Moving to Boston!
Students move to Boston for their MBA at Questrom from across many US cities, and countries worldwide. Concerns of finding housing, surviving Boston winters, and making friends are often top of mind! We’ve interviewed two students new to Boston to share their experiences with you.
Facundo Goyeneche
1st year MBA
Hometown: Motevideo, Uruguay
Minal Sariya
1st year MBA + MSDi
Hometown: Indore, India
Where are you from and how is Boston different?
Facundo: I moved to Boston from Montevideo, Uruguay, a city that’s bigger than Boston. The weather there is similar to Boston in Spring, Fall and Summer, but it’s not that cold in Winter. But I don’t mind the Winter in Boston very much.
In terms of transportation, Montevideo doesn’t have trains. Even though the T doesn’t always work perfectly, it’s nice to have. Boston is also a really safe city– it’s not common to be mugged or see crimes, and I feel comfortable walking around here. Amazon packages are even left on the doorstep. I can’t imagine that in Uruguay!
Minal: I’m from a small city in India (Indore, India) and I have also lived in Bombay for majority of my adult life. Boston is the perfect mix of a small town and a metro. It is a very walkable city and really pretty, especially during the snow!
Where do you live and how do you get to school? How did you find housing?
Facundo: I live in Cambridge close to Harvard, and I bike to school everyday. It’s really easy to bike because there is a bike lane all along the Charles River, and it takes me about 10 minutes. When I don’t bike, I take the bus to school instead which takes about 30 minutes.
Minal: I live in Brighton, which is about 30 minutes from school. I take the B line to school everyday. It’s convenient because the T is right across from my apartment, but it can be late or break down sometimes. Living close to school is great because you’ll be near classmates and the commute won’t be too bad. I actually live with classmates. A few other student who were from India connected in the Whatsapp group and we got an apartment together.
I started my apartment search with Zillow, Apartments.com and Craigslist when I was back home, around April. I finally found a broker through Craigslist and found my apartment in July. Apartments can go quickly, so it’s important to start early! Most leases start September 1 so everyone is searching at the same time. You can also check Facebook marketplace if you’d like to sublet a room for the summer before committing to a lease.
Did you have any concerns about moving to Boston?
Minal: My biggest moving here was about the weather because I heard it got really cold for six months and can be depressing. It is cold here most of the time, but if you have a good support system with your new friends, and the right clothes, it’s not too much to worry about. I spoke to second years about the weather and visited stores which helped me get an idea of what winter gear I needed.
Have you had a chance to travel outside the city? Where?
Facundo: In the Fall around Halloween, I went to Salem and Gloucester for a day trip when a friend was visiting to see New England in the Fall.
I also went to New York and Miami for weekend trips and over winter break, I went on a ski trip to New Hampshire. It’s been great to have the chance to travel around the US during some of my spare time.
Minal: I’ve also had a chance to travel a bit. For winter break, I went on a road trip to Florida with a friend from India. We went to the Southern most point of the US and I even went skydiving spontaneously! It’s important to get out of town in the Winter, I had initially decided to stick around Boston for Spring Break because of interviews but after the intense capstone project in Mod 3, I decided to take a much deserved break and went for a weekend trip to New Orleans.
What are your favorite thing to do for fun in the city?
Facundo: I love nature so I like to visit Middlesex Fells Reservation, a huge park with a zoo just outside the city. I also love the Fenway area because I like the Red Sox– I didn’t know anything about baseball before coming here, but I’m a huge sports fan so I really got into the sports when I arrived.
What surprised you most about Boston?
Minal: People in Boston are crazy drivers, and j-walking is very common. Since it’s a college town, you see kids and millenials all around. There’s something happening at all times of day.
Another great thing is that being an education hub with universities nearby, there are lots of events and it’s easy to network. This is a big advantage of being in Boston!
Facundo: When I moved here, I didn’t know what it would be like making new friends. Launch was a great way to meet people. Even though it was long I had the opportunity to get to know the people in class. All the friends I’ve made have been through Questrom, and I haven’t needed to make friends from outside school.
It also took some time to adjust to American culture– everything related to food surprised me. People have snacks throughout the day, but at home we have 4 meals every day (dinner at 10 or 11). Here, we have dinner when the sun is shining, which was hard to get used to!
Something I didn’t know about Boston before moving here is “Allston Christmas.” Allston is a neighborhood with lots of students, and most of them move in and out on September 1st. On this day, lots of people give away furniture on the street. Almost all the furniture in my apartment is from the street, so I didn’t spend too much money on furniture. I did buy a new bed to avoid bed bugs, but everything else is great!
Is there anything else you think someone from your hometown/country would like to know?
Minal: It’s easy to get around in Boston, by foot, train, or bus. You definitely don’t want a car– parking is expensive here.
Facundo: Boston is a pretty expensive city– I try to save money where I can, like by biking to school, and I think twice before spending money when I go out. Even though Boston can be expensive, part of this is just the adjustment to not having a salary while in school.
We hope Minal and Facundo have convinced you that you, too, can survive Boston Winters and the other challenges of making this big move! If you have any questions about your move to Boston, please email connect@bu.edu.