I've lived my entire life in a rural area and attend college at a small private school in the middle of nowhere in the northeast. I'm doing a virtual IB internship at a BB in NYC. I've never been to NYC but have gone to DC once for a field trip.
Assuming I get the offer at end of summer I'd have to move to NYC full-time. How much of a shock is this going to be?
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I live about an hour outside of the city and have been going into Manhattan/Brooklyn since I was like 4 (I have family & friends there). I personally love it and since I was ~9 have wanted to move there after undergrad. However, I am not going to lie to you: I've been going down to the city for close to 20 years now and still sometimes get overwhelmed. But it's not like collapsing-on-the-sidewalk-unable-to-catch-my-breath-overwhelmed, it's just like "damn there's a lot going on today."
The best tips I can give:
a) Learn the subway: it is way easier than it may at first seem and is crucial to being in the city.
b) Learn the streets before you start jumping in taxis: it doesn't happen all the time but if a taxi driver finds out you're from out of town and you don't know the difference between the west and east side they can very easily bump your fare up with weird routes that take longer. Not something to worry about 24/7, but it does happen so be aware.
c) Uber is a fuckin' money pit: it's comfortable and can be relaxing if you've got shit on your mind, but I promise you if that becomes habit you will go broke.
d) Do not walk like an idiot: there is nothing worse than someone who has no idea how to walk on a busy side walk. If looking at your phone renders you incapable of hasty walking, just move to the side. Try not to hold people up if you can, it's crazy annoying.
Just some really basic stuff that may or may not help. I guess a bunch of it goes without saying but if you can get a grip on some of it before you move you'll be far better off (subway/city layout). Just stay in your lane and try to be present -- the city is like a fuckin' living organism and it can be exceedingly easy to feel like you need to be involved in everything that's going on around you which leads, very quickly, to feeling out of place and generally suffocated. But there's no need for that, just do your thing like everyone else and you'll be good. Best of luck.
I grew up in rural communities but moved to LA and have friends in both Southern California but also in rural towns.
Honestly, if you come from a very small community the shock of any larger city will be overwhelming. It depends heavily on the individual moving whether they'll like it or not. Do you like being anonymous and being a tiny wheel in a large machine? Then you'll be fine in a large city. If you like the slower pace and knowing everyone in person, with people caring about each other and having time for small-talk, then you might hate larger places.
Yeah it’ll probably be a bit of a shock. Have you been to any other major cities (I.e. London, Paris, Tokyo or domestic like Chicago, SF)?
NYC is pretty unique and Manhattan is very dense, so feels a lot busier than most major cities (outside of tourist spots in other major cities).
If you get an offer I’d try to visit nyc first. Don’t stay at any of the touristy areas if possible, but try to research the areas you would want to live in and stay around there (maybe east village, midtown if trying to be close to certain offices, etc). After a while certain areas in nyc feel like neighborhoods, much more residential and you start feeling comfortable. I would look for those areas to live in.
Other advice:
1) get comfortable with the subway. Before you go just make sure you understand the routes as it can be pretty busy switching trains, etc and you may get confused if you aren’t comfortable
2) go for walks in your area: figure out where the grocery stores are, what neighborhood bar you end up liking, the quiet areas, etc
3) avoid Times Square and other tourist areas: they are terrible
4) go to bars/restaurants across the city: one way I’ve gotten to know the city is to pick restaurants across the city and spend an hour or so walking around and then having dinner/drinks. You’ll start learning what parts of nyc you enjoy.
Many people like NYC life, some people hate it. You'll have to decide for yourself. The first time I set foot in the city, I was in love with the energy and feel. I had to move there and moved there less than a year later.
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