I am not currently in this position, but I had a question that I did not find when I searched. I notice many people apply in a wide range of locations for their internships. Based on some of the stipends I see how does one manage to relocate (and survive)? I was wondering should I place preference on states where I have family/close friends for potential housing support? I am fairly uninformed in this area, so I thought I'd ask beforehand. Thanks 🙂
Relocating Internship Year
- Thread starter psydtobe
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I can't speak for other people, but next year I'm planning on supplementing my stipend with loans. Out the ten sites where I interviewed, interns reported that they could afford to live on their stipends at only three of those sites (and one of those sites was in Canada, where the stipends are generally higher). A fair number of interns have spouses/partners who contribute to their support.
ETA: One variable that seems to be associated with not matching is restricting oneself geographically. However, if you cast a wide net with your internship applications, but express your geographic preferences in your rankings, you could avoid this pitfall.
ETA: One variable that seems to be associated with not matching is restricting oneself geographically. However, if you cast a wide net with your internship applications, but express your geographic preferences in your rankings, you could avoid this pitfall.
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This definitely can vary from site to site. In my personal experience, at only one of the sites at which I interviewed did the interns say they were unable to live solely on their stipend. Interns at other sites said they chose to take out additional loans to meet an increased standard of living, but that they definitely could have survived on their stipend alone. However, I applied mostly to sites in the southeastern and southwestern U.S., where the cost of living tends to be a bit lower than in areas such as LA or NYC.
Outside of spousal or family/parental support, loans would likely be your only option if you needed additional money.
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Really? I'm surprised by this. Everyone has their own standard of living they are willing to take on, but I would think that it would be relatively easy to live off an internship stipend as long as you're only supporting yourself. Sure, it will be harder in some locations than in others, but I lived on 11K/year in Philly just fine without loans or other financial support. It may take some creativity and sacrifice, but it is definitely doable.
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Not really. If one matches to LA, NY, or even Boston, it will be tight. I asked interns if they could afford it and those in the LA and nyc said they all take out loans or have a sugarmomma/daddy.
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The 7 cities I could move to range from Logan, UT to Pittsburgh, PA. So fortunately, I should be able to live off my stipend just fine. Finally, my first year of grad school without taking out loans! 
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I've lived off around 20K/year in the Boston area, but to each their own. Everyone has idiosyncrasies in their finances. I don't know if there is a general trend for internships in cities to pay a little higher. I am only looking at one site in the cities you mentioned--the pay for internship year is 25K.
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As someone above mentioned, Boston could be doable, although LA or NYC would be tough without a commute (depends on how much you're willing and able to sacrifice in terms of driving time vs. taking on extra loans). This is actually one of the reasons why I largely chose to avoid applying to sites in large and expensive cities. I still fit a few in there, but I also included a healthy amount of rural or suburban and lesser-known areas and programs.
living in NYC is tough on a mid-20K stipend but it's not impossible. NYC prices are higher in comparison to other states, but if you search hard enough and make a few sacrifices, you can live off 25K (I have done so in the past 4 years).
If you're willing to live in outer boroughs (queens, not so trendy parts of brooklyn) and upper Manhattan, you can find deals. Roommate situation can be somewhere around 700-900 if you are willing to live uptown. I share a one BR (800 sq ft) with my bf, very close to the Cloisters/Ft Tryon Park (a hidden gem in Northern Manhattan) and we pay about 800 each including ultilities and cable/internet. My commute is around 50-min to 1-hr commutte, but that's typical. Many of my classmates live in this neighborhood because it's safe, affordable, has cute restaurants, close to beautiful parks, and close to our campus. So you have to feel okay w/ living in the not so trendy, but super safe and beautiful, neighborhood, it's do-able in NYC w/ 25K!
If you're willing to live in outer boroughs (queens, not so trendy parts of brooklyn) and upper Manhattan, you can find deals. Roommate situation can be somewhere around 700-900 if you are willing to live uptown. I share a one BR (800 sq ft) with my bf, very close to the Cloisters/Ft Tryon Park (a hidden gem in Northern Manhattan) and we pay about 800 each including ultilities and cable/internet. My commute is around 50-min to 1-hr commutte, but that's typical. Many of my classmates live in this neighborhood because it's safe, affordable, has cute restaurants, close to beautiful parks, and close to our campus. So you have to feel okay w/ living in the not so trendy, but super safe and beautiful, neighborhood, it's do-able in NYC w/ 25K!
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It's doable most places...but far from ideal. I tried to avoid high cost areas during my search, though due to my focus (major academic medicine and well respected VAs), it wasn't that easy. The Midwest can provide a decent cost-of-living, though pretty much any way you cut up $23-$25k, it will be tight. Having friends/family/sig. other in the area definitely helps.
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Dont own a TV? How do you watch Jersey Shore then...?
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You have a strange fascination with Jersey Shore, don't you?
...
Sometimes I catch it on hulu 😳
C
ClinicalPHD5
25K stipend comes out to 1500 per month, right? I'm still not sure how one can live off 1500 per month in NYC/LA area....its difficult to envision. In LA you would have to pay for gas and car payments plus rent so not sure how that would work.
when i graduated from college over 10 years ago, I was earning more as a research assistant! Hurray for 6 years of graduate school! I was earning about 32,000 in my first job post-college.
when i graduated from college over 10 years ago, I was earning more as a research assistant! Hurray for 6 years of graduate school! I was earning about 32,000 in my first job post-college.
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$25k/year comes out to about $2k/month (pre-tax). After taxes, it might be closer to $1600-1800 I would think, yep. So it'd definitely be tight.
yes it's been incredibly difficult. but if you are willing to make some compromises, you can do it in nyc. around 700-900 for rent (share an apt of course), 100 for metrocard, the rest will go to food. The extra money from loans is helpful too. you can always babysit/bartend to subsidize income. people do it all the time.
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Wondered if this could morph into discussing the issues associated with moving, often hundreds and hundreds of miles, for those of us who matched this year?
My wife is a grade-school teacher and now has to find out if her CA teaching license will tranfer seemlessly to another state back east. But of course no one will just straight up tell her about the process. They just said they will send her packets that list all the requirments and has all the paperwork she needs to do. Then....she actually has to find a job at a school.
Looking for a place sucks! Everything looks decent over craigslist. Guess we will have to spring for a mini trip in order to house hunt. We dont wanna pay for the flights, car, and hotel though. Our budget is super tight right now Arg!
Cost of moving 2000 miles is crazy. When i moved out here I was still single and my parents cover most of the moving expenses. Truck, car trailer, gas, hotels. Arg! Again, money that we dont have. There goes our tax returns!
We most likely will want to move to my home state and settle for good after the internship year. So..basically we will move in mid-July....and then I'll basicaly have start looking for jobs and/or post-docs in November soemtime. Thus, we will really have only 4 or 5 months in our new place before we have to think about moving yet again!... Fun!
My wife is a grade-school teacher and now has to find out if her CA teaching license will tranfer seemlessly to another state back east. But of course no one will just straight up tell her about the process. They just said they will send her packets that list all the requirments and has all the paperwork she needs to do. Then....she actually has to find a job at a school.
Looking for a place sucks! Everything looks decent over craigslist. Guess we will have to spring for a mini trip in order to house hunt. We dont wanna pay for the flights, car, and hotel though. Our budget is super tight right now Arg!
Cost of moving 2000 miles is crazy. When i moved out here I was still single and my parents cover most of the moving expenses. Truck, car trailer, gas, hotels. Arg! Again, money that we dont have. There goes our tax returns!
We most likely will want to move to my home state and settle for good after the internship year. So..basically we will move in mid-July....and then I'll basicaly have start looking for jobs and/or post-docs in November soemtime. Thus, we will really have only 4 or 5 months in our new place before we have to think about moving yet again!...
Fun!
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Wondered if this could morph into discussing the issues associated with moving, often hundreds and hundreds of miles, for those of us who matched this year?
My wife is a grade-school teacher and now has to find out if her CA teaching license will tranfer seemlessly to another state back east. But of course no one will just straight up tell her about the process. They just said they will send her packets that list all the requirments and has all the paperwork she needs to do. Then....she actually has to find a job at a school.
Looking for a place sucks! Everything looks decent over craigslist. Guess we will have to spring for a mini trip in order to house hunt. We dont wanna pay for the flights, car, and hotel though. Are budget is super tight right now Arg!
Cost of moving 2000 miles is crazy. When i moved out here I was still single and my parents cover most of the moving expenses. Truck, car trailer, gas, hotels. Arg! Again, money that we dont have. There goes our tax returns!
We most likely, will want to move to my home state and settle for good after the internship year. So..basically we will move in mid-July....and then I'll basicaly have start looking for jobs and/or post-docs in November soemtime. Thus, we will really have only 4 or 5 months in our new place before we have to think about moving yet again!...
I feel your pain, as I'll be doing the same post-doc "puddle-jump" hunt-and-move come this fall/winter. I was fortunate enough to have a couple friends willing to make the 550 mile drive with me to move in for grad school a few years back. Luckily, while my internship move will be another 300 miles for me, it's in the direction of my hometown, so it'll be a much shorter trip for whichever friends can help out this time. Not at all looking forward to having to pack up and move again next year if I don't land a post-doc at my internship site, though.
The apartment hunting is likely going to be the worst part; I'll definitely be looking to current interns for advice on where to live. My advisor also worked at this same site early in his career, so he's been able to give a few good tips as well.
How early is everyone planning on heading to their new digs? I'll have a couple months off between when my current externship ends and my internship begins, so I was planning on just getting the move over with and then setting aside some seriously-concentrated dissertation time. That'll hopefully allow me to defend within my first month at the new site, which would be swell.
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