Part I: General Information
some useful information sources
The Things You May Need To Do
Part II: Introduction to Boston
weather and dressing
Public Transportation
Part III: Housing
ÖÐÎÄ°æ×â·¿ÐëÖª
temporary lodging
apartments and rent
some ways to find housing
real estate agents
leases
utilities
home telephone service
Part IV: Banking
open a bank account
checking account and savings account
bank cards (ATM card and debit Card) and ATMs
credit cards
Part V: Daily Life
laundry
postal service
fast food, grocery and liquor
shopping
Part VI: Something about BU
1. BU libraries, bookstore and computer store
2. BU gyms
3. BU activities
4. student health services
Part VII: Enjoy Boston
1. Boston cultural scene
2. museums and attractions in and near Boston area
3. sports
Part VIII: Some Suggestions
Editor and Contributors
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Part I: General Information
1. Some useful information sources
For Time, call 617-637-1234
For Weather, call 617-936-1234
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2. Things you may need to do
a. Registration. Don't forget to go to ISSO (International Students and Scholars Office) to register.ISSO address: 19 Deerfield St.(2nd Fl) Tel: (617)353-3565. Email: isso@bu.edu After you finish the registration and have an ID number, you can open an ACS email account at BU IT (information technology) and then subscribe to bucssa@bu.edu.IT address: 111 Cummington St. Tel: (617)353-2780
b. Look for housing. Probably this should be the No.1 in your list of "must-do". You'd better start your hunting NOW!!!
c. Order phone service, electricity service and in some cases natural gas service.
d. Open a bank account. You may apply for some credit cards later on.
e. Apply for a social security number as early as possible. During the orientation, BU ISSO usually has some workshops to help international new students apply for a social security number.
f. Ò½ÁƱ£ÏÕ. Massachusetts law requires all full-time students and students who participate in seventy-five percent of the full-time curriculum to have medical insurance. BU offers a student plan managed by The Chickering Group. If you are not satisfied with this plan, you may waive the plan and consider some other companies:Harvard Pilgrim, PSI/IFCSS, United Chinese plan, NCS etc.. Be aware that it is your responsibility to know the terms and limitations of your medical insurance. Please carry your insurance card and student identification card with you at all times.
²¨Ê¿¶Ù´óѧ½«Ã¿Ò»Î»×¢²áΪȫְÖú½Ì¡¢ÖúÑС¢Ð£³¤½±Ñ§½ð»ñµÃÕßÒÔ¼°ÏµÖ÷Èν±Ñ§½ð»ñµÃÕߵIJ¨Ê¿¶Ù´óѧѧÉú×Ô¶¯ÄÉÈëµ½´óѧҽÁƱ£ÏÕÖ®ÖУ¬Öú½ÌÖúÑеı£ÏÕ·ÑÓÃÔÚ¿ªÑ§ºóµÄµÚÆßÖÜ×Ô¶¯»®ÈëѧÉúµÄ¸öÈËÕÊ»§£¬Ð£³¤ºÍϵÖ÷Èν±Ñ§½ðµÄ»ñµÃÕß½«ÔÚÿѧÄêµÄÄê³õ×Ô¶¯ÈëÕÊ£¬±£ÏÕ·ÑÓÃÍêÈ«ÓÉѧУ֧¸¶£¬Í¬Ê±±£ÏÕ·Ñ×÷ΪѧÉú½±Ñ§½ðÊÕÈëµÄÒ»²¿·ÖÒ²½«±»Õ÷Ë°¡£Èç¹ûѧÉúÓпÉÒÔÑ¡ÔñµÄÆäËûÒ½ÁƱ£ÏÕ£¬¿ÉÒÔÌîдһÕÅÃâÒ½ÁƱ£Ïյıí¸ñ£¬±ÜÃâÒòÏíÊÜѧУÌṩµÄÒ½ÁƱ£ÏÕ¶øÄÉË°¡£
g. File for Tax Exemption. Since there is a tax treaty between USA and China, you can have $5,000 per year exempt from withholding of the tax from your stipend if your stipend is not tax-free in US (e.g no fellowship or no J-1). In order to get this benefit, you need to get a form called "form 8233" from BU Payroll Office (the 6th floor, 881 commonwealth avenue), fill it out and submit it to the Payroll Office as early as possible. They need as much as 10 business days to process it. If you do it too late, up to over $200 may be withheld for tax from you first month stipend check although you could get it back when you fill out the tax return form next year. Basically, you need to submit this form at the beginning of each year.
h. Obtain direct deposit. After you open a bank account, get the "direct deposit form" from either your department secretary or BU Payroll Office, fill it out and submit it to the Payroll Office, then your stipend check will be deposited to your bank account directly at the last Friday of every month. You will not have to deposit it by yourself any more.
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Part II: Introduction to Boston
1. Weather and dressing
Because of New England's changeable weather, Bostonians often say, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." Meanwhile, Boston has four fairly distinct seasons with the average temperatures are as follows:
Spring 38--60 F (3--15C)
Summer 60--95 F (15-35C)
Autumn 46--60 F (8--15C)
Winter 0--37 F (-17--3C)
Therefore, you may need three types of clothing: lightweight for hot, humid weather; very warm coats, gloves, and head covering for cold and snowy weather; and medium weight coats for chilly autumn and early spring days. The normal precipitation for each month is approximately three inches. An umbrella is necessary. To check the weather, look at http://www.boston.com/weather/ or call 617-936-1234.
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2. Public Transportation
We suggest you get a good street and transportation map (e.g. Boston Transit Map $2.95, which provides all subway and bus routes and schedules). This would help you get familiar with the new environments.
(1). Walk
Boston is referred to as ¡°America¡¯s No 1 walking city¡±. The City of Boston labors to maintain this label. Marking crosswalks, regular maintenance of traffic signals and pedestrian pushbuttons, and innovative pedestrian safety signs at busy locations such as downtown, and at schools, parks, playgrounds, elder complexes and libraries are a priority.
WalkBoston (http://www.walkboston.org/) has developed a Downtown/Back Bay/South Boston Seaport walking map to help commuters and visitors get around during this time of Big Dig related traffic detours.
Yet walking is not the only mode of transportation in Boston. It is convenient to move around the city using the subway, buses, taxis and boats, which are operated by MBTA (The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, http://mbta.com/). Thousands of residents and visitors use the extensive system of trains and buses to get around the city each day.
(2). Subway
Boston's subway was the first in the United States and is often called "America's First Subway" by the MBTA and others. BU is basically Urban (city) with above ground subway going across the campus. So subway, or known locally as the "T", is indispensable for most BU students.
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(4). Taxi
Taxi rates are uniform with extra charges for trunks or large and especially heavy pieces of luggage. Except signalling to a taxi in the street, you can also make arrangements to be picked up at a specific time and place by phoning a taxi company. Check the yellow pages of the telephone book for listings of cab companies and their phone numbers.
It is customary to tip the driver 10~15% of the fare if you take taxi.
(5). Public ground transportation for longer distance travel
If you are going to make a longer distance trip, you may consider the following ways,
Travel agencies in Chinatown.
Some travel agencies in Chinatown provide very cheap bus services to some popular travel sites (e.g. New York City, the Foxwood Casino in Connectict, the Niagara Waterfall etc.). Go to Chinatown to check them out.
Commuter Rail. (http://www.mbta.com/schedmaps/commuter-rail/index.cfm)
It is actually a train system belonging to MBTA which can take you to some places where it is less than 2 hours' drive from Boston (e.g. Worcester, MA or Providence, RI) . The fare is relatively cheap. Check the routes, schedules and fares out from the above website.
Greyhound. (http://www.greyhound.com)
It is a very large long distance bus company which can take you to more than 3,700 locations in the 48 contiguous United States and Canada and its fare is affordable. Check the schedules and fares from their homepage.
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Part III: Housing
Because of the urban setting of BU and the large numbers of students attending colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area, there is high demand for suitable housing. The Boston housing market is one of the most expensive in the USA. Finding housing can be a difficult task. You should be aware that it could take days or even longer to locate something acceptable, particularly during the month of August when the new term begin. You may have to sign the lease with the landlord in person, so don't count on somebody else to find housing for you before arrival, unless you can find housing for which you don't need to sign the lease.During orientation and after it, you probably have to keep looking for housing.
1. Temporary lodging
a. Try to find any of your relatives or friends or friends of friends in Boston to live with before you can find a long-term housing.
b. Ask (send email, call or write letter) your department secretary to see if you can stay for a few days in any students or faculty's home.
c. BUCSSA will try the best to help you solve this problem. We now have some volunteers who are willing to provide new students temporary housing. You can fill out the survey form to sign up. If a match is found, we will notify you by email as early as possible. Please show your appreciation and pay the part of the rent to those volunteers, because he/she is actually paying the fee for you. You know, unlike in China, the rentals for housing is the major economical expense in USA. If you don't want the temporary housing we arranged, feel free to say so. If you have found other place to live, please also tell us so that we can rearrange it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
d. BU Welcome Center provides cheap (compared to hotel) temporary housing ($30/night last year) for a very short period of time which is usually about one week.
e. Some persons offer temporary housing with some charges. It is basically understandable. If you are in our mailing list, you may have seen some of these types of ads. The price is generally $25~30 per person per night. After you get here, you will know a private room usually cost at least $50 per night at Boston, the expensive ones have no upper limit, e.g. some new students spent ~$160 for a night last summer in Howard Johnson, a hotel at the back of the BU Welcome Center.
f. In the worst case, you may have to stay in a hotel for a short period of time. Below is a list of moderate cost hotels and hostels. You might expect to pay between $20 and $75 a night per person:
Anthony's Town House, 1085 Beacon St, Brookline, (617)566-3972
Berkeley Residence club, 40 Berkeley St., Boston,(617)482-8850(women only)
Boston International Youth Hostel, 12 Hemenway St., Boston, (617)536-9455
Cambridge Family Y, 820 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, (617)661-9622 (men only)
The Greater Boston YMCA, 316 Huntington Ave., Boston, (617)536-7800
The Beacon Plaza, 1459 Beacon St., Brookline, (617)232-6550
Irving House, 24 Irving St., Cambridge, (617)354-8249
YWCA, 7 Temple St., Cambridge, (617)491-6050 (women only)
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2. Apartments and rent
There are many different types of accommodations available. Rents vary according to the area and the conditions of the rooms.
Room in a house (living with the landlord family): $400~$650/month
Studio (a room with a restroom and a kitchen): about $800~1000/month
1-Bedroom split ( the living room could become another bedroom with a door so that 2 persons can share the apt.): $900~1300/month
2-Bedrooms apt. (2~3 persons share): $1,100~$1,500/month
more-than-2-bedroom apt.: $350~$450/person/month
Generally, N partners can share a N-1 bedrooms apartment (e.g 3 persons to share a 2-bedrooms apartment), but you'd better check with landlord to ensure it is allowed. When considering taking an apartment, you may need to think about the location, neighborhood and access to laundry, grocery store and public transportation. You may consider the following areas: Allston, Brighton, Brookline, Cambridge, Watertown and Newton. Be careful about the areas like Roxbury and Dorchester.
Be careful either to pay the rent in personal check after you open your bank account here, or pay in cash and be sure to ask for the receipt at the time you pay.
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3. Some ways to find housing
There is a newly created Housing Resources Collection page on the BUCSSA's homepage which provides plenty of links of on-line housing resources in Grand Boston area. Check it out. Besides, there are many other ways to find a housing,
a. go to the landlords or real estate agents (brokers) to talk to them face to face, he/she will show you the apartment. There are tons of real estate agency along the commonwealth avenue, just walk in or call them.
If you decide to use an agency, you may have to pay from 1/2 to a full month's rent for the service (broker fee), this really depends on the agency. Some brokers ask for no fee, but they must have put the fee in you monthly rental. Well, this is America, you can't get free lunch.
You may call these property companies (no fee):
734-6890, 266-2760, 426-2224, 547-0026, 254-5535
or these agents with low broker fee:
734-4200, 277-6071, 738-0300, 254-5322
b. subscribe to the mailing lists of BUCSSA, MITCSSA and other CSSAs which send subscribers housing information about two to three times each week.
BUCSSA: http://people.bu.edu/bucssa/form/subscribe/
MITCSSA: http://web.mit.edu/cssa/www/register.html
or more easily and timely, check the web-based housing archive of BUCSSA's and MITCSSA's.
BUCSSA-housing: http://people.bu.edu/bucssa/wwwarchive/Housing/maillist.html
MITCSSA-housing: http://cssa.mit.edu/mail/mitcssa-housing
c. see the Phoenix housing list (published every Thursday) at BU Off-campus Housing Office (775 Commonwealth Ave. GSU 4th floor, Room 434). Tel: 617-353-3523 or more easily, check the on-line listing of available housing units through the Off-Campus Housing Office if you have established your BU computer account.
d. after you get your ACS account (BU computer account), use "tin" to check the information under bu.housing.
e. see the city's two daily newspapers, The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald, which have extensive apartment listings in their classified sections, especially their Sunday editions.
The following is a glossary of commonly used abbreviations found in classified ads:
a/c - air conditioned,
apt - apartment,
avail - available,
bdrm - bedroom,
bldg - building,
DR - dining room,
d/w - dishwasher,
efficiency - studio,
fl - floor,
immed occpy - immediate occupancy,
incl - includes,
kitchenntte - small kitchen,
e.i.k. - eat in kitchen/large kitchen,
LR - living room,
lux - luxury,
mo - month,
nr - near,
pvt - private,
nwly renovtd - newly renovated,
owner occ - owner occupied,
refs - references,
util - utilities,
w/ - with
f. See the fliers, posters and ads on the wall of buildings, the bulletin boards or any kinds of poles in the streets. You will get the phone numbers and just make the call.
g. For some of you who want to live in BU-owned apartments, the answer is that you must physically go toBU's office of Rental Properties Management (19 Deerfield Street, 1st floor, Boston, MA 02215; tel: 617/353-4101) and arrange to see available units.The inventory for these apartments changes daily, so you will likely need to make several trips before you identify something suitable. You cannot rent these units long-distance. By the way, the amount of available apts is usually very limited and meanwhile the waiting list is very long. Anyway, someone got the dorms after they arrived at BU in, say, a couple of days when living at the Welcome Center. Try your luck.
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4. Real estate agents
Name
Telephone
Fax
Address
Hillside Properties Inc.
(617)731-0101
731-8855 1694
Commonwealth Ave.
Brighton, MA 02135
Palow Marshall Realty
(617)232-1800
(617)739-6408, 1216
Commonwealth
Ave. Boston, MA 02134
Neighbours Realty Inc.
617-734-9220
617-738-0295
617-738-7316
617-738-0595
369 Harvard St. Brookline
1284 Comm. Ave., Allston
GIL Starble Freedom Realty
(617)566-6300
Pager (781)766-8118
(617)739-5103
Email: testg2@wn.net
1298A Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02134
EJS Linden Realty LLC.
(781)734-4200
Voicemail: (781)764-5355
(781)732-0077
225 Kelton Street
Allston, MA 02134
Circle Realty
(617)738-0300
(617)738-9542
1348 Commonwealth Ave.
Allston, MA 02134
Park Realty Associates, Inc.
617-566-2000
1216 Commonwealth Ave. Suite #1,Boston, MA 02134
Bay Realty Group, Inc.
617-782-6666
617-739-7000
617-536-5500
183 Harvard Ave.
372 Chestnut Hill Ave.
879 Beacon Street
Boston Bay Realty
(617)262-5599
470 Commonwealth Ave. Kenmore Square
Realty 2000
617-566-8400
269 Harvard St., Suite #16, Brookline, MA 02146
Toll & Isenberg Realty
(617) 254-8117
1579 Commonwealth Ave. Brighton
Town Line Realty
(617)731-2211
1066 Commonwealth Ave., Boston (Across the Comm. Ave. Star Market)
Cityscape Realty Inc.
617-266-5630
474 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02135
Averbuch Realty
617-277-2763
387 Harvard Street, Brookline
Coolidge Corner Realty
617-731-3433
617-731-4334
1368 Beacon St., Suite 109, Brookline
Century 21 Fidelity
617-734-4141
477 Harvard St., Brookline
Email: BestAptmnt@aol.com
Realty Resource Assoc., Inc.
617-730-5300
1340 commonwealth Ave., Allston,
MA 02134
rentals@realtyresource.net
Apartment Access
617-975-0003
1674 beacon St., Brookline
http://www.nfeeapts.com
Farrington Realty Associates Inc.
617-232-6020
214 Harvard Ave., Allston, MA 02134
Field Corp.
617-738-5702
1376B Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02134
American Fortune Real Estate Corp.
617-739-8822
1368 Beacon St., suite 116, Brookline, MA 02146
Bretton Realty
617-566-9800
617-566-8490
1001 Beacon St., Brookline
Bretton@datablast.net
At Home Realty Inc.
617-738-1820
1212B Commonwealth Ave,
Allston MA 02134
McDermott Realty Assoc. Inc.
617-787-5851
545 Washington St., Brighton, MA 02135
Rolls Realty Inc
617-787-2777
1125 Commonwealth Ave., Allston
East coast realty
617-739-2211
1212 Commonwealth Ave., Allston
Comm. Ave. Associates
617-254-2787
1101 Comm. Ave., Boston
Prizma Associates
617-236-8600
484 Comm. Ave. Boston (Kenmore Square)
http://www.bostonapartments.com/prizma
prizma484@aol.com
Metro Realty Corp.
617-232-2255
9 Babco*ck St., Brookline, MA 02146
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5. Leases
When renting an apartment you usually have to sign a lease (in some cases, only one of the partners signs the lease, while all of the partners have to sign in some other cases). Normally this is for the period of one year (Sept 1,1999~Aug 31,2000), but can be open to negotiation for lesser periods of time. When signing a lease you will probably be asked to pay in advance the first and last months' rent plus a security deposit equal to one one month's rent. The security deposit is held by the landlord to be returned to you after you leave if it is determined that the property has not been damaged. It is wise to get a written, signed statement from the landlord as to the condition of the apartment before you live in, so that you will not be charged for damages for which you are not responsible.
Once you sign the lease, you are legally bound to pay all the rent and supposed to be the ones to take all legitimate responsibilities. Therefore, if you are the only one to sign the lease, you'd better find reliable roomates. If you want to leave during the middle, you should notify the landlord (or the one who sublet the room to you) 1 month in advance and get you security deposit back, or you could sublet the room to others, depending on what the lease says. Before signing the lease read it carefully to understand all its conditions.
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6. Utilities
The rent of some apartments includes heat and hot water even electricity, some not. You'd better ask the landlord or the broker for sure before you sign the lease. Your heating system will probably use gas or fuel oil. When you decide to take an apartment, you will need to contact the appropriate places to have service turned on in your name. Your future landlord will know what utility company to call. Below is the telephone numbers of some utility companies in Boston area:
Boston NSTAR (electric): (800)592-2000
Boston KEYSPAN(gas): (617)469-2300
You will be billed every month and the charges will depend on your use of the services.When you want to terminate service be sure to notify the companies in advance of your departure so that you will not be billed for service that the next tenants use.
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7. Home telephone service
To have a telephone installed and local service established, you must call the Service Representative of Verizon at 1-800-8709999. (There is another company, RCN, competing for local service. Their phone is 1-800-8917770.) Business hours are from 7:30a.m. to 8:00p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. on Saturdays. You can usually arrange for service within the week. You will have to pay an initial installation fee.
The basic monthly charge for local calls depends upon the type of service you request. Generally, you can order unlimited calls for $16.99 per month. We suggest you don't order other fancy services until you know what they mean.
There are extra charges for long distance calls. You can choose one or more long distance companies for your calls to other area codes in the United States. Call the long distance companies directly to find out their rates and service. Select the best program for you depending on your calling habit.(The rate is usually lower in weekend than in weekday.)
AT&T: (Mandarin) 1-800-3388095
(English) 1-800-2220300
MCI: (Mandarin) 1-800-7770958
(English) 1-800-8880800
Sprint
Mandarin) 1-800-8779139
LCI: (Mandarin) 1-800-9898288
There are some other small companies. However, their reliability is hard to say. You may join one company first and switch to others when their sales representative offers you a better deal. For now, calling to mainland China at around $0.30/min is reasonable, and domestic call for 10 cents/min in weekdays and 5 cents/min in weekends. You can also buy cheap calling card on-line or in supermarkets in Chinatown or on-line. The rate can be as low as $0.12/min to China. But some calling cards issued by small companies are not reliable. The company may disappear before you finish the card, or they charge high
connection fee every time you make the call, or the quality of the call is poor. So be cautious when you buy calling card. Don't buy too many at one time and better use it up ASAP.
Telephone Directories
The White Pages of the telephone directory list names and phone numbers of Boston residents in alphabetical order. (You will be asked whether you want your name and address listed in it or not when you have your phone connected. You have the choice to say "NO".) The Yellow Pages directory, which for larger cities is a separate book, contains telephone numbers and locations of businesses listed according to service. It can save you much time and frustration in locating needed services.
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Part IV: Banking
1. Open a bank account
There will be several bank workshops during orientation to help you open a bank account. You can open an account at either Fleet or UStrust.Fleet is the most popular bank in New England. They have two on-campus offices at BU, one is located inside GSU, the other is in Kenmore Square.
All banks have office Branches as well as ATM rooms in their base areas. In order to open a bank account, you need to go to an office branch to talk with a service representative. Bring your identification documents (such as passport and I-20 or IAP-66) with you, together with the cash money you want to put into your bank account. For Fleet, you may consider to order Classic Value Package. Decide the amount of money you wish to put into the checking account and the savings account. The service representative will fill out the forms for you as you directed. If you have a large amount of money, you may consider putting some into a CD (Certificate of Deposit).CD yields higher interest rate. Once the accounts are set up, you will receive a temporary check book and a bank card with an access password.
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2. Checking account and savings account
A checking account enables you to write checks to pay your bills. A savings account enables you to save money and accumulate interest on your savings each month. BE AWARE that when you write a check, the funds will be withdrawn from your checking account. Banks DO NOT automatically transfer funds from a customer's savings to his checking account. If the funds are in the savings account, be sure to make a transfer to the checking account before you write a check. There may be a substantial charge (from $15 to $30 per check, depends on different banks and if the amount on your check exceed your credit line of your checking account, which is called overdraft (tou4 zhi1) protection), if you write a check that is returned to the bank because you don't have enough money in your checking account.
When cashing a check, you will have to endorse the back (sign your name on the back of the check). You could cash it either in bank offices or on ATMs.
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3. Bank cards (ATM cards and debit cards) and ATMs
Most Banks issue plastic cards whose purpose is to enable you to perform many transactions yourself, 24 hours a day, by either automated teller machines (ATMs) or telephone. These bank cards are usually free, and are associated with the funds in your checking and savings account. Through the selection of a secret password, access is restricted to the cardholder.
You can do a lot of things with the bank card, such as withdrawals of cash, deposits, obtaining update information of your accounts, making electric payments and transfers or even purchasing stamps on ATMS or telephone just by pressing a series of buttons.
There are two kinds of bank cards, ATM cards and debit cards. If there is not any "Visa" or "Mastercard" logo on your card, that is a ATM card. You can use ATM card to get full access to the ATM machines. Some stores accept ATM cards, so you can do shopping at those stores, just slide your ATM cards and then input the password. But the store or the bank may surcharge you certain fee for the transaction. If there is a "Visa" or "Mastercard" logo on your bank card, that means your card is a debit card. Besides having all functions of the bank card, the debit card can be used in the same way as a credit card. You don't need to input password when you make payment. But unlike the credit card, however, you are not borrowing the funds from the bank. You are using the funds from your own checking account, that means the purchases will be charged directly from your checking accout. To some degree, it is more convenient than credit card since it saves time for you to write and mail a check to the credit card company every month.
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4. Credit cards
Credit cards means you are borrowing money from the bank through a line of credit which you apply for when you are doing purchase with the credit cards. The bank where you obtain the card will send you a monthly bill detailing your purchases duringthat period of time. To avoid to pay the interest and the late-pay fine, you'd better pay the amount in full by the due date. The credit cards may or may not have annual fee.The most widely accepted credit cards are VISA and MASTERCARD. They are accepted worldwide. There are competing credit cards such as American Express and Discover which are also widely accepted within US. American Express has special promotions for students, including travel dicsount coupons, calling cards and store coupons. Discover offers 1% cash back.Usually at the beginning of a fall semester, some credit card companies will come to BU to solicit new customers. Simply sign up and wait for replies. You might consider to apply for the cards without annual fee.
Accumulating too many credit cards without using most of them is not wise.Be very cautious when someone asks you for your card number and expiration date. It's possible that he/she will use this to make purchases through telephone and charge everything to your account. It is very difficult to retrieve the money back once theft like this happened.
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Part V: Daily Life
1. Laundry
If you rent an apartment, there usually are washing machine and dryer in basem*nt. If there aren't, there are laundry room closeby. Ask your landlord or the realtor about it. The machines are mostly quarter-operated. The price varies from $1.00 to $1.50 for each time.(Tip: If you are worried about the shrinking of your cotton clothes, don't dry them in the dryer. Just wash them and hang them up and let them dripping dry. It's always the dryer which causes the shrinking.)
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2. Postal service
The post rate for normal domestic letter is 34 cents, and 60 cents for international letter, no matter where. You can buy stamps in any post office, some ATM machines (which charge you some fee for it), or stamps vending machines.
If you want to mail a parcel, go directly to the post office. You can use normal mail, certified mail, express mail, or priority mail, etc. You can also mail stuffs by FedEx or UPS, which are different systems other than post office. There is one post office in every district. Check the White Pages to find out the one you belong to because you have to go there to pick up the parcels mailed to you. (If you are moving, you also need to fill out a moving form and hand it to the post office so that they can forward your mail to your new place after you move.)
There are post offices on BU main campus. One is located next to ISSO.Another is on the basem*nt level of GSU. BU medical school has a post office on the first floor of L-building.
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3. Fast food, grocery and liquor
There is a Burger King at BU east, on the north side of Comm. Ave. One McDonald in Kenmore square, another on west campus. A Taco Bell (Mexican style fast food) in BU central. Get familiar with those most frequently used terms such as "for here" which means you will eat inside and "to go" which means you will bring the food to leave.
Star Market and Stop&Shop are two major grocery stores around. Get the store's advantage card when you first shop there. It will save you $$ since you cannot get sale price without the card. The card is free. There are some supermarkets in Chinatown, where you can buy very authentic oriental food and groceries. 88 supermarket(there are two 88, new and old), Ming's supermarket are two biggest ones. There are also plenty of Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. If you go to Chinatown from BU, you can take the green line inbound T, get off at either Boylston station and then walk to old 88 or Ming's supermarket, or Copley station and then change to No.9 bus which has a stop just next to old 88 supermarket. If you are going to the new super 88 market, you can take No.8 bus at kenmore station and get off at the South Bay Center. The new super 88 market is at the rim of South Bay Center.
You may want to explore Haymarket, an outdoor food (mainly vegitable and fruits) market open on Friday and Saturday. It is just like the "Free Market (zi4 you2 shi4 chang3) in China and more importantly, the prices are very cheap compared to that in gorcery stores. Take any green line subway and get off at "Haymarket" stop.
Liquor (beer and wine) can be purchased in liquor stores and some grocery stores. Please note that the law requires that you be at least 21 years old to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages in Massachusetts, so bring your valid photo ID on which shows your date of birth when you are going to buy liquor.
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4. Shopping
At your first arrival in Boston, you may feel that shopping here is not that convenient as in China. Yeah, before you own a car, you may have to take public transportation and spend some time to do shopping. In addition, the state of Massachusetts has a 5% sales tax on everything except clothing, textbooks and unprepared foods, which means you have to pay extra 5% tax of the original labeled price for everything excpet those previously mentioned.
For some routine life stuffs, you could go to CVS, Seven-Eleven, Store 24, some big grocery stores (like Star Market, Stop & Shop, Osco Drug) or other convenient stores. CVS and Osco Drug are also pharmacies where you can buy drugs and medicines which may or may not need doctor's prescription. If you'd like to do bigger shopping, you could go to the following shopping areas or shopping malls which can be reached by public transportation,
Downtown Crossing. You can go there by green, orange or red line subways. Get off at "Park Street" stop if you take green line. Get off at "Downtown Crossing" stop if you take orange or red line. Some bus routes also go through there.
Cambridgeside Galleria (a shopping mall). Take green D or E line subway and get off at the last stop "Lechmere".
Watertown and Arsenal Shopping Mall. Take bus 70 or 70A from central square and get off at the mall.
South Bay Center (a small shopping mall). Take bus 8 at Kenmore Square and get off at South Bay Center.
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Part VI: Something about BU
1. BU libraries, bookstore and computer store
Boston University has multiple libraries (find a library)totaling more than 6 million volumes that may be searched via the online catalog. In addition, the main library, the Mugar Memorial Library, is home to the Special Collections, which contains rare books and historical documents, including items from Henry VIII and Abraham Lincoln. You can borrow books from any of these libraries with valid BU ID.
Boston University is a member of the Boston Library Consortium (BLC). The Boston Library Consortium is a cooperative association of 19 academic and research libraries whose purpose is to share information resources so that the collective strengths of the group advance the research and learning of the members' constituents. You can make use of this resource after you get a Boston Library Consortium Card (faculty, staff, and students can get their BLC Consortium Cards at the Mugar Library Reference Desk, Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. (Please be sure to bring your BU ID when applying for the Consortium Card), which extends your direct borrowing privileges at Consortium members' libraries.
At Boston University 's official bookstore, Barnes and Noble, students may purchase textbooks and school supplies. If you are BU faculty or staff, you may be able to get 10% discount on the books or other stuffs you are buying. Show the cashier your valid BU faculty or staff ID when checking out.
BU computer store is located in 533 Commonwealth Ave, Kenmore Square.
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2. BU Sports
BU Fitness and Recreation Center is among the top facilities of its type in the country and offers a wide variety of instructional programs and courses. Free for full-time students.
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3. BU activities
BU has various kinds of activities and events going on every day, including conferences, lectures, exhibitions, films, performing arts, sports games and so on. You could check them out at http://www.bu.edu/calendar/.
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4. Student health services
Student Health Services are available to all full-time students at Boston University. Student Health Services consists of a Walk-In Medical Clinic (881 Commonwealth Ave., west door), an In-House Laboratory, an Infirmary, a Mental Health Clinic by appointment or on an emergency basis, and a Crisis Intervention Counselor. For more detailed information, check http://www.bu.edu/shs/.
If you decide to buy BU's medical insurance plan, please note that The Chickering Group, will NOT pay one hundred percent of the claim (So do other companies, actually). Please review the benefits in the insurance brochure for Boston University¡¯s Policy No. 711110 to determine what benefits will be paid. Chickering will NOT cover any payments to outside providers without a referral generated by BU Student Health Services. Therefore, do not seek outside services on your own. Go to BU's Walk-In Medical Clinic (881 Commonwealth Ave., west door) first when it is not an emergency. For the case of emergency, check the insurance brochure for the details.
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Part VII: Boston Arts and Culture
1. Performance Art in Boston
Boston offers a great variety of cultural activities. You might be interested in the followings:
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Broadway in Boston
Boston Ballet
Boston Pops Orchestra at the Esplanade beside the Charles River
Boston Opera at the Opera House
Blue Man Group
Theatre Symphony Rush/College/Group Discounts
Broadway in Boston
Group Ticket Benefits:
Groups enjoy these great benefits!
Be the first in line!
$25 Student and Senior rate*
10%-20% off regular single ticket prices
2 FREE tickets for every 40 paid*
Free Student Study Guides for most shows
Post show lectures* & Historical theatre tours*.
*Please call for more details about these as they may not be available for every performance of every show
Boston Ballet
Rush tickets
Tickets are $30.00, cash only, available at The Wang Theatre Box Office on day of performance only. Sections A & B, subject to availability. Available for all performances except for The Nutcracker. One ticket per person.
College Student Rush Tickets
Tickets are $20, cash only, available at The Wang Theatre Box Office two hours before the performance.
Available for all performances except for The Nutcracker.
One ticket per college ID (ID required)
Full time students only.
Group sales available for 10 or more people
Blue Man Group
Student Rush
$25 - Wed and Thurs PM only ¨C sold day of show, subject to availability
American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T)
The A.R.T. Student Pass is the best deal in town for college students and recent graduates - just $60 for five admissions which can be reserved ahead.
A full-time college, university, or high school student with a valid student ID can purchase a Student Rush ticket for $15 on the day of the performance. Available by phone or in person at the box office only. Limit two tickets per performance per ID.
Group discounts are available for parties of ten or more. Bookings require a non-refundable 10% deposit or a credit card to hold seats.
Boston Lyric Opera
Student Tickets
Half price student tickets are available in advance and day of show at the Citi Performing Arts Center box office with a valid student ID. The Citi Performing Arts Center is located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston¡¯s Theatre District. Box office hours are from 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
BSO Rush Tickets
Join the Rush Ticket line the day of a performance for one of the best bargains around. A limited number of Rush Tickets are available for Boston Symphony concerts during the 2007-08 season. Rush Tickets cost $9, are limited to one per customer, and must be paid for with cash only.
Tuesday evening concerts:
Rush Tickets available beginning at 5:00pm
Thursday evening concerts:
Rush Tickets available beginning at 5:00pm
Friday afternoon concerts:
Rush Tickets available beginning at 10:00am
Friday evening concerts:
Rush Tickets unavailable
Saturday evening concerts:
Rush Tickets unavailable
Rush tickets are available in the Main Box Office at the Massachusetts Avenue entrance.
Group Discounts
Groups of 25 or more receive discounted tickets to most Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops concerts.
Open Rehearsals
Open Rehearsals are open to the public and are offered at a discounted price from the actual performance ticket prices.
BSO College Card
Here's how it works...
By purchasing the BSO College Card for only $25, you have the opportunity to attend up to 16 BSO performances during the subscription season at no additional cost. Beginning at 9:30am on the morning of each concert listed, students may call the designated phone line to confirm that tickets are available for that performance. The tickets can then be picked up between the hours of 10am and 6pm the same day at the BSO Box Office at Symphony Hall on Massachusetts Avenue.
Each student showing both a valid student ID and College Card is entitled to one ticket, if available, for a particular concert. The tickets are offered on a first-come first-served basis. There is a minimum of 100 tickets available per concert. Students are not guaranteed tickets to all 16 concerts.
College Cards may be purchased online, by visiting the Symphony Hall Box Office, or by calling SymphonyCharge at 617-266-1200.
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2.Museums and Attractions in and near Boston Area
There are numerous museums and othe attractions in or near the Boston area which you may want to explore. Many of them are free at certain hours or have special rates for college students. The following is a list of some of them,
Museum of Fine Arts
opens seven days a week:
Monday and Tuesday
10 am-4:45 pm
*Wednesday-Friday
10 am-9:45 pm
Saturday and Sunday
10 am-4:45 pm
*Thursday and Friday after 4:45 pm, only the West Wing and select galleries are open. Galleries are subject to last-minute closings and changes.
Free weekday admission with BU ID
Institute of Contemporary Art
Museum, Store & Caf¨¦ Hours
Tuesday and Wednesday 10 am - 5 pm
Thursday and Friday 10 am - 9 pm
Saturday and Sunday 10 am - 5 pm
Closed Monday, except on the following national holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans' Day.
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and July 4.
Admission
$12 general admission
$10 students and seniors
FREE members and children 17 and under
FREE for all from 5 to 9 pm every Thursday for Target Free Thursday Nights
FREE for families (up to 2 adults accompanied by children 12 and under) on the last Saturday of each month
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Hours
Tuesday-Sunday 11 am-5 pm
(Front Admission Desk closes at 4:20 pm and galleries begin closing at 4:45 pm)
Open the following holidays: New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. Closed Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Admissions
Adults: $12
Seniors: $10
College Students: $5 with current I.D.
Museum of Science & Hayden Planetarium
Peabody Museum of Harvard University
New England Aquarium
Salem Witch Museum
Boston Public Library (You can visit Boston Public Library and other public libraries for free with valid library card which is also free. Just go to any public library and fill out an membership application form.)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library
Boston National Historic Park (Freedom Trail)
Franklin Park Zoo
John Hanco*ck Tower Observatory
Boston Harbor Cruises
Boston Harbor Islands State Park
Minute Man National Historic Park
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3.Sports
Football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey are represented by professional teams in Boston. College and university teams from New England also compete in these and other sports. Professional sporting events may cost from $5.00 to $40.00 per person. For detailed infomation, please go to http://www.boston.com/sports/.
Below is the names of the professional teams in Boston.
Patriots (football). Tickets are available at Sullivan Stadium, Foxboro (508-543-1776).
Red Sox (baseball). Tickets are available at Fenway Park, Boston (617-267-8661).
Celtics (basketball). Tickets are available at the Boston Garden (617-227-3200).
Bruins (ice hockey). Tickets are available at the Boston Garden (617-227-3200).
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Part VIII: Some suggestions
1. You'd better be on time at business, social and public events. Punctuality is important to Americans. If you must miss an appointment for any reason, telephone ahead to the person you were supposed to meet in order to cancel it.
2. Learn to say "No, thank you." in order to avoid any potential misunderstandings and unnecessary troubles. This is particularly important to Chinese due to the different cultural backgrounds.
3. Living with Americans or people from other countries will let you have good opportunity to practice your oral English, make international new friends and get to know other cultures.
4. Try to speak English with Americans as much as possible, to learn the way they speak and understand the way they think.
5. Watch TV to improve your listening comprehension.
6. Don't be shy to join the social events
