September 11
Your health, wellness, and finances
Anshuman Mohan
This session approaches the hidden curriculum through a wellness lens. Our physical, mental, and financial wellness can impact our work/life balance and have significant consequences for our academic success and professional development.
Employment rights and benefits
Healthcare
Getting healthcare in Ithaca
- Primary Care: Cornell Health on Ho Plaza; call them on 607-255-5155 to make an appointment
- Urgent care, or care outside of Cornell Health's hours:
- Standalone urgent care options such as WellNow (607-319-4563) will see you relatively quickly, but, in case you are a tricky case, may refer you to the option below.
- The more challenging, but more complete, option is Cayuga Health's ER. They have access to all the facilities of the hospital. However, prepare for long, long waits. Bring a book, a sweater, a phone charger, etc.
- Your primary care provider may refer you to Cayuga Health for advanced care. The area is poorly served by cell service, so make plans accordingly. If you are getting a procedure, please consider asking a friend for a ride or booking a Collegetown Cab!
- Vision: You can enroll in VSP vision insurance through Cornell. Enrollment is open for only a few months of the year. See here for more.
- Dental: Similarly, you can enroll in Metlife dental insurance through Cornell. Again, this is open for only a few months of the year. See here for more.
Getting mental healthcare in Ithaca
- Call Cornell Health, and they will schedule a "triage" style appointment with CAPS. The person you speak to will not become your therapist, but will help you find one.
There are weird rules that require your therapist to be registered in New York State, but remote therapy is possible. This means you are not just limited to Ithaca.
- Try out a variety of therapists. You are not obligated to stick with the first one you meet. It is important to find someone you are comfortable with. Seems obvious/pedantic, but you'll have a better shot at this when you are not in a moment of crisis.
Taking time off
- You have some guaranteed vacation days.
Sadly, actually taking time off tends to come down to a discussion with your advisor.
- My advice:
- Plan ahead if possible.
- Make it clear whether you are working remotely or fully on vacation.
- Propose a plan in writing. Dodges deadlines if possible, designate a point person if not.
- Communicate your plan to your collaborators, project partners, etc.
- Do not make up for the time you took off.
Finances
Conference Travel
Conference travel can complicate and dominiate your finances.
With a little care, it is possible to avoid this burden and even come out ahead.
I suggest you figure out which administrator in the department will eventually handle your reimbursement.
This may be a specific administrator who handles your advisor's grants, or it may be someone more general to the department.
When in doubt, ask them questions!
Don't run the risk of having your reimbursement denied because you didn't follow the rules.
Split the (upcoming) expenses into two groups:
- Things that you'd like the department to pay for directly, e.g., conference registration fees.
- Things that you'd like to pay for and be reimbursed for, e.g., airfare, hotel, meals, etc.
Why would anything ever go into the second group? Because you've been clever and gotten credit cards or other loyalty memberships that give you points or miles.
Important: never actually spend points or miles on university travel; Cornell only reimburses you for the actual money you spent.
Saving While in Grad School
- You're not exactly raking it in, but you do have a steady income for a few years.
If nothing else, this is a great time to start building good financial habits.
- I like Mr. Money Mustache, but he can be a bit much.
- The important thing, IMO, is to give this a little thought and not just let money "happen" to you.
Building Your Credit Score
- Again, the stability of your income makes this a great time to start building your credit score. This is a long game, and, for once, you have time.
- Consider a small credit builder loan, for example.
- Generally, do not take on debt or open up accounts just to build your credit score.
External resources