Dorm:
Pros...
-It's just like undergrad.
-You can wake up 10 min before class and be on time, still
-It's close to school and the rest of downtown Boston
Cons...
-It's just like undergrad
-You only get 1 bedroom (which you may or may not share)... how comfy is that?
-You share the bathroom with a bunch of other people
-Cooking isn't exactly something you can enjoy like you do at your own apt/home
-Do you love you dog? Cat?
Your own pad
Pros...
-Costs just as much as dorms... even cheaper in many cases
-Much more space to yourself
-Cooking fun? Sure is, and you can still eat out when you need to (not have to).
-You can escape from your classmates (seeing them every day for hours upon hours can drive you nuts)
-Pets are allowed
-Can live anywhere inside/outside of Boston you wish
-Storage, think of all the cool things you'd like to do. You're gonna have to store it somewhere
-Storage part 2, think of all the notes, books, instruments, casts, etc. that you'll need to put somewhere. Lockers can only hold so much at school.
-Storage part 3, have a big wardrobe? Yeah, I thought so.
Cons...
-Usually costs more to live in downtown boston apt than it does in a dorm (think about it, space = money)
-No one cleans your bathroom for you
-May have to commute to school = waking up 30 min to 1 hour before class (traffic sucks going I-93 south towards Boston in the morning), and the T isn't always the greatest at knowing what time it is (the Green B line is the WORST at this.)
-Parking is not always free, or is resident street parking only (i.e. you need to be Mass resident, titled, and inspected car).
There's much more to this, obviously. I've never lived in the dorms at Tufts, but I've seen them, lived in undergraduate dorms, and have friends who have lived in the dorms. Frankly, the dorms are not my cup of tea, and I would gladly commute an hour every day rather than live in the dorms.
So, where do I live? An apartment where I get free parking. It takes me 20 minutes to get to school in the morning WITH traffic. It takes me 10-15 minutes to get back from school WITH traffic. I have my own bedroom, bathroom, share a kitchen and living room with a roommate (also my classmate, who I don't get sick of hanging out with), and I enjoy being outside of the noisy, smelly, dirty, crowded downtown Boston. However, I do wish sometimes that I could walk home to let the dog out, and just relax when I have a couple hours to kill.
That said, you are almost guaranteed to move to a new place after your first year. I lived in a place that took me 40 minutes to commute my first year. 20 minutes waiting for/riding the bus to the T stop... 20 minutes waiting for/riding the Orange line T to NEMC. I liked the place, didn't mind the T, but hated the bus.
The T is fine... just avoid the B line.
