Circlewave wrote:1. Cost of Living - I've been living in DC for 4 years, so stuff's expensive as hell. I'm assuming WS is cheaper, but what's rent/food/gas/booze like? I might be getting some assistance, but I can't count on it.
I came from a DC undergrad as well and I can tell you the difference is unbelievable. 1200 dollars got you a small apartment in foggy bottom, but my roommate and I pay a little more than half of that..combined. Gas is so much cheaper and drinks, depending on where you go can be anywhere from astoundingly cheap (Slopera, Roses) to just about DC prices (Tates, Finnegans).
Circlewave wrote:2. Nightlife/Social Scene - I'm definitely not a club kind of dude, but I do like going to bars that are decently lively, and I'm a really big live music person. What sort of stuff can I expect?
Nothing like DC, but a decent bar scene, especially on 4th Street and up by Finnegans.
Circlewave wrote:3. Job Prospects - I'm interested in any personal experiences people can share, but specifically - I've heard (and seen in this thread) that North Carolina can be tough to break into if you're an outsider. Given that I was raised in Pittsburgh and don't have many ties to the area (save for a cousin and his wife in Greensboro), will I have a rough time of it finding work?
It can be, especially at first. I am from the northeast originally, undergrad in DC and when I was interviewing as a 1L I always got asked Why NC? But I spent the summer working in NC and during my 2L interviews I was never again asked why NC. If your not from here, you almost need to spend the first summer in NC to make sure that people know you want to be here permanently. As for the prospects, I'm a little above median and I got some OCI interviews but struck out. However, I mass mailed like crazy (pretty much every firm from Asheville to Wilmington) and got tons of interviews and although I got hired by a mid-size firm in Charlotte in October, I am pretty sure I could have gotten one or more offers from other places in different cities. If you don't just rely on OCI and Simplicity you should be able to find something.