Feeling a little overwhelmed about moving/relocating

[Meghanlodon]

I got into my first choice program for Archiving and Records Management and have met with my advisor. I'm excited to start grad school but until orientation (which apparently like, a day or two before classes start) I don't know what I need to do to prepare myself, particularly in regards to my living situation. I was living with family during undergrad (so no dorm situation) and have moved back in with my parents (who are in the same state as the grad school but too far to commute) I have about $1400 saved up for whatever living situation I may find myself in and am attending grad school on loans (I will be applying to teaching positions and grants once I'm better established in the program, and I'm the first alternate for a scholarship though I don't know how much it would cover.) My question is, what should I do for housing during grad school? I have emailed the campus housing for ideas but they haven't gotten back to me, and while dorms could be cheaper in the long run they aren't open year round. I'm a failure as an adult who has never had to find a place for myself (and am of course, slightly terrified), but I'm cool with the idea of getting roommates and having another bus commute if needed.

I've looked up the craigslist listings in the area, and the average seems to be 450-1000 (Bellingham, WA if anyone is familiar), many of them including amenities. Classes don't begin until september and my loan disbursement isn't until July-August, so I have an opportunity to work and save more money to help cushion myself for when school starts. Is getting a part-time job while living with my parents a good idea, or would I need to situated near school as soon as possible?

Sorry for the stream of conscious post, this has keeping me up and I'm hoping to get all my ducks in a row as best as I can before I head into grad school.

[fuzzylogician]

Everyone moves away from home for the first time at some point in their lives and not knowing what to do doesn't make you a failure. Moving to a new city always comes with a variety of non-fun chores that need to be taken care of and no one enjoys it or looks forward to it. So one thing you can get started with is reading up on what will need to happen. A good place to start might actually by the international students subforum here, where you can find lots of detailed advice for students who've never been to the States about how to go about starting a life in a new and unfamiliar location. I'd bet the majority of the advice will apply to you as well: finding an apartment (possibly from afar), setting up a local bank account, setting up utilities, buying groceries and household items, getting a local driver's license, getting settled at your new school, finding a local doctor/dentist/hair stylist, etc. 

More concretely, one thing to do is to write current students in your new department to ask for their advice on housing. Ask where students tend to live (what neighborhoods they live in, if they choose the dorms or off-campus housing), if they tend to have roommates, and what a reasonable price-range might be. Ask what time leases tend to start, if there is such a date (it often varies by city. E.g. in my current city it's July 1, in the previous one it was September 1), and around when is usually the best time to look for an apartment (again some markets are very fast and some are slower, so it might be anywhere from a few weeks before you'd want to move in to 3-4 months in advance). You might also ask if anyone is looking for a roommate or knows of an apartment that is going to become available (e.g. ones that used to belong to graduating students) -- that could save you a lot of headaches. 

Then you can read up on utility companies to know what's available. Cable/internet can often take a long time to set up, so once you have a lease you can try to schedule the technician some time ahead of when you move so you're not left hanging for too long. Figure out how to get electricity/gas/etc in your name. If you're going to buy furniture, learn about the local options. Learn about the bus system. 

At the end of the day you'll get there and there will be lots of new and unfamiliar things to deal with, even if you know they are coming. Just have faith that a lot of people have done it before, and just like them, you'll figure it out and it'll be alright. 

 

Edit: see the links in the post here. There's more, search for things like "moving advice" and similar. 

 

Edited April 15, 2016 by fuzzylogician

[Need Coffee in an IV]

I'm feeling overwhelm too, so at least you aren't alone! I've lived with my boyfriend and I'm still stressed about moving, we are moving from Virginia to Texas. It doesn't matter how many times you do it, its always going to suck a little . I also am nervous about what is expected of me and still waiting for details on registration, putting down a deposit, etc. Thats awesome you are going into archives!

[Citizen of Night Vale]

Congratulations on getting into your top choice!

Regarding moving, you're definitely not alone! I'm very overwhelmed as well. I'll be moving from Chicago to Texas with my boyfriend and two cats. The semester starts at the end of August so I hope to move down there at the end of July/beginning of August. This move will be significantly more stressful than my move to Chicago (I just loaded up my car and moved my stuff into my bf's apartment). This move is my first one that involves me finding an apartment and hiring movers or driving a moving truck. I think you're in a better position than @Need Coffee in an IV and I in terms of moving, since you're already in the same state as your program. I'll be travelling down to Texas in the beginning of June and hope to find an apartment I like in two days using an apartment locator service. Since you live in the same state your program is in, it may be a lot easier for you to visit your new city and check out apartments. Depending on how far of a drive you are from your new city and if you have a car, you could probably do it over a few visits if you need to. Also, since you're with your parents, you probably don't need to move as much stuff in the initial move and can move gradually. I currently work full time and will be working basically until right before I move because I can use the money. If you have free time, working a part time job to save up some money will definitely help you with moving and may make your move less stressful! 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Citizen of Night Vale

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@Citizen of Night Vale Yeah its going to be a pain. We decided we were going to store small things at my parents house in my old room and just sell/give away the rest. We are still in craigslist furniture so it would be more expensive than its worth. I also got lucky since my mom offered up her points (she travels for work) and we can stay in a hotel for 2 weeks while we look. Where are you moving too? @Meghanlodon Its going to suck but it wont be so bad afterwards! Btw definitely check out the craigslist postings in person before you sign. Pictures can be misleading. Also a good trick is to put in the address into google earth and see how the neighborhood looks. You can definitely get an idea of the neighborhood that way.

[Meghanlodon]

1 minute ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

@Citizen of Night Vale Yeah its going to be a pain. We decided we were going to store small things at my parents house in my old room and just sell/give away the rest. We are still in craigslist furniture so it would be more expensive than its worth. I also got lucky since my mom offered up her points (she travels for work) and we can stay in a hotel for 2 weeks while we look. Where are you moving too? @Meghanlodon Its going to suck but it wont be so bad afterwards! Btw definitely check out the craigslist postings in person before you sign. Pictures can be misleading. Also a good trick is to put in the address into google earth and see how the neighborhood looks. You can definitely get an idea of the neighborhood that way.

Thanks for the tip! Fortunately my parents have moved within the last year and have a bunch of extra crap laying in storage I can use. I think my biggest fear is not having enough cash overall and having to back out of the program, move back in with my folks and start back at square 1. That fear is probably pretty common though.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@Meghanlodon Yay free boxes! And yeah money concerns are very common. From what I can tell you should be fine, you seem like a reasonable person! Maybe try to get a roommate? That would definitely help with the cost and I'm sure there are another people in similar situations (maybe someone in your program?) Since you aren't moving states away, a part time job would be a good idea.

[Meghanlodon]

I'll likely be looking for a 1-2 roommate situation (seems better to me than an expensive dorm/1 br plus I'd like the company.) I've already gotten at least one callback from a job I applied to, and even found a listing in a local county library (not expecting to get it but that would be a real boon, getting some experience before the program starts.) As for more boxes, I'm telling them to save their boxes from their costco trips/amazon orders. Actually, when I used to work fast food we'd sometimes give people boxes that product came in if they were requested (they'd be thrown out otherwise.) If anyone else is looking for boxes, McDonalds could help out!

[Citizen of Night Vale]

@Need Coffee in an IV I'll be heading to Dallas. What about you?

@Meghanlodon If you need free moving boxes, you could also probably try craigslist or everyblock to see if anyone in your area recently moved and needs to get rid of boxes. Worrying about money during grad school seems very common, especially for masters program. You still have a few months before the fall semester starts, so thinking about how you can lower your cost of living and potentially working before you start will definitely make the first semester of grad school less stressful. Have you thought about selling your stuff? I've been posting stuff online to try to minimize what I'm moving with me. I don't make much but the extra cash is nice every now and then.

[Meghanlodon]

1 minute ago, Citizen of Night Vale said:

@Need Coffee in an IV I'll be heading to Dallas. What about you?

@Meghanlodon If you need free moving boxes, you could also probably try craigslist or everyblock to see if anyone in your area recently moved and needs to get rid of boxes. Worrying about money during grad school seems very common, especially for masters program. You still have a few months before the fall semester starts, so thinking about how you can lower your cost of living and potentially working before you start will definitely make the first semester of grad school less stressful. Have you thought about selling your stuff? I've been posting stuff online to try to minimize what I'm moving with me. I don't make much but the extra cash is nice every now and then.

I have a crap ton of books in storage that I've been meaning to go through. They may not be worth all that much but hopefully I'll get enough for a single textbook, lol.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@Citizen of Night Vale I'm heading to Lubbock. if you like museums the perot museum of nature and science is pretty cool! @Meghanlodon Try selling and buying books off amazon, its much cheaper than buying them through a bookstore.

[Meghanlodon]

Just now, Need Coffee in an IV said:

@Citizen of Night Vale I'm heading to Lubbock. if you like museums the perot museum of nature and science is pretty cool! @Meghanlodon Try selling and buying books off amazon, its much cheaper than buying them through a bookstore.

I buy my books off of amazon and abebooks.com whenever possible, though I've never sold any. I was thinking of going to a half-price books and seeing what they'd give me for them.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

2 minutes ago, Meghanlodon said:

I buy my books off of amazon and abebooks.com whenever possible, though I've never sold any. I was thinking of going to a half-price books and seeing what they'd give me for them.

I've sold all my textbooks backed after I used them and I usually break even or make a little money. Too bad it seems like school books are insanely expensive because they can get away with it.

[shadowclaw]

If anyone is looking for a good sturdy moving box, ask grocery stores for banana boxes. They do have a hole in the top and bottom, but they usually have a thin cardboard layer on the bottom to keep anything small from falling through . Then just stick a piece of newspaper on top before you close the box to keep dust and dirt out. They stack really well (we packed a relocube with a ton of them - stacked them to the top of the cube which was something like 11 feet tall, and they held up great, even though there were some so heavy I could barely lift them). You might have to visit a few stores, though. Sometimes they're out, sometimes the teenagers don't know if they're allowed to give away the boxes.

My advice for moving long-distance: if you're going to rent from afar (and not visit in person to apartment hunt), start early. I had a hard time finding a place because of two things. 1) the two biggest apartment management companies required me to see the apartment before I could apply for it, which didn't work. So that really cut back on the number of apartments I could consider. 2) all of the regular people renting out places (that weren't affiliated with a management company) were really weird about renting to someone who lived across the country. I received lots of replies that said, "sorry we only want to rent to local people" or "I'm uncomfortable renting to someone who is far away. Call me when you move here and maybe something will be available." I finally found a place that didn't care but the security deposit was obscene ($2300) and the rent was about $200 more than I wanted to pay. Utilities also weren't included, not even water/sewer which is fairly common to include back in my home state. I found out why - the water/sewer bill has about $75 of flat charges each month before the actual charges for water use are added. My necessary utilities (water/sewer, garbage, electric, natural gas) run me almost $200. On the plus side, I do have a garage and a small yard. If I can find a good apartment for less once my lease is up, I'll probably move. I'm not even in the same town as my school - it would be really nice to walk, bike, or take the bus to class instead of driving 20+ minutes (plus wasting time to find a parking spot and ride the bus up to the buildings where classes are held).

[Cat_Robutt]

I second @shadowclaw's advice on starting early! If the property owner/management is open to the idea, trying Skyping or FaceTiming in; it can create a sense of physical proximity and allow all parties to "meet" each other, so to speak, and view the property––that is how I landed our new place in Pennsylvania while still living in Los Angeles. I had to make a lot of calls and send a lot of emails, but it ultimately worked out.

Also, as far as nervousness is concerned: it's natural! You're not alone! That doesn't make it better, of course, but it can be helpful just knowing other people are in this same rocky boat as you, and that we all hope to make it all right. If you ever need encouragement, or feel stressed but don't want to talk to someone irl, there's always thegradcafe.

[rising_star]

I would also get in touch with current grad students to get their advice about the housing situation. You may find that they have landlords or management companies which they can either highly recommend or steer you away from. You might even be able to find someone willing to tour places for you, if you're lucky.