Practical Info For Foreigners Moving to the US

[Dark Chocolate Mocha]

Hello fellow grad students!

About 6 weeks later, I will be moving to the US for graduate study, and I have a few questions about some practical issues that I need to take care of upon arrival, so I thought I'd request help from the people who live in the US and are knowledgeable about these subjects. 

My first set of questions is about BANKS.

I will have to open a bank account upon arrival, so my stipends can be deposited there. My questions concerning American banks are:

• Which bank(s) do you think is/are the best according to their quality of service?
• What are the requirements for a foreign national to open a bank account in the US? Is it straightforward, or do I need to deal with some legal issues that U.S. citizens are exempt from?
• Do you pay annual fees for credit cards in the US? I might consider getting a credit card from the bank where I will have an account, as I find having a credit card handy for making online transactions. That being said, I will be on a tight budget as a grad student, and if getting a credit card means that I will have to pay some kind of annual fee for it, I'd rather not have one.
• Finally, I am asking these questions assuming that I will have freedom to choose my bank, but do schools sometimes force you to open your account in a certain bank because they have a deal with them or something?

My second set of questions is about GSM Operators.

• Since I will mostly communicate with my friends and family members in my home country via Skype, Hangouts, and similar apps, I will not be using my old phone number. I will switch to an American GSM operator and get a new number to communicate with my new contacts in the US. Which GSM operator would you recommend based on your personal experiences?
• And before you make a suggestion, here are some important points to keep in mind:
• I'm not a talkative person, and prefer messaging (via Whatsapp or Viber) to talking on the phone. Thus my data package need not have many minutes and messages, etc. I will mostly be dependent on internet - and considering that the campus and other public places often have Wi-Fi, even my internet package may be modest. 
• In addition, I'm not a very outdoorsy person, and I am sure that I will be spending most of my time in urban areas, where my university is also located. Therefore coverage may not be a big issue for me. (Though I admit that I might be grievously mistaken about this. Maybe there are some GSM operators that have poor coverage even in cities?)
• In short, what I care most about is to have a GSM operator that will give me a modest data package for a reasonable sum of money. I really don't want to be ripped off :((  Which GSM operator would you recommend under these circumstances?

My third set of questions is about Hair Dressers.

• Yeah, I know - what a shallow and superficial question, right? But please hear me out. I have actually been cutting and dyeing my hair all by myself for the last 5 years or so - so I would save time and money. And it really worked! But as I will be living in a residence hall once I start my PhD program, I am guessing that it will be very hard for me to keep up this regimen in the US. The Handbook clearly says that "hair cutting, shampooing and similar activities should be restricted to the bathroom" - which is fine. I guess I could just cover a sink with a stretch foil, cut my hair, and clean up the mess easily. The real problem is dyeing. My natural hair color is black, but I have some gray hairs here and there, which I like to cover up with black dye. One problem with black dye is rinsing, however. It makes the water turn purple and might risk staining the white bathroom tiles with purple patches. I could clean it up, of course, but I really don't wanna go into trouble over such an issue. So I guess I may have to go to a hair salon once per month or so, in order to have my hair dyed.
• Now, I will be living in Boston and I checked the prices at some hair salons, and they sounded terrifying! Even the "cheapest" hair salons (those with a single dollar sign next to their names) could charge $75 for a simple haircut. I don't know how much a hair-dying procedure costs, but I anticipate that it will be expensive as well. So I need a life hack for that. How do I get a cheap hair dye in the Boston area? Is there a good way of doing that?

And my final questions concern the issue of Home textiles.

• The residence hall will not be providing me with linens, pillows, blankets, and suchlike, so I have to buy them myself. I know IKEA is probably an affordable option for purchasing such things, but is there any other place that you could recommend?

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Many thanks in advance to everyone for reading my questions and providing answers.

Thank you very much!

 

 

 

[E-P]

Welcome to the US!  The vast majority of us are glad to have you!  I'll try to answer the questions I know:

• Which bank(s) do you think is/are the best according to their quality of service?

Which bank you use depends on where you go.  I've had to switch banks when I've moved across the US, although there are one or two that are nationwide (Chase, for example).  Personally, I'd go to google maps in your city, type in "Bank," and see how many come up.  You'll want ones that have lots of branches and lots of ATMs, preferably ones that don't charge you fees to go to out-of-network ATMs.  Your school may also have a school-specific credit union (another type of bank, basically), and those sometimes offer better deals than a generic bank.

• Do you pay annual fees for credit cards in the US?

It depends on the credit card.  You can get CCs with no annual fees.  That said, your bank will also give you an ATM/debit card, which functions as a credit card that withdraws from your account.  So you don't NEED a separate credit card for doing online purchases.

• Finally, I am asking these questions assuming that I will have freedom to choose my bank, but do schools sometimes force you to open your account in a certain bank because they have a deal with them or something?

Not that I've ever heard.

My second set of questions is about GSM Operators.

•  Since I will mostly communicate with my friends and family members in my home country via Skype, Hangouts, and similar apps, I will not be using my old phone number. I will switch to an American GSM operator and get a new number to communicate with my new contacts in the US. Which GSM operator would you recommend based on your personal experiences?

Again, it depends on your area, since cell phone providers have better coverage in some areas than other.  For example, my school is in a small city, and Sprint isn't very good here.  But I live in an even smaller city, and neither Sprint nor Tmobile are very good there.  So yes, it largely depends on your school, and where specifically you live.  Check with some members of your program and see what's most common.  Speaking broadly, Verizon is the most expensive.  I would suggest trying to go with Tmobile or AT&T if possible.  Most cell phone services have unlimited talking and messaging, but some require more payment if you use more data.  That said, Boston will probably be fine.  I can't imagine that any of them have "bad" service in a major US city.

 And my final questions concern the issue of Home textiles.

• The residence hall will not be providing me with linens, pillows, blankets, and suchlike, so I have to buy them myself. I know IKEA is probably an affordable option for purchasing such things, but is there any other place that you could recommend?

I'd probably look on Amazon first.  IKEA is cheap, but low quality for such things, so you'll probably be happier with the quality of the "AmazonBasics" stuff.

 

 

If you have more questions, keep 'm coming!  I'll respond as I have time.

[p287]

Hi Dark Chocolate Mocha!

I relocated to the U.S. in 2016 and had some similar questions/struggles. I will try to answer as best I can.

BANKS

Which bank(s) do you think is/are the best according to their quality of service?

I had A LOT of problems with Chase when dealing with sending money internationally (I still have a bank account in my home country). I have liked TD Bank, but have not been with them for very long. Note that I tried to sign up with an online bank (Ally) but they were unable to verify my I.D. because my SSN was so new. Likewise, you will probably not be able to open a bank account with TD, Chase, etc., using their website if you are using a new SSN -- you will probably have to go in to a branch.

What are the requirements for a foreign national to open a bank account in the US? Is it straightforward, or do I need to deal with some legal issues that U.S. citizens are exempt from?

See above. You will need to go in to a branch with your passport, visa, and SSN. I'd recommend calling the branch ahead of time to see if you need any other documentation.

Do you pay annual fees for credit cards in the US? I might consider getting a credit card from the bank where I will have an account, as I find having a credit card handy for making online transactions. That being said, I will be on a tight budget as a grad student, and if getting a credit card means that I will have to pay some kind of annual fee for it, I'd rather not have one.

You may have trouble getting a credit card if using a new SSN. There are cards made for people with no credit. They have very low limits ($200-$500) and require you to make a security deposit covering that amount. I think they are beneficial for people new to the U.S. as they help you build your credit.

Finally, I am asking these questions assuming that I will have freedom to choose my bank, but do schools sometimes force you to open your account in a certain bank because they have a deal with them or something?

I have never heard of this happening.

GSM OPERATORS

Since I will mostly communicate with my friends and family members in my home country via Skype, Hangouts, and similar apps, I will not be using my old phone number. I will switch to an American GSM operator and get a new number to communicate with my new contacts in the US. Which GSM operator would you recommend based on your personal experiences?

If you are going to have ready access to wi-fi, I would look in to Cricket. They are owned and powered by AT&T but have much slower data plans. Wi-fi should work fine on them, though. They are prepaid plans so don't require established credit, and are also significantly cheaper than typical AT&T and other plans.

HAIR DRESSERS

Now, I will be living in Boston and I checked the prices at some hair salons, and they sounded terrifying! Even the "cheapest" hair salons (those with a single dollar sign next to their names) could charge $75 for a simple haircut. I don't know how much a hair-dying procedure costs, but I anticipate that it will be expensive as well. So I need a life hack for that. How do I get a cheap hair dye in the Boston area? Is there a good way of doing that?

I live in the NYC area and decent hair dressers are just plain expensive. They start around $80 for a low-maintenance woman's haircut. If this is too much for you, you can seek out reputable hair dressing schools -- they often offer discounted haircuts from students. But keep in mind that they are students, and a risk does come with that.

HOME TEXTILES

IKEA or Amazon are fine. I tend to get my textiles from Target and am very happy with them.

[TMP]

Chase and Bank of America are two big nationwide banks with credit cards attached to your account.  Their credit cards are very, very good with cash-back points.  Chase's program allows you to link your credit card with Amazon so you can use points to buy stuff off Amazon.

See if you can live without a cell service for a while, especially if you're going to be on campus for most part.  Cell services are pretty expensive in the US, especially compared to Europe.  Sprint does have an international plan so you might be able to use your US plan while you're visiting your home country.

I doubt that taking care of your hair will be a big issue in the dorms-- students do it all the time.  As long as you clean up after yourself and use bleach (or Oxi-clean), the dyes will come off.  Hair dye in the US cost about $10-$15. 

A lot of people use Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Bed,Bath and Beyond for their linen/towels/etc. shopping. Just make sure you're buying linens that fit  your mattress-- double check the residential hall site.