Most people will think of a few of the same things when thinking about what to look for in a college: how good the academics are; the cost of tuition and housing; the pace of the city life–or the relaxed feel of the rural area. These are all extremely valid points to consider.
However, international students thinking about coming to the U.S. should ask some additional, more specific questions. Events and occurrences that might be a slight inconvenience for a domestic student can cause major hurdles and consequences for international students.
This post will focus on your residence halls (commonly referred to as a dorm, dormitory, or housing). Here are some things to ask yourself and look at when evaluating your options.
Do the dorms close for breaks?
Oftentimes, residence halls (dorms) will close for extended breaks, such as winter break. Unless you have family or friends in the U.S. to stay with, or the financial freedom to travel back and forth often, you may be stuck without a place to live a few weeks each year.
If your hall does close, can you apply to stay on campus? Perhaps in your same room, or relocate to a building that will remain open. Does having an on-campus job increase your chances of being allowed to stay during breaks?
If there is nothing you can do to remain in your hall during breaks, you’ll have to factor in that additional cost. I recommend starting to look for a place to stay soon after you arrive and not waiting until the last minute. It’s not a good idea to try to complete your finals while panicking about where you will live after the semester ends. Look at local hotels, bed & breakfasts, splitting a short-term lease with a few friends, or couch surfing with different friends.
Does the school offer storage?
Inevitably, summer break will arrive and you will probably need to move out of your on-campus room. What are you going to do with all the *stuff* you accumulated over the year? Linens, dishes, decor, supplies…you do not want to throw it all away and you certainly don’t want to pay to mail it internationally.
Find out what solutions are offered, if any, for storing your belongings over the summer. It’s usually a bonus when a school offers storage for international students. This is not something that is typical: most domestic first years will simply pack up their belongings and their parents will help them take it home. Some schools (or the school’s international office) in the U.S. will either offer a space on campus, or handle renting a storage unit, in which international students can leave their belongings.
Unfortunately, while some schools offer a storage solution, you may be limited to a certain number of boxes, or a specific amount of space. This can be complicated if you have things like sports equipment or small appliances like a mini fridge. I recommend looking at the price of a local storage unit. See if a couple of your friends want to split the unit with you. Calculate how much it will cost per person and you might find that this is a better option. You do not have to deal with space limitations, or deadlines such as a date when you must remove your items or risk them being discarded.
Housing contingency plans
It’s fun to look at the weather and climate of the area where you might be living, especially if you are excited to live in a new climate for the first time. If you have never seen snow, the idea of living in the American northeast during winter can seem magical. However, new places can pose new problems.
My first year as an advisor, hurricane Matthew was heading toward Savannah, GA in October. Hurricanes didn’t phase me much since I grew up with them, and I knew I would go stay with my parents when the city evacuated. But what about the couple hundred international students (and their families)? The large majority of them did not have family or close friends in the U.S. they could stay with. My coworkers and I started a calling campaign to check on each and every student. (Please provide your U.S. phone number to your international office when they ask! 🙂) Many of the students were athletes and went to stay with their American teammates or coaches. Some of the students had built relationships with their mentors, faculty members, or even had developed a host family relationship with members of their churches.
The students who lived on campus were going to be evacuated with the rest of the on-campus students who did not have another place to go (or if they did, didn’t have the ability to get there). They would be going to stay in a residence hall at a university in Alabama. But that still left a group of international students that had a unique situation: they were in their mid- to late-twenties and lived off campus with their spouse and children. I was amazed at the solution: the housing office was going to allow the students and their families to evacuate with them! To this day, I do not know if they volunteered or were compelled.
I hope these ideas helped! I’ll write about other factors to consider in the coming months, so check back soon!
Thanks for stopping by,
Sara