Starting over in a new place....

[MadtownJacket]

What I don't understand is the assumption that if someone is single, they're living life "alone".  No, they're not.  Single people have family and friends that they're loved by, and some people are just happier being single.  Also, just because someone is in a relationship doesn't mean they don't feel alone.  And then of course there are those that are married and shouldn't be.

 

Regarding the original topic, you'll have to learn how to be patient.  I moved 1000 miles away from home for a job in a state that has subzero temperatures in the winter, something that I had never experienced before in my entire life.  It was a huge change, but I don't regret it.  One good thing about grad school is that you're not the only one that moved far away from home.  I'm sure it will be easy to meet others in the program or the school itself who are in the same situation and want to make new friends.

Edited December 29, 2013 by HopefulMHA

[LittleDarlings]

Perhaps you should read the comments this person has made on other topics. A person who lacks compassion for others should not become a social worker.

I'm sure that we have all read those comments.. I also explained myself after and I'm pretty sure ip apologized. I'm not going to apologize forever. It isn't about compassion, why did that situation warrant compassion? He was in a relationship and his girlfriend was pregnant.. There is not sad about that so I don't see why it deserved compassion? Even empathy? I mean I don't know I have never been pregnant or in a long term relationship but I'm sure if I was I certainly wouldn't be complaining.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

What I don't understand is the assumption that if someone is single, they're living life "alone".  No, they're not.  Single people have family and friends that they're loved by, and some people are just happier being single.  Also, just because someone is in a relationship doesn't mean they don't feel alone.  And then of course there are those that are married and shouldn't be.

 

Regarding the original topic, you'll have to learn how to be patient.  I moved 1000 miles away from home for a job in a state that has subzero temperatures in the winter, something that I had never experienced before in my entire life.  It was a huge change, but I don't regret it.  One good thing about grad school is that you're not the only one that moved far away from home.  I'm sure it will be easy to meet others in the program or the school itself who are in the same situation and want to make new friends.

I think it means, since adults typically live on their own (or with some stranger roommate), they literally do live alone if they don't have a significant other. You usually don't live with your friends, and most adults (after a certain age) don't live with their family. I think "alone" has more of a literal meaning. That's just my opinion. 

[LittleDarlings]

What I don't understand is the assumption that if someone is single, they're living life "alone". No, they're not. Single people have family and friends that they're loved by, and some people are just happier being single. Also, just because someone is in a relationship doesn't mean they don't feel alone. And then of course there are those that are married and shouldn't be.

Regarding the original topic, you'll have to learn how to be patient. I moved 1000 miles away from home for a job in a state that has subzero temperatures in the winter, something that I had never experienced before in my entire life. It was a huge change, but I don't regret it. One good thing about grad school is that you're not the only one that moved far away from home. I'm sure it will be easy to meet others in the program or the school itself who are in the same situation and want to make new friends.

I don't view all single people as lonely I guess. I mean I mentioned an aunt who is in her 50s and single and I went out with her recently and she has a ton of friends she goes to these bars and plays cards and I mean she knows everyone! That's awesome but I personally know how I feel being single at the moment and it sucks. It's a death sentence to me. Then seeing everyone else around me getting pregnant or engaged, I just found out another girl I graduated HS with is pregnant by her fiance. I mean I have family and friends but it's not enough, they can't provide that love and other stuff that a significant other can. I love that feeling of being wanted and it makes me feel confident and good knowing that I am in a relationship, someone actually wants to be with me and spend their time with me and they think I'm pretty or funny or whatever I love that. I need that. I also just like regular sex... Just being honest.

Anyways I can't see myself staying in this area no matter what so if I don't go to grad school I think I am going to try to move out of state and find a job. Either way I guess I have to make new friends and I think I can do that. I'm friendly.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I don't view all single people as lonely I guess. I mean I mentioned an aunt who is in her 50s and single and I went out with her recently and she has a ton of friends she goes to these bars and plays cards and I mean she knows everyone! That's awesome but I personally know how I feel being single at the moment and it sucks. It's a death sentence to me. Then seeing everyone else around me getting pregnant or engaged, I just found out another girl I graduated HS with is pregnant by her fiance. I mean I have family and friends but it's not enough, they can't provide that love and other stuff that a significant other can. I love that feeling of being wanted and it makes me feel confident and good knowing that I am in a relationship, someone actually wants to be with me and spend their time with me and they think I'm pretty or funny or whatever I love that. I need that. I also just like regular sex... Just being honest.

Anyways I can't see myself staying in this area no matter what so if I don't go to grad school I think I am going to try to move out of state and find a job. Either way I guess I have to make new friends and I think I can do that. I'm friendly.

I don't know why everyone is making some big thing out of the word lonely. I think anyone who lives alone gets lonely. The thing is, there's some people who enjoy that loneliness. It doesn't matter how many friends or family members you have--if you live by yourself, you're going to have times when you get lonely. If you live with a significant other, they're ALWAYS gonna be around. Some people like always having their significant other around. Some people hate it. 

[Loric]

Loneliness has a negative connotation and really is seem as meaning "the desire to not be alone."  Alone is alone. Lonely and loneliness are the desire to not be.

 

Regardless, pinkster is just codependent.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Loneliness has a negative connotation and really is seem as meaning "the desire to not be alone."  Alone is alone. Lonely and loneliness are the desire to not be.

 

Regardless, pinkster is just codependent.

I agree. There's an obvious difference between the meanings of lonely and alone. I don't know why I said lonely. What I meant to say was this: 

 

Pinkster says she doesn't want to "be alone," which is why she wants to find a husband. I think she literally means she doesn't want to be alone. People are making it seem like she means she doesn't want to be lonely. People are saying that a single person doesn't have to "be alone," but I disagree because most single adults literally do live alone. Pinskter wants a husband to come home to every day. 

[TakeruK]

I'd just like to step in and remind some of us that Pinkster/CorruptedInnocence is an adult and she has the right to attend grad school if she is accepted into a program and she also has the right to study social work if that is what interests her the most. I have always believed that people are capable of growth and change. If they weren't, then what would be the point of having psychologists, teachers, social workers, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, and the list goes on.

 

If everyone reflects on their lives and their mentality 5, 10, or 15 years ago, I am sure that you will find a lot of personal growth and change in your own lives.

 

I strongly agree with this sentiment! And I have read all of the comments that Pinkster/CorruptedInnonence has written. Some of them are, in my opinion, narrowminded and lacking in compassion, but that does not mean that she will be this way forever. This is why social workers are not just magically created right? There is a training program, as jenste pointed out, and certifications one will have to go through to become a social worker. People learn and evolve over time. I have taught Physics to pre-med students and sometimes they solve a problem for e.g. blood flow rate and get an answer like 1000km/s. I would usually expect the student to look at this answer and realise that 1000km/s is a ridiculously fast rate, even if they are not a physics major. But many of them think it's perfectly fine and I don't say "Well, I hope you are never going to be a doctor because you don't have physical intuition!!". So while it's valid for people to have the opinion that they would not want Pinkster/CorruptedInnonence to be their personal social worker, I don't think any of us here on this board is qualified to advise her to not even try to be a social worker. She has every right to do so, and even the right to go into a social work program and quit halfway through to marry someone else. Or even go through the entire program and choose not to practice in the end because she is happily married and prefers to stay at home with her new family. We all have the right to say what we please of course, but I think it would be very irresponsible of this community to play "gatekeeper" to career paths.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

We all have the right to say what we please of course, but I think it would be very irresponsible of this community to play "gatekeeper" to career paths.

Tell that to Sigaba. He's threatening to tell my prospective schools that some guy on the internet is attracted to college freshmen. 

[rising_star]

Like I said numerous times I am not going to school solely to find a husband, it would be ideal for it to happen while in school though since I will be around more people than I will be in my usual life. You can say what you want but I'm going back to school for social work whether it is this Fall or the following or the following (god forbid). It is happening.

 

I think the assumption that you'll meet (or be around) more people in school than you would otherwise to be faulty. If you got a job, you might actually be exposed to more people, which could actually make it easier for you to find a spouse. When I was working, I would often go hang out with a coworker or two and their group of friends, which made it pretty easy to meet new people. Because lots of people move for grad school, they often don't have a pre-existing network of friends that you could meet through them, at least not at first. So, actually, working could help. And, if you were to do a program like AmeriCorps, you'd have the opportunity to meet other AmeriCorps volunteers in your same town/city but not volunteering at the same site, which again, could expand the opportunities available to you to meet people. Have you checked job boards like indeed.com or idealist.org to try to find work that uses your skill set or matches your interests? If you're willing to move, I'd bet you could find something, even with just your BA. Even if it's temporary, a trial period of living on your own for a few months now before you have to juggle living on your own + school could be very beneficial to you.

 

Also, I can't find the quotation, but I don't know why people think adults can't live with their friends. I have lived with strangers as roommates who stayed strangers but also strangers who became friends. I met one of my roommates through a newspaper ad and we got along so well that people couldn't believe we hadn't known each other for years. About 3 years after we stopped living together (I moved away), I flew across the country to go to her wedding because she wanted all of her close friends there, including me. I mean, I've also had roommates that I would never speak to again voluntarily but there's no rule saying that you can't be or become friends with your roommates. Especially when you're moving to a new place, getting a roommate from another department/program can be really beneficial in terms of helping you meet new people. That said, just having a roommate is not enough to prevent one from feeling lonely...

[LittleDarlings]

I think the assumption that you'll meet (or be around) more people in school than you would otherwise to be faulty. If you got a job, you might actually be exposed to more people, which could actually make it easier for you to find a spouse. When I was working, I would often go hang out with a coworker or two and their group of friends, which made it pretty easy to meet new people. Because lots of people move for grad school, they often don't have a pre-existing network of friends that you could meet through them, at least not at first. So, actually, working could help. And, if you were to do a program like AmeriCorps, you'd have the opportunity to meet other AmeriCorps volunteers in your same town/city but not volunteering at the same site, which again, could expand the opportunities available to you to meet people. Have you checked job boards like indeed.com or idealist.org to try to find work that uses your skill set or matches your interests? If you're willing to move, I'd bet you could find something, even with just your BA. Even if it's temporary, a trial period of living on your own for a few months now before you have to juggle living on your own + school could be very beneficial to you.

Also, I can't find the quotation, but I don't know why people think adults can't live with their friends. I have lived with strangers as roommates who stayed strangers but also strangers who became friends. I met one of my roommates through a newspaper ad and we got along so well that people couldn't believe we hadn't known each other for years. About 3 years after we stopped living together (I moved away), I flew across the country to go to her wedding because she wanted all of her close friends there, including me. I mean, I've also had roommates that I would never speak to again voluntarily but there's no rule saying that you can't be or become friends with your roommates. Especially when you're moving to a new place, getting a roommate from another department/program can be really beneficial in terms of helping you meet new people. That said, just having a roommate is not enough to prevent one from feeling lonely...

I job searched for a while but I couldn't find anything that wasn't commission based. Every opportunity I was called back for was some kind of pyramid scheme type work. I applied to a few places out of state, my fear with that is how will I have money to initially move? I just know I can't stay here longer. My life needs to actually start. I know that it's possible to meet someone doing anything, I could meet someone at Walmart tomorrow while I'm shopping I just need to actually do something with my life. I'm 23 not getting any younger.

[louise86]

Ok I have been accepted into a program already so I am going no matter what. In private practice which is my ultimate goal you do get to pick and research the person you go to. I know because in my time in counseling I did my research about who I would go to what their specialties were and everything else. So it is possible to research, that is what I meant. Ideally I won't work for a state agency, that isn't necessarily my goal. I already have one degree so computer science is not possible because I'm not going back to school for another undergrad degree, I don't like animals much so I won't be going that route. I am going to do exactly what I am doing now... Waiting for acceptances or rejections and if it falls through I will go find some work or volunteer work and then try again. I don't think I am this awful person or this super emotionally fragile person. I can handle this job. It's not wrong to desperately want a family and once I have it if will be even better. I mentioned my best friend is pregnant and as much as I dislike the situation I can't not be her friend. I just have to fake my emotions. I'm sure I can do that for this career, or be happy with my husband and family. I think if I'm accepted and go through a program I can figure my life out I can change or grow up and mature. I am just 23 and it isn't as if I don't WANT to change, or I'm not trying. I am still doing the therapy thing, I'm dating so I'm trying really hard to get to a happy place. It's too late now I applied and if I don't get accepted anywhere else I will figure my situation out.

 

Private practice may be your ultimate goal but you will not graduate and immediately start your own practice. You won't have the experience to do so. You'll probably end up in a mental health agency for quite some time before. There you will not be able to choose your clients. You will take the clients you are assigned. 

 

As someone who already works in the field, there is no "faking emotions". Clients know when you are judging, they know when you are looking down on them, and they know when you are not sincere.

 

I say this to help prepare you a bit more for what is coming. Since you are set on SW, I sincerely hope you are accepted into a program that will allow you to move away so you are able to become independent and grow as a person. 

Edited December 30, 2013 by louise86

[LittleDarlings]

Private practice may be your ultimate goal but you will not graduate and immediately start your own practice. You won't have the experience to do so. You'll probably end up in a mental health agency for quite some time before. There you will not be able to choose your clients. You will take the clients you are assigned. 

 

As someone who already works in the field, there is no "faking emotions". Clients know when you are judging, they know when you are looking down on them, and they know when you are not sincere.

 

I say this to help prepare you a bit more for what is coming. Since you are set on SW, I sincerely hope you are accepted into a program that will allow you to move away so you are able to become independent and grow as a person. 

Thank you. I think I can do this.  My therapist is kind of harsh sometimes, I questioned whether I liked her a lot because she made comments about my mom being kind of old to have young kids, and she kind of jokes a lot about stuff that is my life and i don't find funny but I laugh along with anyways.  In the end I like her she is nice, I have opened up to her more than any other person I have gone to in the past.  My point sometimes therapists are kind of rudish or annoying or whatever, I don't intend to be any of those but I think I can put my personal beliefs aside to help.  I hope by the time I finish the program whether it is in the Fall or at another point in time I will be less jealous and in more of a happy place. 

[Lisa44201]

Thank you. I think I can do this.  My therapist is kind of harsh sometimes, I questioned whether I liked her a lot because she made comments about my mom being kind of old to have young kids, and she kind of jokes a lot about stuff that is my life and i don't find funny but I laugh along with anyways.  In the end I like her she is nice, I have opened up to her more than any other person I have gone to in the past.  My point sometimes therapists are kind of rudish or annoying or whatever, I don't intend to be any of those but I think I can put my personal beliefs aside to help.  I hope by the time I finish the program whether it is in the Fall or at another point in time I will be less jealous and in more of a happy place. 

 

I wonder if you understand the difference between a therapist and a social worker; a social worker who sees clients in a private practice is not a therapist. You said something about getting set up in private practice so you could pick and choose your clients: what is your target population? What sort of problems do you think you'll be seeing as a social worker?

 

Please understand, I do think that getting out of your corner of the universe will be good for you. I'm not sure about social work, but hey, I'm not on the AdComm for a social work grad program.

 

The dichotomy with you is interesting. You alternately bemoan the town in which you live - no relationship prospects, no job prospects, etc. - then panic about what life might be like somewhere other than there. Interesting.

 

What do you do when you move away from your parents? You get a grip. You eat Kraft Mac & Cheese until you learn how to cook (or until you find a roommate who's a chef - true story, and 10 years later, we had kids & got married). You figure out laundry by (hint! hint!) reading the instructions on the inside cover of the washing machine. You don't look back.

 

I would also suggest you find a therapist in grad school.

[LittleDarlings]

I wonder if you understand the difference between a therapist and a social worker; a social worker who sees clients in a private practice is not a therapist. You said something about getting set up in private practice so you could pick and choose your clients: what is your target population? What sort of problems do you think you'll be seeing as a social worker?

 

Please understand, I do think that getting out of your corner of the universe will be good for you. I'm not sure about social work, but hey, I'm not on the AdComm for a social work grad program.

 

The dichotomy with you is interesting. You alternately bemoan the town in which you live - no relationship prospects, no job prospects, etc. - then panic about what life might be like somewhere other than there. Interesting.

 

What do you do when you move away from your parents? You get a grip. You eat Kraft Mac & Cheese until you learn how to cook (or until you find a roommate who's a chef - true story, and 10 years later, we had kids & got married). You figure out laundry by (hint! hint!) reading the instructions on the inside cover of the washing machine. You don't look back.

 

I would also suggest you find a therapist in grad school.

My therapist is a clinical social worker.  She got her degree at one of the schools I applied to.  I pretty much know the life story of my therapist, she is like a friend but I pay her to listen to all my problems and give me advice on how to handle them.  I figure if I worked in private practice I would work with all kinds of populations, mostly self-esteem issues, and personality disorders. I understand different people can fit into those categories.  I don't know what I will be faced with but I honesty think I can handle it. I have to put the jealousy behind me which is hard but I am in therapy, I will likely be in therapy when I go to school so I can work through this I think.  

 

I think I am just afraid. I have lived away from home so I know how to do some stuff (I can do laundry, the color sorting is kind of rough because my mom sorts each individual color), I can cook some foods. I mean I am not a totally helpless infant I assume.  I am just used to having someone do it for me.  It is weird because I say how I want to be a stay at home wife and mother and I have none of the qualities of someone who could handle that.  Anyways I can't imagine living here in this area longer, I just don't see my life progressing. I need my life to move on even if it isn't meeting someone and marrying them tomorrow I just need to be an adult. 

[rising_star]

I job searched for a while but I couldn't find anything that wasn't commission based. Every opportunity I was called back for was some kind of pyramid scheme type work. I applied to a few places out of state, my fear with that is how will I have money to initially move? I just know I can't stay here longer. My life needs to actually start. I know that it's possible to meet someone doing anything, I could meet someone at Walmart tomorrow while I'm shopping I just need to actually do something with my life. I'm 23 not getting any younger.

 

I guess I'm confused now. If you can afford to move for grad school, you can afford to move for a job. If you're counting on student loans to pay for the move, you should realize that you won't actually get the loan money until after classes start in the fall. You won't be able to get it before then. The way most people I know have done it is to either use their savings or, if there's no savings to tap, then to take out a 0% or low interest credit card and use that to pay for moving expenses. If the latter is the route you're going to take, you'll need to apply for the cards at least 8 weeks before you need to use them AND make a plan to repay before the low interest period ends. I'd recommend getting a card with 12-15 months of low or no interest as that will give you time to use some of your earnings each month to pay off the credit card slowly.

 

Also, if you're willing to move, I'm sure you can find more than commission-based work. There are lots of nonprofits hiring all the time, which is why I suggested Idealist.org as a place to look for jobs.

[LittleDarlings]

I guess I'm confused now. If you can afford to move for grad school, you can afford to move for a job. If you're counting on student loans to pay for the move, you should realize that you won't actually get the loan money until after classes start in the fall. You won't be able to get it before then. The way most people I know have done it is to either use their savings or, if there's no savings to tap, then to take out a 0% or low interest credit card and use that to pay for moving expenses. If the latter is the route you're going to take, you'll need to apply for the cards at least 8 weeks before you need to use them AND make a plan to repay before the low interest period ends. I'd recommend getting a card with 12-15 months of low or no interest as that will give you time to use some of your earnings each month to pay off the credit card slowly.

 

Also, if you're willing to move, I'm sure you can find more than commission-based work. There are lots of nonprofits hiring all the time, which is why I suggested Idealist.org as a place to look for jobs.

I actually did not think about that at all.  I saw with a few of the schools you can wait until your student loan is disbursed to pay for your apartment.  I do have 1 credit card that I could use, my money situation is complicated and I can't explain it.  I think if I really needed it my parents would help too.  

 

I guess I will know what I am going to do within the next few months. I have used indeed I don't know what idealist is but I can look it up 

Edited December 30, 2013 by CorruptedInnocence

[rising_star]

Sure, you can wait to pay for your apartment. But, how will you get to that apartment? What will you eat once you're there? What will you sleep on? Moving expenses are much more than just a security deposit and rent, there's a whole host of other expenses to consider as well. If your plan is to wait for student loan disbursement, I'm afraid you will be very, very hungry while you wait.

[LittleDarlings]

Sure, you can wait to pay for your apartment. But, how will you get to that apartment? What will you eat once you're there? What will you sleep on? Moving expenses are much more than just a security deposit and rent, there's a whole host of other expenses to consider as well. If your plan is to wait for student loan disbursement, I'm afraid you will be very, very hungry while you wait.

Never thought of that.

I do have a small income so I could put some money aside now, I think my parents would also be very helpful, even though I don't want to be dependent on them.

[TakeruK]

If you move for a job, you might be able to claim moving expenses as tax credit (http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc455.html). The tax you save from this credit might help offset (or even take care of) whatever interest you might have to pay on a loan for physically moving yourself / your stuff, and paying for rent, deposit, food, furniture, etc before you first get paid.

 

If you move for school, your school may offer extra loans that pay you up front. But this might only happen for funded programs (where they know you will get the money later to pay back the loan within a year). My school offered a 0% interest, no fees "startup loan" of $2500 paid out in September (school starts in October so our first pay period was not until the end of October), and we had about 2 years to pay it back.

[LittleDarlings]

If you move for a job, you might be able to claim moving expenses as tax credit (http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc455.html). The tax you save from this credit might help offset (or even take care of) whatever interest you might have to pay on a loan for physically moving yourself / your stuff, and paying for rent, deposit, food, furniture, etc before you first get paid.

 

If you move for school, your school may offer extra loans that pay you up front. But this might only happen for funded programs (where they know you will get the money later to pay back the loan within a year). My school offered a 0% interest, no fees "startup loan" of $2500 paid out in September (school starts in October so our first pay period was not until the end of October), and we had about 2 years to pay it back.

Thank you it is good to know that even if grad school doesn't happen immediately there are ways I can find work out of this area and move.  It is still my goal to go to grad school but if it doesn't happen next year I can still progress my life. 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I've never heard of paying for an apartment after classes start. Maybe if it's a school-run apartment, but then it would probably be much more expensive than a non-school-run apartment. For example, I knew people who were sharing a little 10x10 ft dorm room for like $1200 per month per person. Then I knew people who were sharing a spacious house off campus for like $600 per month per person (and they got their own room). It's always cheaper to go on Craigslist and find your own place. But either way, it's expensive to make a move. You need a one-way plane ticket, which could be anywhere from $200-400. You need to pay for the place, which is usually first, last and security, and that can be $1500-2000. You need to get by for a month or so before your financial aid refund and student loans are deposited into your account. That means food, gas, hanging out money, etc, and that can vary depending on how long you have to wait and what kind of lifestyle you want to lead. Let's just say you go cheap and only spend $200-300. Add it all together and you need between $1900 and $2700 to make the move. And this is all out of your own pocket before your financial aid, student loans and departmental funding comes in. 

[LittleDarlings]

I've never heard of paying for an apartment after classes start. Maybe if it's a school-run apartment, but then it would probably be much more expensive than a non-school-run apartment. For example, I knew people who were sharing a little 10x10 ft dorm room for like $1200 per month per person. Then I knew people who were sharing a spacious house off campus for like $600 per month per person (and they got their own room). It's always cheaper to go on Craigslist and find your own place. But either way, it's expensive to make a move. You need a one-way plane ticket, which could be anywhere from $200-400. You need to pay for the place, which is usually first, last and security, and that can be $1500-2000. You need to get by for a month or so before your financial aid refund and student loans are deposited into your account. That means food, gas, hanging out money, etc, and that can vary depending on how long you have to wait and what kind of lifestyle you want to lead. Let's just say you go cheap and only spend $200-300. Add it all together and you need between $1900 and $2700 to make the move. And this is all out of your own pocket before your financial aid, student loans and departmental funding comes in. 

I'm getting freaked out, I don't have that.  How am I going to do this? 

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I'm getting freaked out, I don't have that.  How am I going to do this? 

I don't know, but you should have known that it wouldn't be free to move across country and settle down in your own place. You have to pay rent to live anywhere in America unless you're homeless. Depending on what city you'll be moving to, rent can vary. If it's a big city like New York, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, it's very hard to find anything for cheaper than $1000 a month. If it's a small town you can probably find something for $500 a month. Most places are somewhere in between those two prices. Most mid-size cities where universities are located, the lowest possible places you'll find are $600 to $800 a month. And I'm talking about Craigslist prices. This means you'll have to be willing in living in a less than ideal environment. Now, you have to try to find a place that has the lowest possible down payment. Most respectable places require first month, last month, plus security. I don't know if I've ever seen a place that only required the month up front. You might find something that only requires the month up front plus a rather cheap security deposit (like $200 to $400). 

 

Okay, so now you're moved in. Well, how are you gonna get there? Plane, bus, car, etc. I have a friend who finds me cheap plane tickets because he's good at navigating all those "name your price" websites. But if you're not so savvy, you can overpay on plane tickets. It could be cheaper depending on how far you're traveling and what time of year it is. So, now you've gotten your plane ticket, you paid for your apartment. Now how are you gonna get to school for the first month until your money arrives? Do you have a car? Then you have to pay for gas. Are you paying $5-6 a day on bus fare? Are you going cheap and walking or riding your bike? That's if you found a place close to school. Finding a cheap place on Craigslist usually gives you an inconvenient location. Okay, so you found a way to get to school every day. Now what are you gonna eat? You get my point. 

[louise86]

You just have to make smart decisions when you move. It's a lot cheaper to find someone who is in need of a roommate and already has a place than to go looking for your own place to rent. You might even be able to find an already furnished bedroom. Choose a school that is a reasonable driving distance so you can drive yourself, if you have a vehicle, or your parents wouldn't mind to take you - 8 hours or so? Choose a city that has a lower cost of living. You eat very cheaply in the beginning - ramen noodles, rice, etc. Perhaps your parents will even buy you some starter groceries before they return home.    

 

CorruptedInnocence, how many miles away is the furthest school you applied to?