Frequently
Asked Questions | Student Life
.jpg) Living on
Campus
1. Can I live in a University dormitory?
Yes.
University housing is available to all full-time CELOP students who apply
for it. Exception: BU does not provide housing for married
couples or students with children.
2. How do I apply for a University dormitory?
After you
have been officially accepted into a CELOP program, we will send you a
document called a Residence Life Agreement (RLA). If you want to
live on-campus, you must complete and sign the RLA and send it directly
to the Office of Housing at BU (we give you a special envelope to do this).
Once the Office of Housing has received your RLA, they will save a space
for you in a dormitory. When you arrive at the Boston University
campus, you will be given your exact room assignment and the cost of your
room. You will not know your exact room assignment until you arrive
on campus for the start of your program.
Please note
that the actual cost of your room may be different from the bill CELOP
sends you before you arrive on campus. This may occur if you are
assigned to any type of room other than a shared room with a shared bathroom.
For example, if you are assigned to a single room or to a room
with private bath, you may pay slightly more. Your choice of meal
plan could also change your final bill.
3.
Am I required to live in a University dormitory?
No.
You may live off-campus if you prefer. Students who choose not to
live in University housing are strongly encouraged to make their housing
arrangements before arriving in Boston. If you do not have confirmed housing
arrangements before coming to Boston, you should plan to arrive in Boston
two to three weeks before classes begin so that you can find an apartment
off-campus and get settled.
See Other
Housing Options below.
4.
What are the University dormitories like?
Boston University
has a large system of campus residences, and no two residence buildings
are exactly alike. Dormitories range from modern high rises to nineteenth-century
townhouses, from residence complexes for more than 1,500 students to residences
with only a few rooms, from six-person suites to private singles, from
residences with dining halls to apartments with kitchens.
Despite these
differences, all residences share certain features and access to certain
services:
- Hall/Area
Residence Office - This office is staffed Monday - Friday from 9am to
5pm by students and clerical staff; then from 7pm to midnight every
night by resident assistants. The staff in the hall/area residence offices
provide you with a wide variety of services, such as supplying information,
signing out vacuum cleaners, supplying keys to the residence, assisting
you when you are locked out of your residence, and answering questions.
This is the place to report maintenance problems, requests, and emergencies.
- Laundry
- Most residences have washers and dryers for student use. There
are also dry cleaning establishments near the University.
- Mail
- If you live in a dormitory-style residence, you will receive mail
in your assigned mailbox in the mail room for your residence hall or
area. If you live in an apartment-style residence, your mail will
be delivered to your apartment by the US Postal Service.
- Security
- Most of the large residences have a uniformed residential safety/security
assistant on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure that only
authorized residents and their guests or visitors enter the residences.
The small dormitory-style and apartment-style residences have locked
front entrance doors. Residents are provided with a key to the
front entrance door and are required to keep the door locked at all
times.
- Telephones
- Students living in dormitories may apply for telephone service in
their rooms. At the beginning of each program, CELOP offers new students
special information about how to apply for telephone service. The University
also provides voice mail service for students living on-campus.
- Dining
rooms - Most residences have dining rooms where students can use their
meal plans.
Computers - Some University
residences have common areas that feature computer terminals that students
may use.
5.
Can I have a single (private) room?
You may request
a single room, but you are not guaranteed to get it.
6.
Can I live with an American roommate?
You may request
an American roommate, but you are not guaranteed to get one.
7.
If I live in a dormitory, do I have to have a meal plan?
Normally,
yes. Most students living in University housing are required to
have a meal plan. Several meal plans are available to choose from,
offering from ten to twenty meals per week according to your needs.
There are a few apartment-style residences on campus do not require meal
plans.
 8.
What are my meal plan options?
There are several meal plan options. Each plan offers a combination of meals and "dining
points," which are used like cash at any of the residence dining
rooms and dining areas on campus.
9.
What is the food like?
Cafeterias
offer a variety of food choices, including meals suited to vegetarians
and others with special dietary requirements. Meals are served three
times per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), buffet-style. Typically,
breakfast includes several types of eggs, fresh fruit, cereal and pancakes,
plus coffee, milk and juices. Lunch options include a soup of the
day, pizzas, grilled items such as hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches,
several restaurant-style entree choices and desserts. Dinner includes
several restaurant-style entree selections and your choice of dessert.
Most dining locations also have a full salad bar open during lunch and
dinner.
Other
Housing Options
10.
Will CELOP find me a homestay?
CELOP does
not arrange homestays ("host families") for our students, but
if this is an option that interests you, read more about it on our Housing Options page.
11.
How much does it cost to rent an apartment off-campus?
If you decide
to live off-campus, you should expect to pay a minimum of $1,000 per month
for an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment in the Boston area. Depending
on the location, the amount could be as high as $2,000 or more.
Utilities (electricity, phone, cable, heat, hot water) are usually not
included in your rent and may range from $50 to $150 per month.
Your expenses
can be lowered if you share an apartment with roommates. In this
case, you should plan to spend between $600 and $1000 per month for your
share of the rent and utilities.
12.
If I want to rent an apartment, where should I live?
The Greater
Boston area is made up of many cities and towns connected by public transportation
systems. Locations that are convenient to CELOP include: Boston,
Brookline, Allston, Brighton, Cambridge, Newton, and Watertown.
When inquiring about apartments, keep in mind that CELOP is on the "B
- Green Line" of the "T" (Boston's subway system).
We are also on the #57 bus route.
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