Accepted SIBS Students.

From Logan Airport

When you arrive in Boston, go straight to your Summer Residence Office, Kilachand Hall at 91 Bay State Road, to check in. To get to BU’s main campus (called the Charles River Campus) from Logan Airport, you have two options: taxi or MBTA. A taxi (or Uber/Lyft) will be more convenient and more expensive; the MBTA may take longer but will only cost a few dollars.

If you choose to travel by taxi (or Uber/Lyft), give them the address for your Summer Residence Office, 91 Bay State Road. You should budget $50 one-way for a taxi from Logan Airport. Taxi (or Uber/Lyft) fares can be reimbursed by SIBS; please remember that the maximum total reimbursement amount for all of your travel is $600.

If you choose to travel by MBTA:

1. Follow the signs for ground transportation at the airport. Look for signs directing you to the MBTA Silver Line (which is a bus, not a train).
2. Wait outside at a designated location for the Silver Line bus (labeled SL1) to arrive.
3. Take the SL1 bus to South Station. The ride is free.
4. South Station is one of Boston’s major transportation hubs. When you arrive, you’ll find machines where you can buy a subway ticket. To get to BU, you just need to buy a single ride.
5. Take the Red Line subway inbound to Park Street.
6. At Park Street, follow signs for the Green Line B subway outbound towards Boston College (Boston College is the last stop on the B line so the line is named after it, but this line also stops at Boston University). If you have questions, just tell someone you’re looking for the B Line towards Boston College.
7. Get off at the Kenmore Square station, which is the stop closest to your housing at 200-202 Bay State Road.

From North or South Station (train or bus)

When you arrive in Boston, go straight to your Summer Residence Office, Kilachand Hall at 91 Bay State Road, to check in. If you are traveling to Boston by train or bus, you will probably arrive at either North Station or South Station. From either location, you can take a taxi (or Uber/Lyft) to your BU housing for approximately $30 one-way. Taxi (or Uber/Lyft) fares can be reimbursed by SIBS; please remember that the maximum total reimbursement amount for all of your travel is $600.

If you prefer to travel by MBTA and you arrive at South Station, follow the directions above beginning at step 4. To use the MBTA from North Station, take the green line (C or E train) to Park Street. Then follow the directions above beginning at step 6.

By Car

If you are traveling to Boston by car, you should drive directly to your Summer Residence Office, Kilachand Hall at 91 Bay State Road, to check in. It may be difficult to find a place to park while you’re moving in. Bring quarters or be prepared to use a smartphone to pay the parking meter. You may also park your car in one of BU’s parking lots for a fee.

The BU SIBS program will reimburse you up to $600 for your transportation to and from Boston. We are not able to arrange or pay for your tickets up front; you must make these arrangements and payments on your own and we will reimburse you up to $600 after the end of the program. Your reimbursement check will arrive at your address in late July or early August.

In order to get your reimbursement at the end of the program, you must save all of your travel receipts. We are unable to provide reimbursement for any expense that is not documented with a receipt.

If you plan to travel to Boston by air or train, we will need your airline or train ticket receipts (not boarding passes, but ticket receipts clearly showing purchase amount). If you will drive to Boston, you must provide documentation of mileage and toll receipts associated with your trip.

If you are driving to the Boston University campus, please record your mileage and save your toll receipts so we can reimburse you based on our standard rate 0.56/mile (gas is included in the rate). We will only reimburse mileage to BU and mileage back home. Reimbursements are available only for your personal travel directly to Boston and back; detours, side-trips, and other travelers or drivers are not eligible for reimbursement.

Remember that the maximum total reimbursement amount is $600. Please book your travel early to get the best fares.

Apply for Housing

The summer housing application will become available in the spring and will be posted here, shared in the Facebook group, and sent to you by email at that time. You must apply for housing in advance in order to secure your spot. In order to log in to the application, you will need your BU username, password, and BU ID number. In the online application system, you will enter some basic information about yourself and sign the Residence License Agreement.

When you go to the online housing application link, you will find your application under the Assignments tab. For current BU undergraduates, the application will be called “2018 Summer Continuing Group”. For all others (most of you), the application will be called “2018 Summer Undergrad Group”.

Housing Details

All SIBS students will be accommodated in shared rooms on BU’s campus. This housing has often been on Bay State Road in the past, though this is subject to change in future years. The standard rooms have 2 beds, 2 desks, 2 chairs, 2 bureaus, and 2 closets. The rooms do not have air conditioning and you are welcome to bring a small fan with you or purchase one when you arrive. Window air conditioning units are not permitted. Bedding and towels are not provided. There are no televisions in the rooms, though some dorms have common rooms with a TV. All rooms are equipped with free internet access.

Bathrooms will be communal, shared with same-sex members of a floor or hallway.

Every dorm building has a laundry room with coin-operated washers and dryers. Last summer they were $1.50 to wash and $1.25 to dry.

You will not be charged for your housing during the SIBS program.

Receiving Mail

You will be able to receive mail at your BU residence after you arrive. Your RA will tell you your mailing address when you check in. Please do not ship any packages to BU before arriving on campus. If it is easier for you to ship supplies rather than bringing them in a suitcase, then you should ship them to a Post Office or FedEx facility to be held there until you arrive and can pick them up. Shipping expenses are not eligible for reimbursement.

Meal Plan

You will have a student meal plan that allows you to eat at The Fresh Food Company at Warren Towers dining facility during the program. BU Dining Services are able to accommodate most special dietary needs. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any food allergies or special dietary requirements so that we can make any necessary arrangements.

You will not be charged for your BU meal plan during the SIBS program.

You will have access to laundry facilities in your accommodation, and Boston has plenty of places to shop, so please do not overpack! That said, you should probably bring the following with you:

• Clothes for hot, humid weather
• Umbrella
• Small fan for your room
• Sheets, pillows, and blankets (for single beds)
• Towels and toiletries
• Basic school supplies (pens, pencils, calculator, notebooks)
• Bathing suit and/or exercise clothes if you plan to use the Fitness & Recreation Center
• Laptop, if desired (you will have access to a computer lab in the classroom and near the dorms)
• Quarters for the laundry facilities
• Spending money (we will provide all of your books, course materials, and group social activities but you will want your own spending money for free times)

There is no dress code for the program on most days. It’s summer and pretty casual on campus. We ask that you dress in a respectable manner, but shorts and t-shirts are fine. Please plan to dress up a little bit more for site visits during the program, as well as one or more group dinners out in the city. Formal clothes are not required.