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Visit the University young alumni website to learn more about the programs and resources available to you. We look forward to helping you as you transition to the next phase of your life.
Victoria Hirst ’24 – Adjusting to life after URochester
Victoria Hirst ’24 shares how she leaned on the University’s Meliora Life Pods when she moved to Boston after graduation.
Victoria Hirst ’24, a research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital, participated in Meliora Life Pods when she relocated to Boston following her graduation. The Meliora Life Pods program was a 6-week “how-to-adult” program offered to recent University of Rochester grads to help with the transition from full-time student to full-time adult. She made the decision to get involved because she was nervous about the move and wanted to make the transition easier.
“All my family is in New Jersey, and I was leaving behind my college friends. No one that I knew in my friend group was coming to Boston,” she explains. “Using your network is a great way to transition to a new area and have an immediate connection through the University of Rochester.”
Leaning on the Meliora Life Pods program helped Victoria feel immediately at home in Boston. She looked forward to the weekends when she could spend time with her new network and explore the city.
“When we’re younger, it’s easy to make friends when you are surrounded by peers. Now, I realize to build a community of friends, I need to do the heavy lifting. The structure provided by URochester helped with that. It gave me a reason to meet up and stay consistent in building relationships. It also allowed me to find people similarly interested in forming relationships and talking about our university.”
She recommends leaning on the University’s young alumni programs to anyone who is transitioning out of college. “Get involved!” she says. “When you leave college, you go from everyone being your age to maybe only one person at your office being in your stage of life. It gives you a reason to explore your new city and meet new friends that you might have missed in the halls of URochester.”
While the Life Pods program won’t be in Boston this summer, there are still many opportunities for young alumni to take advantage of. Join a Dandelion Days celebration in your area or try something new in the fall with the Explore Your City series.
—Ben Vandenberg, June 2026