College Student Moving to Washington

[poopskooper]

I'll defer to Mr. Rabbit for most of the responses going forward as his advice makes more sense. I'm not too bright as you can probably tell.

@2, yes, I don't think that would make sense. I would think you'd want to establish residency in the state which you will be attending graduate school. I don't know if graduate school tuition follows the same rules as undergraduate tuition, but I know the difference in cost is quite huge for an undergraduate.

@4, Bellevue is a huge suburb of Seattle and is part of the general metropolitan Seattle area ...where Bellingham is not as it's about 85-90 miles north of Seattle. Bellevue is part of the metropolitan area's "Eastside" which, in general, is considered to include the more affluent suburbs of the Seattle area. It's where Microsoft had their first office after moving to Washington from Albuquerque New Mexico. They moved the headquarters to Redmond, an adjacent suburb, some years later. Bellevue has a huge Asian population. Something approaching 30% and will also have a rather large (but not the largest in western Washington) Korean population. In Bellevue/Redmond, you will be in the thick of Seattle's technology sector which is experiencing significantly more growth than that of northern California's Silicon Valley. Living in the Bellevue area, however, you will be in the typical "suburbia."

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by dj278

... go to graduate school in California but live in Washington=? Grad school is not apt to have OUT-OF-STATE fees (who needs them with Stanford at $120k/yr !) Go to grad school where you will get the best EDU (and connections) for the career field and employers you have targeted. Alumni take care of their own. IT is ALWAYS best to get the informational interviews and study the background edu of hiring managers... If they are Cornell, you are Golden

....*I'm still on the fence on whether I should move to Washington or northern California No CA as in Redding or Eureka, or Bay Area? (I would just come to live in WA, CA is better to VISIT) I was just there today... $80 and 1.5 hrs on SWA

...4) I'm still looking around the Seattle area and Bellingham also. Do you guys know anything about Bellevue also? Bellevue = SPENDY living but often better wages... the DREAM of many, a NIGHTMARE for some. High rent district, high rollers. My son works there, work place parking garage is full of $100k cars + one $400 VW GTI

5) How much money do guys think I need to save up starting now to make the move? 6 months living expenses OR have a job secured BEFORE you move here

... I'm making these decisions on my own right now and you guys are my only support.

Get used to it (Making decisions on your own....). My dad got disabled when I was age 17, the day I turned 18 I became a legal guardian for him and cared for him for the next 32 yrs). Decisions for him and me and my family were all mine... and plenty were wrong . (And plenty still are wrong... knowing how to "make lemonade out of lemons" helps). Life throws curve balls (and lots of STRIKES).