Are you moving to a new city?
Are you moving to a large city for your next four years of school? If you lived in a small town for your undergraduate education like I did, moving to a large can be both intimidating and overwhelming. Let’s be real, moving into unfamiliar territory can be scary at first, regardless of the setting. I want to assure you that this feeling will pass! Below you will find some of the steps I took to get comfortable in a new setting and ultimately enjoy my time in a new city.
I knew moving into a more urban setting would be a transition for me, so I decided to move out to Columbus a couple weeks prior to school starting with hopes of becoming more comfortable with the area. My first task was to become more familiar with my neighborhood. I did so by walking around my neighborhood to find out which stores, restaurants, etc. were close to my apartment. As a side note, I live on a high traffic street, so I felt okay going out alone. If you don’t feel safe, don’t walk alone. I then drove around town and found where my favorite stores were located. I even did a little shopping! I also took a day to walk around campus to find out where my classes, coffee shops, and food were located (because snacks and coffee are important too)!
Once you have a good understanding of your surroundings and are comfortable in your area, you can begin to look for fun things to do in and around your city! The ultimate question is what to do. If you are like me, I am always bored, but I say there is nothing to do. I soon realized that is not true, but rather I just didn’t know where to look! Living in a big city will provide you with plenty of options. There is something for everyone, and here is how to find it:
First, consult your classmates. Many of them likely grew up in the area and have a good idea of what is fun and what is not. They are the best resource for navigating night life, campus dining, restaurants, and other low key fun things (that are not well advertised) to do in the city.
Next, go to the Google and literally search “things to do in (insert city here)” and see if anything catches your eye. I love to take on the “top 10 things to do or see” in your city, as it gives me something to do in my downtime that I may have not done before. If you need some ideas, always check the basics: the zoo, aquariums, museums, parks, conservatories, botanical gardens, and seasonal activities like fairs and festivals.
Last, flex your social media skills! There are likely a ton of people in the city who have Instagram or blogs dedicated to posting the highlights of the city (good for food blogs, food trucks, hidden treasures, etc.). I 10/10 recommend following at least a few. I currently follow one of my fellow classmates food blog, and it was a game changer! I now have a list of restaurants I am dying to try and a person to ask for additional ideas.
These are just some of the strategies I used to ease my transition from a small town (with nothing around) to living in a big city where something is happening 24/7. If you would like to talk more about transitioning into a new city, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!