Hey Hilo people....
I'm not a part of your class, but I'll drop a few tips/words of wisdom from my end. I was interviewed and accepted, and I declined the offer, but not before visiting the school and area.
1) I heard to avoid University Palms, this from my taxi driver for the weekend. Reasons being: noise problems and lots of rowdy undergrads.
2) On campus housing is not very nice, your best bet is off campus (I left my list of recommended places on another computer).
3) Shipping your car will cost about $1000 if you ship it from Long Beach/San Diego to Hilo. Add in more if you need to get your car to this west coast port. Some residents recommend getting an "island beater" since whatever car you will be shipping will be exposed to the constant humidity/rain. It usually takes 3-4 weeks to arrive.
4)
http://www.city-data.com/forum/hawaii/ is a good source for information, just dig around for a few hours.
5) 7-11 by campus has good breakfasts. There aren't many food options around campus for some reason that I forgot...except maybe a Subway and some chinese food place.
6) If you want a cool taxi driver who is full of knowledge (and won't rip you off)...call Kirby at (808) 557-0879. Depending on his load that day, he can probably get to you within 15-20 minutes, so call once you land. He has his own one-man taxi company ("Hot Lava Taxi") with his minivan and is an all around nice guy.
Tell him his "two favorite mainlanders from San Diego who walked halfway across town because they got lost" sent you, see if he remembers us. Tip him well.
7) Order the "Loco Moco" from L&L. Trust me.
8) I personally think a car is necessary as Hilo isn't really a "walkable" town (like San Francisco or other dense urban area), someone else told me they bought a motorbike to scoot around town (sounds like fun). Others said, if you're social, you can probably bum a ride off of someone.
9) For those that still have a choice in schools...VISIT HILO FIRST. General comments for everyone: The city and campus are small/quaint and EVERYONE I met was very friendly. At the same time, the area didn't suit what I was looking for. I'm sure many of you will love it...and at the same time, I'm sure many of you will be going "wtf what did i do?!?!" when you land the first time.
If you're expecting another Honolulu (which, I'm sure most of you have been to for vacation), DON'T. You will just be disappointed. This is not to disparage Hilo in any way, this is just the way things are. Take Hilo for what it is and make the most of it, and don't compare it to any other place on the island. Some of you will enjoy those differences, some of you won't.
Anyway...just thought I'd inject some knowledge in here. Congrats to you all and I wish your class well!
