Tuesday, October 14, 2014

It's been a long time coming!


Hey guys! I have been meaning to post this blog post since my first week here at GSE in August. That just goes to show that my time here at GSE has been so wonderfully busy!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Whitney Gouche (pronounced goo-shay) and I am a 23-year old master's student studying higher education at Penn. I moved here from Los Angeles, California just about two months ago, 5 days before the first day of orientation--(side note, I would NOT recommend moving across the country with only five days to settle in before you have to start school, no bueno). Luckily, I had already found a place to live that was furnished, and I spent my first couple of days in the city shopping for items I needed for my apartment and personal life!

I would like to dedicate my first blog post to give some helpful tips for students moving to Philadelphia from a different state:


  1. Start packing weeks in advanced. I made the mistake of packing with only one week before I had to move and I am pretty sure I left some important things behind. Plan ahead so that you are not overwhelmed before your big move.
  2. You don't need to pack EVERYTHING. It is okay to leave some things behind, and it may be cheaper to replace them when you get to your new home, rather than shipping them or packing them with your luggage (think $50+ for any overweight bag, try to avoid this).
  3. If you are working full-time (like I was), make sure you give yourself at least one week off before you move. When you are planning a big move, there will be tons of people who want to spend time with you before you go! Taking at least one week off from work will give you time to spend with family and friends that you won't be able to see for a couple of months (unless you plan to take frequent trips home).
  4. Make detailed shopping lists! I found myself going to the same stores numerous times because I would only make mental lists of what I needed for my new place, instead of taking a moment to actually write out everything. This was particularly frustrating because I rely solely on the Philadelphia public transportation system, so having to make multiple trips was just a real inefficient way to shop. I got smarter after about the third bus trip to Target in the rain -_-.
  5. Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Being in a new place can be very intimidating, (especially if you are 3,000 miles away from home and do not have any family on the east coast). Do not be afraid to be social, to explore the city on your own, to make conversation with your new classmates or to introduce yourself to the faculty. I learned within my first week here at Penn that I have the power to mold my experience based on the actions that I take. And so far, I haven't let myself down :).

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