As August began approaching, I could not tell if I was nervous or excited. I am not usually one to get nervous right before classes start, but this time was different. This time, I was not only starting graduate school, but I was starting graduate school 588 miles away from home. I am from a small town on the east side of Michigan and went to undergraduate school only two hours away from home. So coming hundreds of miles away for grad school was something very unfamiliar to me. Besides that I am from a small town, and I couldn’t help but question if the transition to life in the city was going to be challenging. Michigan is surrounded by water on three sides, and there is not much city life where I am from, so moving to D.C. was going to be an unfamiliar task. Luckily, I do love a challenge, so I was excited to see what was to come.

Before moving to the DMV area, I had only been two times throughout my life, so I was not quite sure what to expect, beyond what you see on T.V. I met my roommates through the GW roommate housing search (thank goodness for this website, it can be found here) but never met them in person prior to moving in. I did not know anyone who lived in the DMV, nor did I have any idea of where to live. I felt like I was behind in finding a place to live since all throughout undergrad I knew who I was going to be living with and where I was going to be living. You could say that I was a bit overwhelmed. 

Being from a small town and never having lived in a place like D.C., I was unsure of how everything was going to work exactly. I had hundreds of questions… Should I bring my car? How do I take the metro? Will I need to take the metro? Where will I get groceries? Will I get along with my roommates? Will I like my apartment? Hundreds of questions that I was unsure of the answer to. Where I am from, we did not have public transportation, so that was completely unfamiliar to me. I was used to having to drive myself everywhere instead of having the option of taking public transport. As my mind began to spiral into all that was uncertain, I felt a sense of relief after doing some research. George Washington has a website that is dedicated to admitted students, giving you all the basic information and providing the next necessary steps in the process, the website can be found here. I also learned that GW has a partnership with the metro, which makes taking the metro so much easier and so much more affordable. Click here for more information!

After taking a step back and leaning into all of the resources that I was given, I was able to ease my nerves and look at moving to a big city with confidence. I was eager to jump into life in the city and get acclimated to what my new life was going to be like. You may wonder if I was 100% confident I knew what my life would be like, or if I was going to like it. Heck no! I questioned it every single day. However, I have now been in the DMV for over two weeks, and I can confidently say that I love it here. Coming to GW was one of the biggest and best decisions I have ever made. Being unsure and nervous is completely normal when you are taking new steps in your life, especially when it may be out of your comfort zone. My best piece of advice is to lean into the experience as much as you can, feel your nerves, and embrace the changes that will leave a lasting impact on your life.