Moving to Stony Brook/New York for grad school from Europe
April 29, 2017 6:00 AM Subscribe
So I got into a humanities graduate program (including tuition waiver and stipend) at Stony Brook University and am looking for any useful pointers for someone moving to the US from Europe (housing, living expenses, things I should be mindful of, etc.). Details below the fold. Thanks!
I should start off by saying that I have decided to pursue my PhD in the US because there is little research being done in my area of interest in most of Europe, and if there is it is not funded. I should add that I traveled quite a bit across the US two years ago, so I have a vague feeling of what it may mean to live there.
What I am currently most unsure of is how I should go about finding a place to live (most likely a room in an apartment with roommates) and if it is feasible to live off of the stipend offered to me by the university. Subtracting from my stipend the fees I have to pay, I am left with about $1500 a month. Apparently, 90% of my health insurance is covered, though I have no idea what that means in a US context. I feel as though I know so little about what awaits me that I do not even know which questions to ask! So really any comment would be helpful to me... I will be moving in August!
I should start off by saying that I have decided to pursue my PhD in the US because there is little research being done in my area of interest in most of Europe, and if there is it is not funded. I should add that I traveled quite a bit across the US two years ago, so I have a vague feeling of what it may mean to live there.
What I am currently most unsure of is how I should go about finding a place to live (most likely a room in an apartment with roommates) and if it is feasible to live off of the stipend offered to me by the university. Subtracting from my stipend the fees I have to pay, I am left with about $1500 a month. Apparently, 90% of my health insurance is covered, though I have no idea what that means in a US context. I feel as though I know so little about what awaits me that I do not even know which questions to ask! So really any comment would be helpful to me... I will be moving in August!
Best answer: Agreed that renting through the University is the right way to go. It looks like Stony Brook has both on-campus apartments as well as a listing service for off campus housing. As k8t points out, you may be at a disadvantage because of your lack of credit score, but landlords in the Stony Brook area will be more used to international graduate students than the average landlords. The fact that you're a graduate student rather than an undergrad will be a big plus.
posted by Betelgeuse at 6:18 AM on April 29, 2017
posted by Betelgeuse at 6:18 AM on April 29, 2017
Best answer: I went to Stony Brook. It's a great school, but be aware that the cost of living is blindingly expensive in the region. I spent about $100 a week on food and other necessaries because I wasn't able to cook, and you will be able to find a room for between $800-$900, (easier to stay on campus if you can) so you should JUST about make it, but please make sure you have access to a source of emergency funds. You will have to pay a bit for any medical services you receive, precisely how much depends on your condition, so try to stay healthy. (From a German perspective, these payments range from "stiff" to "frightening".)
That said, you should manage fine if you're prepared for a very simple lifestyle. Good luck!
posted by StrikeTheViol at 6:51 AM on April 29, 2017
That said, you should manage fine if you're prepared for a very simple lifestyle. Good luck!
posted by StrikeTheViol at 6:51 AM on April 29, 2017
Best answer: Here is a link to the housing for grad students on campus.. You will save a lot of money if you know how to cook. If you don't, start learning now.
posted by mareli at 8:01 AM on April 29, 2017
posted by mareli at 8:01 AM on April 29, 2017
Best answer: Congratulations! I spent much of my childhood in Stony Brook, and yes it has become very expensive -- close to comparable to NYC or Bay Area expensive, and for housing in particular. Whatever SBU offers for grad student housing I would recommend snapping up. You will never do better on the local private market.
All major US universities are very used to new PhD students from abroad. Take advantage of their infrastructure for advising and orientation to the max.
The best thing about living in Stony Brook is that you are a single train ride (a couple of hours) away from NYC. It is very hard to live on Long Island without a car. My guess would be most later PhD students probably live fairly far away from campus and the shoreline towns. If you are an urban person you will need to adjust to American (rich, very white) suburban culture, which is not always a socially embracing one. So you'll really need your academic community to be your social community.
posted by spitbull at 8:11 AM on April 29, 2017
All major US universities are very used to new PhD students from abroad. Take advantage of their infrastructure for advising and orientation to the max.
The best thing about living in Stony Brook is that you are a single train ride (a couple of hours) away from NYC. It is very hard to live on Long Island without a car. My guess would be most later PhD students probably live fairly far away from campus and the shoreline towns. If you are an urban person you will need to adjust to American (rich, very white) suburban culture, which is not always a socially embracing one. So you'll really need your academic community to be your social community.
posted by spitbull at 8:11 AM on April 29, 2017
Best answer: Data point: I lived on campus for the first two years of my graduate studies at SBU-- roommate luck-of-the-draw notwithstanding, it was totally fine and nice to be walking distance to all the academic buildings. My third year I bought a car(!) and moved to a nearby suburb. Best of luck with your PhD!
posted by Zephyrial at 8:58 AM on April 29, 2017
posted by Zephyrial at 8:58 AM on April 29, 2017
Best answer: Grad students do successfully live on grad stipends, but it's a lifestyle choice, and a noticeable subculture within a university town. Stony Brook is surrounded by a fairly affluent community, so the grad student culture can be somewhat isolated. You'll spend great times with your fellow grad students, but interacting with the rest of the world (eg trips to NYC, planning to learn/appreciate American culture) can't really be a large part of the experience and still break even. As a grad student, my roommate and I, and others who shared housing, were noticeably better off than our fellow students (same department, same stipend, same town) who were living alone. They could afford a studio or 1br on the stipend, but didn't have much left over, we roommates definitely had more beer, better groceries, more ability to go out on the weekend, less terror of something going wrong, etc. I'd recommend it, though coming into a program not knowing anybody is tough; check to see if you can find roommate-matching services or ways to get a room in a house. International Students programs may be helpful there.
Cost of a cell phone in US is going to be about $35-40/month, and that's if you already have a phone that can work on US networks, and buy a new sim plus month-to-month payment. If you have to buy a new phone and sign up for a contract, it'll be more like $50-60. (estimated, not to say you can't do better, but that's in the mid-range).
It will be tough without a car, and a car will cost money. I'm not sure what to recommend there, but just don't leave transportation out of your budget it'll be major. Best bet would be to live on campus such that you don't need a car; I don't know the town well enough to know if that meant you'd have to eat cafeteria a lot or if there's a good supermarket in walking distance, but food and transport expenses often have a bit of a tradeoff, US college towns generally aren't laid out very well for people living cheap.
My real point here, despite distracting myself with specifics, is that there will be a lot of other grad students on stipend who are all attempting to live off the same budget as you, so talk to people, don't be scared to talk about money and how they're managing it, swap tips about how to get by, and be confident that your peer group will be up for spending time together in very cheap ways.
posted by aimedwander at 11:03 AM on April 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cost of a cell phone in US is going to be about $35-40/month, and that's if you already have a phone that can work on US networks, and buy a new sim plus month-to-month payment. If you have to buy a new phone and sign up for a contract, it'll be more like $50-60. (estimated, not to say you can't do better, but that's in the mid-range).
It will be tough without a car, and a car will cost money. I'm not sure what to recommend there, but just don't leave transportation out of your budget it'll be major. Best bet would be to live on campus such that you don't need a car; I don't know the town well enough to know if that meant you'd have to eat cafeteria a lot or if there's a good supermarket in walking distance, but food and transport expenses often have a bit of a tradeoff, US college towns generally aren't laid out very well for people living cheap.
My real point here, despite distracting myself with specifics, is that there will be a lot of other grad students on stipend who are all attempting to live off the same budget as you, so talk to people, don't be scared to talk about money and how they're managing it, swap tips about how to get by, and be confident that your peer group will be up for spending time together in very cheap ways.
posted by aimedwander at 11:03 AM on April 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Being grad-student-poor is actually fine, especially when you're single, because your entire social circle is in the same boat.
Definitely live with roommates, not just to save money, but also to reduce the feeling of isolation you'll inevitably have as a foreigner in suburbia.
You may be able to get a cell phone family plan with other students, which works out a bit cheaper than solo.
I'd be more concerned about money in later years, since humanities programs aren't great about funding ABD students, and that also coincides with you getting older and wanting to live a less grad-student-y life. Some of your cohort may pick up additional teaching gigs outside campus, which you can't do as an international. So I would highly recommend you get proactive about applying for fellowships, both internal and external, as early as possible. Keep an eye out for interdisciplinary opportunities from better-funded fields that may want to engage the humanities.
posted by redlines at 11:20 AM on April 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Definitely live with roommates, not just to save money, but also to reduce the feeling of isolation you'll inevitably have as a foreigner in suburbia.
You may be able to get a cell phone family plan with other students, which works out a bit cheaper than solo.
I'd be more concerned about money in later years, since humanities programs aren't great about funding ABD students, and that also coincides with you getting older and wanting to live a less grad-student-y life. Some of your cohort may pick up additional teaching gigs outside campus, which you can't do as an international. So I would highly recommend you get proactive about applying for fellowships, both internal and external, as early as possible. Keep an eye out for interdisciplinary opportunities from better-funded fields that may want to engage the humanities.
posted by redlines at 11:20 AM on April 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This might help you get a sense of cost of living in the area. I think it's doable on your stipend.
If you drive, I would recommend getting a sense of your needs over 1-2 semesters and then deciding whether or not a car would be helpful. The buses on Long Island aren't efficient or reliable. You're quite a ways out from NYC and the rest of what Long Island has to offer (beaches, some parks, ... strip malls) so most people have cars. If you don't have a license, you can look into lessons and getting a license here.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 7:58 PM on April 29, 2017
If you drive, I would recommend getting a sense of your needs over 1-2 semesters and then deciding whether or not a car would be helpful. The buses on Long Island aren't efficient or reliable. You're quite a ways out from NYC and the rest of what Long Island has to offer (beaches, some parks, ... strip malls) so most people have cars. If you don't have a license, you can look into lessons and getting a license here.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 7:58 PM on April 29, 2017
Apparently, 90% of my health insurance is covered, though I have no idea what that means in a US context.
Read the policy information they give you ahead of time. You don't want to work through the information when you are sick or have a concussion or whatever else can go wrong. You, the patient, make the decisions in the US health system so you need to understand the details of your policy (I have a 20% deductible and last summer a bike crash resulted in CAT scan, X-Rays and ambulance ride and set me back about 1800 bucks after my insurance paid their share).
Make damn sure your documentation - Visa and such is in order before you fly. I recommend pre-clearing immigration by flying from Ireland.
posted by srboisvert at 8:59 PM on April 29, 2017
Read the policy information they give you ahead of time. You don't want to work through the information when you are sick or have a concussion or whatever else can go wrong. You, the patient, make the decisions in the US health system so you need to understand the details of your policy (I have a 20% deductible and last summer a bike crash resulted in CAT scan, X-Rays and ambulance ride and set me back about 1800 bucks after my insurance paid their share).
Make damn sure your documentation - Visa and such is in order before you fly. I recommend pre-clearing immigration by flying from Ireland.
posted by srboisvert at 8:59 PM on April 29, 2017
Best answer: The rule of thumb is that your rent should be about 1/3rd of your take-home monthly income. In many cases, at least in the NYC area, that's a hard requirement. In your case, that means about $500/mo to spend on rent. I am not familiar with Stony Brook specifically, but likely this means roommates. For what it's worth, I lived in Manhattan for 5 years on $1000/month after tuition/fees/books. I did this by living in a sketchy area (down the street from where crack cocaine was invented!) with several roommates, and becoming financially vegetarian. It wasn't quite living in a garret, but it was close.
When they say your health insurance is 90% covered, what you need to know is how much will your monthly premium be. This should be in the policy documents they send you or are available on their website. Other things to look for/ask about:
1. Is there a deductible? This is the amount that you will pay out of pocket before insurance pays anything.
2. Is there a co-pay or co-insurance? This is a fixed $ amount (usually like $20 for an office visit or $50 for the emergency department), or a percentage (usually 10-20% of the total fees) that you pay upfront when you see a doctor. This is on top of the deductible. Insurance does the rest.
3. Is there a catastrophic coverage limit? When you are hit by a bus crossing the street and spend 10 days in the ICU, how much will you be responsible for out of pocket (including deductible and co-insurance). In theory every plan is supposed to have a catastrophic coverage limit, although this may change with the attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
4. Is there dental and vision coverage? These are not automatic, and are usually add-ons with additional premiums.
Also consider what tax rules apply to you as an international graduate student. Depending on how your stipend is classified, you may or may not have to pay taxes on it (in which case you will need a US social security number or a tax identification number). Usually stipends are tax-free, but I know people who have had to pay tax because it was considered "work-study." Check with the international studies office on that.
posted by basalganglia at 7:24 AM on April 30, 2017
When they say your health insurance is 90% covered, what you need to know is how much will your monthly premium be. This should be in the policy documents they send you or are available on their website. Other things to look for/ask about:
1. Is there a deductible? This is the amount that you will pay out of pocket before insurance pays anything.
2. Is there a co-pay or co-insurance? This is a fixed $ amount (usually like $20 for an office visit or $50 for the emergency department), or a percentage (usually 10-20% of the total fees) that you pay upfront when you see a doctor. This is on top of the deductible. Insurance does the rest.
3. Is there a catastrophic coverage limit? When you are hit by a bus crossing the street and spend 10 days in the ICU, how much will you be responsible for out of pocket (including deductible and co-insurance). In theory every plan is supposed to have a catastrophic coverage limit, although this may change with the attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
4. Is there dental and vision coverage? These are not automatic, and are usually add-ons with additional premiums.
Also consider what tax rules apply to you as an international graduate student. Depending on how your stipend is classified, you may or may not have to pay taxes on it (in which case you will need a US social security number or a tax identification number). Usually stipends are tax-free, but I know people who have had to pay tax because it was considered "work-study." Check with the international studies office on that.
posted by basalganglia at 7:24 AM on April 30, 2017
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posted by k8t at 6:03 AM on April 29, 2017