Satellite locations are an awesome alternative to dorm housing that is offered through residence life. The two current buildings are Cityview Apartments and Trilogy Apartments. Both locations go onto your tuition as room and board so you are not responsible for monthly rent or amenities but you still get all the perks of living in an off campus apartment. While that might sound appealing, the satellites are not great for everyone. Here are some pros and cons of the Satellite locations, straight from a seasoned Cityview resident.
Fenway Trilogy Apartments, image c/o warrenre.com
Pros:
1.Your own Kitchen
As a person who loves cooking, this is a great advantage to have. However, even those who don’t have a culinary inclination can also appreciate this feature. You don’t have to worry about what time the caf or muddy will close, you don’t have to worry about not liking the food or getting bored with the food options, and best of all you can make healthy choices. The only down side is buying your own groceries but students who live in the Satellite locations aren’t required to buy a meal plan so those savings can go towards groceries!
2. A more private bathroom
While you still have three other roommates sharing your space, it is much better than a whole floor of people trying to brush their teeth at the same time in the morning. It is also so much nicer to shower without having three other people playing their music (or maybe even singing to themselves). Plus it’s way more convenient to pee in the middle of the night without worrying about finding your ID in a dark room or, even worse, leaving it in the bathroom.
3. A touch of freedom
While you are still bound by the rules in the student handbook and room inspections still happen on the regular, there is an air of freedom in every room of that apartment. You can plan and cook your own meals, get some space from your roommate by going out into the common room, decorate a whole place to your own liking, and even carry a real key like an adult. It is the trial run for the future and nothing feels as sweet as bringing friends in to see your totally cool, big kid apartment!
CityView at Longwood Apartments, image c/o equityapartments.com
Cons:
1.Cleaning
There is no one cleaning your bathrooms or your kitchen, no one vacuuming your floors, and no one dusting or sanitizing anything at all for you. It is entirely up to you. Making a chore chart with your roommates to divide up cleaning duties is a good way to solve this problem. Just make sure everyone is on the same page about cleaning expectations. Pro tip: don’t assign bathrooms to that roommate who thinks cleaning means quickly rinsing out the sink.
2. The walk
Trilogy is a tad closer to EC than Cityview, but the bitter cold of the Boston winter is enough to make even students with perfect attendance consider playing hooky at any distance. The other factor is the actual time it takes to walk there and back. That is an extra 15 minutes that you need to budget to get to class on time. That could mean getting up early or, way worse, skipping that starbucks run.
3. Living in close proximity to three other humans
While living in the dorm put you into contact with at least one roommate and a bunch of floor-mates, this is a tad different. Now if you want guests over or cook vibrant smelling foods, there are three people right in your living space to keep in consideration. Pro tip: sometimes good friends do not make good roommates.
If these pros sound great and the cons sound livable then you should definitely consider getting a good group together and trying for a satellite apartment!