Student Information

Refer to this Guide as well (Courtesy Gautam Naik)

General Information:

The Indian Graduate Students Association Northwestern University congratulates you on your acceptance and welcomes you to Northwestern University.

Northwestern University has a varied international atmosphere, providing ample opportunities for interaction with foreign students from all parts of the world. Northwestern also has a fairly large Indian student population (approx 200 students). IGSSA, a voluntary organization, was formed with the objective of helping new Indian students coming to Northwestern, adjust to the University, to the country by creating a forum within the University, which provides a platform to showcase the culture and heritage of India. Over the past year, we have provided an intriguing insight into Indian music, dances and performance arts for the whole University to experience.

The purpose of this letter is to give you a few tips, which will help to arrive safely in Illinois and make the transition into life in the US, a smooth one Please contact us at least a month prior to your arrival so that we can try to make arrangements for picking you up from the airport and for temporary accommodation, if needed. You can email the information of your travel plans (time, date, airlines) to the contact numbers on this website.

Travel information:

Flying into Illinois: If you plan to fly directly into Illinois, Chicago being the main international port of entry, please make it a point to inform one of us (if you need help on arrival) of your schedule. We will try to make arrangements to pick you from the airport. In the event that we could not schedule a pickup, the modes of transport from the airport include:

Subway (the "El"):

• Take the CTA Blue Line (Loop) train from O'Hare to the Jackson stop in Chicago's Loop.

• Exit the train and walk one block east on Jackson Boulevard to the Red Line (Howard) train's Jackson stop.

• Take Red Line (Howard) train north to the Howard stop.

• Take the Purple Line train towards Linden and get off at the Noyes stop. Refer to the campus maps to find specific locations.

Taxi/Shuttle:

See the O'Hare International Airport web site for shuttle and taxi information. It is recommended you take the Taxi/Shuttle service as there are a lot of transfers on the CTA and it takes 1.5 hrs and it is a pain with a lot of luggage. Look for fixed rate cab companies like Norshore Cabs or American Taxi so that you don't end up paying a lot. 10-15% tip should be added to the fare.

Housing:

Temporary accommodation may be provided to you in one of our houses for 2-3 days, depending on availability, which should give you sufficient time to search for room-mates and find an apartment for yourself. Leases are signed usually for 12 months. 1BR apt are available for $700/month and 2 BR apts $1100 approx. Most Indian students stay in apts. (usually in groups). Most of us cook our own food. This helps keep the food expenses low (around $100 a month). It is a good idea to pick up some basic cooking skills before coming here. All common Indian spices are available in Indian stores nearby. Do not bring any Indian electrical appliances as they will not work here. Most apartments are not furnished and you might have to buy furniture after moving in. But there are planty of Garage sales, where you can pick up some really good stuff. For those of you interested in living in an international community, you can stay at the Engelhart Graduate Housing, a residential housing complex that has students from more than 70 countries, including the United States.

Clothing:

We suggest you buy enough (formal and informal). Winter clothing (gloves, sweaters etc. ) is cheap here and tailor made for the climate (-20 C to 5 C in winters). All leather items are cheaper in India. So it is handy to get a leather jacket. Other personal things that would be needed could be: Spectacles (2-3 pairs), since they are costly here. International drivers license would be preferable. Umbrella. Bring any sports equipment you may need (Northwestern has a great gym) TT paddles, Badminton racquets, Cricket Bats (we play cricket in flood lights, on astroturf in in summer and almost every quarter) If you play any musical instruments, please try to bring it along . You can perform at our functions. Don't bring office Files and Punch as they are different out here. Please bring traditional dresses to wear on special occasions.

Financial aspects

Students without financial aid should come prepared with the amount recommended by the University (stated on the I-20), or enough for at least 2-3 quarters. One can earn upto a min of $300-400 p.m from on campus part-time jobs. Maximum being 1000 - 1200 p.m. F-1 students are not allowed to work off-campus. Initial expenses are as follows:

House Rent Per Head: $400 to $650 (Provided you share apartment. Studio apartments are costlier)

Cellphone: Subjective (Normally around $50 for a basic individual plan)

Food expense : $100-200/month

Other expenses include mattresses, comforters, kitchen supplies, etc. Even students with financial assistance should bring a minimum of $1500 for the initial expenses.

Health Insurance

Insurance is mandatory for all students. This amount can be paid in installments. Please get the Immunization form filled and get the medication done before coming to Northwestern. For more information regarding health insurance, visit the TGS website NOTE: Health Insurance costs close to $1000. But may departments may pay for it fully or partially. Refer to your offer letter.

Important Information

During travel make sure to keep at least two sets of clothing in your cabin baggage in case your luggage gets misplaced and does not arrive on time.
Do not carry large amounts of cash with you. Traveler's cheques are preferable. Keep small denominations of currency ($1's, and 25 cents (quarters) ) handy for use in public phones.
To contact any one of us from within Illinois, you need to dial only the last 10 digits. Please bring medicines if needed and medicines for common cold, headaches, fever etc. (optional) We plan to have an orientation session/new students welcome to provide other information just after most students have arrived here.
Keep your documents ( I-20 and passport ) with you always. You will need them at the airport while clearing customs. Do not bring blankets, as you will find better ones out here, which are made as per the weather conditions in Illinois.

Contact Information

If you have any problems after arriving at the airport, feel free to contact any of us. Contact information is supplied under 'Contact us' on the left panel of this page.

After arrival Information

International Student Registration
When you come to Northwestern, You have to register yourself with the International Office. The advantage is that they will keep your record, help you in case any difficulties and will also provide you with letters required to get your Social Security Card.
The Social Security Office nearest to the University is at:

2116 Green Bay Rd., Evanston, IL 60201
(800) 772-1213; TDD: (800) 325-0778


Documents to be taken to International Office

1. Passport,
2. I-94
3. I-20
4. Once you get the SSN, then you can give them a photocopy of the same

Social Security Number

It is one of the first things that you need to do after coming to USA. You need your SSN for all kind of transactions, be it getting a bank account or getting a part time job in the university. The process to get the SSN is as follows:

1. Go to the International Office and tell them that you have to apply for a SSN. They will give a letter stating that you are an International student at Northwestern University.
2. Go to the Social Security office (2116 Green Bay Rd., Evanston, IL 60201), with the letter obtained from the IO, I-20, Passport, TA/RA/GA Appointment Letter (if any) and I-94.
3. Fill up a form , take a number and then they will call you.
4. After submitting the form they will send you your Social Security Card within 3-4 weeks. Please keep it in a very secure place and don't lose it. It is one of the most important documents.

Northwestern ID

The process is very easy and you get the ID, almost immediately.

1. Go to Wildcard Office in the basement of Norris Student Center with all the documents mentioned above and your current class schedule.
2. If you have your SSN, then you can take it too.
3. You will get your Northwestern Photo ID in few Minutes (Smile :) Please !!)

Immunization

This is for people who haven't gotten their immunization done in India earlier, either they were lazy or didn't have time to do it. Any way here is the way to get the Immunization form.

1. Go the Northwestern Health Center, (Street address remaining).
2. Go to the Reception desk and tell them they you have come for Immunization.
3. They will ask you for the form and then they will give you all the doses required for the Immunization. Also you will have to pay them a good amount for the process.

For more information contact the Dean of Students or Immunization Official

Bank

After coming to Northwestern, Somebody has to take care of your funds. There are 4 major banks in and around Northwestern University. You will have to show the same documents to the bank --- SSN (not required), to open a new account. You have the option of opening both, Checking and Savings Account.

1. USBank: Located at The Ground Floor of the Norris University Centre.
2. Chase Bank. Located at 1603 Orrington Ave. Evanston, IL 60201. Ph. (847) 491-6000
3. CitiBank: Located at 817 Church Street. 869- 3400

Credit Card

Ah ha , here comes a good part. Now you can also get the power of a Credit card on campus. In fact credit card companies such as Discover, GTE Visa, MBNA, Citibank and many other come to Campus and ask you to fill out their form. So fill the form, and if approved then u will get the credit card. Also be very careful while applying for credit card, too many credit cards are bad and end up destroying your credit history. Start of with the standard USbank credit card from the Norris Centre or a Chase Students' Credit Card.

Illinios ID and Learners Driving Licence

It is necessary to get a Illinois ID or a Driving License as soon as possible. This will preempt you from carrying your Passport around, which might be dangerous if it happens to get lost or stolen. Both the drivers licence and the state ID is processed at the same location. Please visit Illinois's official website for driver license or state ID (http://www.dmv.org/il-illinois/drivers-license.php) for details.
It is necessary to get a Illinois ID or a Driving License as soon as possible. This will preempt you from carrying your Passport around, which might be dangerous if it happens to get lost or stolen. Both the drivers licence and the state ID is processed at the same location.

We hope that you find the above information useful. Also if you think that there is some more information that could be useful for the arriving students, please let us know.