Hello Through the Porthole readers! In this article some of the TTP crew share their experiences moving when starting grad school. The move to grad school is often overshadowed by the starting of grad school itself, and unexpected challenges can come up for many grad students in that first year. We share some of the unique experiences we faced and offer some advice on how we managed our moves.
Marc Foster
Grad school is hard in many ways and one of the unique challenges in that first year is getting used to a new place. Often for graduate school we are traveling far from where we have grown to feel comfortable. It is easy to feel lonely in that first year, letting stress of expectation in classes or research be compounded by feelings of displacement. Before coming to WHOI I did a masters at University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. I was excited to go to Eugene because it is known as Tracktown USA and running has been a big part of my life since high school. Unfortunately upon getting to Eugene, I found out I had formed a small crack in my shin that forced me into a boot and onto crutches. Starting grad school in this way, without having my go-to stress relief, and one of the big reasons I was excited about the town I was moving to was tough. Those first couple of months I felt like I could do little to improve my situation. There were a couple things that saved me from succumbing to the stress of that first year. First, I had decided to live with other grad students. This helped me feel less alone in my move and struggles I was experiencing. Moving in with other people who are in grad school can be an extremely helpful thing in your first year. It can help you create a support network, and help you to meet others in your program or the school that you may not have met otherwise. Living with others is not always easy, but, for at least that first year, can give you a bit of a grounding before you start setting your roots down. Another thing that helped was that I decided to try something new. To replace my need for exercise, I started up swimming. I joined a club swim team at the university and started training and working towards goals with them. It was a great way of meeting people and allowed me to have some other tangible milestones to focus on outside of school. Having these things for myself was extremely important for me in making it through that first year. The main lesson I learned from that time is that you have to take time for yourself to do the things that you have grown to rely on to feel fulfilled. In essence make sure to find the things that will fill your cup because it can quickly become empty when you are dealing with all the change that comes with starting grad school.
Ciara Dooley
When I made the decision to go to graduate school in Massachusetts, I knew it was going to be a big change for me. I was born in San Diego, CA and spent most of my childhood and all my adult life living there. Of the five programs I applied to, the MIT-WHOI Joint Program was the only one NOT on the west coast. After visiting campuses, meeting my potential advisors, and connecting with current students, I knew this program was the right place for me. The question remained – how do I move 3000 miles with my dog and cat to a state where I don’t know anyone? Graduate housing did not permit pets, and to make matters more complicated, I needed to spend my first summer in Woods Hole and then move two hours away to Cambridge when classes started in the fall.
After many weeks of searching rental listings, I found a room in a house share (sight-unseen on craigslist) that would let me bring my dog. I made the tough decision to leave my cat in the care of my previous roommates for three months until I had a more permanent lease. I packed everything I owned into my car and road tripped across the US to arrive at a house very different from the pictures I had been sent. The place was filthy, had no internet, and I learned a hard lesson about how you should probably google the names of strangers before you move in with them. As I soon discovered, the woman I was living with had previously been charged with animal cruelty due to leaving her dog unattended for over 6 hours in a car with rotting food and a container of antifreeze. The good news was that WHOI community welcomed me with open arms. My fellow students let me cook in their kitchens, I was able to bring my dog to campus with me, and I would spend free time in the student center. I quickly found new friends to be roommates in the fall, and after about a month found an alternative (much more welcoming) living situation for the rest of the summer. My cat and I were re-united as planned and have remained together since.
In retrospect, I wish I had reached out to current students to find a room via word of mouth before moving, instead of risking it on a random internet rental. Graduate students understand how difficult it can be to find a new home in an unfamiliar place on a tight budget, and my experience after arriving showed me that other students were more than happy to help. In an ideal universe, graduate housing would be more affordable and welcoming to students arriving with partners, children, and pets, but until then it’s OK to lean on one another to find the homes we need.
Noah Germolus
As the guy that others think of as a forager, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that I tend to enjoy my own backyard and put down roots where I am. After only four years in Minneapolis, moving to Boston felt like becoming a ghost. I was there, and I even made friends, but all of what I hung my identity upon–bands I was in, spaces I was comfortable with, the complex and loving social network I saw on a daily basis–it was all gone. I had to build my identity from the ground up, which may have been a relief if I’d burned some bridges. I hadn’t; I’d built a home for myself and vacated it. All things come with time, but balancing the new norms of life as a grad student in the Joint Program while trying to find the people and activities that would bring happiness and meaning…it was a lot. I’m still working on it. What’s to be taken from that? Find your people. Seek out the things that you know you want to keep doing (example: being in a rock band) and the people you can do them with. And if those things aren’t an option (example: being in a jazz big band in Woods Hole) or you’re just looking for new and intriguing things, ask around for people to teach you–or to try them with you! I wasn’t digging for clams in Minnesota, but now I have a few friends who like to do that on weekends.
Chloe Dean
Moving for graduate school was, and continues to be, one of the most challenging transitions I’ve made in my life. My partner, cat and I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime when we packed up our minivan and drove over 3000 miles to move from Southern Oregon to Cape Cod. The task of moving was complicated by the fact that my partner had to return to his job in Oregon for a few months, and although I got to keep our cat, I wasn’t prepared for the deep loneliness that came from a cross-country relationship. Being on my own for the first time in 7 years, I found it difficult to acclimate to the three-hour time difference, dramatic change in scenery (and weather), and new cultural norms of the East Coast. Thankfully, I moved into a house with three senior Joint Program students, who have provided a sense of community, friendship and support throughout my transition. Now, as I approach the end of my first year in grad school, I am finding it easier to embrace the difficulty of living in a new place and all that comes with it. I am slowly making new friends and building my community, exploring new and exciting places, and, bit by bit, am feeling more at home on the East Coast.
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