In at Harvard! Forum

[The Dan]

The Harvard listing can be found at:
--LinkRemoved--

Anyone else having a problem using this site (like every link just goes back to the same place)?

[GeePee]

Hey fellow HLSers,

I sent in my deposit a week ago. Very happy with my decision.

Why are people choosing to live where they are going to live (awkward sentence, I know)? Basically why are people searching for accommodation outside of HLS Residence Halls or HRES? Is this driven by unique circumstances or is the accommodation offered by HLS undesirable?

I don't know the area very well, is there any reason why Somerville is a choice neighborhood (price, community, location, etc)?

Thanks

There are a lot of questions in there! As someone looking outside of HRES I think that there are a few reasons for doing so. The first is that, while the HRES apartments are conveniently located and very nice, they are pricy. $1500/mo. for a studio is a hefty chunk of change; there are a lot of 2BR apartments in the area that go for around the same price. Instead, there are a lot of apartments within a mile or so of the campus that can be found for ~1000 a month with at least some utilities included. Also, a lot of people have pets, and HRES is simply not a reliable option for pet owners. There are only 2 designated buildings which contain pet-friendly housing, and banking on your window to fall at a time where you can attain one of these locations is probably not a good bet.

With regard to Somerville, a lot of very comparable apartments in Somerville are cheaper than their Cambridge counterparts by $200 or more. I think a lot of the drop in price has to do with not having the Cambridge name attached, but there are some practical reasons as well. Firstly, many places in the eastern part of Somerville are a ways away from the Red Line, and similar places in locations such as Harvard Square have a convenience cost of being near transportation. Somerville is a choice location, though, since it is close to the north side of the Harvard Campus (which happens to be the location of the law school) and is cheaper than points south.

[cflames7]

Hey fellow HLSers,

I sent in my deposit a week ago. Very happy with my decision.

Why are people choosing to live where they are going to live (awkward sentence, I know)? Basically why are people searching for accommodation outside of HLS Residence Halls or HRES? Is this driven by unique circumstances or is the accommodation offered by HLS undesirable?

I don't know the area very well, is there any reason why Somerville is a choice neighborhood (price, community, location, etc)?

Thanks

There are a lot of questions in there! As someone looking outside of HRES I think that there are a few reasons for doing so. The first is that, while the HRES apartments are conveniently located and very nice, they are pricy. $1500/mo. for a studio is a hefty chunk of change; there are a lot of 2BR apartments in the area that go for around the same price. Instead, there are a lot of apartments within a mile or so of the campus that can be found for ~1000 a month with at least some utilities included. Also, a lot of people have pets, and HRES is simply not a reliable option for pet owners. There are only 2 designated buildings which contain pet-friendly housing, and banking on your window to fall at a time where you can attain one of these locations is probably not a good bet.

With regard to Somerville, a lot of very comparable apartments in Somerville are cheaper than their Cambridge counterparts by $200 or more. I think a lot of the drop in price has to do with not having the Cambridge name attached, but there are some practical reasons as well. Firstly, many places in the eastern part of Somerville are a ways away from the Red Line, and similar places in locations such as Harvard Square have a convenience cost of being near transportation. Somerville is a choice location, though, since it is close to the north side of the Harvard Campus (which happens to be the location of the law school) and is cheaper than points south.

Thanks for all the info GeePee. This is a great starting point for me.

[The Dan]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

[cflames7]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

Thanks Dan. Good name, by the way.

How are the roads in Somerville/Cambridge for bikes? A 2 mile bike ride wouldn't take long (maybe 15-20 minutes). I bike everyday to work in Korea.

How long would you be unable to bike in the winter due to weather?

[creatinganalt]

The Harvard listing can be found at:
--LinkRemoved--

Anyone else having a problem using this site (like every link just goes back to the same place)?

Yep! Close to screaming. What I've done is open two pages and when I see a profile I like, I paste their name into the other page and search by username. Otherwise it resets the search every time.

[creatinganalt]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

Is it a bad place to walk? Cos it seems like a 30 min walk is a reasonable commute but I've never been to Boston. Is it though a bad area or anything?

[DoubleChecks]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

Is it a bad place to walk? Cos it seems like a 30 min walk is a reasonable commute but I've never been to Boston. Is it though a bad area or anything?

in the winter it'll be real bad lol

[creatinganalt]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

Is it a bad place to walk? Cos it seems like a 30 min walk is a reasonable commute but I've never been to Boston. Is it though a bad area or anything?

in the winter it'll be real bad lol

Oh God - Boston winters!

[bluedolphins]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

Is it a bad place to walk? Cos it seems like a 30 min walk is a reasonable commute but I've never been to Boston. Is it though a bad area or anything?

in the winter it'll be real bad lol

Oh God - Boston winters!

lol. I can't wait for that....

[The Dan]

If you're looking in Somerville, it seems like the most popular places for Harvard students to live are Porter Square and Davis Square, which are 1 and 2 stops, respectively, from Harvard Square on the red line. There are bus routes in other areas, of course, but the subway is not affected by traffic the same way that a bus is. It's definitely more desirable to live near a subway stop than a bus stop. Also, Porter Square is pretty much within walking distance of the law school. Actually, I would argue that Davis Square is as well, but for some people 1.5-2 miles is a long walk.

Is it a bad place to walk? Cos it seems like a 30 min walk is a reasonable commute but I've never been to Boston. Is it though a bad area or anything?

Well I've never lived in Somerville or Cambridge, but I've never heard anything particularly bad about Porter or Davis.

As for biking (cflames7), the winters in the Boston area have seemed pretty mild recently. However, the area gets a good amount of precipitation. If you're willing to bike in the rain I'd say a bike is a great way to get around. If you don't like biking in the rain then you can't really count on nice weather, so have a backup plan.

Not that Boston doesn't get nice weather. It's just unpredictable at times.

[englawyer]

porter/davis areas are REALLY nice. while somerville is a slightly less uppity city than cambridge, you can't go wrong living in either of those two neighborhoods.

[lz06]

.

[sfdreaming09]

got my HRES viewing window. June 4, this sucks right? grrrrr

idk but mine is may 16

[DoubleChecks]

got my HRES viewing window. June 4, this sucks right? grrrrr

yeah a bit. i thought mine was late and its 5/30.

5/16 seems pretty dang nice. id imagine they start like a week into may? no idea

[GeePee]

Yeah, I got 5/25. I think that's about middle of the pack, FWIW.

LZ I don't think you're screwed though. I think anything before mid-June should leave you in pretty good shape for an apartment.

[s419]

I got May 7th so i'm pretty excited! Any female Harvard-bound TLSers interested in a 3br (there are 2 of us already), PM me. I'm hopeful that we can select something pretty nice since I seem to have a good select time.

[sayan]

5/10 here. Not really sure if I'll be able to find something reasonably cheap though. The list prices are pretty high for what you get.

[GeePee]

5/10 here. Not really sure if I'll be able to find something reasonably cheap though. The list prices are pretty high for what you get.

Yeah I'm essentially using HRES as a backup... if I can't find something cheaper and moderately convenient, then I'll suck it up and pay (I imagine this procedure might be somewhat more difficult for you though, sayan, considering your proximity to the school).

[owhlcn]

so it turns out I'll be living @ 1580 mass ave (directly across from the law school) with a current 3L -- for all who are forsaking HRES, check out the building! looks wonderful!

[sayan]

so it turns out I'll be living @ 1580 mass ave (directly across from the law school) with a current 3L -- for all who are forsaking HRES, check out the building! looks wonderful!

Very lucky! I wonder how noisy it is though given that the building is along a main stretch of busy road. I"d be willing to pay a premium for proximity + quietness.

[skynet]

Dudes, it has been a fun ride, but I am officially going to Stanford! Have fun in Cambridge, everyone!

[owhlcn]

so it turns out I'll be living @ 1580 mass ave (directly across from the law school) with a current 3L -- for all who are forsaking HRES, check out the building! looks wonderful!

Very lucky! I wonder how noisy it is though given that the building is along a main stretch of busy road. I"d be willing to pay a premium for proximity + quietness.

very true, but after 5 years in new haven, noise @ night doesn't really bother me anymore

[DoubleChecks]

so it turns out I'll be living @ 1580 mass ave (directly across from the law school) with a current 3L -- for all who are forsaking HRES, check out the building! looks wonderful!

Very lucky! I wonder how noisy it is though given that the building is along a main stretch of busy road. I"d be willing to pay a premium for proximity + quietness.

very true, but after 5 years in new haven, noise @ night doesn't really bother me anymore

lol after 4 yrs of being next to a frat house, i am immune to late night noise as well

[adameus]

ok, got my Harvard financial aid offer, 70K in loans!!! woo hoo!
Does anyone know if these loans start accruing interest while you are in school?
Also, is tuition tax deductible in the U.S. and how about student loan interest?

Sorry for what may seem like questions I know the answer to, but being a Canadian I am unsure how this stuff works in the U.S.