Confessions of a grad student 3: Worth the price

(Part 3 in a series)

By Catlin Green

My acceptance to graduate school meant another year and a half of freedom. And it has been…sort of. I knew grad school would be different from college, but I didn’t know just how much of an adult I would be required to become.

One of the first things that came in the mail after my acceptance letter was my financial aid package. That was the moment I realized how much my year and a half of freedom was going to cost me. And that was just for tuition and student fees!

I knew Emerson didn’t provide graduate housing, as most schools don’t provide housing for graduate students, but I didn’t realize the headache that would follow trying to find a place to live. Boston is not cheap, and with six out of every 10 people being students, you can imagine how competitive the housing market is.

If you’re looking to find an apartment, roommates, or both, go onto your school’s websites. Especially if it’s located in a city, there will be a portion of the website devoted to roommate and vacant apartment listings.

My apartment was listed on the Emerson website and finding roommates wasn’t bad. Two of my best friends from college were moving to Boston, and we pulled in a fourth to help with the rent. But rent wasn’t the only monthly bill. Along with the apartment came utilities, groceries, cable, not to mention actually having to clean the apartment once a week.

As I sat trying to figure out just how much this endeavor was going to cost, I didn’t even realize what “living” in Boston would mean. With all the great restaurants, bars, and museums, Boston is a playground for young adults. But everything’s more expensive or costs something in the city, and I mean EVERYTHING! Without a car, I had to pay for an unlimited monthly subway pass. And how was I supposed to support this glamorous lifestyle I wanted? Loans? A full-time job? I didn’t want to be paying the government back until the day I died, but I also didn’t want to compromise my education by working 40+ hours a week. So I got an internship, and I got an internship that paid. Not only would it look good on my resume, but I had the flexibility to set my hours and get experience in a field I was interested in.

Going to graduate school in Boston isn’t so easy at times. School is school, simple as that. It’s just as demanding as undergrad was, but you’re surrounded by a diverse group of people which makes it challenging and worthwhile. The unexpected expenses, not having a car, and noise are just some of the frustrations that you learn to live with.

Sure, I could be going to school in-state for about half the price and living at home to save some cash, but I wouldn’t be getting the life experience that living in Boston is providing me. While it’s the kind of freedom I never expected to have a year ago, it’s the kind of freedom that has forced me to grow and learn in ways I never thought possible.