Real World Information and Tips
Congratulations New Alumni! Are you ready for life after Rochester?
As you embark on the journey ahead, whether it’s grad school, a new career, travel, a fellowship, or the unknown, you will face various new and exciting challenges. There will be lots of ‘firsts’—first apartment, first budget, first car, first bills, first adventures in the kitchen… The following resources, links, and tips will help you navigate it all. Good luck out there!
Relocation Guide
These online “starter kits”, a gift from the Office of Alumni Relations, will help new graduates make the move to a new city!
- The site covers 30+ metropolitan cities and features:
- Easy access to forms: driver’s license, auto registration, voter ID
- Contact information: cable companies, phone, electric
- Local insight: neighborhoods, getting an apartment, prices, the city
- Candid feedback: from grads currently living in the cities
- Log into the Relocation Guide using the following, then select your city of choice:
- Username: Rochester
Password: Alumni
Real World Key Links
- Overall Tips and Guides
- 100 Tips for Recent College Grads
Grad Spot: Life After College (resources, articles and advice) -OR- Download the Full Book for free!
So You Graduated...What’s Next? The Big Decisions - Money, Budgets, and Student Loans
- College Aftermath (Finances and more)
New York Times Money Advice for Recent Grads
Managing Debt and Loans - Getting a J-O-B
- Online Job Search Tips
Tips to Get Hired! - Life Etiquette
- Office Etiquette
Dining Etiquette - Other Life Stuff
- Tips for First Time Apartment Hunters
Life, Health, and Car Insurance
Tips for Buying Your First Car
5 Mistakes Car Buyers Make
Credit Card Tips for Newbies
Tips from the Pro’s—Other UR Young Alumni!
Some of our Young Alumni Council members share tips and advice for the future.
Before Grad School
“To seniors who are attending graduate school in the fall: have the best summer of your life—stay up late, go out on weekdays, and spend as much time with friends and family as possible—it’s the best advice I have ever gotten. Although college was challenging, graduate school is serious business, and there is unfortunately little to no time for anything other than reading, writing, eating, and sleeping.”
~Cori Samler ’04, Young Alumni Council
Planning for the Future
“Be sure to set a monthly budget and stick to it. Run away spending at an early age can have a dramatic impact on your future financial picture.”
~Malik Evans ’01, Young Alumni Council
Your New Job
“It's not enough to impress your manager; you must also impress your manager’s peers. From your manager’s perspective, they look great when ‘their guy’ or ‘their girl’ is shining under his/her tutelage. From personal career perspective, it’s rarely ever just your manager making the final decisions about your career (promotions, raises, stretch projects); instead it is a group of people. When there is a diversity of positive opinions about you and your work, you will succeed more fluidly.”
~Joshua Pollard ’06, Young Alumni Council
Your Skills
“Dean Paul Burgett imparted this advice to my graduating class, paraphrased: ‘Don’t underestimate how prepared you are to do just about anything, no matter how difficult it might seem at the time. Unless it’s brain surgery, you can probably figure it out.’”
~Naomi Weinstock ’06, Young Alumni Council
Overall Advice
“No matter what happens in your life never be content maintaining the status quo—continue to look for opportunities to improve and change - both personally and professionally and don’t be afraid to act on them. Meliora—always better.”
~Joe Caccciola ’02, Young Alumni Council