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20.10.2007

TASA had a potluck on the 13th of October...

05.10.2007

TASA has selected new officers...

Newcomers Guide to UDEL

Welcome to the homepage of University of Delaware Turkish American Student Association

 

Dear Incoming Student;

Congratulations on your admission to the University of Delaware! We take this opportunity to welcome you and look forward to meeting you soon. In this letter, we will try to address some of the concerns you might have as a student coming from Turkey. There are about 30 Turkish students and several families in the surrounding area. We assure you that we will do our best to help you settle down and feel at home in Newark. Please take the time to read through the following information which will help you prepare for your arrival here.

Before Leaving:

1. We strongly suggest that you go for a comprehensive eye and dental examination. The university health insurance policy doesn’t cover these. A typical eye exam is about $75 and a pair of spectacles is $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 leaving Turkey. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, ensure you carry an extra pair and the prescription.
2. Bring your immunization records if possible. The university requires incoming students to take TB (Mantoux) test as well, so please try to get that done in Turkey.
3. If you are on prescription medicines/drugs, carry sufficient supply to last at least a few weeks. Bring your doctor’s prescription in case the customs officials ask for it or you need fresh supply here.
4. Unless you aren’t too particular about what you eat, invest some time in learning basic cooking skills before leaving home. You can bring some spices but make sure they are sealed and packed properly. Regarding meat and milk products (i.e. beyaz peynir), US customs laws prohibit entrance of these substances. There are some Greek and Turkish shops around where you can find these.
5. When buying a ticket to US, try to arrive in Philadelphia, Pensylvania (known as "Philly" to the locals). If your travel agency books you to New York or some other city, then try to get a connecting flight to Philly. BEWARE – make sure you are not booked to a flight to Newark, New Jersey which is about 2.5 hours drive from here! Remember, Newark, Delaware does not have an airport.
6. Please contact someone from the university and inform them of your travel plans. We have provided a list of students who have volunteered to help you adjust to the new life here on arrival. Feel free to contact them with any questions or concerns you might have. If someone in US contacts us on your behalf make sure that they tell us your full name, the program you are joining (e.g. M.S. in chemical engineer, etc.) and your expected date and port of arrival. We also need to be informed of ALL the flights you will be taking in addition to your final time of arrival in Philly. This is so in the case of a delay we know where you are!
7. Make sure that your tickets are confirmed well in advance – the last thing you’d want is to be rushing around at the last hour trying to get your tickets confirmed. We will attempt to send you the names of other students who are coming from your city or from nearby in case you’d want to travel together.
8. MONEY – When you arrive at the airport, you may need to give some tip to the people carrying your luggage or for the busses; so carry around $50 of $1 or $5 dollar bills with you. UNLESS people ask for money, DON’T give money to people. They will ask for it. Nobody accepts bills greater than $50 here, so don’t carry any $100 bills and if you do, DON’T show it to anyone. $20 may seem a small amount to us due to inflation psychology, but it is a large amount here. Try to use $1 bills.
9. MONEY again – Do not carry all your money with you. Either use a credit card (VISA or MASTERCARD) or use traveller’s check. There a few Turkish Banks, but they are mostly at large cities and you may not reach them for a long time. Traveler’s checks are accepted at almost every local bank. In case you use a credit card, there will be a small amount (between $1.00 to $3.00) of charge every time you use your credit at the ATM machines. And be warned that every time you withdraw money from ATM machines, you will be charged an extra amount for cash advance. Consult you bank about this amount.

In transit:

1. Though it is not common, your luggage may get delayed or misplace in transit. Make sure you keep your passport, money, ticket ON YOURSELF – a money belt is the most common way to do this. Keep a few items of clothing in your handbag in case you need to spend a few days without your suitcases. Carry photocopies of your passport and university related documents in your handbag.
2. 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 people authorized to provide assistance at any stage of your travel.

Upon Arrival:

1. We will make every effort to see that you are picked up at the Philly airport. If you have already contacted someone to pick you up then things should be fine. Note that Philly is about 30-40 min from Newark and traffic jams might delay things further – especially if you are arriving around 4:00pm which is the rush hour. So your ride may be a bit delayed but don’t worry. Simply wait outside the terminal under the sign of your airline or near the information desk inside if it’s dark. You can also try calling us from the airport (for which you will need 35 cents) – keep in mind that it will be a long distance call.
2. In the event you arrive without contacting anyone for a ride, you can take an airport shuttle. Delaware Express Shuttle and Super Shuttle can take you to Newark for around $30. Ask the shuttle driver to take you to the Travelodge on East Main Street in Newark, Delaware. You can stay there overnight and contact one of us the following day. The cost for one night is about $50.

Other Relevant Details:

1. 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. Payment in installments is usually possible. Non-funded students are not supposed to work off campus – application for on campus jobs 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.
2. Try and arrive in Newark around a week or so before the orientation. That will give you enough time to overcome the jetlag and meet people around here as well as find a place to stay. Most graduate students rent apartments off-campus and there are several complexes within 10-15 minutes walking distance which is ideal for new students. If you would like us to book an apartment for you let us know well in advance – if you have some people who have agreed to stay with you, that’s even better. One bedroom apartment rents are around $450-$500 and two bedroom ones are around $550-$700. Most new students share rooms with other people, in which your rent becomes around $200-$300.
3. Regarding 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.

New Arrivals in Delaware – Packing List

Here is a list of things that might help you in packing – it is by no means a complete and comprehensive list. Do bring whatever else you feel necessary. The list was prepared based on what most graduate students have brought with them in the past, but it varies quite a bit from person to person.

Clothes:

• Shirts and T-shirts 10-15
• Jeans/trousers 3-5
• Light Jacket for fall
• A few sweaters/pullovers/cardigans
• A few pairs of formal clothing
• A suit (for job interviews and functions)
• Underwear enough for 2-3 weeks
• Sneakers/casual footwear 2-3 pairs (get extra shoelaces)
• Pair of formal footwear
• Slippers
• Bed related clothing

Note: You will need to buy a heavy winter jacket and snowboots here. Regarding clothers, the clothing products here are not as good as the ones in Turkey in terms of quality. Almost everything is made in China, so don’t depend on finding good clothing here. High quality clothing is very expensive.

Books:

Contact students in your department regarding these.

Handbag:

• I-20 (keep at lest two photocopies)
• Passport
• Degree and other certificates
• All university related correspondence
• Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, comb, cosmetic, shaving material
• Reading material
• A change of clothing
• Walkman and cassettes or CD players and CD (if you want)
• Medicines you might need (headache, stomach, fever, etc)
• Address book with names/numbers/addresses of contacts here. Also note down your I-20 and passport numbers
• Traveler’s checks serial numbers, etc.

Money:

• $1000 - $1500 in traveler’s checks (American Express and Thomas Cook are widely accepted)
• $100 - $300 in cash (not in $100 bills)
• At least $2 in quarters (25 cents coins) or get dollar bills ($1 etc)

Documents:

• Make several photocopies of your important documents and keep them in separate bags. Keep two copies in your handbag.
• Get as many transcripts as you can.
• Make sure your travel-related documents (I-20, passport) are on you all the time.

Others:

• Keep in mind the time zone differences when catching flights. Keep track of local time at the airports.
• Never hesitate to approach airline personnel for help with flight information and other matters related to the trip

 

We hope this information helps you in your preparations to come to the University of Delaware. Again do not hesitate to contact us.

Above all have a safe, comfortable and nice journey – traveling to a new country is a fun experience!

Best of luck and enjoy America!