As a current student in the SCMb program, I wanted to write an update on Ge’s 2019 post on housing. Her blog entry was incredibly useful for me personally in understanding the housing landscape. My post has similar aims: to share what has worked for my cohort, share experiences, and provide an anchor point for further research.
Firstly: everyone has found housing in our cohort. A lot of us felt stressed about housing before coming to MIT, but everyone has found a place to call a temporary home in due time.
Secondly: What was very helpful, is to understand the “lay of the land” or the neighborhood of MIT. The orange marker on the map below is where the Center of Transportation & Logistics (CTL) is located and it’s the area where we spend most of our time. Either in SCM classes or in classes at the Sloan School of Management, which is right across the street.
Lay of the land (on-campus housing)
There are three main clusters of graduate on-campus housing, and most SCM students are staying in the 1st and 2nd cluster. It turns out that every location has its own benefits and disadvantages. Below are a few honorable mentions of each:
1st cluster: 70 Amherst & Site 4:
Both are very close to CTL. Having less than a 5-minute walk to class can be incredible.
Site 4 is on the pricier side, while 70 Amherst is one of the cheaper options in general. With 70 Amherst, you get what you pay (or not pay) for. Bathrooms & kitchens are generally shared with others in the same hallway. Site 4 is very modern as it was finished within the last years. We have a significant quantity of residential and blended students staying there this year.
2nd cluster: Edgerton, Ashdown, Warehouse & Sidney Pacific:
With Site 4, this cluster is where most of the SCM students in this cohort stay. Prices are in the middle of the pack, and none of us went wrong with either of the options.
It takes me around 20 minutes walking time from there to CTL (I am a fast walker, so for others it might take a bit longer). There is the EZRide bus and MIT bus shuttles that you can take, that brings you close to CTL. Both are free of charge to us as MIT students. If you are more of a bike person, you can also rent a BlueBike and bike to CTL. BlueBike stations are all around Cambridge and a 1-year subscription goes for around $50.
3rd cluster: Westgate, Tang & Graduate Junction:
Graduate Junction, as of the time of writing, is not available for housing yet. It will open in time for the 2025 cohort, but unfortunately that means there is no “review” here 😊
Westgate is a family-only housing option and the community there is very strong and welcoming. A few from our cohort stay there and for the it’s a good option for on-campus housing.
Tang hall, together with 70 Amherst are the cheaper options that are available for renting. Price was the main reason why people from our cohort chose to live there, though as is with 70 Amherst, you get what you are paying for. Depending on your luck, room sizes can be small.
The drawback to Westgate and Tang is that these are the furthest away from CTL. Like with the 2nd cluster though, there are buses one can take to get to campus.
A comprehensive list around room sizes, rent and other details here: https://graduatehousing.mit.edu/residences-rates/
Coming to MIT with family & off campus housing
There is a minority from our cohort that came to Boston with family (partner & children). A few are staying in the MIT family only housing at Westgate, though the majority have found off-campus housing. Off-campus housing puts you outside the well-regulated on-campus housing environment, though there are MIT resources that can help to find a suitable home. One key item a current student recommended is going though MIT affiliated sources to avoid scammers. Finding housing in a city from far away is tricky and often resolves around having a support structure of trust. MIT offers contact points to be of help in this regard:
Student Life Off-Campus Housing Website: https://studentlife.mit.edu/housing/offcampus-housing
Graduate Assistance & Information Network: https://www.mitgain.com/ MITGAIN can help on a lot of other topics than just housing as well!
Summary & parting thoughts:
Most of our cohort that I talked to, are very content with the housing they got. During housing selection everyone was very nervous (also due to regular ‘issues’ with the housing website), but everything turned out to be good.
If anyone is thinking about applying to MIT, but availability of housing is a major concern don’t worry. The SCM program gives good estimates about living costs, (https://scm.mit.edu/admissions) and once you swallowed that pill, availability can be worked out.
Do your research though! There have been enough students coming to MIT, that a Google Search of experiences in residencies can be insightful. Everyone’s situation is different, and what worked for us might not work for someone else.
I hope to have provided that anchor point from which to continue research.