One of the biggest concerns that Kerin and I had before deciding to join the LGO program was that we would put our “life” on hold for two years. When thinking about a significantly reduced income (Kerin is working while I’m in school), selling more than half of our furniture, moving 3,000 miles, the uncertainty of where we’d be after graduation and a number of other unknowns it felt like coming to LGO would be hitting a big pause button on all of our plans. After a lot of discussion we decided (and hoped) that it would be worth it and took the plunge.
More than a year has passed since we made that decision and in less than a year we’ll be back in the real world. The interesting thing we have learned is that our life really didn’t pause as much as we thought it would. We made the decision to have our first child while we’re in Boston close to Kerin’s family. Our son is due June 19th just after I start my internship. We still take vacations, go to the movies, hang out with friends, and eat a fancy dinner once in awhile. Life is different, but our vision of eating ramen every night, and commuting from Maine so we could afford housing didn’t come to pass. And I feel secure about our future because of the things I’m learning, the people I’m meeting, and the experiences I’ve had.
If you’re considering LGO and are worried about putting your life on hold I encourage you to reach out to current and past students to get an idea of what the transition is like. “2010 me” would have told “2009 me” not to worry and he would have been right.
