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Hi all. My girlfriend and I are considering a move to Hawaii so she can go to grad school. At this point she isn't certain she wants to go to UofH (mostly she isn't sure if her mentor there would be a good fit, whereas the universities that might have a better fit are in places we don't really want to live), but I'm trying to start researching early in case we do end up there.
We live in Kansas now, so we're well-prepared for the massive increase in cost of living. We'd be in Honolulu (Manoa campus). She has been awarded an assistantship if she goes there, so we have at least a little income guaranteed, but she also would likely take out a student loan, at least for the first year, to cover us until I can find a job and her TA checks start coming in.
We're both fresh out of college in our early 20s, so our standards of living are pretty low. That said, we have a few ideas on how to cut costs. We were planning on selling our cars before we left and relying on TheBus and biking to get around. This would also hopefully help out with a few months rent. We're excited to shop at the farmers' markets and adjust our eating styles.
As for finding a job, I've heard its a good thing we're going to be on Oahu. I don't mind working a couple low-paying jobs or something for awhile.
A few questions:
-Does anyone know anything about UH@Manoa's grad student housing? Does it tend to fill up super fast, or is there a chance we could get in? This would help save on rent a lot!
-Any ideas how much it would cost to ship a bike? I have a couple of bikes and I was planning on selling one before I left. The one I'd keep is pretty nice, but its from the 80s so its cash value is pretty low. (It's also a pretty sporty bike, so maybe not the most practical). I could sell both bikes and just get a new one on the island... but I like the bike I have!
-Probably a good idea to sell or store the vast majority of our stuff before moving, right? Like I said, we're both just out of college, so it's not like we own a lot of nice things. I figured we'd bring most of our essentials on the plane with us, maybe ship 1 or 2 boxes of important/sentimental items and sell the rest (leaving anything we want to keep with the parents).
Like I said, we're not too concerned with the hardships of moving to an island--we're young and adaptable. Right now the main concern is whether being able to move to a beautiful place like Hawaii is worth the possibility that her academic mentor isn't exactly what she's looking for (this is compounded by the fact that she isn't able to have a face-to-face meeting like she has with some of the other possibilities). Like I said, the other locations are perhaps better academic fits, but not nearly as nice to live in. I'm highly in favor of Hawaii, but I'm not the one going to grad school .
There are relatively cheap apartments near the campus right behind Pucks Alley or in the Moiliili area. Relatively cheap means a different thing in Honolulu than it probably does in Kansas, but you can get by on a TA salary and another job. Student housing tends to fill up pretty quick and I don't know that it is that much cheaper than just sharing an apartment, you should contact the university about that.
Job market in Hawaii is REALLY tough right now due to recession and reliance on tourism. Go to honoluluadvertiser.com and read about it. Also read about the other issues such as homelessness, school furloughs, possible strikes, and everything else that goes on in "paradise" so that you have a realistic picture of the place. The good things are really good (beaches, weather, cultural diversity) but there are a lot of negatives as well.
You can definitely get by without a car, the campus is only a few miles from waikiki beach and the #4 bus takes you there. Traffic is HORRIBLE so you wouldnt really want to drive anyways.
There are tons of threads on here that you would probably read before you make the move. I personally did a similar thing as you are planning and don't regret it in the least. Met my wife there, made a lot of good friends, got a degree... but at the same time I am glad that we left.
If you're young and social, enjoy the beach, and are pretty open to new cultures and occasional blatant racism you will probably have a good time out there for a few years. My only advice is to leave your options open and don't get stuck.
Im pretty sure you can bring a bike on the plane if you box it properly. Honestly though, I would just buy one when you get there. So many people come and go that craigslist always has deals on stuff like that.
By the way, I forgot to mention. GET A GOOD BIKE LOCK or that thing will be gone in a week. Don't even walk into a 7-11 without locking it up. Violent crime rates are low but petty theft is very very high.
There are relatively cheap apartments near the campus right behind Pucks Alley or in the Moiliili area. Relatively cheap means a different thing in Honolulu than it probably does in Kansas, but you can get by on a TA salary and another job. Student housing tends to fill up pretty quick and I don't know that it is that much cheaper than just sharing an apartment, you should contact the university about that.
Job market in Hawaii is REALLY tough right now due to recession and reliance on tourism. Go to honoluluadvertiser.com and read about it. Also read about the other issues such as homelessness, school furloughs, possible strikes, and everything else that goes on in "paradise" so that you have a realistic picture of the place. The good things are really good (beaches, weather, cultural diversity) but there are a lot of negatives as well.
You can definitely get by without a car, the campus is only a few miles from waikiki beach and the #4 bus takes you there. Traffic is HORRIBLE so you wouldnt really want to drive anyways.
There are tons of threads on here that you would probably read before you make the move. I personally did a similar thing as you are planning and don't regret it in the least. Met my wife there, made a lot of good friends, got a degree... but at the same time I am glad that we left.
From what I've seen, a "cheap" apartment is in the $800-1000 range? Definitely not the same as a cheap place here (I used to stay in a studio apartment for $385/mo and that was on the higher end of rent since I started my search a little late), but I think that split between the two of us, it wouldn't be too bad. Somewhere between $50-150 more person than we're paying now. Not great, but doable.
I hear you about the economy. It's not great here either (being in a small college town, a bad economy and huge student population to fill all the low-wage jobs will kill the job market quickly). Additionally, one of the other alternatives we're seriously considering is Las Vegas, which might be the one place whose tourism industry has suffered worse than Hawaii's. Admittedly, cost of living is lower there, but the unemployment rate is double what it is in Honolulu.
That all said, I've been reading these forums and the Honolulu papers for the last week or two and feel like I have a decent grasp on the situation. The fact that my girlfriend has some income guaranteed makes me feel a whole lot better about the situation; it isn't vital that I find a job immediately.
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If you're young and social, enjoy the beach, and are pretty open to new cultures and occasional blatant racism you will probably have a good time out there for a few years. My only advice is to leave your options open and don't get stuck.
I definitely feel like we're in a pretty decent position for this kind of move. We're young, liberal, without a lot of obligations, and willing to be adventurous.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UHgrad
Im pretty sure you can bring a bike on the plane if you box it properly. Honestly though, I would just buy one when you get there. So many people come and go that craigslist always has deals on stuff like that.
By the way, I forgot to mention. GET A GOOD BIKE LOCK or that thing will be gone in a week. Don't even walk into a 7-11 without locking it up. Violent crime rates are low but petty theft is very very high.
I hadn't considered bringing a bike on the plane. That could definitely be a possibility. However, I am definitely considering just getting a new bike once I'm there. I love the bike I have, but it's just a thing. I suppose we'll just have to cross that bridge when/if we come to it.
(I am going to miss being able to leave my bike out unlocked!)
This is a bicycle, I take it? Not a motorcycle? If it is a bicycle can it be mailed in a box? Perhaps in two or three boxes? Parcel post may not be all that expensive. UPS and FedEX will be expensive, but the U.S. post office's parcel post is pretty inexpensive if you can get the package to fit their limits. You can send it to your name "general delivery" to the post office close to where you think you'll be. Or ask one of your girlfriends college folks if you can mail it to them.
They do make boxes specifically for bicycles that are pretty much as small as you can pack a bike.
When you say pretty inexpensive, how much would you estimate?
My husband & I both moved our bikes to Oahu... his from Boston, packed in a bike box & mailed for about $150, and mine from LA packed in a bike box and checked for about $100 fee. (Bike boxes both free from bike stores... just call & ask them to hold one for you.) This was about 2 years ago, so YMMV. Yeah, we probably could have bought used ones for about the same $$, but we like these a lot and they have sentimental value. Plus, at least in my case, I had a bike right away which is more than I can say for a car. It was nice to have a way to get around as soon as I got it put together.
^Thanks! That doesn't sound so bad as far as shipping. Still kind tough, given that both my bikes are worth about $300-350, tops, but it doesn't seem like the local CL is full of the kinds of bikes I like either.
In other news, we're almost totally settled on Hawaii now. The girlfriend is still waitlisted at her top school, so we're headed to Michigan if she gets in, but as of now, it looks like Hawaii.
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