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Upon Arrival
Pick up from Airport:
CSSA will arrange volunteers to pick up new students from
the Baltimore/Washington
International Airport (BWI). If you need to be picked up,
please contact Tianpeng Wu.
Check in with Your Department and Advisor:
Let your department know you are here. Get information about the departmental/program new-student orientation. Schedule a meeting with your advisor to discuss classes for which you should register. If you do not have an assigned advisor, contact the graduate program director in your department for instructions. If you are a Graduate Assistant, complete and sign the tuition remission forms in your departmental office.
Orientation:
The Orientation will be held by the university and
department for international students. The most important thing to
do is to apply for the Social Security Number (SSN). Also you should
get your student identification card and apply the email
account at OIT. If you are a TA, you need to attend the
international TA evaluation workshop. http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/life/orientation_fall.html
Registration:
Talk to your advisor and select the courses you are going
to take. Register by STARS phone registration system or myUMBC. If the course is full
already, add yourself to the hold list, attend the first class and
try to obtain the permission from the instructor. Note: It's
YOUR responsibility to add the course to your schedule once you're
given closed course permission.
Remember to bring your original diploma and certificate when you check in with the Graduate School. Also need to check in with the Office of International Education Services to get the preparation documents for applying SSN.
Health Insurance:
As a TA or RA, you will enjoy the benefits of health insurance for Maryland state employees. Please talk to the personnel office of your department about it or consult with senior students. Also, you need to check in with University Healthy Service (UHS) by providing you completed healthy form.
Banking:
The most popular banks are Chevy Chase bank which have a branch and several ATMs on-campus, and branches in Giant. You can open a student checking account with your passport as soon as you landing here. The student checking account is free, and will include a debit card, which can be used when you shopping off-line. You can safe transaction fee by using credit transaction.
Housing:
Normally, graduate students live off-campus. We Chinese students live at either Nunnery Lane or Westland Garden, both of which are on UMBC shuttle line.
Westland Garden (sometimes also called as Westland Blvd.) has 1 bedroom apartment and townhouse. It is within walking distance to school. The rent is around $710 per month for one-bedroom apartment besides the cost of utilities.
Nunnery Lane has 2-bedroom apartments. However, it is a little far from school (20min by shuttle). The rent is around $715 per month besides the cost of utilities.
There are also some good places where you can find apartments for living. The rent is a little more expensive. However, before you get familiar to the new environment, we don't advise you to do so.
UMBC Shuttle Line:
UMBC Shuttle serves the nearby area. You can look at the map and schedule on http://www.umbc.edu/transit
The most useful shuttle lines for Chinese students include:
Arbutus/Irvington Line: Westland Garden, Mars, Nunnery Road, Giant.
Express Line: BWI MARC/Amtrak Station.
Route 40 / Rolling Rd Line: Han Ah Reum Market, Walmart.
The route and schedule may change at the beginning of semester, and there maybe no services or limited services in holidays, so be sure to check the services to meet your needs.
Sightseeing:
The best known attraction is Baltimore's Inner Harbor, one of America's oldest seaports. Fun and educational attractions literally surround the Baltimore Inner Harbor, such as National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland Science Center, and Harborplace Market. There are some other places around Baltimore worth visiting, including Washington DC, Annapolis, Ellicott City, Ocean City, New York and Shenandoah National Park etc.
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