What should you bring with you to the United States

Now it is the time for you to think about and prepare for what you should bring with you when you come to UGA in the United States. In addition to all the official acceptance documents you got from UGA, you should also bring the following items
with you:

The Certificate of Immunization and Health History Form.
You are supposed to have received this form along with the official acceptance documents. And the form must be completed and sent back to the University. If you have not done this before you come, remember to bring it with you.

Enough money.
As for how much money you should bring with you, the following list could help you make a wise decision. You must pay the following fees before the class begins for the Fall 1999 Semester.

Matriculation fee (for one semester) $ 25.00
On-campus transportation fee (for one semester) $ 48.00
Student fees (for one semester) $ 387.00?
Health insurance (for one semester) $ 220.00
Textbooks (for one semester) $ 100.00
Apartment rent (for one month) $ 250.00-300.00
Security deposit for the apartment (if required) $ 250.00-300.00
The minimum deposit for opening a check account (if required) $ 100.00-200.00 Total $ 1,380.00-1,580.00

The clothes for four typical seasons.
The weather in Athens, where UGA is located, is generally warm and hot. It could easily go up to 35-38 degree (C) in the summer. Although it is pretty mild in the winter, the temperature sometimes goes as low as –5-0 degree (C). You can also check the weather conditions at Athens for today and the next two days by click Athens Weather Page. Since there are air-conditioners and heating systems indoors everywhere, you might not feel as hot or cold as you expect for the temperatures. When you are outdoors, however, seasonal clothes are desirable.

How to get to Athens from Atlanta

There are also some other ways to get to Athens from Atlanta as listed below:

A. Triple A (AAA) Bus Service (Toll Free Number 800-354-7874) - the fare from Atlanta to Athens is $30.00. The shuttle leaves Atlanta at the following times: 9:15 a.m.;11:45 a.m.; 2:15 p.m.; 4:45 p.m.; 7:15 p.m.; 9:45 p.m. At the Atlanta Airport, follow signs to "Ground Transportation." Once outside, follow signs to "Non-Metro Buses." Stopping points in Athens are the Marriott Courtyard, Holiday Inn, Georgia Center (UGA) and the Downtowner Motel.

B. Take a taxicab to the Atlanta Greyhound Bus ($14.00-$20.00, ask your taxi driver about the cost before departing), and then the Greyhound Bus to Athens (approximately $12 plus tax). Call to check departure times that may vary (404-584-1728).

C. If you need to stay overnight near the Atlanta Airport, the least expensive motels are the Red Roof Inn (404-761-9701, approximately $50.00 and does not include transportation from the airport) and the Days Inn (404-761-6500, approximately $70.00 and includes transportation from the airport). A taxi from the airport to the Red Roof Inn is $6.00 to $8.00.

How to get help upon arrival at Athens

If you take Triple A (AAA) Bus from Atlanta to Athens, the bus will have several stopping points at Athens. Your destination, however, is Georgia Center for Continuing Education (1640), which is a building on the UGA campus. So, when you get off at Georgia Center, you have already arrived at UGA. If you take Greyhound Bus from Atlanta to Athens, your destination is the downtown of Athens, which is just several minutes' walk away from the UGA campus.

It is very important for you to inform The Chinese Student Union (CSU) of the estimated date on which you will arrive at Athens so that some students here will be available to meet you at your destination at Athens. You are strongly encouraged to
contact our Minister of Administration, the person in CSU responsible to accommodate new students, at csunewstudent@yahoo.com regarding your arrival date if you want somebody to meet you at Athens.

Which bank should you choose for opening your bank account 

There are many banks from which you could choose to open your bank account at Athens. Among them are Athens First Bank & Trust Company, Georgia National Bank, Bank South, First American, and Bank of America , etc. All these banks provide full service with high quality and you can count on any of them for your daily-life needs. There are some differences, however, among those banks that we want to make you aware of. You will always feel more convenient to be with a nationwide bank than to be with a local or regional bank, because you can get all free services (especially free ATM service) everywhere in the United States with a nationwide bank. As for a local or regional bank, the free service is limited within the local or regional area. For this reason, you are recommended to open your account at Bank of America, a nationwide bank, but you need several hundred dollars to open an account there.

1. Athens First Bank & Trust Company, 124 East Hancock, Tel: 375-7000
2. First American, 300 College Avenue, Tel: 354-5000
3. Georgia National Bank, 220 College Avenue, Tel: 548-5511
4. Bank South, 475 East Broad Street, Tel: 354-5500
5. Bank of America, 110 East Clayton Street, 357-6354
6. Sun Trust Bank, 101 North Lumpkin, 354-5200

Two important offices at UGA

International Offices
Providing Services and Programs for International Students

Office of International Student Life
210 Memorial Hall (0670)
706-542-5867
The International Student Life (ISL) Office assists international students at UGA with cross-cultural adjustment, orientation, and integration into the higher education community. The ISL office assists international students in their initial adjustment to the university and Athens community through interactive programs, distribution of information, advising on personal matters, such as initial housing assistance and adjustment to the local environment, and referral assistance. The ISL office also works with over 20 international student organizations, which provide an extended support system for all new international students.

Questions about the following areas should be taken to the International Student Life Office.
Participation in an international student organization
Establishing an international student organization
Housing assistance
New student information about UGA and Athens (such as the orientation)
Presentations at local schools, churches, and civic groups about life in your country
Friendships with American families or students
Participation in cross-cultural workshops
Contributing an article for the international newsletter
Other assistance needed but don't know where to go
Office of International Education
201 Barrow Hall (1021)
706-542-7903

The international scholar and student service area of the office of International Education assists international scholars and students in areas of immigration matters, financial concerns, health insurance, and related administrative details of international exchange.

Students and scholars should establish an international student or scholar file promptly upon arrival in Athens. Bring the following items to the office to establish your file:

Country of citizenship (passport)
Visa
Current address and telephone number
Photocopies of Form I-20 ID, or IAP-66, and Form I-94
Questions about the following areas should be taken to the Office of International Education.
For scholars and students:

Establishing international student or scholar file on campus
Visa matters and immigration status issues
Certificates of enrollment or attendance
Travel plans outside, and return to, the U.S.
Invitations to family members to visit you in the U.S.
Changes in program of study or exchange objective
Transfer to or from another U.S. academic institution
Employment while a student for scholar
Individual taxpayer identification numbers
Health insurance
Other assistance needed but don't know where to go

For students only:

Enrollment in less than a full course of study
Financial problems
Short-term deferment of tuition and fees
Emergency loans
Regents out-of-state tuition waiver

Registering for class

Registration is the process you sign up for classes for the coming semester. The University of Georgia uses a computer system OASIS—On-line Access to Student Information System for the registration process. After you are admitted to the University, you will be sent a copy of the Graduate Bulletin or the Undergraduate Bulletin and a copy of Class Schedule for the semester you are going to start. Don't worry if you have not received them by the time you come to the U.S. You can get them here on campus, such as the libraries (1023 &0054), the Graduate School (fifth floor, 1023), the International Student Life Office (0670), the Office of International Education (1021), or the most convenient, you department. You will be getting information about all the available courses from the Class Schedule and be finding out whether a certain class is for you by referring to the descriptions on the Bulletin.

The registration process itself is very easy. You just get on a computer in any of the computer labs of the University Computer and Network Service (UCNS, you will see this many times after you come here.), and click on the OASIS icon on the desktop. It will take you only ten to fifteen minutes to go through it. But it is crucial for you to make sure that every flag is taken care of before you try to register. A flag is a mark on your record which blocks your access to the System. Usually one of the following situations will get you a flag. As you go through the list, you will also learn how to deal with them.

When reading, click on the underlined text to go to their Web sites. Be aware that it might be slow to load these pages because they have a lot of graphics.

The missing of your immunization form. This is a form sent to you after you are admitted. It should be properly filled out and signed by a physician and then sent back to the University BEFORE you register. It is wise to have it sent back even before you come to the U.S. If you don't have a chance to do it before that, please take it to the University Health Center (1701) as soon as you arrive so that your flag can be cleared from your record.

The missing of your degree certificate. This would only be the case for those who applied for the University before they graduated from their colleges/universities in China. The place to hand in the document(s) is the Graduate Admission Office on the fifth floor of the Boyd Graduate Research Center, which is in the same building with the Science Library (1023).

The absence of proof of your health insurance. All international students and their dependents must be covered by adequate health insurance. The places you can purchase a health insurance plan are the Health Center (1701) and the Office of International Education (1021). If you have already had a health insurance purchased somewhere other than these two places, please present your proof to either of them to have your flag taken away. (Click to see more on the topic.)

The absence of approval from your academic advisor/major professor. After getting to the University, it is wise to visit your department and your future academic advisor/major professor right away, and make an appointment with him/her for your advisement. You will talk about what class you can or should take. After the advisement, you will get an advisement sheet signed by him/her, which in many cases you take to the department secretary and she/he will go in the System and take off your flag.

Remember, you can not register unless you have the above four items taken care of.

Besides the above, there are also a couple of things you need to know or have before or after the registration.

You have to get your student ID number or your Social Security Number before you can get in OASIS. The number appearing in your I-20 form is your student ID.
Click here for more information for student ID number and SSN and the Student ID Card.

You will also be asked for you PIN—Personal Identification Number, which is pre-entered into the computer by the University using your BIRTHDAY. For the first time you get in the System, use the birthday pin. After you are actually in the System, you can change it to whatever you want.

You will need to print out the invoice of the fees which have been assessed for you before you leave the System. Mail the a check for the fees with the invoice as instructed on the invoice. Be sure to open an account with a bank as soon as you can to take care of money matters. Cash use is limited.

As an international graduate student, you have to register at lease 9 semester hours in one semester to maintain your F-1 Visa status. If you want to register for less than that, please consult advisors in the Office of International Education (OIE, 1021). If you want to register for more than 15 hours, please talk to your academic advisor/major professor to get permission.

Print a checklist of things you need to do before, during, and after the registration.

University information services

Get An Arches Email Account
Arches is a free email account provided by the University Computer and Network Service (UCNS). It is easy to open and convenient to use, though sometimes it does go slow or even breaks down. All you have to do is to go to one of the UCNS computer labs and ask people who work there for help.
You may also get a free email account from your department. Ask people about it.

Sign Up the Student Union of China Listserv
This listserv is maintained by the Student Union of China for announcements. You can not only receive information about various areas, but you can also post messages too. Information include, but is not limited to, sales, room rental, phone cards, events and activities, and so on. All you need to do is after you get your email account,

Simply send the following command to LISTSERV@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU: "subscribe SUC first name last name". For example, "subscribe SUC San Zhang".
Follow the instructions inside the reply mail from the Listserv.
For posting a message, send the email to china@arches.uga.edu
Sign Up the ISL Listserv

Timely information is sent directly to international students who are subscribed to the ISL (International Student Life) email listserv. Announcements range widely in content, and have recently included topics such as the following:

Reminders about immigration matters;
Grant and job listings
Tax information
Schedules for upcoming recreational , social, cultural, academic, and professional activities and events
Information needed by international students in emergence situations
Information about volunteer service opportunities
Various other topic areas as necessary
Once you have your email account, send a message to ugaisl@arches.uga.edu, indicating that you would like to be added to the ISL listserv. If you have any problem, you can call 542-5867 for help.

Change of Address

Make sure you change your address separately with the Graduate School (1023), your department, Health service (1701), Registrar (OASIS), and Financial Aid every time you move. If you don't, you will miss checks, not get registered, not receive tax documents, and possibly delay your graduation.

Purchasing health insurance 

All international students and their dependents must be covered by adequate health insurance.

Students are required by the University to subscribe to the campus health insurance policy unless they provide proof of comparable coverage. Health and hospitalization coverage are required by the University because of the high medical and hospital costs in the U.S.

Applications for the campus health insurance policy are available at Health Services in the Health Center (1701) and at the Office of International Education (1021). The UGA health insurance policy has been designed to meet the needs of students and their dependents at a minimum cost. In order for the insurance to be in effect, students must also pay the student health service fee (for use of the Health Center Service) during the semester that they subscribe to the health insurance. It is also expected that international students carry health insurance for family members living with them in Athens. Call 542-8639 for more information on the UGA health insurance.

Actually, you can, if you have the time to search or have friends sharing information with you, find some less expensive sources of health insurance policies available from other companies, but it is advisable for newly-arriving students to purchase at lease a three-month term insurance with the University Health Center so that you can get the flag off your record to clear the way for registration.

Student ID and Social Security Number 

All international students admitted to the University of Georgia are issued a student identification (I.D.) number if they do not have a social Security number. It should be on you I-20 form. This number may not be used outside the University for employment purposes.

UGACard
The UGACard is the official University of Georgia identification card. Students must register and have their fees assessed prior to having their UGACard made. More information on the UGACard

Social Security
Number Students with assistantships or working on campus should apply for a Social Security number as soOn as possible. The social security number is needed to receive payment. Non-work social security number will not be issued automatically. Once the number is received, students should access the university registration system OASIS and change their previously assigned student I.D. number to the social security number, so that only one number will be used for all registration and identification processes. More information on the SSN

UGACard

WHERE to get the UGACard
Tate Student Center (0672) Cashier's Window (third floor across from the Game Room)

WHEN to get the UGACard
Mon.-Friday, 9:30-4:00 during the semester. Call 542-8549 for orientation schedules and special hours during semesterly breaks.

Cost of the UGACard
$5.00 (Cash, Check, Credit Card)

HOW to get the UGACard
Complete the identification form available at the UGACard Office ( third floor, Tate Center) and present the form, some type of photo identification (your passport in this case unless you have already got a U.S. driver's license), and your payment to the cashier.

Uses of the UGACard (some)
Ramsay Center (1690) access
Ride the campus and Athens Transit System
UGA libraries (0054 &1023)
Treatment at the UGA Health Center (1701)

Student Dependents
A University of Georgia student may purchase a dependent UGACard for their legal dependents provided the student is enrolled at the time of the request, has paid all required fees, and can provide proof of marriage and /or proof that the dependents are being supported by the student. By paying additional fees, the dependent will be offered the same privileges and services as regular UGA Students.

Social Security Number

Currently, only students who have assistantships or letters from employers offering employment can obtain social security numbers. To apply for a SSN for employment purposes, a student must go in person to the social Security Office in the Federal Building, located downtown on the corner of Hancock and Thomas Streets. You should take your passport, I-94 card, and one other piece of identification such as student ID card, driver’s license, or credit card. In addition, F-1 students need to take the I-20ID, and J-1 students need to have the pink copy of their IAP-66. You may also need to provide a letter from your employer verifying your employment in the U.S. J-2 visaholders may not obtain a social security card unless they have obtained work authorization from Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). If you are not eligible for a social security number, you will need to obtain an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). To apply for an ITIN, take your passport and I-20 or IAP-66 to the Office of International Education to complete a W-7.

Assistantships and working on campus 

If You Work or Have an Assistantship

There are two most important things you need to take care of at the start of the semester. As to how well you do your job, that can be ponder upon later :-).

Apply for a Social Security Number

See information on SSN

File out appropriate forms for the tax purpose

The Chinese Government and the U.S. Government has a tax treaty, which allows exemption of a certain amount of the money you make from your work. This is called compensation for study or during training. In order to benefit from this treaty, you will need to go to the Payroll Department on the second floor of the Business Building (0110) to establish a file for yourself. Otherwise, the University will withhold a certain amount of taxes from your paycheck every month. Bring your passport with you when you go there

Housing  

Room/Apartment Rental

Housing is one the major concerns for the Chinese students who are coming to study in the University of Georgia. Generally speaking, there are two ways that you can rent a room or an apartment. The first way is to search the internet and rent a room or an apartment before you get to Athens. The second way is to get a place to live after you come here.

Rent a room / an apartment before you arrive

You may
- visit this web site http://www.ourcollege.com
- select USA
- choose your college University of Georgia
- choose Roomate/Apartment
- make your choices
- view the search results and get information about rooms / apartments available and their prices
(The price may range from $150 to $400.)
- contact the person who puts up the advertisement by e-mail or by phone.

Rent a room / an apartment after you come

Many Chinese students choose to rent a room / an apartment after they get to Athens. You may contact the Student Union of China before you come. After you get here, they may give you some guidance and help you find a room / an apartment to live in. Generally speaking, newly arrived Chinese students prefer living in the apartments of Family and Graduate Housing (2238), Raintree, Fairfax, Campus Quarters, and other areas on / near campus. The reason is that these apartments are on the university bus line. So students do not need to worry about how to get to the campus every day. Among the four areas mentioned above, apartments of Family and Graduate Housing are the most preferred by Chinese students because of their comparatively low prices. The apartments are located in the University Village (so called "old area"), Rogers Road (so called "new area"), and Brandon Oaks areas. Both the University Village and Rogers Road areas offer one and two bedroom, furnished and unfurnished apartments. Brandon Oaks area offers unfurnished two bedroom apartments. To qualify for residency, students must be married, be single parents with one or more dependents, be students with legal dependant(s) or be a single graduate student. The rates of different kinds of apartments of Family and Graduate Housing are listed below.

Apartment 1 Bed/1Bath
Unfurnished 1 Bed/1Bath
Furnished 2 Bed/1Bath
Unfurnished 2 Bed/1Bath
Furnished 2 Bed/2 Bath
Unfurnished
University Village Build H ---- ---- $500* ---- ----
University Village $315 $335 $375 $395 ---
Rogers Road $325 $345 $385 $405 ---
Brandon Oaks ---- --- --- --- $540

*Please note: In addition to these units, two additional two bedroom, one bath, one study, ADA accessible apartments will be available in Building H for $525 per month. Building H apartments will likely become available January 2001.
The demand for Family and Graduate Housing apartments often exceed the number of available apartments. Interested persons are advised to submit an application and a $25 non-refundable application fee as early as possible.

The areas of Raintree, Fairfax, and Campus Quarters also provide apartments of one/two bedroom apartments. The rate for one bedroom apartment is about $500 and above, and the rate for two bedroom apartment is about $600.

Questions to Ask

These are some questions you need to ask about before you sign the lease.

About an Apartment:

-How much is the rent? How often and when is the rent to be paid?
-What is included in the rental payment? Are utilities included? If not, request an estimate of monthly
utility costs.
-How long is the term of the lease? What is the penalty if you break the lease? Is the lease for one
year or will it be renewed from month to month? Is the lease renewed automatically or must you
request a renewal? How much notice is required to terminate the lease agreement?
-If you have a car, is there parking available and what kind is it?
-Are pets allowed? Is there an additional fee or deposit for pets?
-If you want to sublet, is it permitted?
-Are you permitted to make alterations or improvements on the apartment? Are you allowed to put
nails or other picture hanging devices in the wall?
-Are there storage facilities available? Is there an additional charge for these?
-Are children permitted?
-How far is it from the apartment to the nearest bus stop? The nearest grocery store?
-How far is the apartment from the university and is the university easily accessible?
-Is smoking permitted?

About a Room:

-Can I use the kitchen? During what times of day?
-Will I have a private bathroom? With a shower or bath tub?
-Will I have a private entrance?
-Is the room furnished? What furnishing are included?
-Will I share the room?
-How many people are sharing the house? Are there both men and women living in the house?
-Are there any house "rules" I would be expected to follow?
-What would be my responsibilities as a member of the household?
-Are there any costs in the household that are shared by all members ?

Sources of Housing Advertisements:

Local Newspapers: Athens Observer and The Red and Black (the university student newspaper)
Bulletin Boards: Tate Center, Boyd Graduate Studies Building, International Student Life, and various outside boards located on campus - outside Journalism Building, Law School, etc.

TELEPHONE SERVICE

After you get to your new apartment, you need to have your phone service connected. Just plug in your phone and call the business office of BellSouth at 780-2355 (Toll-Free). They will take care of the rest. It takes about one or two days to get your phone connected. BellSouth is the only company that provides local phone call service here, but there are many companies (AT&T, LCI, Sprint, etc.) providing long distance phone call service. So you have to choose one of them. The rates for domestic long distance phone call do not vary much among these companies, about $0.10 a minute. But the rates for international long distance phone call vary a lot. The rate of calling China ranges from $0.30 to $0.80. You may not know exactly which company provides the best price and best service when you first come here. You may just choose one company first, and after you stay here a little longer and know more about their rates and services, you may switch to the company you like most, or you may buy some phone cards to make calls.

POWER

You also need to get your power connected. Just call the Georgia Power at 357-6500 and give them your name, passport number / ID number number / social security number, and your address. They will provide power for you within the same day.

Transportation
There are two transit systems here in Athens: The Campus Transit System (university buses) and Athens City Transit System (city buses). Students of UGA may ride both university buses and city buses "fare free", with a valid student ID; all services are funded by the transportation fee paid by students every semester.

University Buses

The Campus Transit System operates nine daytime routes (7:00am-6:00pm) and three night routes (6:00pm - around midnight) providing coverage to all parts of the University campus. The Rider's Guide, which include schedules, a map and calendar for the bus system, is available on most of the buses, and at Tate Student Center (0672) and office of International Student Life (0670), or by calling 369-6220. The buses operate on class days. A reduced service schedule is provided during Summer Semester, Final Exam periods and on Registration, Orientation, and Advisement days. No service is provided during weekends and vacations.

Escort Van Service

The Escort Van Service provides safe transportation for students, faculty and staff between University locations. The service originated to help reduce some of the safety hazards of students walking on campus after dark. The Escort Van currently operates Sunday through Friday when school is in session during Fall and Spring semesters. The staff consists of two dispatchers and six van drivers.

City Buses

The City Transit System operates 13 routes. The schedule for most of the routes are available at Family and Graduate Housing Office (2238) and Tate Student Center (0672). Unfortunately, the city buses only run once 30 minutes or even 60 minutes, and most begin around 7:00am and stop around 6:00pm and do not run on Sundays. The following are some routes which will take you to some shopping centers.
Route 6 -- K'mart (department store) on Atlanta Highway
Route 20 -- Georgia Square Mall and Wal-Mart (department store)
Route 25/26 -- Kroger (grocery store) and K'mart on College Station Road

Safety Tips

Although Athens is a university town, a much safer place to live compared to some large cities in the U.S., we still would like to offer you some safety tips and hope you will keep them in mind.

-Call 911 when there is an emergency
-Campus and area security information is 542-0104, emergency is 542-2200.
-Study or work with a friend in buildings at night.
-Use stairs in well lit and populated sections of a building.
-Lock your room/apartment door at all times.
-Keep cash and jewelry in a locked drawer, cabinet or closet in your room.
-Keep your blinds at your room closed to avoid advertising your life.
-Leave an answering machine message that does not include your name or address.
-List only your initials and last name on the mailbox.
-Open doors only for people you know.
-Get to know your neighbors.
-Accept rides only from people you know.
-Take a friend with you for late night excursions.
-Walk on the part of the sidewalk closest to the street, as far away as possible fro m
shrubs, trees, and doorways.
-Stay near people. Whenever possible, appear to be with a group of people.
-Stay in well lit areas.
-Walk at a steady pace, appear confident and purposeful.
-Be alert! Listen for footsteps and voices nearby.

For more tips, please visit Safety Tips.

Community Friends

Co-sponsored with the Athens International Council, the Community Friend Program promotes cross-cultural exchange by matching international students with individuals or families in the community. The community friends invite their students to participate in their family activities and holiday celebrations. If you are interested, please to the Office of International Student Life at Memorial Hall (0670) and fill out a form, and you will soon get some community friends.

Shopping

There are many chain grocery stores here in Athens, such as Bi-Lo, Kroger, Winndixie, Plublix, etc. These stores mainly sell food of all kinds (rice, flour, fresh vegetables, meat, snacks, dairy products, beverages, sauces of all kinds, frozen food, etc.) and they also sell school supplies, detergents, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, greeting cards, kitchen utensils and so on. You may get most of the things your need from these stores. There is a Bi-Lo store within walk distance of the areas of Family and Graduate Housing, Raintree, Fairfax, and Campus Quarters. Most Chinese students spend around $150 a money for groceries. There are also two major department stores in Athens: K'mart and Wal-mart. The products they sell fall into the following categories: clothes, shoes, appliances, books, computers and software, electronics and office, snacks, medicine, gifts, music and video, sporting goods, and toys. The prices are reasonable. Since they are a little further away from campus, you'd better ask those who have cars to take you there.

Ramsey Students Center

The Ramsey Student Center (1690) is the center for physical activities available to the UGA students, staff, faculty and their dependents. It holds five gymnasia, three swimming pools, three multi-purpose rooms, a climbing wall, ten racquetball courts, two international squash courts, a strength and conditioning room, and 1/8 mile track, an outdoor equipment rental room and an outdoor resource center. Many Chinese students go to the Ramsey Center on Friday evening to do exercises. It is a good opportunity to meet people and make friends.