Considering moving to Hawaii for Grad School - ADVICE PLEASE (Honolulu: home, dorm)

[StriderMatic]

Hello everyone,

I am considering U of Hawaii at Manoa for graduate school (PhD program) and had a few questions for those who who know about the university and/or the area and can give feedback. I've read some about Hawaii (the area, the demographics, local issues, etc.) but likely don't know enough yet to really know what it's like being there, so I would like to ask of people who have the experience of living in Hawaii. I've also read other posts on this forum related to these subjects, so now I created my own. Here goes:

1. One of the biggest concerns seems to be how to pay for living while studying at U of H. Does anyone have any good feedback or stories about how this situation worked out for other students?

2. I am finishing up my first Master's degree and have some decent, practical experience/skills. How easy/difficult is it to get a job at the school or in that area (and do many grad students who don't get funded do this)?

3. Is there any thing or things a newcomer can have going for them that will ease their transition into socializing with/living among people in Hawaii?

4. What is your biggest piece of advice to someone considering living in Hawaii for a while (i.e. things to think about before deciding to go, problems one will need to be ready to accept before coming, things a person may not have known about how it is in Hawaii before coming, etc.)?

Thanks for your time.

[RangerDuke08]

I'm sure the Natives can give you a better advice but #1 you'll have to apply for an assistantship or fellowships, that generally covers the tutition and gives your a stipend. Unfortunately Hawaii at Manoa is a big school with 20,000 students, and a decent endowment $3BIL across the board, but not exactly the biggest amount of endowment distributed to each department as you'd imagine for assistantships, I can imagine it covering your room and board at $15,000 for TA or $19,000 for RA over a course of 9 months, which isn't bad, but your going to have to figure other expenses with perhaps a part-timer, it is the life of a grad student nonetheless, but I'm sure it'll all pay off in the end. And #4 well live frugal and bring with you only what you need.

[hotzcatz]

in answer to question #1, my nephew has a part time job working at a nearby grocery store. He lives in the dorm and goes to school full time. His mom sends him some money, too.

#2, I'm clueless about, can't help you much there.

#3, going to the University is a great ice breaker. You are surrounded by loads of other newbies looking for friends and you are already slotted into a known niche of "going to the University" so when you meet folks around town they will know roughly who and what you are and why you are here.

#4. For malahini advice, well, first off, you aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto. Nor do we care how to do things differently, more efficiently and especially how to do them they way they do on the mainland. Happy, cheerful and always a good word to say does wonders here.

[StriderMatic]

Originally Posted by RangerDuke08

Unfortunately Hawaii at Manoa is a big school with 20,000 students, and a decent endowment $3BIL across the board, but not exactly the biggest amount of endowment distributed to each department as you'd imagine

What is the reason for that?

Because I notice even the department I applied to has limited funding.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by StriderMatic

What is the reason for that?

Because I notice even the department I applied to has limited funding.

The cost of running the university is huge... facilities, upkeep on buildings, new construction, and professor & staff salaries. It may sound like UH has a lot of money, but it has huge expenses, too. And in the current economic climate, things are tough. The governor has asked all state agencies to plan for as much as 20% cuts across the board. UH is a state agency, so we have to be thinking that our budget could be cut by that much. So I suspect all departments are offering limited funds to their grad students these days. They'd have to fire profs or office staff otherwise!

We all hope it'll turn around soon, but there's certainly no guarantee. If you want to PM me and say what dept you're looking at, I can let you know if I have other info.

[maui08]

Aloha

The famous last words of our old governor..."If you want a good high school education in Hawaii....better go to college here"

[StriderMatic]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

#3, going to the University is a great ice breaker. You are surrounded by loads of other newbies looking for friends and you are already slotted into a known niche of "going to the University" so when you meet folks around town they will know roughly who and what you are and why you are here.

That's cool; do you (or anybody) have any additional insight on what the dynamic is like in Honolulu/Manoa between university people and with people whose lives aren't related to the university?

I ask because if I go to study there I would be living there for a while and would like to relate with a variety of different people including outside of my department and the school.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by maui08

Aloha

The famous last words of our old governor..."If you want a good high school education in Hawaii....better go to college here"

It's really a shame that UH has this reputation inside the state, because it doesn't reflect reality at all. UHM, at any rate, is a research I university, on par with schools like UC Santa Cruz, for example. It has world-class programs in Astronomy and in Ocean Science. (And no, neither of these are my field.) It's a much better school than many of the ones on the mainland which local students choose over UH. (University of Northern Colorado? Really?) The professors are engaged and active researchers, there are graduate students in most fields. And it's a huge educational bargain. I understand wanting to leave home to go to college... that's a big part of the experience. But leaving because you think a third-tier mainland school is better than UH is just wrongheaded.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by StriderMatic

That's cool; do you (or anybody) have any additional insight on what the dynamic is like in Honolulu/Manoa between university people and with people whose lives aren't related to the university?

I ask because if I go to study there I would be living there for a while and would like to relate with a variety of different people including outside of my department and the school.

Well, "university people" is different from "students", at least most places I've been. I know lots of folks in the community who aren't related to the university (from my building, from the dog park, from various volunteer organizations). I've also met lots of people in these places who are or used to be connected to UH as staff, faculty, or students. I don't think there's any stigma to being a "university person" per se.

However, almost every college town I've been in has some kind of stigma about students... the idea that so much of the community is built to serve that population, but that they leave after four years never to give back is cause for anger in many more long-term residents. Faculty and staff are seen as more permanent members of the community, I think, so don't experience the same prejudice.

I think that's less here, though. For one thing, Honolulu has lots of transient residents who aren't students. It's quite usual for folks to stay just a couple of years or even less, so students aren't so unlike the other residents. Also, the town definitely caters more strongly to tourists than to students, so there's probably not so much resentment in that respect either. Of course, not being a student, I can't be sure...

[Jungjohann]

Originally Posted by maui08

Aloha

The famous last words of our old governor..."If you want a good high school education in Hawaii....better go to college here"

It was actaully Neil Abercrombie, our Senator, who uttered those words, years ago,,,,,,,,Don't think it made him very popular on the UH campus,,,,,Oh well... I'm sure UH has improved over the years, it was, however, the Party Campus of the Pacific back in the 70's and 80's, (think they were trying to compete with Yale and Harvard,,,,,,)

Aloha