I’m gonna disagree with the sentiment that you have to start shopping now. Apartments off the September cycle often only get listed 30-60 days in advance. That said July 1 is not a really popular moving date — it often coincides with the Independence Day holiday weekend, which is not a weekend people usually want to spend moving.

You might have better luck with June 1. Many students move out after the spring semester and sublet their apartment through Sept 1, often with an option to renew for a year on that date.

It appears you know you will def need roommates, which is good. I would look into Facebook groups (search: “Boston Roommates” and you’ll see a bunch of options).

Also, curious where you’ll be commuting to… Southie is kind of a pain in the but to get too and from in addition to being pretty expensive so I suspect you may have better options.