This section is for the new comers. First of all we would
like to welcome you guys for your next step of life here at
USC. Even though we've got both good and bad reputations about
the excellent academic program and the evil living area, no
Thai people here have been reported injured or anything (yet).
Anyway, there are a few things (strategies) that we wanna
share with you. We hope it might help your SC life a little
more prepared.
Note: OIS
webpage might be able to answer some of your questions
that this webpage doesn't cover.
Things to
do right away after you got the admittance letter from USC
Make reservation for air ticket.
Use I-20 to apply for F-1 visa at US Embassy.
Find an apartment.
You might find our webboard
is useful for finding roommates and cheap used furniture.
Get an international driver license that you can
use for a few months, in case of you cannot find
an apartment nearby and have to commute to school. (This
might be optional please read the next section)
Review the USC immunization requirement. If you
do not have the immunization certification, you could avoid
some vaccine shots by showing your blood tests of having
those antibodies.
Better yet, get a copy of your immunization records from
your doctor.
What most people did was that they show the USC immunization
requirement to the doctor in Thailand. Then, he/she would
review and see what they've missed and if they needed any
booster shots. They got the shots they needed, cheaper then
having it at USC, and a complete immunization records to
prove it.
Bring the original copies to USC health center. For more
information, click here.
Driver's license
Contrary to popular perception, you do not need an International
Driver License or Permit to drive in California; your foreign
driver license may be good enough. The state of California
recognizes a foreign driver license as long as it is valid,
and the holder is a resident of the country issuing the
document. Click here
for more details.
(You will need to get a California driver's license, if
you plan to buy a car, and on completion of a year in California,
when you become a California resident)
Favorite national music and movies
While there is no dearth of world music or foreign films
in LA, your favorites may be unheard of or difficult to
find. A favorite videocassette or DVD can make you feel
at home even when your are not.
A good dictionary
Purchase a reliable dictionary that explains American English
in your local language
Textbooks
Some students prefer to buy the lower-priced editions of
the prescribed textbooks in their home countries (Try www.booknet.co.th).
These textbooks are often referred to as Eastern Economy
Editions and are available in less developed countries in
the faculties of engineering, natural sciences, psychology,
and medicine to name a few.
If you already registered for classes, you may check your
class material list here
(PIN required)
or ...
Click on "Course Materials"...then "Booklist
for your enrolled classes". Check the term, then
enter your student ID and PIN (your birthday month, day,
year usually MMDDYY, unless you've changed it.)
Loans
If you will need a loan, it's often easier to arrange for
this in your home country. Interest rates in the US are
especially high for foreign students with little or no credit
history.
Petty cash
You will need some US currency - around $200 - in small
denominations (5, 10, 20) to tide you through the first
few days before you can cash your draft or traveler's checks.
This will come in handy during the flight to Los Angeles,
to pay for your shuttle ride to USC, a couple of meals,
a phone card, etc.
Pre-paid phone card
While this is not a necessity, it is one of the handiest
items to have, especially during the first few days. Of
course, most phone cards that are used within the US will
have to be paid for in US dollars. Therefore, you may have
to ask a close friend or family member to purchase one on
your behalf. Your friend or relative can email the toll-free
number, the personal identification number (PIN) and the
calling instructions to you. You can reimburse him/her when
you arrive. Having a pre-paid phone card does away with
the need for change, not easy to obtain, especially when
you've just arrived. It's also ideal for when you want to
inform your designated contact or emergency contact of a
potential problem, or to inform friends and family in the
US of your arrival.
It also saves you the hassle of finding and walking to a
public phone, or of inconveniencing your friend or relative
by making long-distance interstate calls from their phone
and sticking them with the bill. Try ThaiDial.com,
ThaiTel.com or Angeltravel.com.
Photocopies of INS and academic documents
Ensure that you have photocopies of
the main pages of your passport (expiry date/passport
number/date of birth)
your I-20
the front and back of your IAP-66
your transcripts, degrees/diplomas/certificates etc.
Keep a set of photocopies in each piece of luggage, in
case one of your bags are misplaced or lost in transit.
You may also want to carry a few passport-size photographs
of yourself.
USC Immunization Requirement Documents
Bring the original copies of the documents you did in
previous section to USC health center.
For more information, click here.
Important numbers
Note down your
passport number
travelers' checks numbers
bank draft number
flight number
your contact number and an emergency contact number
on a single sheet of paper. Keep it in your handbag or
on your person, so you don't have to take out your important
documents every time you need to fill out a form. Leave
a list of all these important numbers at home as well.
There are a bunch
of stuffs that you had better finish before school starts. Most
of them are required by USC. You can find printable version
of USC Checklist here.
Find an apartment and furniture
For ones who want to see the actual rooms before making
a decision, you'd better come here at least two weeks before
orientation. Our webboard
seems to be the best place to ask for suggestions and to
find roommates and used furniture . You should, however,
read Housing
Tips before posting any comments on the webboard.
Bank Account
After getting a permanent address, you should go to open
a checking account. This will allow you to cash your draft
or traveler's checks (this might take a few days or even
a few weeks) and also to pay your tuition by check. For
banks near USC, you need your passport, USC ID Card and
USC acceptance letter to open an account. By the way, saving
account is optional.
International Student Orientation
This is a mandatory orientation. For more information, click
here.
Passport Verification
This procedure must be completed prior to the registration
for classes. Its schedule will be informed to you during
orientation. See USC
Checklist for the documents that you need to submit
to OIS.
The Immunization Check
If you couldn't pass it, you couldn't enroll. You can remove
this hold at the USC health center by provide them with
valid documents from Thailand or pay them to do it.
To find some suggestions, read Health
Care Tips. For furthere instructions, go to Health
Center webpage.
Health Insurance
You will be automatically enrolled in USC health insurance
plan. However, you can waive it by applying for an alternate
insurance plan. For more information, read Health
Care Tips or go to Health
Center webpage.
ALI classes (low TOEFL people)
For the person who has low TOEFL and got this condition
of admission "must enroll American Language Institute
classes". You have to go to the ALI building to register
the required class and get the hold remove in order to enroll
other classes. You could try to pass the first exam to exempt
it. But if you couldn't do it, you will need to pay 3 credits
on each of these classes. Read more here.
Plan Sheet (EE student)
If you are EE student, go to your department office to get
a study plan sheet, fill in all classes you want to take
in the Fall semester, and go to see an advisor/professor
to get her/his signatures on your study plan sheet.
D-clearance and Class Enrolling
Of course, you have to enroll for classes or else why would
you come here, right ? Unfortunately, many people didn't
get a chance to study classes they need in the first semester
as they've planned.
Up to each department (or luck), you will need to know who
is the person who is authorized to give you a permission
to register for one class "D-clearance" first.
Once, you've got the D-clearance for the class, you still
have to register for this class either by phone or in person.
You may hold not too many D-clearances at a time and mostly
they expire in 1 day. Find that person who gives D-clearance
ASAP (I'm not kidding) and stick with him/her until you
get what you want. Try here.
Or else, you could end up wasting a lot of time attending
classes during the first 2 weeks just to get the professors'
signatures, adding classes, dropping classes, and waiting
in many waiting lists for that class might show up on the
schedule again, who knows when.
FYI 1, for computer science, Amy Young, Room 300, first
room to the left of the elevator on the 3rd floor, SAL building,
(213) 740-4496.
FYI 2, for people with ALI hold. You can't register on the
phone.
USC ID Card
It's merely your discounted ticket when you go to some movie
theatres (AMC Burbank, Century City, Norwolk). It could
also be use as a USC debit card to use inside the campus.
You will have to wait in a long line to get it during the
peek hours (could be as bad as 2 hours in August). You don't
need it to register for classes though.
California ID or Driver’s
License Apply at the DMV Office (the one near the campus
is not recommended. Please find a far away one so that you
can get your ID more quickly). Making an appointment is
highly recommended. For more information, go to OIS
or DMV
webpages. Please note that a foreign driver’s license
is only valid for 6 months in the US.
Social Security Number (SSN)
Due to the new policy, students are no longer able to get
SSN unless they have an on-campus job. If you do have a
job on-campus, bring the contract or offer letter to OIS
and receive a Social Security letter. Take this letter,
your passport, USC ID card, and SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 to
the Social Security Office, 1115 W. Adams Blvd. (Maps at
OIS). For more information, click here.
USC Internet Account Activation After you are registered, you can now set up your
internet account with USC so that you could connect to usc
from home, subscribe newsgroups, check grade online, has
a cool email with the @usc.edu extension, and more.
Type in your info for the program to match your record.
If your registration has been confirmed in the database
before doing this, your account will be setup successfully.
USC Website Account Activation
If you haven't had any website and want to try making one,
or even just for having an online space to keep some files
of yours for free, now it's your chance. For more info go
to http://www.usc.edu/uscweb/authoring/ppages.html
Newsgroups
Having subscribed to newsgroups is important living in USC.
There are all sort of newsgroups such as the course specific
newsgroup to get all the announcement professor made to
his/her student exclusively. One of the most useful newsgroup
seems to be usc.forsale. You could get cheap stuffs like
furniture, computer, car, etc. from here.
To do that in MS Outlook Express
Open Outlook Express.
Click Tools->Accounts.
If your computer is not connected to USC by default,
grotto server tab and set up your user login and password.
Finally, add news.usc.edu or search for
words "usc sale".
OIS Email List
Getting a periodic newsletter from The USC Office of International
Services, so that you don't have a problem with your visa
and I-20, when you want to go back to Thailand, get an OPT,
a CPT, and knows their current activities.
To do that
send an email to USCINT-L@usc.edu
with word <subscribe> in the subject from your
usc email account.
Student Union building (STU) is the building in the middle
of campus...adjecent to Bovard Auditorium and Tommy Trojan.
You can't miss. AND you can ask anyone. OIS
is on the 3rd floor.
