Prior to business school, I spent 5 years in New York City. When I applied to school, I was really anxious to go elsewhere since I had spent my entire life in the Northeast, mostly in the New York area. I wanted to trade in my concrete playground for grass, trees, a car, and more of a suburban lifestyle.

Thus far, my time at Fuqua has been fantastic.  I’ve learned a lot in class, about what I’m looking for in a career, and I’ve learned a lot from my classmates. All in 4 months! With classes, social activities, corporate presentations, and distinguished speakers, I have not had much time to reflect upon my transition from NYC to Durham so I wanted to touch on a few points. My workday in NYC went through a cycle as follows: work, lunch break, work, Starbucks break (I am a recovering Starbucks addict), maybe dinner out, maybe a happy hour, sleep, and repeat. This process became routine and if I were in business school in NYC, I would not be able to balance the things that I really enjoyed about my old life with the demands of business school.

After almost 4 months in Durham, there are some things that I definitely miss about NYC:

• The variety of food and nightlife
• Seamlessweb.com
• Walking and ending up in new neighborhoods
• The convenience of having 5 Starbucks in a 2-block radius
• A $25 manicure/pedicure combo
• The ability to get almost anything at any time or any place
• The allure of living in the city
• My family and friends

But there are also some things that I definitely do not miss:

• Trying to find a cab when it is raining or it is 3 am
• The weather: it is currently 70 degrees here
• My tiny apartment that I paid too much for
• Grocery stores
• Walking to the subway in the blustery cold in the dead of winter
• The prices of everything except manicures/pedicures
• Movie theaters

I’ve found things that I enjoy in Durham, but I’m still adjusting and there are plenty of things that I still need to do:

• Try more restaurants
• Go to a Duke basketball game (Go Coach K and 904+ wins)
• Explore NC – Asheville, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill
• Explore the South
• Eat BBQ
• Visit the Duke Gardens
• See the Carolina Hurricanes
• Go hiking
• Go to the Eno River quarry

And lastly, here are some things that I am now asking myself as I am searching for a summer internship:

• Would I rather work in a suburb or city?
• Where do I want to be geographically?
• How much should weather matter?

I will figure these questions out in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!!!