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Chapter XI: Student Life
Once the student reaches the university, he or she will need to check in at the designated location. For on-campus accommodations, students must contact the university's Housing Office before arriving and have taken care of the necessary paperwork and payments. Students who choose to live off-campus are on their own for finding a place to live. As soon as students are settled, they should become acquainted with the university. They should have a schedule of their classes and find out where each building is so that they do not get lost. They also need to purchase their textbooks from the university bookstore.
International Students Office
The first and the most important task is to visit the International Students Office. Student should take their passport, I-20, I-94, and university letter to register. The office will make a photocopy of the documents and return the originals to the student. These are very important documents and students should always keep them in a safe and secure place. Having copies of all the documents in different location is highly advisable. Whenever there is a change of address, students must inform the International Students Office as well as USCIS within 10 days.
Admissions Office
It is important for students to visit the Admissions Office to verify that all of their paperwork is in order and that they are registered for classes. Students should register for classes prior to arriving at the university. Most universities allow students to register by computer over the internet.
University Identity Card
Students should get their University Identity card immediately. The card will have a photograph of the student and university ID number on it. The ID card is used for library accounts, meal plans, and attending university events.
Health Insurance
It is important that the student should have proper health insurance. They will need to submit a medical history form and a physical examination for the records of the Student Health Center. Students can sign up for health insurance prior to arriving in the U.S. through F1study.com.
Bank Accounts
It is convenient to open a checking account, especially if the account holder wishes to make payments by check. Most of the student checking accounts have no monthly fee. Banks also provide Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards that allow the account holder to withdraw money at any time. All banks will accept the Traveler's checks that students bring from their country. Student should be prepared to show a photo ID and the necessary documents that prove that they are a university student. Students should ask the bank about their monthly fees for services, and whether or not the bank can receive transactions from the bank in their home country.
Credit Cards
A credit card is a convenient method of payment and saves the trouble of always carrying enough cash around or carrying the checkbook everywhere. International students sometimes have problems getting approved for a credit card since they lack a credit history and are not permanent residents of the U.S. Following is a list of tips for choosing and using credit cards:
- Look for cards with no annual fees.
- Read the fine prints of terms and conditions for APR. Do not look for only 0% introductory offers. The lower the APR the lower the interest is.
- Always pay your credit card payments in full.
- Always pays the bill on time. Setup auto deduction from the Bank checking or savings account with minimum amount transfer. Late fees are very expensive and often more than the minimum monthly payment. Also late payment will reduce the credit scores significantly.
- If the credit card was stolen, call the credit card company and inform them, so that they can stop the transaction for the credit card. File a police compliant with date time of the stolen items. Having the records in hand will help in many ways to avoid paying the bill by unauthorized transaction.
Visit http://www.F1study.com/html/creditcards.html to view applications from a list of credit card companies.
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