Elliot...if you just want a hull to live in at the dock then any old boat will do.
But you said...."then take it with me to which ever grad school i get into."...
which I assumed meant doing some sailing/motoring in it too.
The bucaneer is without a doubt the most ridiculed sailboat ever built. It is the Edsel Ford (I know you're too young to remember that but google it!) of the sailboat industry. Not only is it ugly, but it sails poorly and is built like crap.
The seafarer was not a bad boat...but they are long out of business and the $5k price is high especially if you have to install a permanent head and holding tank (which by the way you will have to pump out during those cold winter Philly days!)...and which generally involves moving the boat. I simply felt that getting a boat from a brand that is still in existence and has a head system for the same price would b a better deal.
Like this...
http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...oat_id=1508038