BU MAMS Fall 2009

[RogueUnicorn]

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I was just gonna post a question, but it seems that bussmed beat me to it. I guess i'll expand on the question. I actually just flew in from LA this morning, and moved all in safe and sound in Allston. My other GMS roommate isn't moving in till the end of the month, so i'm pretty much alone right now. so i was wondering where the spots were, i.e. good restaurants, clubs, sights to see, information resources. I promised a lot of friends back home I'd show them around when they come visit, but I wanna develop my knowledge bank these next 2 weeks before I crack down major nerd mode come september. Recommendations? Anyone wanna hang out? except i just developed a fever so i probably cant go out much yet. 🙁

good spots around allston off the top of my head...

restaurants:
-Sunset Bar & Grill (brighton ave): popular joint, and during school years it's always packed. good tex-mex food, great beer selection. can't go wrong
-Victoria's Seafood (comm ave): dingy chinese hole-in-the-wall, but they have an amazingly cheap and filling lunch menu.
-Smoken Joe's (washington st): southern-style smokehouse. rockin bbq.

bars:
-Deep Ellum (brighton & cambridge): small place, but good vibe & awesome food to go with decent selection.
-Publick House (beacon st): if you like beer, this is the place to go. enough said.
**Brighton Ave is FILLED with bars. Just walk down it and check it out.

Feel free to PM me if you want to grab a beer some time.

 

[jodo11]

thanks blear, we should get some beer. haha. but anyways, i'll save the rendezvous until i'm feeling a little better. don't wanna get you sick too!

 

[camaras2480]

what school here in boston did u attend? nobody on here talk as much. your the only one that is talking, lol. when did you get your acceptance letter in the mail? The admissions office called me and informed me by phone that I got in. I am excited!

You know, bleargh, this could also be a kind way of telling you to shut up.

sorry couldnt resist 😛

 

[RogueUnicorn]

You know, bleargh, this could also be a kind way of telling you to shut up.

sorry couldnt resist 😛

oh man. that's ice cold.

 

[redafro]

Hmm...sorry to break the flow of conversation, again...but I'm very conflicted in that I'd like to bring my car, but am having second thoughts. I was reading in a guidebook that in order to get a parking permit to park in Boston, I'd have to register and get a new license (which is absurd). Registering my car in Boston is understandable, but having to go through the rigmarole of getting a new license JUST to get a parking permit is bothersome. Granted, I make this sound unmanageable...but it's just inconvenient. Is this necessary or is it just a formality the guidebook makes seem like holy writ?

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Hmm...sorry to break the flow of conversation, again...but I'm very conflicted in that I'd like to bring my car, but am having second thoughts. I was reading in a guidebook that in order to get a parking permit to park in Boston, I'd have to register and get a new license (which is absurd). Registering my car in Boston is understandable, but having to go through the rigmarole of getting a new license JUST to get a parking permit is bothersome. Granted, I make this sound unmanageable...but it's just inconvenient. Is this necessary or is it just a formality the guidebook makes seem like holy writ?

i think the reason is you can't insure your car in MA unless you have a MA license. try the mass rmv website for some more info.

regardless, having a car here is a bad idea. if you're going to be living around the med center.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

but you can't like keep your registration and insurance from your home state if you are just staying there for a year???

Not that I'm bringing my car. giving up my registration, my Fl. state license, and Fl. voting registration would mean giving up my Fl. state residency which there is no way in hell I'm doing when getting into Fl. schools are sometimes quite easier then getting into other schools.

you can certainly bring your car up here. but to get a resident parking permit so you can park in the street, it needs to be registered to the town you want the permit for.

 

[redafro]

you can certainly bring your car up here. but to get a resident parking permit so you can park in the street, it needs to be registered to the town you want the permit for.

Really? I was under the impression that landlords or supers provided parking permits to park as a resident near one's apartment. I'll look some of this up, but whatever else you know would be useful in determining whether I bring my car or not.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Really? I was under the impression that landlords or supers provided parking permits to park as a resident near one's apartment. I'll look some of this up, but whatever else you know would be useful in determining whether I bring my car or not.

they might include a parking space on a private lot with the rent. what i am speaking of is parking on public streets.

 

[camaras2480]

Truth be told unless you are living wayyyyyyy far away I'm not sure its worth it. You can get a zipcar membership if you really need a car for a few hours and can't take public transit system means or taxis. It seems more of a hassle in Boston to have a car. i've met quite a few who've sold their car right as they were getting ready to move.

Parking is a pain, yes you need to do all that crap to get a Rez Permit, having a car here is a bad idea, there is very limited street parking, the garage costs a bunch (so does the parking permit), and there is a Zipcar spot right on the med campus.

For what its worth, I love having my car. I get to zoom around and make everyone stare, cuz its a nice car 😛 hahaha

 

[KiwiBruin]

Hey guys! I applied super late and just got in today... woo!
Anyways, I will most likely be coming to Boston. I am excited to start a SMP but at the same time sad to be leaving my beloved southern California...

Anyways, I read the entire thread from page 1 to 10 and understand the whole units thing and how we can't change our classes until orientation (lucky for me i guess?) and also read the wall on the facebook group.
I found this link to be very helpful. http://gmsfile.bumc.bu.edu/pdfs/fall.pdf
Am I missing out on anything else? The admissions people at BU won't help me until I send in my deposit so hopefully you guys can enlighten me some more!

Is there any close by (can get to campus walking ~10 minutes) neighborhoods around the campus? I really don't know boston that well. Where should I look?

Thanks in advance!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

What's your price range? Where you can get a place really depends on that.

In boston housing is expensive. what I can get a new nice Tampa 2 bedroom apartment at 1500 per month or even less, will be the cost of a single room or a single bedroom apartment. Sometimes as much as 1800-1900+ for a 1 bedroom.

James Court with roommates where you get a fully furnished apartment for your room could come out to as much as 1500 per month and then bills.

Harrison Court is 1840 per month for a 1 bedroom about 2700+ for a 2 bedroom unfurnished with heat and hot water and internet included. You pay electricity. but it is the on campus apartments. I'm splitting a 1 bedroom with a person which you can do by converting a living room into a room. That brings the rent down by half.

Off of Symphony by the whole foods is a good area that is affordable and also close to campus within 15 min. walking distance. There's a shuttle stops near there so that's good.

you could contact Boston Union Realty. We looked into some apartments near Symphony via one of their agents. Just type in Boston Union realty in google and their website will pop up.

South End is the area where the med campus is but its kinda sketchy as an area.

south end is not sketchy.

 

[freakeenyc]

lol yea i didnt think southend was sketchy...got an apt there..of course im coming from jamaica queens 😀....
anyways the ghetto areas? are dorchester and roxbury? i might be mistaken.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

lol yea i didnt think southend was sketchy...got an apt there..of course im coming from jamaica queens 😀....
anyways the ghetto areas? are dorchester and roxbury? i might be mistaken.

correct. but savin hill in dorchester is a nice gentrified neighborhood, and WEST roxbury is a posh town.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Where I was staying when I went there did seem a sketchy area and my roommate has been there since the beginning of the summer in South End and around the different areas of Boston cuz she's a dental resident and she looked up and down the street and she'd tell you that it was pretty sketchy i that area compared Symphony or other some other areas.

She told me that in her 2 months there she's heard a lot of gunshots and seen stuff like that at night time that she didn't like it. But alas for the sake of closeness we'll be living in such cuz Harrison Court is in such much like all of BMC.

symphony area is a part of the south end.

i HIGHLY doubt she actually heard lots of gunshots. this is boston. even roxbury is not open shooting.

 

[camaras2480]

the south end can be sketchy, just not the big areas like BUMC and symphony. but yeah, theres no open shooting. usually.

roxbury is cooler though. you can go to the KFC there and place ur order through bulletproof glass. i didnt feel scared at all....

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Well I'm sure she wasn't talking out of her ass. She was just saying what she observed. Anyhow you sound kinda biased cuz you are a bostonian now.

of the two of us, who is more likely to be right?

 

[camaras2480]

of the two of us, who is more likely to be right?

Neither. I'm right. 😀

 

[TheWizard27]

What's the info on books? How much can we expect to spend? If some texts are optional, which are the ones we should get?

Thanks

 

[jodo11]

OMG what a long ass freaking day i had. i bought a table on craigslist, and dragged it 3 blocks to my place. not too bad. then i bought a desk chair in fenway. then i rolled it down the street to my apartment in allston. big mistake. IM SO TIRED/SWEATY. ahhaha.

anyways, i had the same question as wizard. I'm looking to buy books, right now for the fall semester, so which should i buy and which do i really not need? I know in earlier posts camaras? said med classes can be done out of the readers? So which books should I be shopping for now? But then again, our schedules not finalized, though right?

 

[KiwiBruin]

Oh man. This is crazy... Time to find an apartment between 8/27 (taking the red eye flight on 8/26) and 9/1... Thanks guju (especially) and others for your help. So I kinda learned the neighborhoods in Boston... all i know is the school is near the 93/90 freeways...

Is the subway or taxi the best way to get to BUSM?

Did anyone else get accepted really late like me and wanna split a 2BD or 1BD or something? o_0 I'm a guy btw. Is there like a site that we can post for stuff like this for BU graduate students?

How hard would you guys say it might be to find a studio close by?

Lastly, is there anyone who might be willing to let me sleep on your living room floor/couch? The hotels around there are pretty expensive. I am sure we can come up with a reasonable price or something. I'll prob just be around at night and be out and about looking at apartments and stuff during the day.

Thanks!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

I took the subway to BUSM the first time I went up there. But took a taxi on the way back to the airport. Taxi to right next to BUSM is about 20-22 bucks or so.

subway is a lot less but you gotta change somewhere. I think you take this airport bus, forget what its called but the info lady will tell you at the airport, and that goes to the blue line which you take to govt center and then change to the green line. I know the green line train I was on was going to go to boston college so I had to switch onto a different green line train again at copley. Not sure if when I initially got onto the green line I got on the right one or if there was another one that would've gone to the area closer to Bu and Symphony side without having to change trains again.

I also know that if you get off at Symphony you can either walk from there to campus or take the BU shuttle from there to BUSM. But its not that far of a walk from the Symphony station to BUSM if you don't have a lot of luggage with you.

to summarize your route in more friendly terms..

Airport - take free airport T shuttle to blue line airport station
Take blue line inbound train to government center, get off and head upstairs for the green line platforms
Take E line of the green line, take it to symphony.
Walk down Mass Ave or take BU shuttle.

 

[freakeenyc]

yo kiwi..maybe there are places in the hospital/campus u can crash in for the time being. lol just have a book out and pass out. also did u check craigslist..while checking craigslist always have the Google Maps out so u know how far the location is from bumc and transportation. another thing i was looking for was that BU has free shuttle buses between east and west campus so i was looking for something near a shuttle stop

 

[Sundaydewdrops]

Hi,

I just found out yesterday (!!) that I got into BU MAMS program. I had originally really liked this program, however, because I found out so late, I had to accept my spot at Drexel MSP program. I started classes last week in Philadelphia and now am actually considering going to Boston as it is a much better program. My only concern is the money, and honestly, after seriously thinking about everything, it might be time that I just accept the option of the Caribbean given the cost and time investment in either Boston or Drexel. I know that Boston is a good program and that makes it tempting to accept. However, I am really at a loss as to what to do right now.

If I plan to retake the MCAT before the Spring apps, how feasible is this to do while in the MAMS program?

I just thought I might throw this out there to see if anyone has anything to say. Thanks for any advice that you can give!

Thanks.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

joinnn usssssss :hisssss:


if you need to study for the MCAT, the timeframe probably doesn't allow for it until the summer of '10 probably

 

[jodo11]

So........... any responses to me and the other questions before we were rudely interrupted by kiwi!??!😀

it was about which books to get/ where to get them?

 

[freakeenyc]

yo in teh class schedule page in the BU student links area...and theres a link to buy books offa barneys and knoble.......unfortunately the books arent registered yet for the term...so were better off waiting for the professors suggestions?

 

[KiwiBruin]

So........... any responses to me and the other questions before we were rudely interrupted by kiwi!??!😀

it was about which books to get/ where to get them?

I have no idea what you are talking about. But that kiwi guy sounds cool. 😉
I hope I can be his friend once school starts... =D

 

[dwc929]

So........... any responses to me and the other questions before we were rudely interrupted by kiwi!??!😀

it was about which books to get/ where to get them?

For the frugal, I did not touch a single textbook while I was there and had no problems. Tests are entirely out of the readers and ppl will just books to supplement that if they don't understand something. Books are also on reserve at the library.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

barnes and nobles has its main stores and what they called college bookstores. so anyhow several universities across the country have their bookstores owned by B&N which is why gift cards but not normal store discounts will work at B&N College bookstores.

BU much like USF has its school bookstores owned by B&N. that is why it mentions B&N to buy the boks.

I'd wait til class starts

By the way its Barnes and Nobles but i know what you meant. 🙂

ooohhhh nnoooooooeeeeesssss it's a GRAMMAR NAZI!! =)

 

[camaras2480]

barneys and knoble

🙄

 

[camaras2480]

camaras will you respond to this?

no

 

[camaras2480]

OMG what a long ass freaking day i had. i bought a table on craigslist, and dragged it 3 blocks to my place. not too bad. then i bought a desk chair in fenway. then i rolled it down the street to my apartment in allston. big mistake. IM SO TIRED/SWEATY. ahhaha.

Absolutely hysterical. 😆 🤣
I was the one throwing cranberries at you. 😛

anyways, i had the same question as wizard. I'm looking to buy books, right now for the fall semester, so which should i buy and which do i really not need? I know in earlier posts camaras? said med classes can be done out of the readers? So which books should I be shopping for now? But then again, our schedules not finalized, though right?

i agree with dwc. i didnt really use any textbooks for any class. i did buy a physio review book though as a supplement - certainly not something to actually learn by. it helped summarize concepts, just like a review book should. tests are almost always based on the syllabus they give you, but some questions will definitely require you to extrapolate/interpret based on what you have learned. having an additional textbook/review book may be helpful to get a little extra knowledge that would help u with these lame questions.

EDIT: oh and, there is a small bookstore right on the medical campus (not the barnes and noble), which has most of the relevant books for your classes. The texts for your medical classes will most likely be given to you on the 1st day of class. the massive barnes and noble (5 floors) is on the other BU campus - charles river.

 

[freakeenyc]

lol i know its barnes and noble..just fudging around

anyways im scared crapless..it finally hit me that schools starting soon cuz we gotta email from a teach about syllabuses and blackboard 😱😱

 

[jodo11]

Absolutely hysterical. 😆 🤣
I was the one throwing cranberries at you. 😛

oh were u the first or second monkey-looking thing on Comm Ave?😕


Oh and your response reminds me to ask... how do the professors grade their classes? Is it pretty much Note based then, where anything in Lecture goes, or are we responsible for other material not covered otherwise? Just figuring out which study habits to bring to the table...

 

[jodo11]

Absolutely hysterical. 😆 🤣
I was the one throwing cranberries at you. 😛

oh were u the first or second monkey-looking thing on Comm Ave?


Oh and your response reminds me to ask... how do the professors grade their classes? Is it pretty much Note based then, where anything in Lecture goes, or are we responsible for other material not covered otherwise? Just figuring out which study habits to bring to the table...

 

[camaras2480]

oh were u the first or second monkey-looking thing on Comm Ave?

Definitely the third - but perhaps second and third were so close you couldnt tell the diff!

Oh and your response reminds me to ask... how do the professors grade their classes? Is it pretty much Note based then, where anything in Lecture goes, or are we responsible for other material not covered otherwise? Just figuring out which study habits to bring to the table...

Anything in the syllabus is fair game, even if it is not covered in lecture. Unless a prof specifically says not to worry about certain pages (and there are those very very few pages in the syllabus that actually say you don't have to know them), you should know it. Straight up memorizing would only work sometimes though, so don't go crazy memorizing everything.

 

[camaras2480]

lol i know its barnes and noble..just fudging around

😛

anyways im scared crapless..it finally hit me that schools starting soon cuz we gotta email from a teach about syllabuses and blackboard 😱😱

Who is the one already going crazy? Not gonna lie, it is sorta early. You have a whole week til orientation! lol

 

[KiwiBruin]

Man, the health insurance at BU sucks. A lot more expensive than my former school, higher copays, and not as good coverage... wtf o_0

If anyone still looking for a room and wants to share let me know. I am coming down this Thursdays to look at some 1bedroom/studios but wouldn't mind getting like a 2 bedroom or some kinda room sharing situation to save money. btw, I'm a guy, in case that affects your decision.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

But that's why I supplemented it with BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT cuz I wasn't trying to be offensive. just back off dude. you get irritating at times.

no more often than you get touchy most likely.

edit: if you know what it meant why did you correct him? i thought it didn't matter?

 

[blkwmnmd]

Glad to be with this group of incoming GMS'ers! 6 days! Nice!

 

[RogueUnicorn]

cuz for someone who normally posts one way the post was posted weirdly and I kinda didn't know if that was like some of those preallo posts where people post drunk late at night (yes its happened) or something crazy like that or what not.

that still doesn't answer why any of that matters to you.

just because you are jumpy about your own insecurities doesn't quite give you the authority to call people a troll.

 

[KiwiBruin]

Do you guys think a personal computer is necessary or is going to the computer lab and library enough?

I heard we have study rooms that are 24/7 but how late are the libraries and computer labs open?

I think we get unlimited prints or something too. Remember reading about 3000 free prints or something and you could ask for more. If someone could clarify this that would be great.

 

[camaras2480]

On a side note, I thought you guys would like to know that the medical classes are almost always video streamlined or audio recorded from what I was told by someone. I'm not sure if this is just the 6 credit courses or the A/B option core course for physio and the histo A/B option as well. I will get better details later when I get in touch with someone.

That was always a convenient feature of my other grad degree program.

Any medical class (6 credit or A/B) is either video'd or audio'd. There is no note-taking service that I know of. This is because the syllabus almost always covers all the fundamentals anyway.

 

[camaras2480]

Do you guys think a personal computer is necessary or is going to the computer lab and library enough?

I would hate to rely on the computer lab/library. There is no where near enough computers, especially around midterm time.

I heard we have study rooms that are 24/7 but how late are the libraries and computer labs open?

Computer labs usually not too late, the main medical library around 12 (or was it 11?) - sorry, don't quite remember.

 

[KiwiBruin]

Below is the message Mrs. Susan Wilcox sent to the BU email:

New Print/Copy Card Policy
Effective July 1, 2009, Boston University Medical Campus policy provides 100
free pages (equivalent of 200 images if you use double-sided printing) per six
month period for student printing and photocopying in the Medical Library; and
pages thereafter may be purchased at a cost of 12 cents per page at the
Library�s Card Dispenser. This policy is in keeping with a similar policy
established by Boston University for the 2009-2010 academic year.
In addition, the Library�s print/photocopy management system will be upgraded
on Tuesday August 4, 2009, which will require the use of new cards.
Accordingly, any card (with remaining copies) issued prior to August 4, 2009,
must be replaced and exchanged for a new card on or after August 4, 2009 at
the Library�s Circulation Desk. Any copies remaining on your old print card
will be transferred to the new card. The transfer will be made in terms of
pages (i.e., two images = one page, as double-sided printing is the default on
most Library printers).
As a lower cost alternative, you may print documents at the rate of $.03 per
image ($.06 per double-sided printed page) at the Medical Campus FedEx Office
Center via https://docstore.fedex.com/bu , available as a desktop link from
BUMC Library computers. You can then pickup your documents at the FedEx
Office Center location in the Talbot Building near Albany St. and adjacent to
the Bank of America ATM.

Thanks Guju + cameras. What made you get the plus instead of the basic insurance?

Also, any other e-mails I missed out on? Thanks in advance. 😀

 

[GeoBanana16]

what are the hot spots here in this city? i am from NY! i am just trying to find new friends (classmates) to hang with. But other than that, down to business, is anyone taking or re-taking their MCAT's this summer? I was going to re-take them but I thought about it and decided to wait until next summer. what does everyone think?

yeah im from nyc as well and went to undergrad here in boston and it is quite a difference from ny so be prepared lol boston has its charms though but its no nyc.

 

[GeoBanana16]

lol sorry realized that post was extremely late. haven't been on the site lately since ive been sorting out loan crap. BU is ridiculously expensive but I am excited to meet all of you next week. eek i still can't believe school is starting so soon. good luck to everyone!

 

[KiwiBruin]

My first day in Boston... seems a lot hotter than I expected.
Anyways, is there a gym on the medical campus? Maybe some tennis courts too? I kinda doubt it... =*(

Also can you guys recommend any good restaurants/food places nearby? I really don't know the area well so somewhere within walking distance would be great!

 

[camaras2480]

My first day in Boston... seems a lot hotter than I expected.
Anyways, is there a gym on the medical campus? Maybe some tennis courts too? I kinda doubt it... =*(

Also can you guys recommend any good restaurants/food places nearby? I really don't know the area well so somewhere within walking distance would be great!

Today is actually cool, lol. The last whole week was brutal. The gym is on the main campus, as mentioned previously. And yeah, it is either the 2nd to last, or last stop on the BU shuttle. Both stops are within 1 minute of the gym.

There is a whole set of tennis courts on the main campus, but not at the gym. There is a track and tennis center, where you can reserve courts (indoor, for free). There are also outdoor courts near Nickerson field, which is back behind the BUPD, which is a little bit past the gym, on the right.

There is plenty to eat on the main campus, not so much at the medical campus. More or less anywhere on the main campus is reasonable, just depends what you are looking for.