Moving in July for Grad School

Our 2br/1ba apartment for comparison (Northside, Hull Bay)

Rent: $1200, so far in 4 apts on STT I've never had to pay First/Last/Security, only First/Security. My current landlord even let us pay the Security $100/mo at a time, so this time around I didn't even do Security up front. Unfurnished, but I prefer it that way.
Elec: $200/mo
Gas: $160/yr just using the oven/range. We grill on the balcony a lot.
Car: paid $2500 for a wrangler that's been running fine with the usual quirks for about two years, will finance a new one soon
Ins: $200/yr for car insurance
TV/Internet: $150/mo, BroadbandVI for ISP and soon Dish for TV.
Cell Phones: Job pays for mine, when they weren't I paid $120/mo for an iPhone/Android
Groceries: Gf handles this since she's an excellent cook and I stay out of it and I am perfectly fine with that. I would estimate we pay $550/mo for the two of us.
Gasoline: $160/mo to get us to work and back, we don't drive around much.
Nov-May Winter expenses: Obviously $0, but if you're running a lot of things and you use AC you're going to be up there with your utilities.

Yat Yas Marine! I am an OIF OEF vet, and will be relocating in the next few years. My wife is using my GI Bill for Medical coding HIPA etc... And will hopefully use the last year once we move. I hope once you make the move that you update here with how everything went. It gives all of us VI hopefuls a good idea of what to expect. If you have the time read back a year or so on here, it should answer all of your basic questions.
The only one I have not seen is about moving wood furniture. I assume though that the heat and humidity will kill it quickly. ;p

I am a disabled retired Marine as well and I was accepted in to UVI for the fall. I will just share my plan with you. I was going to ship my car as it seems much cheaper than having to buy another one. I saw a shipping company in Jacksonville, fl who will ship the car for $925. After taxes, customs, and virgin island fees it will be more around $1800 to ship. I found plane tickets from Jacksonville for $173 for July or August. I plan on going to school on STX. I saw the post 911 Gi Bill pays $2162 a month for STX and I believe around $2450 for STT. I picked STX because it seemed cheaper and quieter. I have been monitoring craigslist and other places for the last 2 months to get a general idea on rental pricing(I went back a year on these forums to see old listings as well). I wont do the PMV and do not plan on staying on the island very long. I saw both islands have a VA clinic. I am thinking my electric bill will be around $500-$600 because I want A/C in my room at night. .50 cents a KWH is depressing but I think I can do it.

"The only one I have not seen is about moving wood furniture. I assume though that the heat and humidity will kill it quickly. ;p"

Your wood furniture should be fine as long as solid and not any part "particle board" which humidity can and will affect.

Termites and rot and mold and sand fleas are the norm, i wouldn't bring any "good" furniture to the islands. Most islanders who invest in quality home furnishings choose teak or mahogany. Honestly. you don't need much. Less is more in the VI!!!! Trust me.

Weather conditions are one thing but termites are another. The harder the wood the less termites are attracted to it. Here's a link to one article of many on the subject which lists some of the more common woods and how they're affected by termites:

http://www.asktheexterminator.com/termites/Termite_Resistant_Wood.shtml

Dating back to when the islands were first settled, solid mahogany has been the prime choice for furniture throughout the tropics but there are plenty of other good choices which are less expensive. Just keep an eye out for those nasty dark brown trails marking the termite passages and at least zap 'em with a commercial spray to curtail their journey!

Welcome Ikory. Nice to read that UVI is attracting some high quality, serious, focused students and their GI Bills!! I wish you the very best of luck with your education and future careers. Thank you for choosing UVI.

Thanks erybody! Most of the wood is going to be staying here then! Not that I mind not moving it. ;p

Welcome Ikory. Nice to read that UVI is attracting some high quality, serious, focused students and their GI Bills!! I wish you the very best of luck with your education and future careers. Thank you for choosing UVI.

I'm probably going to give my GI bill to my wife & have her just go back to school, she's only making about 2,000 a month bartending now

2162 for living expenses is a nice bonus of the post 9/11 GI bill.

Wow 2162 for BAH alone. VT is around 1818 a month.

Reflective of COL.

Wow thank you all for those posts,

There is a lot of information here to digest. I would be happy to take care of any errant chickens in the near future;)

We are arranging a container move simply because I know how it is to move with nothing, and it is so much easier on the family to have their "things" when everything else is changing. I know it will increase cost especially when the time comes to move off the island. As far as furniture goes the only wood furniture that will be accompanying us is solid cedar so I am not too concerned about it. Our bed is cedar log, along with the boys bunks. Our kitchen table is staying behind because it is enormous so we will pick up an apt size one on the island.

VT2VI & ikory Semper Fi, VT2VI thanks for the ride, please put an air freshener in the track next time we ride across the desert together!!!

I am going to be away from the computer for a few days I have to "defend" my Thesis to my advisory panel on Friday, so tonight, and tomorrow I will be rehearsing and polishing, Friday will be game time, and Saturday I will probably break my alcohol fast and swim in it to congratulate myself, check back with me on Sunday 🙂

Good luck!

Just an FYI, UVI does not offer a PhD program. Just a Master's in marine and environmental science (called an MMES, not MS).

Many of the MMES students do thesis research and a thesis. Several work under professor grants and get s stipend for research. If you have already been accepted by the program (the application deadline was only a couple days ago), I highly recommend you contact some of the professors there with similar research interests to yours and let them know you'll be a new student, interested in working with them etc...

Sorry missed this one, I have been working with admissions since last fall, due to a SNAFU with two courses here I was not able to move last year, I will be complete and there by middle to end of July.

I was under the impression that all of the TA RA positions were competitive, not based on instructor need? Is this not the case? I was not aware any professors were accepting Grad students on funded research, if that is the case I will contact them starting Monday!

Can you recommend a professor, I am interested in researching Invasive Species eradication, specifically Pterois miles. Or if no one is working on that I would like to work on anchialine Remipedes. I will be doing my cave diving classes in May and will be getting bottom time that whole month.

I sent you a PM with name of a professor you can contact.

In your situation I wouldn't do a PMV. Only because you mentioned you've moved so many times before and you've already been accepted, so you're coming for sure no matter what lol. I too agree with Northside. It's cooler more green and more tropical IMO. MUCH better for gardening (despite pests) because of the rain. I've not watered at all this week. Dorthea, Carrot Bay, Hull Bay are a few good places for your family and I think very safe.

You moved here just a few weeks ago I think? I seem to remember you posted about the initial expenses you encountered here which took you a little by surprise so maybe linking that might help the OP with his budgeting. With three children and a wife who's not working his expenses are going to be concomitantly higher but your recent experience I think would give him a better idea from a newcomer's perspective.

Also remember that your $200/month for electricity for the two of you has only been for a very short time and you haven't yet been here in the summer. Even on the cool Northside there are a couple of months when (even if you don't have A/C) you're going to be running the ceiling fans constantly at high speed (I don't even have mine on much at this time of year) and may even invest in an extra floor fan to keep you cool! If you have A/C even in the bedroom for staying cool at night during the "dog days" it's going to jack up your bill considerably so on a year-round basis it's going to be substantially higher.

Yea we've only been here 2 months. My only expense shock was that I had planned on renting a furnished place. So for an extra $2k-$2500 in furniture and household stuff. Other than that, trying to find a decent car for under 5k was a challenge. You're right we've not been here for summer although in STX for the entire month of July on east end. I'm hoping to not have to put an AC in the bedroom.

Just an FYI, UVI does not offer a PhD program. Just a Master's in marine and environmental science (called an MMES, not MS).

Many of the MMES students do thesis research and a thesis. Several work under professor grants and get s stipend for research. If you have already been accepted by the program (the application deadline was only a couple days ago), I highly recommend you contact some of the professors there with similar research interests to yours and let them know you'll be a new student, interested in working with them etc...

Sorry missed this one, I have been working with admissions since last fall, due to a SNAFU with two courses here I was not able to move last year, I will be complete and there by middle to end of July.

I was under the impression that all of the TA RA positions were competitive, not based on instructor need? Is this not the case? I was not aware any professors were accepting Grad students on funded research, if that is the case I will contact them starting Monday!

Can you recommend a professor, I am interested in researching Invasive Species eradication, specifically Pterois miles. Or if no one is working on that I would like to work on anchialine Remipedes. I will be doing my cave diving classes in May and will be getting bottom time that whole month.

I'm not sure if anyone is accepting new grad students for particular research projects right now, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Lately, several professors have been getting some big grants. Also, if you are a good diver, that always helps! If you want to do cave, do cave. However, several UVI divers are trained tech divers and rebreather divers. If you can do some technical certs and/or rebreather, that might make you more valuable to a professor.

I am currently TDI Trimix cert, on top of my DM, hopefully I will get through the Cavern through Cave at Ginnie Springs in May and maybe by the time I get there be PADI Instructor. I also just joined the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section, but have not trained with any of them yet.

So far my deepest Deco dive was to 320 FFW. I am comfortable with overhead diving, I frequently penetrate the wrecks here in the Great Lakes, and I have more than 200 ice dives. I don't have a lot of experience with swift current diving however and I have to admit that having done my studies in the Great Lakes region my marine biota identification may be a little rough, but that's why I am coming to the islands. I have not tried CCR yet but one day soon I will, most of the CDS guys dive solely CCR, at 10K though I won't be buying my own anytime soon.

East Ender I don't know about homeschooling on STT but here on STX all you have to do is send in a letter of intent that you are going to homeschool. It is the easiest place that I know of to homeschool. They never check on you and don't seem to even care.

I remember talking to a VInow member who had to run through hoops. Said that they don't like home schoolers because the education department doesn't get money for them, or something of the sort. But this person did successfully home school said child, even if said family moved away after. 🙁

I have a guesthouse loft for rest WEST very safe just 650.00 includes everything