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Preparing for Grad School

Posted by cokohlik, in Accepted, Grad School 24 March 2012 · 264 views

accepted grad school preparing

I really liked Fell4Ever's blog post/list about preparing for grad school and thought it would be fun to make a list of my own.

1. Officially accept the offer by signing paperwork & sending it back (via post ... ugh.)

2. Visit Newark!

My husband & I will be spending the week of our wedding anniversary in Newark exploring the campus, housing options, perhaps meet my POI, etc. I can't wait! We won't have a rental car but it seems like Newark has pretty awesome public transportation to/from Newark, Wilmington, and the mall I keep hearing about (Christiana, I think?)

3. Get housing. I read somewhere on the Grad Cafe that housing in Newark can fill up a year in advance. This is not the type of thing someone moving across the country wants to read!

The last thing I want is for us to start grad school living in a hotel or something of that sort. I'm hoping we'll be able to get this worked out. UDel's family housing has a waiting list, too, and thus housing isn't guaranteed. I'd say that's our biggest stress factor right now.

4. Start the job search (for my husband). He has a wonderful job right now that we'll be sad to leave and I'm hoping he'll be able to find something he really likes with comparable pay. (Okay, this is equal stress to housing. :huh:

)

5. Go to Disneyland! We have some free tickets that we need to use up. Plus, where better to celebrate than the Happiest Place on Earth? I'd like to be 5 again for a day. ^_^

6. Find out how & when to register for classes (apparently this information will be coming in a welcome package).

7. Read, read, read! I have a huge reading list to finish before I start grad school. I've been working on it for about a year now, and there's still a ton of books left. Some of them I've already read during my undergrad years, but I want to refresh my memory.

8. Start watching movies and reading in the Romance languages. I've got to keep those skills up. I bet my first class will be something daunting like "read this 600 page tome in archaic 17th century Italian." That's what I'm expecting, anyway. Do your worst! :lol:

9. Tell everyone. Our families and some close friends know, but I don't think the reality has set in for some of those friends. Hoping to spend tons of time with them before we go.

10. Pack & move & set up our new place!

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1ejxaSRLi1rrefngo1_250.gif

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1ehytqrJo1qhvaxc.gif

Fell4Ever

Mar 25 2012 12:16 AM

You go girl!

annieca

Mar 26 2012 04:20 PM

I *love* the alligator!

Congrats on getting in and having that pressure off. Welcome to the start of a different, new and possibly weird journey.

GreenePony

Mar 26 2012 09:29 PM

There's an awesome mall on the other side of Philly called King of Prussia. Growing up we would drive ~2 hours to go to it, it is that good (its probably only 30 from Newark). Not sure if you can get public transit to go there but worthwhile after you move.
And don't be afraid to look outside Newark/Wilmington for housing if you can- a friend getting his PhD at UDel lives 30-45 mn north and has no trouble with the commute and has the cutest apartment.
UDel has a gorgeous campus- congratulations!

cokohlik

Mar 26 2012 09:36 PM

There's an awesome mall on the other side of Philly called King of Prussia. Growing up we would drive ~2 hours to go to it, it is that good (its probably only 30 from Newark). Not sure if you can get public transit to go there but worthwhile after you move.And don't be afraid to look outside Newark/Wilmington for housing if you can- a friend getting his PhD at UDel lives 30-45 mn north and has no trouble with the commute and has the cutest apartment.UDel has a gorgeous campus- congratulations!

Thank you so much!

I'll definitely check out that mall though perhaps not during our initial visit in April.

We're hoping to live within walking distance to campus, but we'll be able to see how feasible this is once we visit. I don't drive at all because I never wanted to die in a car accident in LA (I've been in 2 totalled car accidents and been hit + run by a car), so walking distance is preferable but I'm sure everyone and their uncle wants walking distance

Hopefully my husband will be able to find a job in Newark, too, but if not, a 20 minute drive "down the street" to Wilmington wouldn't be that bad. I'm sure traffic is nothing like our beloved 405-South here in LA.

I'll be posting pictures from our trip! I feel like I need to share this whole process with you guys!

psychgurl

Mar 27 2012 06:16 PM

hahaha the alligator! perfect!

cokohlik

Mar 27 2012 06:53 PM

hahaha the alligator! perfect!

It's so much like me!! Ok, well not the big green scaly part, but the ebullient jumpy part is

amandab

Mar 28 2012 05:00 PM

Yes! Definitely read before you start! I wish I had more time to read for fun, but instead I'm barely having enough time to read my texts!

woohoolexiloo

Mar 28 2012 06:05 PM

Congrats on the admission to UDel! I'm going there too in the fall.

Finding an apartment in Newark/Wilmington for my boyfriend and I has been extremely stressful too, since he will be going to law school in Philly in the fall. I've heard and looked at the commute from the little cities north of Wilmington aren't truly that bad...and I wouldn't be too upset to take a commuter train instead of driving.

What program are you starting?

cokohlik

Mar 28 2012 07:36 PM

Congrats on the admission to UDel! I'm going there too in the fall.Finding an apartment in Newark/Wilmington for my boyfriend and I has been extremely stressful too, since he will be going to law school in Philly in the fall. I've heard and looked at the commute from the little cities north of Wilmington aren't truly that bad...and I wouldn't be too upset to take a commuter train instead of driving.What program are you starting?

Ack, sorry to hear that finding a place has been stressful.

The DGS of my dept told me that lots of grad students choose to live in Philly and commute in. That might not be such a bad option for you two, either. Philly is an awesome city with lots to do!

We're hoping it won't be that bad. He just needs a job but we live in LA so commuting isn't a problem since... this is the city of commuting and if we have to, we're used to it.

I'll be studying art history! You?

Karima

Apr 06 2012 03:49 PM

Hi!
Congratulations on you admission! I got accepted there as well, for a PhD in Disaster science and management. I still haven't figured out the housing issue as well.. it is a bit difficult for me since i'm not residing in the USA currently! So if you have any tips, I will be very thankful!!