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Boston & Cambridge, MA

Started by Guest , Mar 10 2006 12:44 PM

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653 replies to this topic

#41 BreezyG

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Posted 27 April 2006 - 07:08 PM

I don't have to find housing (thank god getting pulled in the housing lottery) but am wondering about public transportation, since I live out in the sticks currently. Is it worth it to get one of those monthly passes that just lets you ride the T where ever? How much do you actually have to use the T to make it worth it?

Also, tips to eat/stay clean/buy clothes cheaply? I'll be at Harvard Divinity School if that helps point me in any particular direction.

#42 rhodochrosite

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Posted 28 April 2006 - 01:31 PM

Also, tips to eat/stay clean/buy clothes cheaply?


What do you mean, to stay clean? Cheap soap?

#43 Guest_guestAshdown_*

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Posted 28 April 2006 - 05:14 PM

How bad is Ashdown? Could you please elaborate on that? I'm thinking about living in Ashdown next fall b/c it's so close to the academic buildings. I just wanted to see if I could handle with most of the possibly unpleasant things there. Thanks!


Ashdown is great (I live here now). It's fairly cheap: http://web.mit.edu/h...ad/ashdown.html (note that this includes high speed internet and utilities). Each floor has a kitchen. Also, the dorm is extremely close to main campus -- literally less than a 1 minute walk away. The downside is that Ashdown is soon going to be made into an undergraduate dorm (I think by 2008).

#44 BreezyG

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Posted 28 April 2006 - 09:08 PM

wow, poor wording on my part...

but yes. Where I currently am, there is great disparity between how much you pay for shit from store to store. I can get the same Suave shampoo at one store for 85 cents and it's almost two bucks at another! So, places to buy things cheaply... on your mark, get set, go!

#45 rhodochrosite

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Posted 28 April 2006 - 10:58 PM

guestAshdown, or anyone for that matter, do you know what Edgerton House and the Warehouse are like? Ashdown is really pretty cheap, but I'd like more space and I don't think I could deal with a roommate (in my room, I mean; I'd consider sharing an apartment).

#46 Guest_ashdown_*

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Posted 01 May 2006 - 02:27 AM

guestAshdown, or anyone for that matter, do you know what Edgerton House and the Warehouse are like? Ashdown is really pretty cheap, but I'd like more space and I don't think I could deal with a roommate (in my room, I mean; I'd consider sharing an apartment).


I've never been in Edgerton/the Warehouse. I have been in Sidney Pacific though and can say it's very nice (it's quite new -- built while I was a student here). It's not as near main campus as Ashdown (I'd say an 8-10 minute walk vs. < 1 minute), but it's still fairly close. It is very close to a big supermarket (Star market) though. The rooms there are also quite big. I think the setup people typically get their first year is something like two people sharing a kitchen, bathroom, small common area, and two bedrooms. The bedrooms each have doors on them if you feel like having some privacy from your roommate. I am not good at estimating square feet, but just one bedroom is already about the size of my current double in Ashdown.

So yes, if you're looking for a nice room I recommend Sidney Pacific. Here are the prices: http://web.mit.edu/h...ey_pacific.html (the setup I described was the Two Bdrm Suite).

#47 Guest_jr._*

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Posted 01 May 2006 - 02:07 PM

Hi everyone. I've been accepted at BU, but I've heard housing is extremely expensive. I'd don't need anything fancy or large, but I'd like something quiet and within walking distance. I've never been to Boston. Anyone know what streets I should look at and how much it would cost?

Thanks!

#48 Guest_cms_*

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Posted 02 May 2006 - 07:27 AM

I think Edgerton is a bit closer to campus than Sidney Pacific; is that correct? Thanks for your advice :)

#49 Guest_ashdown_*

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Posted 02 May 2006 - 03:11 PM

I think Edgerton is a bit closer to campus than Sidney Pacific; is that correct? Thanks for your advice :)


I think so, but I've never been to either and don't know exactly where they are.

#50 rhodochrosite

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Posted 04 May 2006 - 11:34 PM

Crap. I just got my web certificate so I could access MIT housing office off-campus listings from afar, and they're mostly the dingy carpeted garden level studios and such that never get removed from craigslist. Also a few people who will waive rent in exchange for labor. Umm, no. PhD studies at MIT = labor enough for me.

#51 Guest_will tutor for food_*

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Posted 05 May 2006 - 03:49 AM

hahaha labor for rent? I wonder how the wage or free rent would compare to my stipend. It wouldn't surprise me if they're close.

I was just curious. How did you get the web certificate? I accepted the offer around april 15th by mail and have not received anything at all from MIT. This starts to worry me whether they actually got my letter.

#52 rhodochrosite

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Posted 05 May 2006 - 08:50 PM

hahaha labor for rent? I wonder how the wage or free rent would compare to my stipend. It wouldn't surprise me if they're close.

I was just curious. How did you get the web certificate? I accepted the offer around april 15th by mail and have not received anything at all from MIT. This starts to worry me whether they actually got my letter.


I was starting to have the same fear, because I faxed the reply in 4/14. A week later I saw something that said it should be sent by surface mail. Aaah! Then why put a fax number on the stupid form? (That would make for a great, implausible story to tell - yeah, um I could have gone to mit but I didn't send the form in the right way.)

Anyway, a newsy email came yesterday, with my info on how to set up email, get web certificates, etc. I just talked to a woman entering a different dept and she heard earlier this week. So apparently it's just a matter of when your dept. sends it out - I wouldn't worry. Maybe email your dept secretary if you're eager to get the web certificates.

It's funny, part of me expected more, um, fanfare when I accepted the offer. I spent so much time on the decision it seemed kind of anticlimactic to have them just say "ok, great, welcome to MIT." I don't know what else they could say. When I was entering undergrad my school sent me a big packet with the school song and stuff, but that would seem a little childish at this level. But still.

#53 rhodochrosite

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Posted 05 May 2006 - 08:53 PM

I was just curious. How did you get the web certificate? I accepted the offer around april 15th by mail and have not received anything at all from MIT. This starts to worry me whether they actually got my letter.


Oh, also if you worry, you might email your advisor if you have one. When I made my decision I emailed the dept and my advisors, as well as faxing in the reply.

#54 AspirEEng

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Posted 07 May 2006 - 06:50 AM

hahaha labor for rent? I wonder how the wage or free rent would compare to my stipend. It wouldn't surprise me if they're close.

I was just curious. How did you get the web certificate? I accepted the offer around april 15th by mail and have not received anything at all from MIT. This starts to worry me whether they actually got my letter.


I was starting to have the same fear, because I faxed the reply in 4/14. A week later I saw something that said it should be sent by surface mail. Aaah! Then why put a fax number on the stupid form? (That would make for a great, implausible story to tell - yeah, um I could have gone to mit but I didn't send the form in the right way.)

Anyway, a newsy email came yesterday, with my info on how to set up email, get web certificates, etc. I just talked to a woman entering a different dept and she heard earlier this week. So apparently it's just a matter of when your dept. sends it out - I wouldn't worry. Maybe email your dept secretary if you're eager to get the web certificates.

It's funny, part of me expected more, um, fanfare when I accepted the offer. I spent so much time on the decision it seemed kind of anticlimactic to have them just say "ok, great, welcome to MIT." I don't know what else they could say. When I was entering undergrad my school sent me a big packet with the school song and stuff, but that would seem a little childish at this level. But still.


HAHA, I have the same feeling... :D
They only sent the acceptance form that I was supposed to sign, and a short memo telling me to go over some "guide incoming grad students" on the MIT admissions website which turned out to be just a collection of links to some MIT services, with no information regarding exactly what I need to fill out or receive from them...
I was hoping for a more organized packet, they didn't even tell me what my student ID was or what date they would fill on my DS-2019 form... I need to order flight tickets damn it!!! I need to tell my job when exactly I'll be quitting!!! And moreover, I keep having the feeling that maybe I just got the acceptance letter by mistake and they'll find out soon and inform me I was actually on the "REJECT" list!!!! :twisted:

Finally got the ID and web certificate on friday *phew*....
I still think they may discover soon that they made a mistake... :)

#55 Guest_ahhh finals weeks_*

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Posted 08 May 2006 - 03:11 AM

I got my ID in a letter from the admissions office, but I haven't recieved my web certificate yet. It sounds like you two got your web certif from someone in your dept, correct? In that case I'd be less worried. Thanks :)

#56 rhodochrosite

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Posted 08 May 2006 - 10:06 PM

I got my ID in a letter from the admissions office, but I haven't recieved my web certificate yet. It sounds like you two got your web certif from someone in your dept, correct? In that case I'd be less worried. Thanks :)

Yep, it came from my dept secretary.

#57 AspirEEng

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Posted 23 May 2006 - 11:53 AM

Hi,

Is there any bank that's recommended around the MIT campus?

I'm an international student so I'll have to open a new bank account in the US, also heard its gonna be a challenge to get a credit card considering the fact I have no credit history in the US.


Thanks!

#58 forensic

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Posted 02 June 2006 - 10:00 PM

i am going to northeastern this fall. i looked at housing and was like screw living in boston. i am gonna commute and try and live outside the city to save some money and be away from things...anyone else doing this?

#59 Guest_2lazy2commute_*

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Posted 03 June 2006 - 02:39 AM

i am going to northeastern this fall. i looked at housing and was like screw living in boston. i am gonna commute and try and live outside the city to save some money and be away from things...anyone else doing this?


I seriously considered commuting, but I'm afraid it would put too much stress on me during an already stressful first year. Also, I think I will end up spending long hours in the lab and don't want to be limited by commuter rail schedules. There are a lot of communities within commuting range, though. Where are you looking? Rent in Attleboro is super cheap (like $500 for a one bedrm) and it's on the commuter rail (also cheapish)

#60 Trungy

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Posted 05 June 2006 - 03:39 PM

Hi,

Is there any bank that's recommended around the MIT campus?

I'm an international student so I'll have to open a new bank account in the US, also heard its gonna be a challenge to get a credit card considering the fact I have no credit history in the US.


Thanks!


Bank of America is almost at every corner you turn. Citizens Bank is also a popular bank, but that bank does not appear as frequently, and from my own experience, I like Bank of America much better.

i am going to northeastern this fall. i looked at housing and was like screw living in boston. i am gonna commute and try and live outside the city to save some money and be away from things...anyone else doing this?


That is similar to what I am doing. I go to a school nearby Northeastern, but I decided to live outside of Boston to save some money. I live in Somerville, MA nearby the red line, and the commute can be anywhere from 35 minutes to a little over an hour (during rush hour), also depending on how lucky you get with the trains. For the most part, the commute isn't so bad, especially if you pick up the Globe. The only thing to really keep in mind are when the T (the train) stops running after midnight. Cambridge is also a good place to live, but prices will depend on where exactly you're looking. Brookline would probably be an easier commute, and you'll be around a lot of BU, BC, and COF students.
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