Not many students like the idea of having to wake up 10 to 15 minutes early to get to class on time.
However, Boston University students who crave apartment-style living and historic brownstone buildings &- and who don’t mind a bit of a walk &- will feel right at home in scenic South Campus.
“South Campus is a taste of old Boston,” said BU Housing Director Marc Robillard. “It’s a great transition from feeling like you’re living in an intense student environment to living in a neighborhood.”
BU offers both brownstones and smaller apartment-style housing for students who want to live in South Campus area.
“You don’t feel isolated,” Robillard said. “The apartments don’t feel claustrophobic.”
All apartment-style housing has kitchens and bathrooms, though not all buildings in South have their own laundry rooms. However, students can use convenience points at laundry rooms at 44 Buswell St. and 518 Park Dr., or money at regular laundromats in the area.
Popular South-style residences are 722, 726 and 728 Commonwealth Ave., located across from the College of Arts and Sciences, Robillard said.
“It’s not because they’re beautiful, it’s not because they’re spacious,” he said. “It’s because they have the best location.”
Students can choose to live in studio apartments for one to two people, one-bedroom apartments for two people, two-bedroom apartments for three to four people and multi-occupancy apartments where each resident has his or her own room.
Sopan Deb, a College of Communication senior, has lived in a South Campus apartment-style residence for a year and a half.
He said his favorite part about living there is the fact that it’s more low maintenance than other dorms on campus.
“I don’t have to worry about whether I have to sign in a guest or what time I have to sign in a guest,” he said. “You’re a lot more adult-like when you live in South Campus.”
South Campus is also home to specialty residences such as the Engineering House, Wellness House, Earth/Environmental Awareness House, Community Service House, Performing Arts House, Honors House, Core Curriculum House and the Philosophy House.
These residencies are more like dorms because they offer single-, double- and triple- occupancy rooms, and the buildings all have a game area and study lounge.
“It’s a good mix of triples, doubles and singles in the brownstones,” said CAS freshman Samantha Gwizd.
Gwizd, who lives in the Honors brownstone, said she loves the South Campus area.
“It is far away, which can sometimes be a hindrance, but it’s a really nice location,” she said. “It’s really scenic and quiet, but at the same time there’s always something going on.”
Others echoed the distance complaint.
“The worst part of living in South Campus would be just being far from everything,” said CAS freshman Kathryne Cleary. “The closest dining hall is Warren, so it’s about a 10-minute walk, and when you do it several times a day it really adds up. I would love having a dining hall in South Campus.”
Cleary said she enjoys bonding with her fellow brownstone residents, but wouldn’t recommend living in South Campus as a freshman.
“It’s a little bit harder to meet a lot of people here,” she said. “But I recommend it if you like smaller dorms where you can get to know people.”
Though South Campus is far away from BU’s central campus, it is located close to Audubon Circle and Fenway Park. There are also a variety of smaller restaurants, cafes and shops for students who look for escape from the dining halls.
In apartment-style housing for 2010-11, a single is $12,710 and a higher occupancy is $10,570. Brownstone rooms cost the minimum rate of $7,980 for multiple-occupancy and $10,530 for a single.
Staff writer Gianna Walton contributed reporting to this article.
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