If someone had told me three years ago that I would be moving to Nebraska, I would have never believed them! Growing up on the east coast and having a close relationship with both my husband's family and my own, I did not originally entertain the possibility of moving half way across the country for graduate school. However, I was persuaded by what UNL students and faculty promised me. And after living in Lincoln for the last year and a half, I now make similar promises to other potential graduate students as I truly believe that this is a wonderful place to live and study.

One of the things that really made me want to attend graduate school at UNL, and to join the Communication Studies Department in particular, was the general understanding that I would not be making the decision alone. Like so many other students with partners, I wanted to move to a place where both my husband and I would be happy. Having a family can confound an already difficult decision; however, some other universities seemed to dismiss this issue in their recruiting process. In fact, one of the things that drew me to my program was their interest in helping my husband find job opportunities. It showed me a lot about the culture of the department. Certainly, the academic strengths of the program are what influenced me to apply to UNL, but it was this kind of supportive, understanding, and helpful culture that convinced my husband and me to move here.

In our short time here in Lincoln, we've found other wonderful surprises. There are plenty of places to take "study breaks," particularly if you love being outside. There are so many parks where you can jog, ride your bike, walk your dog, or even have a picnic. If you are more of a city person, you can meet up with friends in downtown Lincoln or, if you want a "bigger" city experience, you can make the quick drive to Omaha. These factors, along with wonderful people that live, teach, and go to school here in Lincoln, made it easy to find a home here. As a matter of fact, when people ask us what we think of living here we start by saying, "If not for living far from our family and many of our friends, it would be the perfect place to live!"

Before relocating to Lincoln, I pretty much spent whole my life in Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city with more than 15 million people. The city is the cultural and financial center of Turkey and life there is always very busy. The public transportation allows you to travel anywhere almost anytime of the day.

When I first moved to Lincoln, I didn't know what to expect. I knew the population of Lincoln was around 300,000 and the city was the capital of Nebraska. In a very short time, I discovered that Lincoln is a very appropriate city for international students. The city is extremely safe and very well organized. The campus is integrated to downtown so you don't feel like you are isolated from the outside. While you study you can go to a coffee house for a small break. Living costs in Lincoln are comparably cheaper too. Right now, I pay $395 for a 2-bedroom duplex with a big yard.

In terms of people, I have met a lot of Nebraskans with big hearts. They are polite, considerate and respectful. If they notice that you don't follow what they are saying, they speak clearly and slowly. This may not sound important, but, believe me, it is for a new international student who doesn't have enough practice to understand English easily. Still, I find the city extremely quiet, and public transportation is not as good as I had expected coming from a city of 15 million. Anybody who is going to live off campus should buy a car. After buying a car, life has been easier for me. Basic grocery shopping is very easy with the conveniently located stores within the city.

I have spent more than five years in Lincoln and I cannot remember a major complaint about the time I've been here. Overall I am really happy that I came here for my graduate studies. It was a great experience and I would recommend living in Lincoln to anybody. Believe me, it doesn't take long to get accustomed to Lincoln.

My wife and I relocated from Los Angeles to Lincoln in the summer of 2006—an immensely difficult and stressful process. It need not be this way for you. It was not an option to throw six suitcases in the back of a car and drive away since my wife and I had acquired a ridiculous amount of stuff.

The first thing you should know is that relocating to Lincoln from a large urban area is expensive. You are competing with a huge number of other people for the available moving vans. In 2006, it cost about $2,000 to rent a U-Haul truck going from Los Angeles to Lincoln—almost twice as much as it would have cost going the opposite direction. We decided on a "you pack, they drive" service, which cost about the same amount but allowed us to drive our own car at our own pace—or so we thought.

The second thing you should know is that relocating in this manner is largely on a schedule that is not under your control. Other customers delayed the driver and so he did not arrive until 7:00 p.m. on moving day. We managed to load the truck in just three hours but the driver's schedule had become backed up so much that he had to hurry across the United States, loading and unloading as he went. And we had a hard drive to keep up with him. We made the 1600-mile drive in just two and a half days, arriving in Lincoln exhausted. We worked in the August heat and humidity to unload everything quickly so the driver could be on his way.

My advice: pack well in advance, save your pennies, and say your prayers.

I can't deny that there are drawbacks to living here for an ex-Angeleno. There is not a Trader Joe's nearer than Denver. The nearest Whole Foods is in Omaha and there are few truly good coffee shops. (I do recommend Cultiva and Coffee Emergency for the coffee, and The Coffee House for the ambience.) There is a local "wine country," but the wine is not comparable to California's. There are few good ethnic restaurants, and we are still on the hunt for really good Mexican food. Perhaps worst of all is the driving; running red lights is a sort of a national sport here.

However, life in Lincoln is blessed unlike life in Los Angeles. From twenty hours in the car per week, my wife and I are now only spending two! Traffic is unknown here. Parking is plentiful and cheap (except on campus between about 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM). People are kind and gracious. You'll find that there's "nice," and then there is "Nebraska nice," which is on an entirely different level. There are even attendants at one parking lot who offer you mints as you leave! Picking people up at the airport is a matter of minutes, not hours. Even going "all the way out" to the Omaha airport is not nearly as horrible as going to LAX. There is plenty of excellent beef, college football, and beer. I am enjoying the research and teaching quite a bit as well, finding the University to be a place where things can get done relatively painlessly, and my particular department to be collegial. I enjoy it here and can earnestly recommend this place to anyone who is willing to put up with a few drawbacks in return for a very easy, relaxed, and generally trouble-free way of life.

As a native Nebraskan who received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the transition to graduate school at UNL likely was a little easier for me than for those moving to Lincoln and attending UNL for the first time. I was already familiar with the city, the campus and some of the faculty and staff. Nevertheless, the change from undergraduate to graduate student was quite a shift, especially since I switched academic disciplines from journalism to student affairs.

Much of the academic work in my undergraduate major, broadcasting, involved major hands-on and technical projects. In journalism, it was always drilled into your head to "write like you talk." No one would object if I said a sentence on air that ended with (gasp) a preposition! As I began my graduate school work, research papers and other scholarly writings were expected almost weekly. I had to carefully proofread to make sure the tone remained formal, as opposed to the informal, journalistic style of writing I typically used. Group collaboration and discussion became much more important parts of the learning process in my classes.

Attending graduate school was a last-minute decision for me, so I was not completely prepared for what to expect. I found the orientation for my program very helpful, since it allowed me to get caught up on the expectations and processes for the next two years of my life. Likewise, it introduced me to some of the faculty and staff that I could call on for help throughout the process. I quickly found a great support system among my peers, professors and supervisors and took advantage of it. The older students in the program provided excellent insights into how to adapt to the new climate and challenges we might face. I also developed a strong relationship with my adviser, who kept me on track and was always willing to chat about school, thesis or life in general.

Despite the rigorous academic work, I found I was still able to maintain a balanced life. I actually had a life beyond school and my assistantship! Lincoln has many opportunities to volunteer or get involved. Students in my program found their own niche outside the classroom, ranging from running a half-marathon, attending a Hurricane Katrina relief trip or becoming a national intramural flag football All-American.

As I prepare to graduate, I've found that I am a competitive candidate for positions all across the country. No matter where I move after graduation, I know I'll always be a Husker at heart.