MBlog: [Tony] Off Campus Housing

Since I live off campus I thought I'd give a little advice about living off campus. First, I'll say that I had no intention of living on campus. After living in my own place for six years, and having no roomate for any of the last three, I wasn't too interested in any housing that meant sharing my place. I also had a car and an apartment full of furniture, and it just seemed easier to find an apartment and bring all my stuff with me. With that being said, the on campus housing is much better than I thought it would be. After seeing some of the places my classmates live it is definitely a far cry from the dorm I lived in as a freshman in undergrad. So you should definitely consider the on campus options.

Now, on to my advice for off campus living.

Neighborhoods:
My advice is to live within walking distance of the East edge of campus or in Central, Harvard, Porter, or Davis Square. These are all neighborhoods in Cambridge, and they are easily accessible to campus by the red line of the T . In fact, most of your classes will be on the edge of campus right by the Kendall Square stop on the T, which makes it pretty convenient. You'll pay more to live in Central or Harvard, but they have a better collection of shops, restaurants, and bars. I live in Porter, and I like it. There's a lot conveniences, like a big grocery store, and enough bars and restaurants to keep me happy. Davis Square is kind of a quirky little neighborhood and it's not too far from the Tufts campus, so there's definitely a student population.

You could also choose to live across the river in the Beacon Hill or Back Bay areas of Boston. A friend that lives in Boston told me I should live there if I wanted the real Boston experience. It's a bit more expensive than Cambridge, but it's a nice area with lots of young professionals. Other than that I'm not familiar enough with other neighborhoods to comment. You'll want a place with easy access to campus, either via the red line or maybe the bus down Mass Ave.

Finding a place:
The Boston aparment market is pretty tight will all the students. Most leases start on Sep 1st, and since you'll need to be in town in August that is both a blessing and a curse. You'll be beating the big rush if you sign a lease on Aug 1st, and you might be able to get a slightly better deal since landlords would prefer to get it rented a month earlier. The bad news is that when you are looking at apartments the majority of them will be for September.

Because the market is tight you might have to pay a finders fee. A full fee is equal to one month's rent, and will be due up front. Some places will be half fee, and others will be no fee or the owner will pay the fee. You may be able to negotiate down from full to half, or half to none, so give it a try.

There are a couple ways to find a place. The most common is to go through craigslist . There will be apartment listings by landlords and realtors on there. You can also find rooms for rent or people looking for roomates. The realtors, or apartment rental agencies, will have lots of apartments to show. Let them know what you are looking for and they will likely have several that meet your criteria. The downside is that you'll likely pay a fee if you go through a realtor, though sometimes the landlord pays half or all. Realtors are a good way to see several places and save yourself the time of sorting through all the listings. Just explain what exactly you are looking for and don't let them show you something you don't want. There won't be as many listings from landlords, but they won't have fees.

Another way to find apartments is through MIT's housing department . They have listings of apartments that are available as well as people looking for roomates. MIT owns some housing, and this is often below market rate.

Advantages of living off campus:
These are just my opinions, so your mileage may vary. I like living off campus because it feels like I have a life outside of MIT. I get to come to campus for class, hang around in the lab, but at the end of the day I leave campus behind and can go home. I also feel like it's more of a Boston experience (or Somerville experience in my case). I take the T, I eat at different restaurants, and just in general feel like I'm getting a better feel for the city. I also have my own place, with my stuff, and don't have to share. Finally, I think I have a lot more space than somebody living in say the Warehouse, so it feels like I'm not cooped up in my apartment, the way I think I might if I lived in something smaller.

Disadvantages:
The biggest for me is that most of your classmates will live on campus, so you might not see as much of them. This could be considered an advantage, but I happen to like my classmates. It's also going to cost more to live off campus. Rents typically run about $1000/month for a studio, and $1200+ for a 1 bedroom. For 9 months and the promise of a good job after graduation I was willing to pay extra. Of course now I'm staying for a PhD and might want that cash back, but I sitll don't think I'll move on campus. Finally, as other bloggers have mentioned there are activities going on centered around the on campus living communities, and you'll miss out on the chance to meet more of your fellow MIT grad students.

I hope this gives anyone considering an off campus apartment an idea of what is involved. If I missed anything you have questions about just leave a comment and I'll try to address it.

Comments

After seeing some of the places my classmates live it is definitely a eve isk:http://www.cheapeveiskbulks.com/ cry from the dorm I lived in as a freshman in undergrad.

Posted by: Ting Wu | 07/14/2011 at 11:17 PM

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Posted by: gghfhgf | 03/28/2007 at 12:48 PM

Posted by: yuntrip | 09/17/2006 at 09:48 PM

I just got a place at the Archstone at Kendall Sq. Is anyone else living there?

Posted by: Jeff | 06/05/2006 at 11:19 PM

For those who want off-campus housing "on-campus", i recommend 100 Memorial Drive apartment which is just right across the street from the lab, and Archstone on Binney Street just right behind Kendall Square. Many Sloanies live there because they are so close. Archstone is very new and very nice... For 10 mem, although it's an old building, it is well maintained and it has one of the best views of Charles river and Boston.

Posted by: Tai | 05/19/2006 at 05:05 PM

Gautam,

I passed your email along to the class and asked anyone in Warehouse or Sidney-Pacific that would be available to contact you. Hopefully you'll get a couple responses and get a chance to see the dorms.

Thanks,
Tony

Posted by: tjcraig | 05/19/2006 at 02:19 PM

Tony - Thanks so much for your perspectives on off campus housing.

Hi all - I am going to be in Cambridge this weekend (5/20, 5/21) to look at on campus and off campus housing options. Unfortunately, I just found out that the graduate housing dorms I am interested in (The Warehouse and Sidney Pacific) are not open for tours on the weekends. I was wondering if there was anyone from the Class of 2006, who was living in these dorms and would be kind enough to show me the inside.

Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Gautam

Posted by: Gautam Kapur | 05/19/2006 at 10:58 AM

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