![]() eduPASS | The International Student's Guide to Studying and Living in the USA |
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When you first arrive on campus you will need a place to live while
you look for permanent accommodations.
Many schools will provide temporary housing for international students
who arrive before the semester begins. Ask the foreign student advisor
or housing office for information about temporary housing.
Another option if you know a student at the school is to ask them to
let you stay with them for a few days. New graduate students, for
example, can often find someone in their department with room for a
temporary guest. You may have to sleep on a couch, but at least you'll
have a roof over your head. You'll also be able to ask questions of
someone who is familiar with the area.
Most major cities have a Council for International Visitors or
similar organization to help incoming international visitors. They can
often arrange for you to stay with a local family for a few days, but
such arrangements must be made in advance. They also are a good source
of information for international students and may provide hospitality
and social events. Look for them in the telephone book, or ask at the
Traveler's Aid desk when you arrive. Every major airport, bus station,
and train station has a Traveler's Aid desk.
Many cities also have a youth hostel. Hostels are a good place to stay for a few days while you look for a permanent
place to live.
They provide dormitory style accommodations, sometimes with bunk beds
in large rooms. There's usually a curfew, and lock-out hours during
the day.
The cost runs from $5 to $25 a night.
You will be able to stay at
the youth hostel at low cost if you are a member of the International
Youth Hostel Federation. The US branch is called
Hostelling International - American Youth Hostels (HI-AYH).
A one year membership is $25 ($10 if you are under age 18). For more
information, call 1-202-783-6161, fax 1-202-783-6171, or send email to
hiayhserv@hiayh.org.
Your travel agent should be able to help you become a member.
A good source of information about hostels is the
Internet Guide to Hosteling.
Another source of information is the
Traveloco Hostelling site.
Finally, you can always stay in a hotel or motel. This is the most
expensive option, and you will need to make a reservation with a
credit card to guarantee a room. Parking is expensive at hotels, and
there is often a large surcharge on long distance telephone calls
placed from your room.
The available options include renting an apartment, renting a house,
or buying a house. Most international students cannot afford to buy a
house, so we will not discuss this option further.
Most university students in the US live on or near campus. Students
who live off-campus generally find a place less than a mile or two
away. Not only is this convenient for getting to and from campus, but
much of the social life occurs on campus. The US educational
experience is not confined to the classroom, and you will find
yourself learning as much from your fellow students as from the faculty.
If the school offers on-campus accommodations for international
students, you should seriously consider living on-campus, at least for
the first year. Since this is probably your first trip to the United
States and your first time living alone, on-campus housing will help
cushion the transition to life in the United States. Later, when you
are more familiar with the neighborhood, you can consider moving off-campus.
Renting a house is usually a viable option only if you will be sharing
it with several roommates. You will certainly get more for your money
if you rent a house. But most communities have limits on the number
of unrelated people who can live together, with most cities having a
limit ranging from 3 to 5. These laws are intended to prevent overcrowding for health and safety reasons.
In any event, the process for renting a house
is similar to renting an apartment.
The cost of renting an apartment varies considerably depending on the
part of the country and the local supply and demand. A one bedroom
apartment in Pittsburgh might cost $400 a month while the same
apartment in Boston or San Jose will cost $1,200 or more. The school's
housing office or financial aid office can provide you with an
estimate of the annual cost of renting an off-campus apartment.
Some schools provide on-campus housing for international
students. Most, however, don't. If your college provides on-campus
housing for international students, we strongly recommend taking
advantage of it, even though the rent may be higher than an off-campus
apartment. This will give you time to become familiar with the
neighborhood before committing to a lease.
Most schools have an off-campus housing office to help students find
an apartment. The housing office will have listings of available
apartments and information about the neighborhoods near campus. They
may provide a bulletin board for students looking for roommates and
run social events to help you find a compatible roommate. They will
probably have pamphlets with information about popular restaurants,
shopping areas, parks and recreation, and public transportation.
The public library will also have information about local
neighborhoods. Ask for this information at the reference desk.
You should do a few things before you begin your search for an
apartment:
When looking for an apartment, ask friends and fellow students if they
know of a good apartment. Sometimes they will know someone who is
moving out of a good apartment or may be moving themselves. Such
desirable apartments are rarely advertised because they are rented
very quickly.
The school may have a bulletin board with apartment listings. The
bulletin board may be on a wall near the housing office, or in digital
form on the campus computer network. It will include listings from
local landlords as well as students looking for someone to sublet or
take over their lease.
The local newspaper will also have apartment listings. Buy a copy of
the Sunday newspaper. It will have more apartment listings than a
mid-week issue of the newspaper. You may be able to buy the Sunday
newspaper as early as Saturday afternoon.
There may also be a
free weekly advertising circular that lists apartments. You can
usually find such apartment listings at grocery stores, newsstands,
and real estate offices.
The last resort is to contact a real estate agent. You're often better
off going through the classified advertisements yourself. Under no
circumstances pay for a list of available places, since such lists are
often out of date.
You will probably need to look at only 3 or 4 apartments before you
find one that you like and which matches your budget. But if you don't
find a good apartment quickly, persevere.
The best time to start looking for an apartment is the first Sunday in
August.
In the US, house numbers tend to be even on one side of the street and
odd on the other. Other than that, there is usually no rhyme or reason
to the addressing scheme.
Apartments for rent are often described using cryptic language and
abbreviations. You will need to learn to decode apartment listings in
order to find a place that meets your needs.
Rental costs depend primarily on the size, condition, and location of
the apartment, and whether utilities are included. Larger apartments
and apartments which are closer to the school or shopping will cost more.
The first distinguishing characteristic is the size of the
apartment. The different sizes are defined as follows:
Students from Asian countries, especially Japan, may find apartments
in the US to be a bit too spacious. So if the first two apartments you
visit are too big, look at the next smaller type of apartment.
The next important consideration is what is included in the rent and
what isn't.
You should also ask whether there are any laundry facilities. In
apartment buildings there is usually a coin operated washer and dryer,
but not always.
Common abbreviations include: incl (included), elec (electricity), 1
1/2 baths (one full bathroom and one with just a toilet and sink), a/c
(air conditioning), w/w (wall to wall carpeting), h/w (hardwood
floors), dw (dishwasher), furn (furnished), cpt (carpeted), gar
(garage for a car), yard (includes a backyard), eff (efficiency),
immed (available immediately), fp or frplc (includes a wood-burning or
gas fireplace). A security building has a locked front door in
addition to locks for each apartment.
Expect the rent to increase by about 5% per year.
A lease is a written contract between the tenant
(you) and a landlord which allows you to use a dwelling for a
designated period of time in exchange for monthly rent payments. The
lease outlines the restrictions on the use of the dwelling and the
responsibilities of tenant and landlord. A lease is a legal document
and should be read carefully before signing.
The lease should specify at least the following:
If the lease includes a wear and tear clause, this allows the landlord
to charge you for repainting the apartment at the end of the lease.
Read the lease carefully before signing. If you don't understand
part of the lease, ask the landlord or a friend to explain it to
you. Don't be afraid to cross of provisions with which you disagree
just because it is a printed form. Both you and the landlord must
initial any changes to the printed lease. If the landlord promises to
make certain repairs or there are pre-existing problems with the
property, attach a list to the lease and have the landlord sign
it. The list should include all problems, including leaking faucets,
clogged drains, stains on the walls and rugs, peeling paint, cracks
and holes in the walls and ceiling, non-functional kitchen appliances,
and anything else you notice.
Most states have laws which do not permit you to
sign away your rights, so clauses which have you waive the provisions
of specific laws are usually void. Clauses which talk about money,
dates when things happen, restrictions on the use of the property, and
other clauses mentioned above, however, tend to be binding. If you
have any questions about any clause, ask before you sign, not after.
When you pay for the rent and security deposit, get a receipt. Get
a separate receipt for the rent and security deposit. It is best to
pay the rent by check, and to use a separate check for the security
deposit. You will need this at the end of the lease in order to
recover your security deposit. To get your security deposit returned
when you move out, return the key to the landlord and provide a
forwarding address. We recommend sending this by certified mail,
return receipt requested, so that you have proof the key and
forwarding address were received by the landlord. The landlord then
has 30 days to return your deposit or send you a list of the repairs,
their actual cost, and any money left in the security deposit.
Although the landlord is obligated to return the security deposit to
you if you leave the property in undamaged condition at the end of the
lease, some landlords will try to take advantage of international
students. After all, if you are moving back to your home country, you
are less likely to protest if the landlord refuses to refund your
security deposit. The best defense against this practice is to ask
your fellow students which landlords have a reputation for such
practices.
Be sure to write down the name, address, and telephone
number of the landlord, as well as the handyman responsible for
maintaining the property. You will need this information to turn on
the utilities and telephone service.
If the rent does
not include utilities, you will have to get the utilities turned on
when you move in. The landlord can provide you with the name and
telephone numbers of the gas, electric, and telephone companies that
service your apartment. They may be able to schedule service over the
phone, or they may require you to visit their offices. If you don't
have a good credit history, they may require you to pay a security
deposit. The security deposit will be refunded (with interest) after
one year if your bills are paid promptly.
The gas and electric companies typically provide two payment
options. The first requires you to pay the full amount due each
month. The other lets you pay an estimated budget amount each month,
with any difference being reconciled at the end of the year. Some
people find this more convenient, since gas and electricity bills can
otherwise vary considerably during the summer and winter months.
Most utilities have programs which allow you to have the monthly bill
automatically deducted from your bank account. You still receive a
copy of the bill, but save the cost of a stamp to mail in the
payment.
When you arrange for telephone service, you will have to choose a long
distance carrier. The major carriers are AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. You
can change the carrier later. After your service is installed, call
each of the carriers and ask about their discount calling plans. You
will need to be persistent in asking for the discount plan that offers
you the greatest savings based on your calling patterns. Remember to
mention that you will be making international calls.
The telephone company will ask you how you wish to be listed in the
local telephone directory. We recommend asking them to list your full
last name but only the initial of your first name. You can also ask to
have your number unlisted, but there will be an extra charge for this
service.
The telephone company will also offer you a variety of optional services,
such as Call Waiting and Caller ID. These services cost extra money and are not
necessary. They will also offer a calling card, which you can use to
bill calls to your phone number from any phone. The card is free, but
calls billed to the card are charged higher rates. They may also offer
a credit card with calling card features. Such credit cards often apply
a small rebate of your purchases on the card as a credit on your
telephone bill.
If your family back home has access to email, that is the least
expensive method of keeping in touch. Otherwise we recommend getting a
fax machine, since international telephone charges can be fairly
expensive. It is still cheaper to call from the US to a foreign
country than vice versa, but the charges do add up. A basic plain
paper fax
machine will cost between $100 and $200.
You will also need to get a telephone. You can get inexpensive
telephones from discount stores, department stores, pharmacies, and
the ubiquitous Radio Shack store. A basic telephone will cost between
$15 and $45. Be sure to get one that provides touch tone service.
You may wish to get a telephone answering machine, to record messages
from callers when you are not home. Inexpensive answering machines can
be purchased for under $50. When recording your greeting, do not
provide your name or address. Instead, just say: "You have reached
Soon after you arrange for telephone service, you will receive free copies
of the local telephone directories. The telephone directories are
known according to the color of their pages. The White Pages list the
telephone numbers of residents, organized alphabetically by name. The Blue Pages, often part of
the white pages, contain a list of government telephone numbers. If
you need the telephone number for the local immigration office, look
in the blue pages. The
Yellow Pages contain listings and advertisements for businesses
organized both alphabetically and by type of business, product, or service.
The white pages provide instructions for making local, long distance,
and international calls. Local telephone numbers have seven digits. To
make a long distance call you need to dial 1, the three digit area
code, and the seven digit telephone number. To call an international
telephone number, dial 011, the country code, the city code, and the
telephone number. Omit any leading zeros from the country code. You can find a list of country and city codes in the
white pages.
Toll free numbers are like
long distance numbers, but with an area code of 800, 888, or
877. Telephone numbers with an area code of 700 or 900 are for pay services
and usually involve substantial per minute charges. We recommend
asking the telephone company to block access to 700 and 900 numbers on your
phone lines.
If you need someone's telephone number but do not have a telephone
book, you can call Directory Assistance for the number. They will ask
for the name and city of the listing, and tell you the telephone
number. They will charge you for each time you use this service. To
reach local directory assistance, dial 555-1212 or 411. To reach long
distance directory assistance, dial 1, the area code, and 555-1212.
To find the toll free number for a major company, call 1-800-555-1212;
there is no charge for this call.
There are also several free searchable directories on the world wide
web, such as
555-1212.com,
BigBook,
Switchboard,
WhoWhere,
WorldPages,
Yahoo People Search,
and
Zip2.
Payphones charge 25¢ to 35¢ for a one-minute local call. Charges for
long distance calls are much higher.
Most payphones accept credit cards, either directly or by dialing a
toll free number. For example, dial 1-800-CALL-ATT
to charge a telephone call using AT&T long distance to your credit card. You may also purchase
prepaid phone cards from many businesses, such as grocery stores and
gas stations.
To make a collect call (reverse the charges), dial 0 followed by the
area code and telephone number. Tell the operator that you are making
a collect call. You can also make collect calls by calling
1-800-CALL-ATT (1-800-225-5288) or 1-800-COLLECT (1-800-265-5328).
Telexes can be sent by Western Union. Call 1-800-325-6000 for the
nearest location. You can also use Western Union to send money, but
the fees are very high. Call 1-800-225-5227 for more information.
Your school may provide dialup numbers that let you access the campus
computer network and the Internet from home using a computer with a
modem. Otherwise, the telephone company or any of a large number of
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can provide unlimited Internet
access for fees of about $20 a month. Internet service allows you to
browse the web and to send and receive email.
Copyright © 1998-1999 by FinAid Page, LLC. All rights reserved.
Temporary Accommodations
Permanent Accommodations
Finding an Apartment
Understanding Apartment Listings
Leases
Moving In
Utilities
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Last modified: February 03, 1999 08:49:01 EST