Things to Carry

There are so many things one needs to carry, while going to the US for the first time. You have to make a new place to live, a "home" away from your home. If you have a friend who is going to the same university, for the same semester, it is better to share few things. This saves space as well as money.

This post lists the most common things you should carry while traveling to US. One must ensure to take along all essential items one would need for a comfortable stay in the United States. Many commodities like clothes, foot ware, leather items, and other miscellaneous things are expensive in US. Also, you would need to take your important academic and legal documents as they may be needed from time to time. Therefore it is a must that you go through the entire section and make a note of these things in the form of printout as a checklist to ensure that you don’t miss anything.


Documents:

• Passport, I-20, visa.
• Driver’s license.
• International Driving Permit, if possible.
• Medical certificates and proofs of vaccination.
• Transcripts.
• Degree certificate or provisional certificate.
• Letters from university.
• Passport size photos.

Money:

• You should have enough money to arrange for housing, etc. and to survive at least the first month (until the first paycheck, from your job arrives).
• Bring $1500 - $2000 in travelers' checks.
• Bring $100 - $150 in cash. $10 bills or the smaller.
• $1 bills will be required to pull out trolleys in the airport.
• If you cannot get cash, travelers' checks can be encashed at the airport for a fee.

Clothing:
Depends on the place where you will stay. Few common advices, no matter where your university is:

• Do NOT bring heavy winter clothes – as you won’t require that in fall and spring and it will occupy a lot of space in your luggage. You'll need to buy winter clothes in late September or early October. Winter clothing is pretty cheap here. You will get a good winter jacket in around $50.
• A raincoat and/or casual jacket, umbrella, woolen gloves, cap would be very useful.
• Get a few of pairs of shorts, towels (3-4), socks.
• You could also get traditional Indian dresses for special occasions.
• It is advisable to get around 15 pairs of undergarments as it helps in reducing your trips to the laundry (though most apartments have laundry machines right in the basement of the building).
• About three pairs of formal wears for career fairs and interviews. Two blazers will do.
• You can get a decent pair of jeans for around $20 to $30 here. T-shirts will cost around $10 to $20. Shirts will cost around $20 to $30.

Food Items:

• Indian spices of your choice, though you can get most of them here.
• Home-made items like pickles etc.
• Bring a few noodle packets. Get a few Instant food packets; these become handy many a times in first few weeks.
• You can bring few groceries – Rice, Dal, Salt, Sugar, Tea/Coffee in case you are going to move to new apartment right away just enough to survive few days so that you don’t have to run for grocery shopping the next day.
• There are many Indian stores around most of the well know universities. Then too it depends on the location. If you are able to find one Indian store around, you will get all kinds of things there. You even get Indian cold drinks and Indian chocolates there, costly though.

Utensils:

• Being with three or four roomies, you will have to cook for atleast 4 people. So try to get large vessels.
• If your roomies are decided, collaborate and bring vessels according.
• Try bringing all the vessels you need, vessels are costly here
• Bring utensils which are preferably microwave safe.

Other Stuffs:

• A few pens, pencils, ruler etc. just to get started. Stationary is pretty cheap here. Do not overload your baggage with notebooks and paper.
• A scientific calculator that you might have used in your undergraduate course.
• A small sewing kit.
• A good book for cooking.
• Don’t get many CD’s of movies and songs. You will get everything online, most of the times for free.

Things not to get:

• DO NOT GET ANY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES FROM INDIA. It is 110 volts AC/60Hz in the US, so Indian electrical appliances does not work.
• Do not get a digital camera, it’s very cheap here.
• Do not get a laptop; you will get a good deal here.
• Don’t get too many clothes. It’s cheap here.
• Do not get too many pairs of shoes.

Remember..!!

Keep the passport, I-20, all the certificates, Marklists (your folder), medical records etc. in your handbag. Very rarely airlines misplace your luggage. Ofcourse they refund you for the same but as you can see, some documents are too important for any refund.

You will complete your customs formalities at your first port of entry. ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME (at least 2 hours, considering the queue) BETWEEN YOUR FLIGHTS AT THAT AIRPORT.

Carry a few quarters (25c coins) in case you have to call anyone from the airport. [...] Read more!

GRE: Quantitative Section Strategies

This post is in continuation to the series of posts on GRE, contributed by the author of: GRE: How to Start Preparing? The author scored 1510 [Q:800, V:710, A:5.0] in the GRE. This post postulates the important strategies to be followed for each type of questions in the Quantitative section.

The quantitative section measures the test taker's ability to understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis; reason quantitatively and to solve problems in a quantitative setting. Here, I discuss the strategies for each type of question in this section, viz. standard multiple choices and quantitative comparisons.

Standard Multiple Choice:
1. Read the question well. Be sure to select the best answer for the variable, value, or expression that is requested!
2. Learn in advance all of the critical definitions, formulas, and concepts that appear in common questions.
3. Remember to use the test booklet for scratch work, as well as for marking up any diagrams/graphs.
4. Early questions in this section are easier. Spend less time on them.
5. Don't get carried away with detailed calculations. Look for a trick or a shortcut if the question seems time consuming.
6. When a question contains a weird symbol, just substitute the accompanying definition when figuring out the best answer choice.

Quantitative Comparisons:
1. Don't ever guess at Choice E. There are only four choices!
2. Always consider values that are fractional (between 0 and 1), zero, negative, or non-integer.
3. Factor out, then cancel, any common expressions or quantities in both Columns A and B. Remember that you are just trying to make relative comparisons.
4. Questions are simpler and should take less time than the Standard Multiple Choice. Look closely. The answer is often apparent without any calculations.
5. Write on any diagrams to help clarify any values, angles, sides, etc.
6. Compare; don't solve!
7. Simplify one or both sides whenever possible before comparing.
[...] Read more!

Setting the Document Folder for Visa Interview

While going for a Visa interview, there are numerous documents which you need to carry along with you. The documents are of three types - legal, academic and financial. Legal documents include your passport, fee receipts, I20 etc; academic documents include your degree, marksheets and score reports; and financial documents include your CA statements and other supporting documents. [See, Documents for Visa for a checklist of required documents.]

It is suggested that you arrange these documents in a harmonium folder having 12 pockets. The pockets should be properly labeled so that you can have easy access to these documents at the moment you are asked for them. Here is a recommended arrangement for these documents:

1: Passport, HDFC Bank Receipts, DS Forms (Appointment Letter, 156, 157 158), SEVIS Receipt and I 20. DS 156, DS 158 and I 20 needs to be signed.

2: CA Statement, Bank Statement and Affidavit of Support. Bank loan sanction or pre sanction paper in case one has that.

3: Score Reports (SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL)

4: Mark sheets (10th and 12th with the Passing Certificate and Bachelor’s Mark sheet with the Final or Provisional Degree. If the degree is not available then the Bonafide Certificate will do. )

5: Letter of Recommendation, Statement of Purpose and Resume (Graduate Students)

6: In case of students that have work experience, Appointment Letter, Salary Slip and also the Income Tax Papers (if paid).

7: Supporting documents for the Liquid Assets. This will include all the things that are listed in the CA documents, liquid section. E.g. – Pass Books or Bank Statements, FD’s, LIC Policies, Kisan Vikas Patras etc.

8: Supporting documents for the Immovable Assets. This will include registration papers for the property and also the evaluation report of the properties that are listed in the CA documents.

9: Income Tax Returns and also the Salary Certificate On The Sponsor or the Salary Slip.

10: Acceptance letter from the university, any financial award statement. Also, carry copies of correspondence with professors, if any.

11: Other Acceptances and Rejections

12: Certificate of Achievements [...] Read more!

GRE: Verbal Section Strategies

This post is in continuation to the series of posts on GRE, contributed by the author of: GRE: How to Start Preparing? The author scored 1510 [Q:800, V:710, A:5.0] in the GRE. This post postulates the important strategies to be followed for each type of questions in the Verbal section.

The verbal section measures the test taker's ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it; analyze relationships among component parts of sentences and to recognize relationships between words and concepts. The most important requirement for scoring in the verbal section is by improving your vocabulary. I had discussed details about it in my previous post. Here, I list out the strategies for each type of question in this section, viz. Sentence Completions, Analogies, Antonyms and Reading Comprehensions.

Sentence Completion:
1. Before looking at the answers, try to complete the sentence with words that make sense to you.
2. Don't rush your selection. Consider all the answers to make the best choice.
3. Use the context of nearby words to figure out unknown words.
4. Don't overlook the reversing effect of negative words (like not) or prefixes (like un-).
5. If you're really stuck for the meaning of a word, try to think of other words that have similar prefixes, roots, or suffixes.
6. Eliminate choices in double-blank questions if the first word alone doesn't make sense in the sentence.
7. Let transition words (like although and likewise) help suggest the best answer.

Analogies:
1. First: create a sentence in your mind that uses the two capitalized words.
2. Learn to recognize common types of analogies.
3. Eliminate answer pairs that are clearly wrong.
4. Beware of possibly correct answers that appear in reverse order.
5. If more than one choice appears possible, analyze the words again.
6. Consider alternative meanings of words, as well as alternative parts of speech.
7. If you don't know the meaning a word, try to recall if you've ever heard it in an expression. The context of the expression may suggest the meaning of the word.
8. Beware of obvious answers! They may be there only to mislead you.

Antonyms:
1. Use word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes) to figure out the probable meaning of unknown words.
2. Be aware of secondary meanings of words. For example, 'appreciation' can just as readily mean 'increase' as it does 'gratitude'. When no answer seems correct, look for an alternative (or 'secondary') meaning for your antonym/opposite choice.
3. Consider the 'feel' of the word. It may create a sense in you of its meaning, such as a word like 'grandiose'. It may have a positive or negative connotation, which may help you to eliminate some choices.
4. Try to think of similarly constructed words that you may recognize and that may give you a clue as to the meaning of an otherwise unknown word.
5. Think of a recognizable context for a word you don't recognize. Let the context of the word in a phrase or sentence suggest its probable meaning.
6. Think of an opposite meaning for the capitalized word, even before you look at the actual choices.
7. Read all the choices before selecting your answer.

Reading Comprehension:
1. You should base your answers to the questions solely on what is stated or implied in the passages.
2. Read the italicized introductory text.
3. Skip questions you don't know. Return to them after answering other easier questions.
4. First and last sentences of each paragraph are critical.
5. Find the right spot in a passage by using any line reference numbers that appear in the questions.
6. Answer questions on familiar topics before unfamiliar topics.
7. Read the passages before reading the questions.
8. Don't waste time memorizing details. [...] Read more!

Make Cheap International Calls

Most of you who are planning/going to USA would be making a lot of calls to seniors and university officials. The costs of these calls from normal phones is very high. But, you can make international calls at the charges of a local call through internet without any compromise in the voice quality.

Skype is the best service for making cheap international calls and is most widely used. It delivers crystal clear sound just like a normal phone. Calls to US can be made for as little as $0.021 - thats just over 2 cents, even less than Re. 1. You can buy credits for as little as $10 and use it till it gets over (though, you would need to make atleast one call in 6 months to prevent it from getting expired). You can also take a unlimited calls subscription for just $2.95 month, which also gives you a free international phone number and a voicemail box.

You will need to download a small Skype software to be able to make these calls. This software allows you to make free computer-to-computer calls and even supports video calls. You need to buy credits to make calls to landlines and mobiles in USA. You just need to connect a headphone and a mic to start talking. Also, a variety of devices(Skype phones) are available which can be configured with Skype by changing the software's input/output device settings. These devices allow you to dial numbers like from a normal telephone instrument. It is ideal to buy one for your family, so that they can get a familiar interface when they need to talk to you.

So, click here to download Skype and buy credits to make cheap international calls.

P.S.: For great telephone deals in US, visit: Great Deals @ USA [...] Read more!