Welcome

Congratulations on your admission to UD!

We welcome you to the Indian community at the University of Delaware. Please follow the tabs on the top of this page to guide you through some of the basic things we thought would help you plan your travel to USA and get adjusted to the new lifestyle.

We recommend you to spend some time and go through the information assembled in these tabs. We also suggest every new student to visit the website of University of Delaware Office of Foreign Students and Scholars for further information. If you still have any unanswered questions, please feel free to send an email to IGSA Admin.

Table of Contents

1. Booking Tickets
2. Airport Pickup
3. Accommodation
4. Money
5. Shopping
6. Luggage
7. Before you leave
8. In Transit
9. Arrival

Travel

Booking Tickets

Once you have decided to come to UD, your first task should be buying tickets. Shop around for the best price you can get for tickets. A good thing to do is to 'block' the ticket if you think you are getting a good deal. All it means is that you can reserve a seat for a certain number of days before you actually go ahead and buy the ticket. Shop around some more, block tickets with two or three travel agents and then finally decide which travel agent you want to buy the ticket from. This does not mean that you should block a ticket with every travel agent you meet! Do not wait for the last minute to buy tickets. If possible, book them as soon as you decide to come here. This will leave you with ample time to plan other things.

University of Delaware is located in Newark, Delaware. Newark, DE does not have an airport. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is the closest port of entry for you. It is about an hour drive from the university. Please avoid booking tickets to Newark Liberty International airport (EWR) or New York JFK airports as they are a little farther away from the university (unless you can arrange your own transportation). Please note that there is a Newark in New Jersey too.

Airport Pickup

IGSA volunteers can pick you up from the airport and drop you off at your temporary accommodation. This is a voluntary service provided by IGSA volunteers. Please be advised that although IGSA tries to arrange a pick up for you (upon request), we cannot assure you that each and every new student will be picked up. Our ability to pick up new students depends on the availability of volunteers (current UD students with cars). If you are interested in getting picked up at the airport, you should book your tickets to PHL and let us know about your travel plans by filling out the 'Airport Pickup Form'. IGSA will pick you up from PHL airport only. We cannot arrange pick ups from other airports.

You are welcome to arrange yourself other means of transportation to Newark. You can personally contact other students at the University and ask them to help you out. In such a situation, please do not fill out the airport pickup form. If you arrange any other means of transportation after you fill out the airport pickup form, please let IGSA Admin [udel.igsa AT gmail.com] know about it. In case you do not find anyone to pick you up and IGSA could not find any volunteers either, you may be interested in this Shuttle service. Please refer to the website to gather more information and/or make reservations.

Accommodation

IGSA volunteers again help out incoming students in the first few weeks when they need a place to stay. This is a temporary accommodation provided by IGSA volunteers. You can request IGSA for temporary accommodation in the Airport Pickup Form. Upon request, IGSA will try to find volunteers who are willing to provide accommodation for you upon your arrival. Please note that this arrangement is only temporary (typically for a week or two), so that you get some time to settle down and find a place and/or roommate for yourself.

Again, you are welcome to arrange accommodation for yourself. If you do so, make sure you mention it in the Airport Pickup Form. If you arrange accommodation 'after' you submit the airport pick up form, please let IGSA Admin [udel.igsa AT gmail.com] know about it.

If IGSA finds you temporary accommodation, an address and phone number of the volunteer will be sent to you via email. If you have arranged accommodation by yourself, please make sure you have their address so that the person who is picking you up from the airport knows where to drop you off!

Money

For details about typical monthly expenditure, please visit 'Finances' tab on this page.

Depending on your funding status and lifestyle, the amount of money you should be carrying with you varies drastically. That said, about $1200 to $1500 should be a good amount. You do not have to carry all of it in cash. Travellers checks (American Express, Thomas Cook, etc) are a good choice. Do not pack your cash with your check-in luggage. Keep a copy of your travellers checks' numbers and credit/debit card numbers.

You should also carry some cash on you for use during your journey and during the initial few days of your stay here. About $50 in should be a good starting point (Prefer carrying most of that amount in $1 or $5 bills. Avoid $50 and $100 bills if you can). In addition, carry some change with you; preferably, several quarters (25 cents). If you have a VISA or MasterCard credit cards, you can use them in most shops. Also, you should be able to use your debit cards at the ATMs to withdraw cash. (Please check with your credit/debit card provider about additional charges that you may incur upon their usage here).

You may have to pay a few dollars in order to get a cart at the airport. If you use the services of any airport personnel for helping you with your luggage, you should pay them a tip. If you would like to make a phone call using one of the public telephones, you would need quarters.

Shopping

Below is a short list of things that you may want to carry with you to Newark. This list is compiled based on suggestions from previous students. It is by no means a complete and comprehensive list. Use your own discretion and add/delete stuff as you feel necessary.

Clothes

Typically graduate students machine-wash their clothes every two weeks hence two weeks supply of clothes is a good estimate. Clothes, especially cotton, can shrink significantly upon machine wash. So, make sure you bring a little loose clothes (and there is always a chance you may gain a few pounds ;-))

• Shirts and/or T-shirts: 10 - 15
• Jeans/trousers: 5 - 7
• Light Jacket (if you are coming during Fall)
• Heavy Jacket (if you are coming during Winter)
• A few sweaters/pullovers/cardigans
• A few pairs of formal clothing
• A couple of pairs of ethnic clothing to wear during festivals/functions/etc.
• A suit (for job interviews and functions)
• Undergarments enough for 2-3 weeks
• Sneakers/casual footwear 2-3 pairs (get extra shoelaces)
• Pair of formal footwear
• Slippers
• Bed related clothing

Don't worry too much if you are not able to bring any of the items listed above. Most of them are available for an affordable price here. You will need a heavy winter jacket and snowboots. Students coming during Fall semester need not worry about carrying these with them. You can always buy them here once the weather starts getting a little chilly. For students coming during winter, you should carry with you at least one heavy jacket and a pair of boots. Check weather forecast before you leave and dress up accordingly.

Books

Books are expensive here. A general text book can cost anywhere between $60 and $150. If you can, buy all necessary textbooks in India only. You may want to contact current students in your department to advise you which textbooks to buy. You can also check out the websites of courses you plan to take for details about textbooks they are currently using.

Do not buy too many books either. Remember, there is a limit on how much stuff you can carry! And considering that books are quite heavy, you may want to bring only those books that you feel are necessary.

Cookware

Most cookware can be purchased at an affordable price here. You only need a few utensils (pans, plates, glasses and spoons) to get you started. Apartments come equipped with a refrigerator and cooking range. If you think you need a pressure cooker, you should get one from home. If you have a choice between cookware and books, we suggest you choose books.

Luggage

Don't just over pack and realize at the airport that you have too much luggage. Check with your airlines how much luggage is allowed and pack your stuff accordingly. A shopping list is compiled based on suggestions from previous students. It should guide you through your shopping.

Typically, you are allowed to check-in two luggages and carry a small suitcase with you (refer to your airline's website for more information about the sizes and weights of the bags). Make sure you carry all important documents in your hand luggage. There is always an occasional chance of your luggage getting misplaced during transit. If you keep your money and important documents in the check-in luggage, you may not get them in time. Or worse, you may even loose them! A short list of things you should be carrying in your hand luggage is given below:

• Passport and tickets
• I-20 (keep at lest two photocopies)
• Degree and other certificates
• All university related correspondence
• A couple of pairs of clothes (in case your luggage arrives late)
• Reading material (optional)
• Any prescription medicines you need
• General medicines for headache, etc. (optional)
• Address book with names/phone numbers/addresses
• Travellers Checks, Credit/Debit cards, Money

Your travel documents (Tickets, Passport, I-20, etc.,) must be carried with you at all times.

Before you leave

Call your airline and confirm your tickets. If possible, you should do this a couple of days before your travel date.

Send email to the person who is picking you up as a reminder. Send an email to the person who is providing you temporary accommodation as a reminder so that someone is present in the house when you arrive. Carry a small pocket book with all important phone numbers; just in case you have make a phone call.

As you may know already, it is going to be a long flight to your destination. Wear comfortable clothes. And carry a light sweater with you, in case you feel cold in your flight cabin. If you are arriving during Fall, it should be reasonably warm here whereas it can be cold if you are arriving sometime during January. You can obtain a weather forecast of Newark, DE in this website.

You are welcome to give the details of IGSA volunteers (pickup and accommodation) to your family and friends so that they are informed about your whereabouts. In such a case, your family and/or friends must know your full name, and the department/program you are joining, your date and time of arrival, etc. Please tell your family and friends that IGSA members are volunteers. We will do all we can to help you. For this, we expect you (your family and friends) to respect our time and efforts. We have had phone calls at odd times from worried family and friends only to realize that they got the arrival date/time wrong!

In transit

Carry a water bottle if you can. Please check with airport regulations about this. Current regulations may not allow you to carry any liquids! You may also want to carry a snack in case you get hungry during your long connection.

All usual travel advices apply here. Be attentive at all times and make sure you are aware of any changes in flight times and/or terminals. Never leave your luggage unattended. Should you miss a connecting flight, keep in mind that you can speak to the airline staff at the ticketing counter and be put on the next available flight. Do not hesitate to ask airport staff for assistance at any stage of your travel.

Arrival

After you are finished with the Immigration process, you should walk to the baggage claim area to pick up your check-in luggage. At the baggage claim, you may have to pay money to use a cart ($3 in dollar bills; so carry at least three $1 bills!). If an airport staff helps you with the luggage, you may have to pay him/her. So, carry some cash. Refer to the section about 'Money' in this page for more details. You may have to go through a Customs check on your way out of the airport.

Do not panic if you don't find anyone at the airport. The person who is supposed to pick you up may be delayed due to traffic. In case you had to wait a long time, you can make a phone call either directly to the person who is supposed to pick you up or other IGSA volunteers (Vidyadhar 1-302-743-1480, Shyama Majumdar 1-302-465-3669, Ashay Javadekar 1-302-229-3937). Do not call all of them if you are able to get through one person!

Typical Monthly Expenditure

Typical expenditure is shown below. Depending on your lifestyle, these numbers may vary significantly. For information about tuition fees, books and medical insurance expenditure, please visit Office of Foreign Students and Scholars.

All expenses in this table are per person, per month when shared with one other person.

Expenditure	Amount (in USD)
Apartment Rent	400 - 500
Groceries	100 - 150
Utilities [Electricity and Heat]	50 - 100
Cellphone	~50
Cable TV and Internet	50 - 100

As the table suggests, you can expect your monthly expenditure to run up to $700. Initially, you would have to spend more in order to get started (e.g., buying household appliances ranging from toasters and microwaves to TVs and DVD Players). Apartments come equipped with a refrigerator and a cooking range; some apartments even have microwaves.

Depending on your funding situation, you should calculate your expenditure and bring enough money to sustain you at least first few months. $1200 - $1500 in traveler's checks (American Express and Thomas Cook are widely accepted), $300 - $400 in cash (not in $100 bills, preferably $20 bills) should be a good starting point. Get at least $2 in quarters (25 cents coins) and several $1 bills. This amount will be useful for the initial expenses (e.g., making phone calls from public telephones)

If you are not funded from the university, make sure you bring sufficient funds from home. Contact your department or the graduate students office to ascertain how much you will need to bring along. The tuition fess can be paid in four(4) installments. Non-funded students are not supposed to work off campus - application for on campus jobs (or assistanships) can be made later after you get here. Funded students get their first paychecks around mid September so bring about $1000-$1500 to see you through that time. If you are required to attend the English Language Institute course, you will get paid for the month of July

Housing

Try to arrive in Newark at least a few days (a week would be ideal) before your orientation (like ELI program) starts. That should give you enough time to overcome the jetlag, get around and explore the University and the town, and look for an apartment and/or roommate.

Both on-campus and off-campus housing options are available. On-campus housing has a lot of demand and mostly not available unless you apply 3-4 months in advance. Most graduate students rent apartments off-campus and there are several apartment complexes within 10-15 minutes of walking distance to the main University campus. There is also a University bus service that runs during the semester that students can use for free. One bedroom apartment rents are around $750 and two bedroom ones are around $900. Most new students share an apartment with other people, in which case your rent becomes around $400-$500. For more detailed information about the expenditure, vist 'Finances' tab in this page.

Most new students who decide to share an apartment end up either staying with one (or more) persons who are already here or rent an apartment with other fellow new student(s). Initially when you arrive, IGSA will try to find a temporary accomodation with someone (IGSA is managed by volunteers and please note that although we try our best to find you temporary accomodation, we cannot assure you of anything). In the case IGSA arranges temporary accomodation for you, an email will be sent to you notifying the same. Typically, new students spend about a couple of weeks in their temporary accomodation before they move out into their own housing. You can either contact other new incoming students and make arrangements to share an apartment before you arrive here. However, it is not necessary. You can always come here and meet new students and decide for yourself who you would like to stay with. You may also want to check the UD classifieds page for possible roommate.

Medical Expenses and Health Insurance

We strongly suggest that you get a comprehensive eye and dental examination before you arrive here. University health insurance policy does not cover these expenses. A typical eye exam is about $75 and a pair of spectacles can run up to $200. Dental problems are even more expensive to correct - anywhere in excess of $500! So we repeat, please take care of any eye/teeth problems before you leave India. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, ensure you carry an extra pair and the prescription. Bring your immunization records. The university requires incoming students to fill out an immunization history form (sent to your India address by mail) that needs to submitted at the Student Health Services center after your arrival. Although you can get immunized here, you may want to get all that stuff done before you arrive here. In addition, there may be some tests the University requires you to get done before you arrive. Please refer to your admission packet (sent to your India address by mail) for more information. If you are on some kind of prescription medicication, carry sufficient supply to last you at least a few weeks. Also, bring your doctor's prescription - in case the customs officials ask for it or you need a fresh supply after you arrive here. You may also want to bring some basic medication for headaches, fever, body pains, etc.

It is mandatory for all foreign students to have adequate medical insurance. In fact, this fee will be added to your semester bill automatically! Office of Foreign Students and Scholars has detailed health insurance-related information on their website.

Cooking Utensils and Groceries

Unless you aren't too particular about what you eat, invest some time in learning basic cooking skills before leaving home. Dining out on daily basis can get expensive. You may also want to bring some basic cooking utensils like a couple of pans and spoons and stuff. You only need utensils to get you started. You can always buy more after you arrive here. If you are in contact with another new incoming student, you can always co-ordinate and share the utensils you bring.

There is an Indian Grocery store a few miles away where you can find rice, dal, spices and flour. For vegetables and other things we generally go to a local store. This local store falls on the University bus service route.

Weather

Newark is pretty moderate by US standards. Summers (June-August) are hot and humid with temperatures around 35C. We get a reasonable amount of snow in winter (December-March) and it can get as cold as -15C. Spring and autumn are the best times of the year. [More Information]

Driving

If you drive a car in India, you may want to get an International Driving Permit with you. With an international drivers permit, you can rent a car and drive around if you want. If you have time, you may want to some take driving lessons before you arrive here. After you come here, you can either take some paid driving lessons or get one of your friends teach you. Drivers licenses are issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Visit Delaware's DMV website has for more information.

This section has articles posted by IGSA Members. Click on the titles to read the entire article. You too can contribute! Please send an email to IGSA Admin.

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Mumbai to Philly, a timeline
by Ashay Javadekar

A brief timeline of events that typically occur after departure from an airport in India (Mumbai, in this expample) to arrival at Philadelphia International Airport.

Banking
by Vamsi Kodali

All new students need to open a bank account. This article provides a brief introduction to banks, how to open a bank account and few things to keep in mind while opening an account.

Airport Pickups

The good folks at IGSA have volunteered to pick you up from the airport, and drop you off at your temporary accomodation!

How does this work?

If you are a new incoming student, please fill out the form that appears below. Once you submit the form, your details are emailed to one of IGSA volunteers. Once, the folks at IGSA find a volunteer willing to pick you up from the airport you will be notified via email. Your information (Name, Email, Phone, Dept., Arrival Date and Pickup) will be displayed in the 'Current Pickups' tab. This information is put up there for a few reasons: you can contact the person who is willing to pick you up and let them know of any last minute change of plans, other students can contact you about things like roommates, etc.

Before you fill the form...

• Fill this form only once! If you make a mistake, let us know by sending an email to IGSA Admin
• Please fill out this form only if you are admitted to the University and need to be picked up from the airport. For any other questions, please contact IGSA Admin
• Simply filling out this form DOES NOT mean that you will be picked up by a volunteer. If we are unable to find a volunteer for you, we will let you know via email.
• Please keep in mind that this service is entirely voluntary. University of Delaware does not have anything to do with this service. Volunteers who agree to come and pick you up from the airport are doing so entirely at their own expense. So, please be considerate and thankful for their efforts.
• IGSA only coordinates this process. Once, we find you a volunteer, you should be in contact with that person and let them know of any change of plans.
• Please book your tickets to Philadelphia airport. We will only be able to pick you up from Philadelphia International Airport.
• Fill this form as soon as you 'confirm' your ticket. This gives IGSA ample time to find you a volunteer. It is very difficult for us to find volunteers in the last minute.
• If you make arrangement with someone else after you fill out this form, please make sure IGSA Admin knows about it. Nobody likes to drive all the way to the airport only to find that someone else is already there to pick you up!

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