If you are a new student coming for the first time to USA or even if you are a transfer student, this section will prove to be of help in getting prepared to come here. You can follow the links in the bar above and get a lot of information. The General Info section gives an overview of the life style in USA and some other necessary things that you should be aware of. The First time in USA section will tell you something that you could expect when you arrive in this place and also something that you shouldn't. The Contacts section shows a list of students who can help you if you have any specific questions other than the ones mentioned. The FAQ section is a comprehensive list of questions and answers which you will be thinking of before coming here. We hope you find it enjoyable and worthwhile!

Shopping before you leave!

What kind of clothing is needed ?
What would be needed for cooking purposes ?
What are the other personal items I might need ?
What can I bring apart from these ?
How much and in what form should I bring the money ?
Preparing to travel! How do I get the flight details, route, how many pieces of luggage am I allowed to carry and other details ?

What kind of clothing is needed ?

The college wear is very informal and the universal dress code is jeans and T-shirt for both guys and girls. You will be needing some formal wear too for some interviews or something official. It will be nice if you bring some Indian traditional clothes as we have International Fest etc. and you will be representing India and the diverse culture. Here's a list of what you should have and after that there will be tips to help you decide what to bring.

Formal:
Suit (1); Shirts/Trousers (3 pairs); Ties (2-3); Traditional wear ( 2 types!?)
Casual:
Jeans (3); T-shirts (5); Sweatshirts (3-4); Cotton shirts (2); Shorts - bermuda style ( 2-3, for indoor and outdoor)
Footwear:
Sneakers (1); Shower Slippers (1); Leather sandals/Chappals (1); Formal shoes (1)
Winterwear:
Sweaters/Pullovers (2); Gloves (1 pair); Woolen scarf/mufller-cap ( 1 each); Umbrella (1)
Undergarments:
Vests,briefs and socks (12-15 pairs)
Miscellaneous:
Towel/small towel ( 1 each); Leather belts/ Handkerchiefs (2 each)
Linen:
Bedsheets(Double-bed: 2);Pillow Covers(Big:2);Shawl/Light Blanket(Multipurpose use:1)
When you buy clothes in India, you have to keep in mind that they will shrink when put in the washing machines here.So you will have to take care about the the sizes too.Also most clothes lose color so you have to keep that in mind too.It would be wise to buy the major winter clothes like Jackets,gloves,wind breakers,track suits, good sweaters and comforter from here.

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What would be needed for cooking purposes ?

If you are planning to live in an apartment, be sure that you will spend considerable time in cooking. So if you haven't explored this area, then better start learning something.Here's a short list of what you might need:

Cooking utensils:
Non-stick pan'tava (1/2), pressure cooker (for 3 people)(Don't forget to get spare gaskets and safety valves!), spoons, forks, GOOD knives, glasses (2 each), regular bowls(katoris) (2 each),tea filter/'chhanni', cutting board. You can buy some of the other things here too but the first few weeks, everytime you spend some dollars, you will be converting them to Rupees and the amount would seem very large. You will stop doing that after a while!
Spices:
Garam masala powder, sambhar & rasam masala,turmeric(haldi) powder, chilli powder, jeera powder, dhania powder.You can bring some standard curry masalas or the others like chole masala too. If you are bringing any kind of pickles, you have to put them in sealed containers. Bring enough to last for a while. The actual weight of these will depend on how much your total luggage weighs. Make sure that you pack them nicely and seal them to keep it air-tight. Till the time the packages look safe, you are good at the customs.
Snacks etc.:
It would be nice if you could bring some home made snacks or readymade too like Haldiram's. Don't stuff too much of that though. Whatever you bring here, you can be sure that it won't last long because there will many Indian students waiting to taste and later, finish the snacks you bring. You can bring some sweets too(dry!)

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What are the other personal items I might need ?

Toiletries:
Toothbrush(3-4), Toothpaste(2-3), bathing soap(4:for the first few weeks), for guys- a complete shaving kit with extras too, shampoo, toungue-cleaners(if you use, they are very expensive here!), nail clippers(don't this in the carry-on baggage!), combs, hair-oil(enough to last), small scissors.
You can bring other things that you are used to but make sure that you don't put any pointed things in your carry-on bag or waist-purse. Security issues, you see!

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What can I bring apart from these ?

Medicines:
You can bring the common medicines like Disprin, Crocin, Coldact, Actifed, Dependal, Iodex, Moov, some cotton, small bandages, Vicks, anti-septic cream,Eno, Electral packets. If you have some chronic illness or some allergies, make sure you bring the prescription from the doctor. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, get spare ones too and again all the details related to that.You can include a chest x-ray too, sometimes it is needed. ALSO GET A COMPLETE CHECK-UP DONE BEFORE COMING HERE specially DENTAL.
Sewing kit:
Include a kit with basic things like needles, some transparent buttons, thread rolls of couple of dark and light colors.
Study Materials:
Get a good dictionary for sure. Also if you know what books you need for the courses you will be taking, buy them from there. The books are verrrrry EXPENSIVE here. If you have to make a decision between books and say, snacks or clothes or something like that, choose BOOKS. You won't regret that. Do not bring a hole punched file or hole puncher. We use a 3-hole punch here unlike the 2-hole punch used in India. If you are coming for a B.S., you will definitely need a good calculator. Buy a decent and sturdy back pack, you will be using it most of the time. You can also get some good pens, microtip pencils(pen-pencil!!) and refills for that, eraser, stapler and staples.
Entertainment:
Your favorite books, cassettes, CDs, VCDs, DVDs,walkman/discman(optional).
Personal:
Family pictures, Indian ethnic handicrafts, personal memoirs, drawing and painting materials (if you are into this), an updated address-book with all the addresses of the acquaintances and contacts in US, photos of deities(if religious minded), you can bring tells about India like sets of tourism picture-postacards.
Others:
Do keep duplicates of all the documents you used for application purposes and for the preparation to come to US.
Things not to bring:
DO NOT bring any perishable items like sweets with 'chashnee', fruits(mangoes etc.), DO NOT bring any electrical appliances (like electric iron etc.) because Indian appliances do not work here.

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How much and in what form should I bring the money ?

This is a difficult question. It depends on whether you are getting any scholarship here, whether you want to stay off-campus or on-campus but you can have an approximate idea with the following details.

Tuition:
You can have a clear information about the fee structure for Undergraduate and Graduate studies at Office Business Affairs,MSU page.
Living expenses:
Again the living expenses will vary depending on whether you will be on-campus or off-campus. You will find more information about that in the Housing section of this page.
Form of Money:
If you make a draft for the whole amount in the name of the school, you will have to deposit that in the school's account and then they will deposit the remainder after deducting the right amount. It takes a little while to get an account opened here, there are some formalities involved. You can definitely bring Traveller's checks/cheques, they can be encashed immediately. You have to check though, as to what is the maximum limit for that. You can have some money as cash too. Usually you don't have to spend any money all through the flight, the cash comes handy when you have to make some urgent purchases before you have a check/cheque book or a any form card.

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How do I get the flight details, route, how many pieces of luggage am I allowed to carry and other details ?

For this you will have to do some search. If you are from a big city, you will find many travel agents. Even if you aren't, there are some agents who have connections with other travel agents. Just make sure that they are reliable. If you go directly to the Airlines office then you will end up paying more. With the travel agents, there is usually a scope of bargaining(hoping that the travel agents are not reading this!). Also there is a student discount too which you can ask for. International Airlines like Air-India, Delta, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, some Gulf carriers, Singapore have flights for US. Usually these Airlines have an arangement with the domestic carriers, both in India and US, so you can have the connecting flights booked too. Once you get the VISA and have decided to come here, you can BLOCK the tickets for some date. You don't have to pay anything for blocking but you have to confirm before a fortnight or so. You should check this with the Travel agent. When you are decided, you can also contact us for any other specific information.

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