in? Or do I just have to bite the bullet and find a place that opens up on August 1st?

where did you get that most leases begin sept 1? there should be a TON for august 1 and 15 since that's when many students move. there are always a ton of apartments available in boston. did you try boston.craigslist.org? plus, yes, a lot of landlords are a bit lenient, letting you move in a little early.

good luck. you should have no problem.

 

[PineappleGirl]

I am all in favor of living in the Back Bay, if you can afford it. Good luck finding much of anything for less than $1200. You might be able to get a pretty tiny studio with a limited kitchen for around $1000. However, Back Bay would be the nicest and safest and most central area if you're going to Tufts. You could also look into the South End, but be careful as there are good parts and bad parts and they are all pretty close to each other. Check out the BU MAMS thread for info on South End housing: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=270152

I'd also recommend living in Beacon Hill. This can also be expensive, but you would cross over the Boston Common and get to Tufts in a 10-15 minute walk. It's also an awesome area of Boston in terms of it's history and old style.

Getting yourself some place on the Red Line and traveling on that to the Park Street stop and walking to Tufts would work, as would someplace on the Orange Line. There is a Tufts/ NEMC stop on the Orange Line, which would be super convenient for you. You could also consider places on the Green Line (see my post in the BU MAMS thread) and walk to Tufts from the Bolyston T stop, a 5 min walk.

Feel free to PM me with Boston questions.

 

[cammy1313]

Hey guys, I actually might have a room open for any incoming females if anyone is interested. I live in Quincy next to the Wollaston T stop on the red line (www.mbta.com if you wanna take a look). The commute is 35 minutes on a good day and 45 minutes on a slow day. I own my 2-bed, 1.5 bath condo so no lease to sign. Rent would be $850 per month which includes all utilities (wireless net, digital cable, phone, electricity), a FULLY furnished bedroom for you (full bed frame with mattress, a dresser, and a night stand), and plenty of parking. There's also a washer/dryer in the unit.

Other details about the area: Market, post office, pharmacy, laundromat, ATMs-- all within walking distance. I'll be coming back August 16th from a long summer break so anyone interested is welcome to move in at that time. I'll know for sure if the room is open this weekend (need to have a talk with the roomate) so just shoot me a message if this sounds good to you.

C

 

[sentientMonkey]

I am also going to Tufts next year (unless there's a lot of waitlist movement) without much knowledge of Boston. I have a friend who lives in the South End, right near the Mass Ave stop. Some other posters wrote that area off right away, but where my friend lived seems really cool. Plenty of nightlife, easy access to just about anything, and cool parks. I stayed with him for my interview and the commute was just minutes on the T. You probably could walk on a nice day. That said I am also looking in Jamaica Plain because I've heard that its cheaper and a little younger crowd.