As some students choose to make the move from dormitories to off-campus apartments for next fall, most Boston University students will stay close to campus, students and realtors said.
‘There is plenty of cheap and available housing nearby campus that hardly any BU students go any farther,’ Joe DiGangi, President of brokerage firm Real Estate Boston, said.
The Allston, Brighton, Brookline and Kenmore’ neighborhoods remain popular destinations for BU students, but those from other colleges have ventured farther away from their respective campuses and into some of the same neighborhoods as BU students, DiGangi said.
‘I’ve seen Northeastern [University] students move all around since there isn’t a lot of affordable housing near Symphony Hall,’ he said. ‘A lot of them have moved to Allston and Mission Hill, which is significantly farther from their campus.’
College of Arts and Sciences senior Ryan Cross, who lives in a Fenway apartment with three NU students, said he would not move far from campus.
‘I don’t understand why anyone at BU would live in a neighborhood like Jamaica Plain or Dorchester,’ Cross said. ‘I love the location of my apartment. It is really convenient.’
However, students could gain from living farther from Commonwealth Avenue, DiGangi said. Living in neighborhoods that are not typically full of college students allows renters to become better acquainted with the city of Boston and stay clear of rowdy college parties, he said.
‘Areas that are not college neighborhoods allow students to be outside of the bull’s eye of police, who target college neighborhoods such as Allston because they expect parties to be happening there,’ DiGangi said.
CAS sophomore Kenny Li said he lived in Quincy last semester and was bothered by the long commute.
‘Before coming to BU, I looked for apartments on Google Maps, and it said Quincy was just a 15 minute drive from the campus, and the housing was much more affordable,’ Li said. ‘The commute ended up taking 2 hours by the T and conflicted with my schedules and extracurricular activities.’
Li ended up moving to an apartment near Boston College on Washington Street to improve his commute, he said.
Although Li’s commute from Quincy was long, he said he enjoyed being close to the beach, away from the busy city and in a more relaxed place.
CAS freshman Dina Moussa, who commutes to school from her home in Bedford, said she enjoyed living at home, but plans to make the move to an apartment next semester because of the long commute.
‘I’m looking into moving on campus or nearby off-campus apartments because the commute is just too long,’ Moussa said.
Living far from BU can make students feel disconnected from campus life, Moussa said.
‘If I lived closer by, I would be able to meet and spend a lot more time with other BU students,’ she said.
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