SLPtoBe

There are more places than just State Street and the Capitol. I live in the Willy St neighborhood on the isthmus (east of the Capitol) where there are lots of coffee shops, bars, and restaurants. It's definitely more of a hippie neighborhood, with a big co-op grocery store, festivals in the spring and summer at the lakeside parks, lots of gardens. It's also home to a large number of grad students and young families. As you travel north up Williamson, you'll enter the Atwood neighborhood, which is another smaller cluster of bars and restaurants. It's about 4 miles from my house to my lab on the far west side of campus, takes about 15-20 minutes to get there by bike 20-30 by the bus. I moved here from Boston and I miss the huge variety a larger city offered, the subway, and a few other things, but I really like my new home in Madison and don't regret the move at all!

I found my place, a 2 bedroom on the Near East side (20 minutes to campus by bus, 15 by bike), in June of last year. I had my choice of many great places, my rent is reasonable for the neighborhood. As far as the mold goes, I recommend renting from an owner, an owner-occupied unit would be best. That kind of situation nearly guarantees an attentive landlord.

Unless you've heard numerous accounts of people doing this and they have realtors/landlords to recommend, I would search for a place MUCH sooner, as in this summer, sooner if possible. Most leases in the Boston area are one year leases running from Sept. 1 - Sept. 1, but you can find tenant-at-will situations. Many students have already signed leases for September.

My boyfriend and I shared a two bedroom place for 1100/month in JP.

Jamaica Plain definitely fits your needs. In general, it's very safe between the Jamaicaway and Lamartine Street (around the Stony Brook and Green St T stations), with lots of grad students and young families. I lived there for 2-3 years and if I ever return to Boston I would really only consider living there! Centre Street is the main street of the neighborhood with Harvest Co-Op, restaurants, bars, thrift stores, etc. The 39 bus route runs along Centre St to Huntington Ave, with a stop right in front of MassArt. There is also a bike path to Back Bay, connecting with other paths in the city called the Southwest Corridor. If you are looking for a roommate situation, there's a great chance you could find fellow MassArt students living in JP. Brookline would be OK too, (I'd recommend Brookline Village or Coolidge Corner) but it's a little more more yuppie, has a Trader Joe's, but lots of ethnic food and a great independent theater and bookstore.

I used Craig's List to find a place. I e-mailed realtors and landlords in late May, then went out in June to sign a lease for Aug. 1.

While it's definitely worth looking in Cambridge, you will likely need to extend your search to Somerville, Belmont, and Arlington. Cambridge will certainly have the most going on with lots of fellow grad students, but Belmont and Arlington are a little more suburban and probably a bit cheaper for a 3 bedroom. I used to nanny for a Harvard grad student family at Peabody Place (grad student housing) and that might be an option to look into. It's home to many young, international families with a number of playgrounds and an indoor play area for little ones, close to Whole Foods and all that Harvard Square has to offer.

Beacon Hill would be lovely, but finding a nice studio in that neighborhood for under $1000 might be tough. Often realtors aren't completely honest about the true location of the places they have available (ei they might advertise that they have a place in Beacon Hill, but it's likely to be long gone by the time you'd contact them about it). It's worth checking out though, if the realtor seems trustworthy. I've had friends share a 2 bedroom place in Beacon Hill for $1600 (not including utilities), and they considered themselves very lucky. It's probably the most expensive neighborhood in the city, which is why no one mentions it on here. After all, it's the home of John Kerry and many other wealthy Boston residents! Biking in Boston is okay, I did it all through undergrad, so I'd encourage anyone to try it out. There are not many marked bike lanes outside of Cambridge, though that is likely to improve over the next few years. Boston drivers are as terrible as you might have heard, there are quite a few very dangerous intersections and you most certainly need to wear a helmet. There are some bike paths in Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Somerville, and along the Esplanade. Though I always wished they were kept in better condition. Check out http://www.massbike.org for maps and more info.

Honestly, I would probably be willing to pay more to live in an area closer to the city, like Brookline, Jamaica Plain (my beloved neighborhood for 3 years), Cambridge or Somerville. Quincy has many people commuting into the city, but there's just not as much going on and not nearly as many fellow grad students. While you could potentially go car free in Quincy, most people probably have a car there.

For Northeastern, I'd recommend searching on Craig's List in Brookline, Allston/Brighton (though there are lots of undergrads in this area), or Jamaica Plain. You'll have a much easier time finding a room in an established apartment. It's rare to find a studio apt for under $900/month. Perhaps the SLP department could link you up with other students who are looking for a roommate.

Try looking at Watertown. It's not the hippest place, but it's pretty much in between Cambridge and Waltham. He will likely need a car to commute and you could take a bus to Harvard. You could also try Belmont (though the parts I'm familiar with are very suburban) and Arlington. If you want a more urban area with lots going on, then you want to live in Cambridge around Harvard/Central/Inman Squares - though that would put him in for a longer commute. I am friends with a couple who live in Brookline. One can walk to school at BU and the other drives out to Brandeis simply because they both wanted to be as close to Boston as possible.

She does like it and has found living to be much more affordable than Boston. I can understand the need for a part-time program, there are so few out there! I chose to go to U of Wisconsin-Madison because they offered me the opportunity to do an MS/PhD and my partner and I were ready to move out of Boston (just the opposite of your situation).

I have a friend who goes there, though I'm not sure about the interview requirement. I do know that 1st year MS students don't get to start clinic until second semester, whereas most schools have you start at the beginning of your first semester. Any particular reason why you are interested in Worcester State? Last year, I applied to several schools in MA, all in Boston though. Worcester wasn't really a place I wanted to live in.

The best neighborhood is generally one that provides you with an easy commute to school! Which school are you considering? Your budget/bedroom requirements do limit you from some areas, but you should be able to find something. Craigslist is what I've always used, with lots of success.

Hopefully, you are aware of this already, but Kenmore Square is home to Fenway Park, which means on game days, the place is just flooded with Red Sox fans. During the World Series is can be totally wild with honest to goodness riots, including hundreds of police on horseback with large sticks and "non lethal" weapons. Also, many BU undergrad dorms. are right down the street on Commonwealth Ave. It will definitely be a rowdy place to live, but fun if you like the Red Sox and sports bars. That said, if you're not into that stuff, you're close to Brookline, where there are many more "grown up" restaurants and bars. Also, you'll be close to two nice bar/restaurants, Cambridge 1 and Audobon Circle. It's also a convenient location right on the Green Line and a few buslines. You have easy access to Allston and Brighton, where many of your fellow classmates are likely to live.