Medical Student Residence

The MSR is extremely convenient, clean, spacious, and secure. Highly recommend for BUSM students!

My one qualm is that the corner apartments are significantly larger, but the students in those apartments pay the same rent as students in smaller apartments. However, the corner apartments are designed to be wheelchair accessible whereas the other apartments are not, and perhaps there is some kind of regulation that prevents those apartments from being listed at a higher price.

I have lived in these apartments before new management. with the new management, a lot has changed (not necessarily for the better).
Medical students get a 275$ stipend towards rent, prior to new management that was it; now that stipend is taken from your school allotment decreasing how much you can take out in student loans.
new management makes it hard to change rooms and is extremely bureaucratic (e.g. ac/heating takes a while to adjust to the weather as, apparently, both systems can't run at the same time).

The building has 2 keycard access doors to enter and a security guard posted often.
The basement has a laundry room. the first floor has a gym and lounge area, and the back of the building has a park for residents.
Maintenance is amazing and tend to fix things in an extremely timely manner.

overall, for Boston and for the price, the MSR is a good place to live.

p.s. no pets

Gym, laundry, security for low rent and extremely close to campus, plus flexible management regarding paying rent, moving units, etc.

No windows in the kitchen. Kind of small but has the necessities. Nice amenities.

Pros: Great location near BMC, especially for early morning rotations. New building. Gym downstairs. 1 suite mate and 1 shared bathroom. $1025/month this close to BMC is a great deal. Double front doors for security.

Cons: Smaller units. No living room unless you’re in a corner room. No free parking. Need to use paid parkade across the road. Can’t bring your own furniture; need to use provided furniture. Laundry machines in basement break down somewhat frequently.

The MSR has been a great place to live for all 4 years of medical school. It is guaranteed for first years, but my roommate and I have not had a problem staying here for all 4 years. It is less than 10 minutes walking from my door to the med school/BMC. This makes it great for rainy days and those cold Boston winters. The bedrooms are spacious, the bathroom is modern, and the kitchen has everything you need (fridge, stove, oven, microwave).

Of note, I have lived in one of the "corner rooms" which has an extra window and some extra space in the kitchen/living space. Most rooms do not have this space and are considerably smaller/more cramped feeling.

The rent is very affordable with the Housing Grant, being only $1,025 per person per month. Although recently some individuals (including me) have seen their rent go down to $750 per month! (not sure the exact reason)

Any issues with plumbing, electricity, heat, etc. you can call BU facilities and they will come down at no charge to fix anything. You get BU wifi right in the rooms and xfinity online access for TV.

Good way to meet other med students and cheap and modern, but is near a noisy road w/o much food or grocery stores nearby. There's a few bus lines but it is further from the train.

I am so grateful to Maha Abdallah. She helped me find this place when I was in a fix looking for housing. She was so patient with all my questions and made sure that I know everything before moving into the apartment. These people and doing great in helping students like me.

I would like to request the the cleaning wipes be replaced back in the gym. I feel that they are essential to the cleanliness of the gym.

- I request finding a way to allow deliveries to enter the first door to place orders. I am always getting calls from amazon deliver because they can't get in the building.

Overall very positive. I had a leaky kitchen faucet and they fixed it the next day. Safe. Free guest parking on the evenings and weekends, which is a big perk. The corner room is nice because we have more space in our kitchen and a window. The gym downstairs, while small, is free and has most everything I need. Close to campus. Newer appliances, very clean, not run down at all. Furniture provided is good - I especially like the desk. It’s overall a great apartment and would recommend it to other medical students.

Downsides include:
- Gym could have heavier free weights (max is 50lb)
- The stove is so poorly lit that I have to use the flashlight on my phone to tell if something is done
- Heat: the temperature fluctuates fairly dramatically throughout the day if you don’t adjust the thermostat
- Lack of storage/cabinets in the kitchen
- Mediocre access to public transit (though it is a short walk to the medical school and BMC, which is what’s most important)
- Nearest grocery store is a 15+ minute walk. Most people get their groceries delivered.