英文信息：
Craigslist at Boston
这可能是登陆人数最多，信息最全的网站，尤其以买卖旧车，住房租赁著称。
报纸Boston Globe的官方网站,有很多生活信息如当地活动，房屋租赁和旧车买卖等。
citysearch of Boston, 有上面刻找到波士顿各种餐馆，娱乐设施的评分。

中文购物网站：
Tigercool上面有各种中文杂志，书籍，音像制品和鲜花礼品等。

英文购物网站：
Amazon 几乎各种商品都可找到，而且有详细的商品介绍和用户评分。
cars.com可用于买卖旧车

住房：
BUCSSA租房信息
 MITCSSA租房信息
 roommates.com
boston apartment info

饮食：
食在北美:上面有麻省中国餐馆的简介，还有很多美食的菜谱。

交通：
MBTA:波士顿地铁，公共汽车和火车等的官方网站。
mapquest: 可查到各地的地图，行车路线。

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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. 医疗保险. 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.

波士顿大学将每一位注册为全职助教、助研、校长奖学金获得者以及系主任奖学金获得者的波士顿大学学生自动纳入到大学医疗保险之中，助教助研的保险费用在开学后的第七周自动划入学生的个人帐户，校长和系主任奖学金的获得者将在每学年的年初自动入帐，保险费用完全由学校支付，同时保险费作为学生奖学金收入的一部分也将被征税。如果学生有可以选择的其他医疗保险，可以填写一张免医疗保险的表格，避免因享受学校提供的医疗保险而纳税。

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.

概况：

T有红橙蓝绿四条线，这四条线的主线成中文"井"字形在市中心（downtown）附近两两相交。地铁的两个走向就由是否向市中心方向前进而定。如果是开往市中心 (Government Center) 的，就是进城方向（inbound），反之，如果是驶离市中心的就叫做出城方向（outbound）。正因为T采用这种确定走向的方法，乘客们要想到达正确的目的地，光知道车驶向进城或出城方向还不够，还要知道T是驶向哪个终点站。由于地铁红线和绿线有支线，大家更要格外注意。除了单程的票价外，地铁有它自己的月票,价格是每月$59元。BU的学生如果提前够买季票（9月到12月，2月到5月），可享受11%的优惠。如果大家想知道月票这方面的详情，可以参考下面的网站上的信息：www.bu.edu/parking/t-passes/student-tpass.html

下面让我们来用中文简单介绍一下地铁各条线路的情况。

绿线：

a) 线路

绿线由一条主线逐渐分为B,C,D,E四条支线。其中，D,E两线的起始站为北站（North Station）。市政中心（Government Center）是B,C线的起始站，它和北站之间只隔一站地（Heymarket）。在地下部分，B,C,D,E并作一线，到Copley这一站开始分支, E线从此站分出。B,C,D三线仍为一线，直到Kenmore这一站，这三条线才彻底分支，并由此开始了自己的地上部分。BU是没有围墙的大学，地铁B线横穿BU整个狭长的校区。B线从Kenmore这一站出来后就进入了BU的主校区。下面介绍一些主要站点，同学们可对照附带B线地图：

Kenmore ：主管国际学生的ISSO，主管on campus housing的办公室，邮局,公共汽车57路的起点；

Blandford St.：化学，物理，生物，教育以及管理学院；

BU East：计算机，数学，生物工程，广告系以及研究生院办公室；

BU Central：工程系，法学院，学生活动中心（GSU），主图书馆，Sargent 体育馆；

BU west:主管学生奖学金，成绩单，税收等事宜的办公室（简称881）和学生的诊室；

Babcock St.: FitRec Center, Agganis Arena, Shaw's super market;

Packard's Corner: 中国超市Super 88,BU shuttle bus在此有一站。

Harvard Ave: 很多餐馆和小型商店, 共汽66路车站（乘66路可直达Harvard University, BU shuttle bus起始站就在这附近的美国药店兼超市CVS前。

BU学生主要居住在从Packard's Corner开始到Washington St. 这一区域。

C,D,E线由于同学们居住的不多，在这里就不详细介绍了。只稍微提以下波士顿著名的交响乐乐厅(Symphony Hall)和艺术博物馆（Museum of Fine Arts）都在E线上。BU的学生可免费参观艺术馆的主馆，而且从BU步行去那里并不远。

b) 票价: $2.0 ($1.7 with Charlie Card)

c) 中转站和转车

绿线与红线交于Park Street 这一站，由此可乘红线去往MIT和Harvard。这一站还有通往红线与橙线交汇站Downtown Crossing的地下通道.

绿线与蓝线交于Government Center这一站，从此站可以乘蓝线去只有四站之遥的机场。

在以上提到的这几站上，转车都是免费的。

由于绿线Boylston和Copley这两站进城和出城的站台是彻底分离的，在这两站无法免费转乘反方向的车。如果同学们想要改变进出城的方向，可以到两站之间的Arlington转车。

d) 绿线地下其他各站简介

绿线贯穿了整个波士顿的商业区与著名的旅游景点。它与人们的生活与工作息息相关。

North Station是MBTA的Commute Trail（城际火车）开往北部各线的起始站。从这里可以乘火车去Witch City-Salem等富有历史传奇色彩的小城。波士顿凯尔特人队主场Fleet Center就在这一站的旁边。

Heymarket这一站有波士顿著名的农贸市场，每个星期的周五下午和周六一整天在这一站附近都会汇集很多的商贩，出售廉价的水果蔬菜和海鲜。这里的优点是价格便宜，约是一般美国超市价钱的四分之一。缺点是人多拥挤，比较脏乱，而且瓜果蔬菜的储藏时间很短，容易变质。

Government Center这一站位于市市政府办公厅旁，紧邻Boston Financial District,从这里可以去Boston著名的历史景点和购物区，如Quincy Market。这里可以说是波士顿最热闹的地区。在这里还有去往波士顿地区最大的购物中心Cambridge Side Gallery 的Shuttle Bus。

Park Street不仅是非常重要的中转站，也是很多名胜聚集的地方。一出站就是波士顿最古老的公园Boston Public Park。不远处就是Downtown Crossing，那里有Macy's 等百货商店。

Boylston这一站是中国城（Chinatown），戏剧区(Theatre District)和波城另一个公园Boston Common交界的地方。同学们去Chinatown可从这里下车。

Copley 位于波城大型购物区的中心，从这里可去Copley Plaza, Prudential Center等汇集世界名品的购物中心。波士顿公立图书馆就在Copley进城方向出站口的后方。

Hynes Convention Center这里是波士顿最著名的商业街Newbury St. 的起点。

红线：
红线与绿线交于Park Street，与橙线交于Downtown Crossing。紧接着Downtown Crossing往南的是South Station，这也是波城的重要的交通枢纽。South Station既是南下Commuter trail 的起始站，又是各路长途汽车如Ground Hound(俗称"灰狗")，Peter pan的汇集站，同时它也是火车站，Amtrak公司就在这里设有站点。
再往下有一站是Andrew，从这一站出来，有免费去往South Bay Mall的汽车，中国超市Super 88, 美国超市Stop & Shop, 以及Home depot, Target, Office Max 等都在这个Mall里。这里实际上离BU的Medical School很近。在往南是JFK Library（美国遇刺身亡的前总统约翰肯尼迪的纪念馆），U Mass Boston分校就在这里。从这里红线分为两支，一支经过中国人的聚居区Quincy Center，由此站下车，步行20分钟，就有一家非常便宜的中国超市-金门超市。超市一侧有一家Jazz Moon卡拉OK厅，每天12：00PM-6:00PM唱3小时支需付费$25，是波城附近最为便宜的。这里还有一家华人开的自助餐店 International Buffet，信价比不错。由Park Street向红线另一个方向开就是Kendall square/MIT，紧接着是Central Square这里有很多有特色的餐馆。Harvard Square就在下一站。Harvard Square紧邻Harvard大学，这里充满了美国文化气息，是每个到波士顿来的人必到的地方。在往下的Davis Square也很有特点。

蓝线：
蓝线与绿线交于Government Center，从这里到同样在蓝线上的机场（Airport）只有4站的距离。一出机场车站，就有Shuttle Bus将乘客送往各个Terminal.其中22路往反于Terminal B于地铁站，33路往返于Terminal C,D,E 和地铁站。蓝线的终点就是一个风景不错的海滩，叫做Revere Beach.
蓝线与橙线交于State这一站，这一站正好位于波士顿代表性建筑物之一的Old State House的下面。 State的下一站是Aquarium（水族馆）这里离波士顿港（Boston Harbor）只有几步之遥。每年新年这里都会因为美丽的焰火表演变得异常拥挤。从这里还可以出海去看鲸鱼(Whale Watch)。

橙线：

橙线与蓝线交于State，与红线交于Downtown Crossing。橙线向北有一站Malden。那里有很多中国人居住，有一些初到Boston的BU学生会住到那里。
橙线往南的终点站Forest Hill，有一大片森林公园，是周末修身养性的好地方。

(3). 公共汽车及校车

波士顿是一个公共交通非常完善的城市，由地铁，巴士和火车组成的MBTA交通系统几乎把网络布遍了波士顿的生活空间。贯穿波士顿大学的巴士线路是巴士57 路，在Water town和Kenmore之间往返开行，横穿Boston，Brighton和Water Town三个小镇，由此也是波士顿大学的学生乐于选择的居所。57路巴士线从Kenmore往watertown方向去的巴士在Kenmore和Super88之间只上不下，相应的，从water town开往Kenmore的巴士只下不上。乘坐巴士您只需要出示Bass Pass或者准备好90 cent的硬币，下车之前揿一下车壁上的黄颜色提示线，看见叫停的提示灯亮了，司机就会在下一站停下接或者放乘客。有些不同Bus之间可以免费换乘，你可以上首辆车时，向司机要票，两小时内，再乘下一辆时向司机出示此票就可免费搭乘。需要注意的是并不是所有Bus之间都可以倒乘。如果您需要跟多的巴士信息，比如首班末班车的时间以及停靠站名等信息，您可以参考MBTA网页(http://www.mbta.com)。
另外几条可能与BU学生联系比较紧密的汽车有如下几路：
66路：它的终点站是Harvard Square，紧邻Harvard Unveristy。它会经过Harvard与主校区分离的商学院和体育场。它的路线很长一部分都在Harvard Ave./Harvard St.上，它在Havrvard Ave.与Commonwealth Ave.交叉的路口上有一站。BU的同学可由此乘车去Harvard游玩或购物。这样可与免去由绿线进城再到乘红线的麻烦。
CT1:BU Medical School 的同学可能常会乘坐这趟汽车。它由BU Medical School出发，沿着Massachusetts Ave.横穿MIT，向Central Square前进。其中它会经过交响乐堂。Hynes/ICA这一站非常重要，住在BU主校区附近的医学院学生可乘地铁绿线B线到此站在倒乘CT1。

还有一条需要补充给您，在春秋两季的学期中，具体来说就是2月到5月，9月到12月，波士顿大学为住在校外的学生提供免费的往返巴士，也就是BU Shuttle。和MBTA巴士不同，Charles river校区的 BU shuttle 每半点于Agganis Way & Comm. Ave.发车开往710 Albany医学院校区到Charlse校区之间也同时shuttle往返，参照The BUS网址：http://www.bu.edu/thebus/。

(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 to BU'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

www.realtyresource.net

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 Babcock 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 during that 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 basement. 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 basement 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 – 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 & Café 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 Hancock 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.

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Editor:
Ting Sun

Contributors:
Wen Lu, Jinghua Chen, and previous BUCSSA board members: Qian Xu, Yiling Fang, Yingtao Zuo, Xin Zhou, Rong Yi, Zhigang Lai, Maohai Huang, Ying Yang).

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