Indian Students' Organization @ Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Go along with a friend having a vehicle (just in case you have to go & get something)

They should never feel that you will have any sort of difficulty language, finance, racial, religious, etc.

You should be able to convince them that you will come back to India. If they ask you, points in favor are :

Actually all this won't be required - just in case they decide to have an interview with you these tips will come in handy.

Booking Tips for Students

1. After getting the visa the next thing to do is booking tickets.

2. Days before the flight, call the airline to confirm your reservation and to cross-check everything the travel agent may have told you.

3. Indicate whether you want Asian Vegetarian Meal (AVM), non-smoking section, etc. This can be done at the time of booking the tickets with the travel agent.

4. Some airlines offer Frequent Flier programs (e.g. Air France, TWA, United Airlines) implying that after a certain number of miles of flying with that airline you get a free ticket. Enroll in such programs.

5. Avoid transit of airline at airports A direct flight is the best. If change of airline can't be avoided, make sure that there is at least 4-6 hours gap between the scheduled arrival of one flight and the scheduled departure of the connecting flight.

6. Baggage is usually safe with a single airline while change of airline sometimes leads to misplaced luggage. Some airlines don't take care about baggage transfer. You may have to personally carry it (check this while booking)

7. Arrive at the airport at least 1 hour before the check in time.

8. Drink lot of fluids on the flight. This will help you recover the jetlag very fast.

9. Many airlines are fussy about the weight of your cabin baggage. The usual weight limit is 8 Kgs. However, its better to check with your travel agent regarding this.

10. Always keep a photocopy of your passport, tickets, I-20, contact info of your school in every baggage including your cabin baggage.

11. Always keep original copies of your CA certificate, bank statements, sponsor's affidavit, passport, admission letters in your cabin baggage. Sometimes, the immigration officials may ask you to present them at the airport.

12. Ideally, a student can bring $ 500/- in cash, $ 1000/- in travelers cheques and a personal draft of the amount equal to one semester's expenses. You may check your I-20 to determine this amount.

Certain things have to be done in advance, i.e., as soon as you get your aid - much before the flight.

Learn typing

Learn driving

Learn to cook

Apply for bank loan (if necessary) o make your passport valid for 6 months more than your stay indicated in your I-20

Make sure your passport is valid for 6 months atleast. All other changes are best made in the U.S.

Make outstation purchases (sweater, thermal underwear, cassettes, etc. - available/cheap in Delhi, Bombay ...)

Get medical checkup done

Get cassettes recorded which you may like to take with you

Write to the India Students' Organization and OIE - Office of International Education, giving your flight #, time & date of arrival; they may pick you up & give temporary accommodation if necessary

If you are very interested in any Indian magazine (Gult, Tamil, etc.) subscribe to them - you can subscribe to them after going to the US also.

Note your/parent's bank A/c #

Buy two good boxes - they should be able to withstand a lot of mishandling. They should be as large as possible within the size limitations (however most airlines are not very strict about baggage size). Put identification marks and labels both inside & outside the boxes (apart from this the airlines will also provide you with adhesive labels). Boxes with independent top & bottom are preferable.

Box specifications As an example the Air India economy class baggage specifications to the USA are given below.

2 pieces of baggage with total linear dimension (l+b+h) not exceeding 270cm (106"). Moreover the total linear dimension of each piece should not be over 158cm (62"). The weight of each bag should not exceed 32kg (70lb) [note: they are not particular about this]

Carry on baggage : In addition you can carry a bag with linear dimension not exceeding 115cm (45") onboard (fits beneath the seat). For most other airlines the baggage specs are similar (confirm)

* If you are taking a break outside USA/Canada contact your travel agent or airlines for details.

Necessary books/notebooks (some suggested books are - Clark's Tables, a good dictionary/thesaurus, a booklet for units conversion) [note: there should be no legal hassles taking Xerox copies of books - but don't flaunt them to Americans/ Profs]

Some stationery and related items suggested (not absolutely necessary - just for the first few weeks) are:

Non-technical books (fiction/religious). [note: second-hand story books are cheap in the US]

Usually clothes are machine washed once a week (Laundromat) - hence one week supply of clothes (+ one week backup) is needed. Get all clothes little loose - clothes may shrink in machine wash & you will probably grow fatter.

don't take Indian files (empty) or punching machines - filing system is different in the US (3 holes, A4)

don't buy purse (wallet for carrying cards can be bought in US). However, if you do make sure it has a lot of card slots.

wear your shoes to save space in the box. If needed buy only leather shoes (other types of shoes are cheap in US). For some weather conditions Indian leather shoes may crack.

Don't worry yourself if you can't bring any of the stuff listed above - most of them are available pretty cheap in the US (made in China). Exceptions are leather goods, formal wear. In a month or two you will be in a position to get anything you want (unless you are not on aid)

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Below are some South Indian food stuffs (if you are from southern part of INDIA) that may be taken :

Most Indian foodstuffs are available even in small cities. Don't come loaded with foodstuffs as you may have (small) problems with the customs. Try to get "instant" stuff as people generally don't have much time for cooking in the US.

Big pressure pan (with spare handle, 3 safety valves, 2 weights, 1 base plate, 3 gaskets) [note: big pressure cooker may not be needed as rice cooker can be bought in the US]

Note: Try to share & bring the vessels with others coming to your Univ.

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Things to survive for a week in case luggage gets misplaced or if there is a flight delay (two sets of clothes, valuables like addresses etc)

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I-20, passport, ticket, financial documents (CA certificate, Bank Statements), admission letter, affidavit of sponsor, all college or school mark sheets and related certificates.

Shorter extract of contact addresses - especially of people coming to pick you up.

Keep some $5, $1, 25c, 10c, 5c change with you. You may require lower denominations to pickup carts in the airport in US.

Note: It's better to keep all these things in a waist-pouch and not in the In-flight luggage or any other sort of bag(s) having a chance of being away from ones' body.

A few blank signed papers - so that your parents can be authorized to look after anything on your behalf

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Call up & find if there is any delay or change of schedule of the plane (inform the people coming to pick you up of any such change)

Since it is going to be a long flight wear something comfortable (cotton dress + shirt).

Wear your shoes - in-flight you can remove them (some airlines give in-flight shoes - else relax in socks)

For vegetarians - watch out before you eat - you may get non-veg even if you had asked for veg. Veg. food is generally bland - fruits/juice are good choices.
(Before ordering anything on board check if you have to pay for it separately for it).

Once out of India be very careful (from sheer experience of seniors). Don't trust anyone. Don't hire a taxi (unless emergency) till you reach your destination. If required don't hesitate to spend money, you will get enough once you start working or get aid. But you have to reach here first!

Don't hesitate to talk to people to ask questions - usually they will answer all your queries properly.

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Sometime before landing the flight attendant will distribute customs declaration forms & immigration forms as mentioned below. Fill these out on the plane (you will submit them to the appropriate authorities when you land). Do not hesitate to take the flight attendant's help.

You can indicate that you have nothing to declare & total value of all your things is less than $100 on the customs form Form I-94 - fill in the plane. After seeing your documents immigration officer will indicate length of stay, Univ, etc. This will be attached to your passport.

Important: note the expiry date and D/S (duration of status). Form I-20 ID copy - all transactions regarding your non-immigrant status will be recorded in this form. This should be retained at all times (not surrendered when you temporarily leave the US). Your admission number will be given - memorize it & note it elsewhere.

Just before you land the correct local time will be announced set your watch [dual time watch will come in handy here]. Michigan is 9:30 hours behind India from 31st April to 31st October and 10:30 hours behind India for other times.

Once you are out of the plane go straight to the immigration counter. It might take half to one hour here.

Keep your I-20, passport, admission & aid letters ready. They might ask a few questions like - is this your first time in the US ? Student ? F-1 visa ? Which Univ ? They will attach an I-94 card to your visa. You are now in the USA !

Then go to the baggage area to fetch your luggage. Pick up a cart (you get this at a machine for a few dollars) to carry the bags. Then pick up your bags as they come out on the conveyor (suitable eye-catching labels help here).

If you don't get your baggage inform the enquiry section - you may have to wait 0.5-1 hour here.

Cart your baggage to nearby Customs. If asked tell them that you are a student, F-1 visa, school, dept., coming to US for the first time If asked to open the baggage do so slowly - do not mess up the place.

If asked about the "powder"s or "instant mixes" tell them that they are "dried Indian spices" to make traditional Indian food like curry. Rarely they might ask you to go to the agris. dept. nearby - that is a pain.

Note : In most cases you will NOT be asked to open your boxes at all & will be simply waved through.

Now go & wait at the nearest exit for the guys who are supposed to pick you up. If nobody turns up after some time (say 0.5 hour) make a collect call (at the public phone dial a '0', get the operator & ask for a collect call).

Else call i) your Prof ii) dept. iii) International Students' Office iv) admissions office v) any Indian guy in the directory. Go & ask for an announcement to be made over the PA system.

If you have doubts about the guy who comes to pick you up, don't hesitate to ask for his ID. [All this is of course being a little extra cautious]

Once you reach your friend's house (or other destination) call home & inform them of reaching safely.

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Your first work is to meet the Coordinator for International Students in the Office of International Education (OIE). They keep a record of you (passport, visa details etc). When you leave the US (temporarily or permanently) you have to go there again.