Returning to School with a Family

Ani Gatz, MPP Class of 2020, returned to school to complete her Master of Public Policy—with two children in tow. Below she shares some advice on successfully transitioning her family to Chicago and balancing responsibilities.

Twenty years into my career and various life adventures, my desire to return to school finally reached critical mass. But by then, I had two little humans joining in my hijinks. And at five and eight years old, they needed me just as much as they cheered for me. If you find your grad school journey also includes the needs of your family, I have a few tips that may help you balance home and Harris life more easily.

Support Systems

Finding support systems for both your emotional and parenting needs will be essential to your success and sanity. You will need to communicate and work out a schedule with someone—a trusted friend, family member, or partner (or all three!)—who can watch the kids while you study, put them to bed on nights you are working late on problem sets, and pick them up from school on days you have a seminar, meeting, or class. (Shout out to my kids’ dad on this—he’s pretty fantastic.) Harris has a support group for spouses/partners, so your partner can participate in the Harris community, too.

Childcare

The University of Chicago has drop-in childcare available for infants and toddlers through the The Family Resource Center. There are also after-school programs for older kids at neighborhood schools. Visit your neighborhood school website to see which after-school programs are offered, how much they cost, and how to get financial aid. Hyde Park Neighborhood Club and the Chicago Park District also offer reasonably priced after-school programs and summer camps.

Timing

I highly recommend easing kids into their new environment by moving to Chicago early in summer. Summer in Chicago is gorgeous, with multiple festivals and special events daily. The beaches, museums, parks, and community activities are all excellent and will help them get acclimated to a new environment much more easily (and enjoyably) than starting right with a new school.

Health Insurance

While there is student insurance offered through University of Chicago Student Health Insurance Policy (USHIP), the university health plan is geared towards individual students and not always the most affordable option for families. If you are a domestic student with children and need to purchase new insurance, research which plans are offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace before paying for USHIP. International students with children can find different options than domestic students available through their government exchange programs.

Chicago Public Schools/School Districts

Working with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) can be an education in and of itself. Research the school district boundaries and determine the best local options for your children. If you are interested in sending your children to a magnet school, get to know the requirements and application deadlines carefully and as soon as possible. My kids are loving their new school!

Preparing for Quantitative Courses

At Harris, you will power through a lot of material very quickly. If you have not taken statistics or microeconomics in a long time, I highly recommend going to a two-year college and taking non-credit courses in statistics, microeconomics, and calculus the year before you begin at Harris. Khan Academy and YouTube can also be useful tools, albeit not as good as a classroom setting. Taking advantage of Harris preparatory programs such as Math Camp will also ease your transition. If you have limited time to prepare for Harris coursework, narrowing your focus to online courses teaching data importation and organization basics in R would be a wise choice.

Helpful Resources

If you are a parent considering Harris, you can check out the Parent Resource Guide: a UChicago parent guide on childcare, school districts, healthcare, cultural activities and more. I also urge you to join the Student Parent Listserv at UChicago where you can ask questions and get the perspectives of many other student parents.

I hope this blog helps you and your family as you transition to Harris!