MBA is about studying but also about living!

by Eduardo

The MBA experience is a fantastic opportunity to study in a top school, network with classmates, teachers, alumni and business leaders, find out your career path and get your dream job; however it is also probably the last change in the next 30 years that you have two years to invest in yourself away from the stresses and demands of working life, and therefore you should also be thinking about the place where you want to have this experience. Boston is the perfect city to be a student and BC is one of the best spots in such a city to make the most out of your non study hours. Many other cities and Universities could make the same claim, so I have decided to prove it to you with some pictures.

Boston Activities:

From left to right, top to botton:
1. Boston Symphony, 2. Saint Patricks' Day Parade, 3. Sailing in the Charles, 4.Skiing in New England, 5. Camping and Treakking in New Hampshire, 6. Boston Marathon, 7. Cape Cod's Beached, 8. Red Sox's Baseball Game, 9. Party.

Boston College Activities:

 

From left to right, top to botton:
1. Enjoy the Campus life, 2. Treks / Trips, 3. Running Races, 4. BC Eagles Footbal and Tailgate, 5. BC Fitness Center, 6. Crew Races, 7. Thirsty Thrusday, 8. BC Hockey, 9. Ski Festival.

Choosing Where to Live

by Eduardo

As stated in our previous post greater Boston is a city that holds around 250,000 students; it means that there are a lot of housing options and landlords and real estate agents are familiarized with the students’ housing needs, but it also means that the good places run out fast, very fast. Keep in mind that all the schools start around late-August / early-September, so everyone would be expecting to move in the 1st of September. In searching for a house in Boston you have to be i) proactive, ii) know what do you want but be flexible to accommodate to similar options, and iii) whenever you see something that you like and fits in with your budget take it immediately, it could be gone in the afternoon and you will have to start all over again… Boston is a relative small and convenient city but the public transportation is not the best one; cabs are expensive, the Subway or the “T”, as it is called, is America’s oldest subway (opened its doors in 1897); it has a wide network of stations and is well kept but some of its lines, such as the Green that would take you to BC, have a lot of stops (from Downtown to BC could easily take you around 1 hour) and having to wait your bus in the middle of the cold winter is not the best idea. The best idea if you are planning to study at BC, and you are not thinking to buy a car, will be to live at a walking distance, a couple of metro stations away, or closed by to the route of the free shuttle buses of the university. Bicycles are a great option during the non-winter months, the parking spaces are free and convenient and the city is basically flat. The neighborhoods that you should keep in mind are Chestnut Hill, Allstone/Brighton, Brookline, Newton and Jamaica Plains. Start by using the University off campus housing office but also some local real estate agents.

Photos source:
http://www.flickriver.com/places/United+States/Massachusetts/Boston/Cleveland+Circle/search/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kieloch/4783617021/sizes/z/in/photostream/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/07/11-week/
http://nabewise.com/boston/coolidge-corner
http://joonbug.com/boston/scenetracker/Get-Your-Sing-Along-On/mttadJxjJvB
http://longwoodresidential.com/moving-to-boston/brookline-apartments/
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/southerncalifornian/63840263/

The Vibrant City

by Eduardo

Welcome to the unique, diverse and vibrant city of Boston. It is not just its age (as one of the oldest cities in US founded in 1630) or its title as the birth place of the American Revolution that makes Boston a top American landmark. Its more than 100 universities with more than 250,000 students keep the city energetic and alive. Greater Boston, with its 7.6 million people, is the 12th largest economy in the world and at the same time America's most "spirited" city (work hard, play hard!). The city is a vibrant economic pole for industries such as biotech, ports, mutual fund and asset management, health, consulting and entrepreneurship industries among more. The high skyscrapers of the financial center are complemented with the iconic Boston brownstones houses in Back Bay and Beacon Hill areas; Boston Common Parks and the Charles River are the places in charge of adding the magic natural enchant to the postcard. If those contrasts are not enough, the difference between Boston’s highest and lowest average temperature, 81.8°F (40°C) in July and 22.3°F (-5.4°C) in January, would certainly make you feel the difference. Do not let the cold discourage you, it brings along the start of the Hockey season, ice skating and the opening of some of the best skiing stations in New England. Welcome again and make the most out of your time here, it will fly away fast!

(From left to right, top to bottom: Night skyline of Cambridge, Charles River and Boston; Charles River; Beacon Hill; Back Bay; Boston Public Garden in summer and winter.)

Photos source:

http://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.imig2012.org

http://www.marriott.com

http://www.bifilmfestival.com/

http://www.28degrees-boston.com